The Search for Savin' Sam

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JAN 22, 2001

A good ol' boy goes looking for his pa in this occasionally promising but repetitious debut. Summoned to the deathbed of his autocratic father, U.S. Senator Austin Belew, prodigal youngest son Blue Belew arrives in plenty of time to suffer another blast of the patriarch's rejection. Soon afterward, the old curmudgeon splits from the hospital to join up with Savin' Sam, a former TV mobile-home pitchman who is running Cancer Casualties for Christ, a scam to collect the insurance of his terminally ill followers. Fearing the loss of the family fortune, Blue's mother and siblings promptly dispatch him to rescue the bamboozled old tyrant, and the chain-smoking, beer-guzzling hero embarks on a star-crossed odyssey to mend matters with disagreeable old dad. The novel then meanders into a fatuous episode featuring a trio of backwoods stereotypes who contribute little to the plot. Although Carter (son of Billy, nephew of President Jimmy) now and then demonstrates a flair for dialogue, anecdote and description, this talent is overshadowed by his parade of Southern-fried cliches. Author tour.