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| The Entertainment Review |
| By: Byron Harmon Publisher: Agate |
Byron Harmon's latest release, “Crabs in a Barrel,” is going to be a big hit for a lot of readers. When the King's
Dream, a luxury charter yacht that is a part of a small fleet headed to a weekend birthday and gambling party at the
Atlantic Resort in the Bahamas shipwrecks, all hell breaks loose. With the exception of the Caucasian captain, the
castaway passengers are all African Americans. The similarities end there. In addition to surviving with a limited
amount of food and water supplies, sub-par shelter, and yesterdays clothing, the gang is also struggling to cope with
each other. Their social backgrounds, education, income, zip codes, political and religious affiliations are as diverse
as can possibly be.
The motley squad include Sahara, a former college beauty queen and aspiring medical student and part time
waitress; Fame, an up and coming inner city comedian; Rachel and Valerie, cousins looking for some easy money;
Muhammad, a married Muslim and his Christian mistress, Shon; Samuel who is also known as Sammy, a Clarence
Thomas wannabe whose dossier includes a career as a successful corporate lawyer and a blonde haired, blue eyed
white girlfriend; Wolf, a menacing and evil Brooklyn thug and drug dealer; and Jean Paul Baptiste, heir of a prominent
New Orleans family with serious cold feet who is two weeks away from an arranged marriage.
Readers will be on the edge of their seat trying to determine if the members of this group are going to be able to
tolerate each other and work together until they are rescued or if they will be like, no pun intended, crabs in a barrel.
Will these characters allow their difference to interfere with their mission of being rescued and possibly end with a few
causalities along the way?
“Crabs in a Barrel” is an entertaining and enjoyable page turner. It was a enjoyable read that readers will want to
make sure that they find time to sit down and read so that the book has their undivided attention and they will be able
to read uninterrupted until the last page. “Crabs in the Barrel” will make readers laugh, scream, cry, become angry
and at some points be reflective. For those who are unfamiliar with the term `crabs in a barrel', Harmon enlightens in
an informative and easy to follow manner. One of the few shortcomings of the novel is that the female voices were
not strong and the characters not as distinctive or memorable as the male characters. But it is a weakness that
Harmon is sure to quickly overcome as he continues to hone his writing style. Readers will be happy if they don’t
allow their bias regarding the cover or the author's last two books to taint their decision to read this book because
they would miss out on a really good book. Reading “Crabs in a Barrel” is like watching a movie unfold. Fans of
castaway series such as “Gilligan Islands,” “Lost” and “Survivor” will enjoy the storyline. Readers looking for tight
writing, a strong storyline with colorful characters, vivid imagery and poignant social messages will appreciate the
fresh voice.
Dream, a luxury charter yacht that is a part of a small fleet headed to a weekend birthday and gambling party at the
Atlantic Resort in the Bahamas shipwrecks, all hell breaks loose. With the exception of the Caucasian captain, the
castaway passengers are all African Americans. The similarities end there. In addition to surviving with a limited
amount of food and water supplies, sub-par shelter, and yesterdays clothing, the gang is also struggling to cope with
each other. Their social backgrounds, education, income, zip codes, political and religious affiliations are as diverse
as can possibly be.
The motley squad include Sahara, a former college beauty queen and aspiring medical student and part time
waitress; Fame, an up and coming inner city comedian; Rachel and Valerie, cousins looking for some easy money;
Muhammad, a married Muslim and his Christian mistress, Shon; Samuel who is also known as Sammy, a Clarence
Thomas wannabe whose dossier includes a career as a successful corporate lawyer and a blonde haired, blue eyed
white girlfriend; Wolf, a menacing and evil Brooklyn thug and drug dealer; and Jean Paul Baptiste, heir of a prominent
New Orleans family with serious cold feet who is two weeks away from an arranged marriage.
Readers will be on the edge of their seat trying to determine if the members of this group are going to be able to
tolerate each other and work together until they are rescued or if they will be like, no pun intended, crabs in a barrel.
Will these characters allow their difference to interfere with their mission of being rescued and possibly end with a few
causalities along the way?
“Crabs in a Barrel” is an entertaining and enjoyable page turner. It was a enjoyable read that readers will want to
make sure that they find time to sit down and read so that the book has their undivided attention and they will be able
to read uninterrupted until the last page. “Crabs in the Barrel” will make readers laugh, scream, cry, become angry
and at some points be reflective. For those who are unfamiliar with the term `crabs in a barrel', Harmon enlightens in
an informative and easy to follow manner. One of the few shortcomings of the novel is that the female voices were
not strong and the characters not as distinctive or memorable as the male characters. But it is a weakness that
Harmon is sure to quickly overcome as he continues to hone his writing style. Readers will be happy if they don’t
allow their bias regarding the cover or the author's last two books to taint their decision to read this book because
they would miss out on a really good book. Reading “Crabs in a Barrel” is like watching a movie unfold. Fans of
castaway series such as “Gilligan Islands,” “Lost” and “Survivor” will enjoy the storyline. Readers looking for tight
writing, a strong storyline with colorful characters, vivid imagery and poignant social messages will appreciate the
fresh voice.
