Post by curious george on Feb 7, 2004 15:57:52 GMT -5
From Cooks Overboard, an Angie Amalfi mystery by Joanne Pence. It's a little hard to explain the plot; suffice it to say that the small but motley crew of characters are traveling by freighter rather than cruise ship, with the main characters supposedly heading for Acapulco.
"The constant whirring of the outdoor fans at Fernando's, a small, inexpensive cantina across from the Mazatlan harbor, suggested that they were spinning at full speed, even if all it meant was that they were merely pushing the hot, humid air around a bit....At one table, a woman fanned herself with a round, palm-leaf-shaped fan with a bamboo handle. It didn't help. The three men with her looked equally miserable. None of them spoke.
The woman sipped her sangria, the men their beers. ... Three colorfully dressed street musicians circled their table and began wildly strumming their guitars.
The American, George Gresham, cringed. He recognized that musical introduction. The whole world probably recognized that introduction. He gritted his teeth and tried not to look too pained
Sure enough, the loud, slightly off-key strains of "La Bamba" began to fill the air, and all of the customers' eyes turned to the four of them. To Gresham's horror, Grundil Duchievor was smiling at the musicians and rocking her head as if she was enjoying it. When they began the "Ba-ba-bamba" chorus, in voices louder than he thought humanly possible, he fished in his pockets for some money and practically threw it into the hands of one of the men.
'Thank you. Thank you,' the man said. When they didn't leave, George stood up. 'Gracias and goodbye.'
Grundil lifted one eyebrown and peered coldly at George....'why did you send them away, George?....I liked it.'
'....At least it's better than 'Guantanamera,' said her husband, Bela.
Okay, if that doesn't make you wonder if that was cadged from somewhere else, a chapter or two later the main character, Angie, says, "I don't think the Hydra exists....she's not real. She's a figment of Mike Jones's imagination. A made-up person. A sort of Remington Steele."
Shall we take this as a tip of the hat rather than a rip-off?
;D
cg
"The constant whirring of the outdoor fans at Fernando's, a small, inexpensive cantina across from the Mazatlan harbor, suggested that they were spinning at full speed, even if all it meant was that they were merely pushing the hot, humid air around a bit....At one table, a woman fanned herself with a round, palm-leaf-shaped fan with a bamboo handle. It didn't help. The three men with her looked equally miserable. None of them spoke.
The woman sipped her sangria, the men their beers. ... Three colorfully dressed street musicians circled their table and began wildly strumming their guitars.
The American, George Gresham, cringed. He recognized that musical introduction. The whole world probably recognized that introduction. He gritted his teeth and tried not to look too pained
Sure enough, the loud, slightly off-key strains of "La Bamba" began to fill the air, and all of the customers' eyes turned to the four of them. To Gresham's horror, Grundil Duchievor was smiling at the musicians and rocking her head as if she was enjoying it. When they began the "Ba-ba-bamba" chorus, in voices louder than he thought humanly possible, he fished in his pockets for some money and practically threw it into the hands of one of the men.
'Thank you. Thank you,' the man said. When they didn't leave, George stood up. 'Gracias and goodbye.'
Grundil lifted one eyebrown and peered coldly at George....'why did you send them away, George?....I liked it.'
'....At least it's better than 'Guantanamera,' said her husband, Bela.
Okay, if that doesn't make you wonder if that was cadged from somewhere else, a chapter or two later the main character, Angie, says, "I don't think the Hydra exists....she's not real. She's a figment of Mike Jones's imagination. A made-up person. A sort of Remington Steele."
Shall we take this as a tip of the hat rather than a rip-off?
;Dcg
