Busted Flush
By Brad Smith

Publishers Weekly:

Fleeing a soured marriage and the general turpitude of modern life, Dock Bass retreats to a newly inherited Gettysburg farm where he discovers a trove of priceless Civil War artifacts, including a possible recording of Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg address. He is soon besieged by media vultures, an opportunistic rival claimant to the treasure and a number of shady antiquarians trying to cash in on the find. Fortunately, Dock is just the man to defend Lincoln's legacy. Indifferent to fame and money, Dock stoically restores his farmhouse while denouncing or physically battering every avatar of contemporary crassness; at one point he even recites the Gettysburg Address by heart, punctuating it with crashing hammer blows. Finally, assisted by an eccentric history professor and a glitzy investigative reporter with a heart of gold, Dock squares off against an evil gay antiques dealer and his henchman. Smith (ONE-EYED JACKS) concocts a frothily entertaining satire of the corrupt Civil War memorabilia industry, but the fun is somewhat dampened by the figure of Dock, a tower of laconic manliness whose censorious mission is to reclaim the project of historical commemoration from all traces of vulgarity and materialism. The incongruous result is what you might expect if Gary Cooper were to ride into town to clean up "The Antiques Road Show."

Kirkus Reviews:

History is littered with examples of people doing bad things in order to land rare and exquisite prizes. And so is this funny, quirky tale that plays pleasing what-if games with the past.

Dock Bass has a Jimmy Buffett soul: Canadian author Brad Smith (ALL HAT, 2003) lets us know early on that Dock would rather fish, play cards, and drink beer than do anything else, including deal with his socially ambitious wife and make the fat living she now seems to require. When a mysterious letter comes from a lawyer down Gettysburg way, Dock is glad to get gone-and gladder still to find that he's inherited a little farm from a relative he scarcely knew he had. There's work to be done on the place, but enough little rewards turn up in odd corners to keep Dock at the task: glass-plate negatives that may contain images of Lincoln at Gettysburg to add to the single photograph known to exist, a first edition of Notes on the State of Virginia, manuscripts, old tools. And then he finds the big one. Enter lawyers, reporters, treasure hunters, fortune-sniffers, and assorted hangers-on, until Dock's back to his former karma-pecked self: "For a man who had, just a month earlier, driven off into the sunset with the sole purpose of uncomplicating his life, Dock Bass had somehow succeeded in accomplishing just the opposite." Some of the characters in Smith's roller coaster narrative verge on caricature, but others-like young Amy Morris, an ambitious TV reporter-become nicely complicated as the story unfolds and shaggy dogs shed their fleas. Smith takes his leisure in crafting smart exchanges: "Anyone with a brain would have taken that step," one of Dock's pursuers mutters. "I suspect this fellow is the dimmest of bulbs. Violent types usually are." But Dock is smarter than he seems: so we learn as Smith's story meanders amiably toward its satisfying payoff.

Nicely done, and just the thing for the History Channel addict of the house.

Boston Globe:

It's the irresistible Dock Bass who keeps it all together. The epitome of laconic wit, he replies when his wife asks what people find so fascinating about history: ''It doesn't change." You've got to love this guy who keeps plugging along, rebuilding that house, nail by nail and board by board, oblivious to greedy charlatans storming its walls. This is one to kick back and read with a cold beer and Johnny Cash wailing away in the background.

Toronto Sun:

With the kind of wisecracking dialogue that would have done Damon Runyon proud, Smith has fashioned an absolutely delightful page-turner filled with colourful con men, ne'er-do-wells and even potential heroes and heroines. There's plenty here to satisfy the Civil War buff, the mystery buff and those readers interested in getting acquainted with a smart-ass lead character who ties it all together.

BookLoons:

What a delight of a book...Don't miss Busted Flush. It's a fun book that proves there are still some people who are willing to take the time to smell the roses, and wise enough to outwit the bad guys at their own game.

DorothyL.com:

There’s something for everyone in Brad Smith’s new book Busted Flush. The comical, teetering on slapstick, book takes place in Gettysburg Pennsylvania, so of course it involves the Civil War and Lincoln. But this is so much more than yet another novel about THE WAR and THE PRESIDENT.

The reader will find himself laughing out loud as the characters, which are all at least slightly off center, try to pull off one scam after another. Think in terms of Dave Barry’s character having moved to Pennsylvania--that’s the sort of characters Brad Smith has given the reader in this book. Besides the scams, there is a dilapidated house, a treasure, and a secret room. The author also gives the reader a fascinating look at early phonographs and photography as well as Civil War memorabilia.

The characters and the plot seem to be predictable, but just when the reader is groaning at the sure turn of events, something totally unpredictable happens! Busted Flush lives up to its title leaving the reader to guess who is wearing the poker face in the end.

This book could be a fast read as the writing is snappy and fast paced, but if the reader zips through it too quickly, some really interesting historical details might be missed.

Bookbitch.com:

Brad Smith created a hero for his novel, Busted Flush, that I wish I knew. Dock Bass is a decent, down-to-earth, honest man with a sarcastic, dry humor. Unfortunately, when we first meet Dock he's stuck in a real estate job he hates, working for a dishonest boss, and living with a money-grubbing wife.

Brad Smith's enjoyable novel is a study in character and opportunity. Given the opportunity for fame and fortune, would a man give up his decency and character? Many of the characters in residence in Gettysburg in Busted Flush would eagerly sell anything for fame and fortune. Does Dock Bass have a price?

Tony Horwitz, author of CONFEDERATES IN THE ATTIC:

In BUSTED FLUSH, battle flares anew in Gettysburg, Pa.--this time, between Civil War collectors, professors, re-enactors, swindlers, barflies, and other irregulars. The action swings north and south, from the 19th to the 21st century, with dialogue that crackles like musket fire. Brad Smith's novel is true to Gettysburg's heroic past and madcap present, and a deliciously entertaining tale of uncivil war over the legacy of America's greatest conflict.