WHEN PIGS FLY

A madcap criminal caper involving a $100-million lottery ticket and the quirkiest cast of characters since Seinfeld.

Widower and retired cop Mack Durgin moves to Arizona, figuring it’s a good place to relax and get away from his previous life. Fate had other plans, however, in the form of a large, ponytailed ex-con with a penchant for violence and junk food and an aversion to good hygiene: Dieter Kohl (aka Diet Cola), who happens to be standing near Mack’s parents when they learn that they have the winning ticket in a $100-million lottery. When the octogenarian couple heads home to celebrate with a bit of coitus, Cola breaks in to steal the ticket and proceeds to savagely beat the poor Durgins–though the plucky pair is rescued by two unlikely saviors: brothers Ace and Frosty, a dim but efficient pair of thieves cursed with a modicum of conscience. Cola manages to hide the ticket in an urn before escaping, but doesn’t realize said urn contains the remains of Mack’s former partner (the aptly named George Ashe). Mack’s parents ship the urn to him in Arizona, setting off a sequence of lively cross-country hijinks, with Cola desperately trying to reclaim the ticket before it expires, and Ace and Frosty hot on his heels. Throw in Mack’s vivacious love interest, Calliope Vrattos–a 40-something divorcee on the run from a deranged Elvis impersonator–and a pig named Poindexter, and you’ve got a crime story that manages to provide a few delightfully unpredictable moments before reaching its tritely inevitable conclusion. Sanchez’s breakneck narrative never lets up as it propels its characters toward their respective destinies, and there’s humor to be found within the criminal caricatures. Unfortunately, a number of one-liners induce more groans than giggles, and the story’s sheer absurdity occasionally weighs it down.

Perfect for those who like their eggs scrambled, steak rare and thrillers hammy.