It is a world where fruits live side by side with humans. But is this a story of racial politics? Class warfare? The breaking down of social barriers? No. The bearded one known as Eric Hendrixson is too much of a gentleman for such ham-handed storytelling. Instead he takes this world populated with sentient fruits and decides to tell a very weird crime story. And by God, it works. It begins when two gangsters—a banana and an apple—walk into a doughnut shop for an exchange of illegal tender. They wind up shooting one another into juicy pulp. All that’s left is a briefcase and the aforementioned bucket of face.
Left to clean up the mess is Charles, your Average Joe thrust into a world of crime, money, violence, and double-crosses. Charles has to think fast when the fruits off themselves in his doughnut shop. He and his kiwi girlfriend have always talked about fleeing the city to live out their days in some tropical paradise. So naturally he grabs this opportunity. He cleans up the mess, takes the briefcase and bucket, and then turns both the fruits’ bodies into doughnut filling. All hell breaks loose from there. The fruit mafia sends a tomato hitman after Charles to retrieve the loot. The tomato, Roma, literally worships Michael Jackson, and that little detail turns into one of the coolest twists in the book. There are also two extremely odd policemen who may or may not catch Charles in the act.
This is a really great example of bizarro crime, and told in quick novella form. The chapters breeze right by, and Hendrixson has managed to pack action, suspense, heart, and even humor into this brave little novella. Plus, he completely nails the tone of a crime story. There is an awesome prologue that hints at the mania within these pages, but you’ll never guess how it all fits together. Bucket of Face truly feels like a classic crime novel from decades past, but with a bizarro twist that makes it so much more fun.
Get it here: http://www.amazon.com/Bucket-Face-Eric-Hendrixson/dp/1936383314/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301962025&sr=1-1
And so it begins! If you haven’t yet, buy and read BUCKET FO FACE! If you’re into twisted crime capers with lots of blood and juice, this one’s for you. Up next will be UNCLE SAM’S CARNIVAL OF COPULATING INANIMALS by the great Kirk Jones. I’m not far into it, but so far it’s really weird and really really really great. Can’t wait to finish it. Till then, kiddies! SHABLAGOO!
David W Barbee 
I feel terrible that I still haven’t finished this book yet. I’m almost done grading about 250 pages of student papers, then it is back to Bucket of Face.
That’s a lot of student papers! Really liking “Uncle Sam” so far, by the way.