The Coaster

May 30, 2016
Wurster salts his first novel, a tale of greed and mayhem, with an ironic and engaging commentary on the foibles of modern mankind. Bob Patterson is a pleasant incompetent whose greatest achievement until this story begins was marrying well. On the sudden death of his father-in-law, a Kansas City, Mo., business mogul, Bob is unexpectedly appointed executor of the extensive estate instead of his supercompetent wife, Sarah. When erstwhile fraternity buddy Dave “Corny” Cornwallis unaccountably visits, and a slick salesman, Tom Swanson, pushes a business proposal that turns out to be too good to be true, events rapidly churn into a whirlpool of criminal madness. Bob finds inner resources he never knew he had as one ordeal presages the next, even more dire calamity. But with Sarah’s help, Bob manages to cope and survive. There are perhaps a few too many discourses on the absurd aspects of society and the human condition, plus a noticeable plot hole or two, but all in all Wurster has delivered an exciting and enjoyable read.

June 1, 2016
Readers must be warned: don't let the first 26 pages put you off this fine novel. Wurster is setting up a story involving corporate jerks and has his narrator, Bob Patterson, come off as a primo jerk. In a short space, he belittles wife, colleagues, anybody unfortunate enough to swim within his ken. But then his father-in-law, who subsidized Patterson's plush, pointless life, dies, leaving Patterson, for no apparent reason, in charge of his investment empire. Readers who have hung on will be rewarded, as Wurster spins a devious plot out of his hero's bewilderment. Sharks appear, and Patterson battles them, but this is not a heartwarming story of one man's redemption through steady employment. As he learns what this corner of corporate America is really up to, Patterson reveals a treacherous streak of his own. The style is witty and knowing, as when Patterson wishes he had a cold-blooded but loyal killer chum to rescue him, just like those pop-novel detectives. The violent finale boils with surprises, all the while staying mordantly funny. A rumbustious read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

June 1, 2016
Wurster's first novel plunges an amiable Kansas City househusband, a self-described "coaster," into perilously deep waters--first financial, then criminal.Robert Patterson has always been content to let his wife bring home the bacon. As president of The Bennett Company, Sarah pulls down a hefty salary and serves as heir apparent to her founding father, who remains CEO. But when Samuel Bennett dies just short of his 70th birthday, his will provides the first of a series of shocks. It turns out that in order to take advantage of an arcane wrinkle in the tax code, Sam has named his lightweight son-in-law, not his savvy wife or daughter, as the trustee responsible for administering his considerable holdings. Bob thinks his minder, James Madison, will condemn him to endless rounds of pointless meetings and interchangeable pitch sessions from hopeful inventors looking for venture capital. He's only half right, because one of those pitches is anything but interchangeable. Tom Swanson, the smiling frontman for Sanitol Solutions, wants Bob to back his revolutionary new method for cleaning up messes, all kinds of messes, without toxic chemicals or unsightly traces or, really, any traces at all. Discovering that Sam originally passed on Sanitol, Bob prepares to do the same, little knowing that Swanson has considerably more resources at his disposal, and considerably fewer scruples, for securing Bob's backing. Only after a pleasantly improbable series of escalating complications, including a direct encounter with Sanitol's Muffin Monster, will Bob be ready for the conveniently pat resolution. With its fish-out-of-water plot and cartoonish characters, this would make a perfect beach read for account executives and unprepared heirs.

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Starred review from August 1, 2016

Bob Patterson is a coaster; a guy who ties his fortunes to someone higher up the food chain. His job as head of a division of his father-in-law's company doesn't require much input from him. His wife, Sarah, is president of Bennett Capital, and their life is well regulated; galas and benefits and rescuing horses and occasional lovemaking keep Bob going. Suddenly, Sarah's father dies, leaving Bob as the trustee of Sam Bennett's multibillion-dollar personal fortune. What's a coaster to do? When blackmail and murder raise their ugly heads, Bob finds out he actually can accomplish quite a lot when necessary. VERDICT Aficionados of comic mysteries such as those by Tim Dorsey will delight in Wurster's laconic, humorous prose; Bob's wry, self-deprecating, and hilarious musings offer keen observations on everything from sports to sex.

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