This is a very enjoyable diversion. I can't say that I would read anything more by this author but this is a decent choice for a humorous, fast-paced story.

Comic, mad cap adventure of a heart transplant that went wrong, then right, then wrong and so on until what. Politics still apply as seen in this adventure.

I wouldn't have thought a book about a man trying to fight the government to ensure his mother gets a heart transplant would have me laughing out loud, but this certainly did! Fitzhugh takes partisan politics and government conspiracies to new levels of humor, and our hero, lawyer-with-a-heart (pun intended) Spence Tailor is the perfect person to put everything in its proper place. Complete with car chases, accidental kidnappings and nutty characters willing to help out along the way, this book had me turning the pages as quickly as possible, both to find the next laugh and to find out what would happen next. This is a great combination of humor and plot, I'm off to read more of his books!

Didnt know what to expect going in to this, but was not disappointed. Really liked this book and would read another book by the author. Would definitely recommend.

This story follows Spencer and Boyd, two brothers who take drastic matters into their own hands in helping their mother receive a heart transplant. She was next on the list, she was admitted to the hospital and was set to go, when the CIA and Secret Service commandeered the heart for the President of the United States. This sets Spencer off and they end up going on a statewide run with the stolen heart followed by the CIA, FBI and other interesting characters. The story had too many moving parts with too many characters and back stories. I found myself skipping all of the other parts of the story that had nothing to do with Boyd, Spencer, their mother Rose and the stolen heart. The story only really needed those parts, the other stuff added seemed to be just fillers with odd history of government etc. The other odd part I found was one of the people that Spencer and Boyd came across was a police officer who announced he was 'gay' to everyone he met. I thought maybe this would lead to maybe Boyd also realizing he was attracted to men, especially since there were odd moments between the two that maybe would lead to that, but I found there was no point to this proclamation other than to throw this character in there to have him be something other than police. I understand there are other books in this series, but I did not find the writing style something that I would like to explore again the story was entertaining enough, just not my type of read.

HEART SEIZURE
By Bill Fitzhugh
Farrago

A humorous story that brings an important social issue to the forefront.

This book is offbeat, fun, and quirky. The underlying theme is importantly so you do find yourself wondering what you would do in the same situation, but it is written so comically that you can’t take it too seriously.

I absolutely loved this book and am looking forward to the next one. The writing is easy to read. It is a great beach read or book to read curled up in front of the fire. The characters are outrageous. You will fall in love with their unique ways and find yourself rooting for the underdogs.


I received an ARC from Farrago through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

I really enjoyed Fitzhugh's first book Pest Control. On the other hand, I didn't finish his next one, Organ Grinders. So I wasn't sure where I was going to come down on this one. It ends up that it was pretty much dead in the middle.

Spence Tailer is a lawyer who takes cases that help people but don't bring in much money. His older brother is a self-absorbed yuppy banker with the typical soccer-mom wife. And their mother, Rose, has a failing heart and a fairly rare blood-type and has been waiting for a transplant. When one shows up they get ready for the surgery...until government agents try to abscond with the heart because the President needs the transplant following a heart attack. Spence "kidnaps" the heart and, in the process, involves his brother, kidnaps a LAPD officer (who comes out), doesn't quite kidnap one of the heart transplant doctors, and begins a road trip with their Mom to find someone to transplant the heart that was hers by rights of the transplant list. Also involved is a second team of government agents working for a U.S. Senator who is running against the President in the election, attempting to keep the President from getting the heart...or just keep anyone from getting it.

If that all sounds like an opportunity for political satire, well it is. And Fitzhugh does a decent job with that, the sleaziness and underhandedness of American politicians and even throws in some shots at the media, particularly talk radio. The problem is that the book is at least 1/3 too long. There are decent sized swathes of the book that just drag. And that is not what you want from a humor book. And while the political satire was probably more on point in 2003, after the shenanigans of the last six years or so, the plot seems kind of like a day that ends in "y."

Overall, Fitzhugh is a pretty funny guy. And the book is probably worth a read. It's not as good as Pest Control. But I happily finished it.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

The story is about a son’s love for his mother, the value of right from wrong, national secrets and political spin. Rose Tailor, a critically ill patient with a rare blood type, is need of a new heart. After a long wait, Rose finally reaches the top of the heart transplant list. The death of a young man with the same rare blood type becomes the perfect heart donor. As Rose is preparing for surgery, the family is notified that she will not be receiving the heart after all. Rose’s son Spencer is furious that someone else will receive his mother’s new heart. He isn’t about to allow that to happen and hijacks the heart. What Spencer doesn’t know is that the FBI has been sent to retrieve the heart and fly it to Washington because the intended person is the President of the United States. What ensues is a wild and crazy laugh out loud silly adventure. Thoroughly enjoyed the escapism.

A caper on par with the three stooges or the Pink Panther, Heart Seizure follows the story of a heart transplant destined for an aging/severely ill mother that gets "rerouted" to save the President of the United States. Only, Mama's two boys take offense that someone tried to skip the organ transplant line and they fight back (hilariously). Altogether unlikely and silly, it was definitely entertaining. And made me laugh out loud a few times too. For fans of dark comedy, political satire, and escapism only.

