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- Verified Buyer
I reviewed Max Estes' first book Hello Again just over a year ago on Amazon and it was a big hit with me. That was a more serious, somber-toned story about confronting one's guilt. Coffee and Donuts is decidedly different in tone, much lighter and a bit of a farce about a couple of down-on-their-luck street cats named Jules and Dwight. Dwight does all the talking in the story. The two cats live their days in a alley dumpster scrounging for food but a mysterious benefactor constantly leaves them coffee and donuts. Determined to change their fortunes, the pair notice an armored car that stops everyday at the same time at a nearby warehouse. They hatch a plot to rob the car but quickly find out they have no clue as to what they are doing. They botch the robbery and find themselves on the run from the cops.They are caught by a couple of "wise guy" street cats, Myles and Moose who are not happy with them as they had their own plans to rob the armored car. Now the local toughs demand that Dwight & Jules repay them for blowing their job by working from them as loan shark collectors or else they will turn them over to the police. Now Dwight & Jules...two cats who really are a couple of good guys, have to find away to escape the hoods and also avoid the police. And...maybe find out just who is leaving them coffee and donuts.I had a lot of fun with this book. Max's cartooning style is pretty basic but he paces the story quite well and the dialog is fresh and funny. There's lots of slapstick action as the pair try and avoid Myles and Moose while dodging winos and scaling buildings. I think Max has quite a flair for humor and I'd like to see him continue along this path.Reviewed by Tim Janson
