Rummies

When Scott Preston has four double vodkas on his way to work one time too many, he finds himself the subject of an intervention. He's packed off to the Banner Clinic, run by Stone Banner, a celebrity who is idolized by the public. He gets to the clinic, where he certainly doesn't feel like he belongs, the same day as another guy dressed in a rabbit suit, and proceeds to meet a unique array of patients. There's tattooed Hector, who seems to be spending his life bouncing from one treatment center to another, Puffguts, who was sent to treatment in lieu of a mob drowning, Cheryl, who's incredibly thin and timid, and the lovely Priscilla, who intrigues Scott against his better judgment. They spend their days going to therapy and chain smoking cigarettes, and Scott begins to turn around under the tutelage of their counselor Marcia. Just when Scott seems to be settling into life in treatment, however, everything goes awry. A famous actress who graduated from the clinic shortly after Scott's arrival is found dead in the desert, either the victim of a long fall or a hit and run. Then their counselors, and then Priscilla, disappear. Something is wrong at the Banner Clinic, and Scott seems to be the only patient levelheaded enough to come up with a plan to save them all.The name Peter Benchley is practically synonymous with the sea, but in this book he proves he doesn't need a watery background to craft a good story. This is a book largely about addiction treatment with a bit of intrigue thrown in, but even without the intrigue I would have liked it. Benchley writes with an engaging sense of humor and his protagonist's journey from denial to acceptance was actually a lot of fun. Though we don't see him on the current best seller lists, Benchley's work is well worth reading.

Interesting book with only a hint of the mystery characteristic of Benchley's other books. The most interesting aspect to me was the inner workings of the addicts minds.

Another great book by the author of "Jaws", "Beast" and the incredibly beautiful "Girl From the Sea of Cortez". This is not about sea monsters, but rather the monster that is alcoholism. Scott Preston doesn't have a problem. Its everyone else that does. It must be a metabolic thing why he is the only one sweating on the bus...It must be the waitresses problem that she is watching to see if he is going to spill his drink... and after the intervention he will agree to get treatment just to shut his family up...and then he will go have a few more... As sad as people can be when they have a drinking problem, Benchley does a great job of making Preston very likeable and unbelievably witty and clever. The reader almost wants him to be able to go have a drink. This book is very lighthearted despite its dark subject matter. Once in rehab, Preston meets a cast of characters that rivals the core group from One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest... And that's when the murder takes place. From there the book increases in suspense and pace. It's amazing how much entertainment Benchley can squeeze into 250 pages - moreover, its amazing that this man is known for monster books and not his precision wit and biting social commentary.Buy this book - its 12 steps worth taking.Relic113

Peter Benchley shows he has his granddad's talent for dark humor and satire with this bitterly funny look into alcoholism and rehab.

I read this many years ago when it hit the "paperback shelves".It is unlike anything that you would expect from Benchley but is a great read about people interacting with other people who are not like themselves. I think it did not sell well because people were expecting "Jaws" drama instead of just a good read about people being people. If had been written by "John Doe" it would have been a top seller.If it was available in Kindle format, I would buy it again.I have read 100's of books when they hit the "paperback shelves". This one of the few that I remember.If you do buy an old copy for way cheap, prepare to be pleasantly surprised.

Rummies is second only to The Girl of the Sea of Cortez as Peter Benhcley's best story. A New York executive has an intervention pulled on him and is whisked away to a rehab facility in Arizona. What goes on there is both funny and infuriating. Benchley seems to understand the alcoholic's twisted logic well and his main character's awakening to his own personal problems and failings ring true. There is a suspense subplot revolving around less than ethical shenanigans at the facility, just to keep the story spicy. An excellent book.

This novel doesn't have anything at all to do with the sea or sharks etc. but it is still a great read. It is, as always with Benchley, an easy read and there are some pretty good twists in it. The novel is about a publishing agent that has a real drinking problem. He gets shipped off to a clinic somewhere in the desert and meets people from different backgrounds but with similiar problems. I found it interesting as I have read almost nothing on the topic of substance abuse.