Heart Seizure by Bill Fitzhugh was pretty good. The plot was very far fetched but it was an adventure. Spence Taylor's mother Rose needs a heart transplant. She has a rare blood type but a heart is found. But then the President of the US needs a heart too. Spence and his brother take the heart and a doctor and are chased across the country by the President's men. The story is fun and crazy. I thought the writing was very good with a lot of crazy things happening.

If you like a good romp this is it. It is really not my cup of tea but it was a fun read

Heart transplant, heart-'kidnapping', wacky characters and a chase of a lifetime. Gosh! This book had me laughing till the end.

Completely engaging and entertaining mystery. Wacky characters add a dash of wacko-weirdo to the quirky plot. Witty dialogs, political satire and some ouchie moments (sugar coated with entertainment) take the story to a whole new definition of quirky.

I absolutely enjoyed reading this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s a fast-moving wild ride of a tale that is generally about getting their mother the heart transplant that was “hers”; despite the fact that she was number one on the transplant list, she got bumped because it seemed that the President of the United States needed one. Laced with laugh out loud funny parts, Heart Seizure is truly about the love among a mother and her two sons, who would literally do anything, including kidnapping some folks and hijacking some motor vehicles, to keep their mom alive.

Highly recommended.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

This isn’t my type of book, which is probably why I spent most of the book cycling back and forth between “I can’t put this down” and “I want to DNF this.” I feel like the idea was really interesting but it jumped between point of views and getting to experience each character’s personal inner turmoil became annoying. Between that and random facts about the cost of a highway or a random political or history fact interrupting a slow moving scene, it was easy to lose motivation to keep reading to the end. All in all, this is the type of book I wish I wanted to tell my friends to read, but probably never would out of fear that they wouldn’t enjoy it

I was so intrigued by the premise of this one, and frankly could have really used a good dark humor novel right now... Unfortunately I struggled with this one from the opening pages and could never get into the story. I'm not sure why, but this one just didn't work for me.

Spence Tailor, a lawyer with an actual set of principles, loves his mama, Rose. Rose—with advanced cardiomyopathy and a rare blood type—is scheduled for a heart transplant. But when the president's heart craps out during a photo op three months before the national election, the White House chief of staff orders the FBI to seize the heart that was going to Rose—all in the name of democracy. But Spence isn't about to let anybody steal what rightfully belongs to his mom. So with the help of his reluctant older brother, they hijack the heart, inadvertently kidnap a beautiful cardiac surgery resident, and take to the road.

This book is so exciting, it is funny, comedic but yet also plays on your heart strings. This is not the normal, type of genre I go for but I have thoroughly enjoyed it. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

What an incredible and hilarious romp! AB blood type, a much sought after heart, ridiculous political shenanigans & a wild ride to save a mother's heart! Funny, hysterical, crazy and often really disturbing, this unique and incredible novel hasn't taken a single tiny wrinkle since its much talked about release in 2003. A fabulous fictional journey through post 9/11 America and all its wary restlessness, blind rages and heartfelt hopes for its future. Bill Fitzhugh is an incredible wordsmith and probably one of the most talented writers today in America when its comes to gifting us with very noirish & often "out of control" comedy fiction.
A marvellous discovery or rediscovery to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Farrago for this terrific ARC and for giving a new life once again to Fitzhugh's magnificent talent!

Complete escapism, this is whacky. I really enjoyed its mix of strange characters and completely implausible plot. Definitely one for people who want a relatively short trip onto a world in which is as funny as it is whacky.

A Mad Cap, totally unbelievable yet entertaining caper, easy to read, with characters that make you laugh a loud.

A reissue from 20 years ago that feels relevant with some of the politics we face right now.

The Story is about Spencer and brother Boyd, who when a heart destined for their mum in a transplant op is taken last minute for the president, they decide to half inch the heart and set off on a mad dash to make sure mum gets what’s promised, it’s completely nuts. But it’s inoffensive, it’s almost charming and really rather good.

It’s a switch your brain, prepare to laugh and forget the world around you type of book that made me smile many times and I look forward to the rest of the trilogy from Farrago Books

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day, lots of laugh out loud moments just what we need right now.

I thoroughly enjoyed Heart Seizure. The plot is completely crackers but is still engaging and entertaining and there is some blazing satire of several aspects of life in the USA, most notably healthcare, politics and the media.

The story concerns Spence and his brother Boyd who have very different views of the world, and their mother Rose who is elderly and in immediate need of a heart transplant. She and the President have the same rare blood type and it turns out that the President suddenly needs the heart allocated to Rose. An imbroglio develops which snowballs to immense proportions as various security agencies and political interests become involved and Spence, Boyd, Rose and a growing number of others go on the run.

It works, in the way that completely silly plots sometimes can, and it’s buoyed by real wit, engaging characters, good dialogue (which is sometimes very funny in itself) and the aforementioned scathing satire. I found it a very enjoyable read indeed which also had some important points to make – some of which have become even more important in the almost 20 years since the book was written. I can recommend this warmly and I’ll be looking out for more in this tetralogy.

(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC vis NetGalley.)