Odditorium — Hob Broun

A pro softball player, an alcoholic husband, a drug deal out of town, and buried treasure -- the postmodern and vibrantly pulpy debut novel from Hob Broun

The heroine of "Odditorium" is Tildy Soileau, a professional softball player stuck in a down-and-out marriage in South Florida. Leaving her husband to his own boozy inertia, she jumps at the chance to travel to New York with Jimmy Christo, only recently released from a mental institution, and make some much-needed cash on a drug deal.

Adventure is just as much a motivating force, though, and Tildy quickly gets involved with a charismatic drug dealer; meanwhile, in carrying out business, Jimmy is dangerously sidetracked in Tangier. By the time the two are back in Florida, a financial boon greets them, but here, too, trouble is in the wings. Formally daring and full of jolts of the unexpected, "Odditorium" is an addictive romp through shady realms.