Author of the Sports Illustrated
column "The Show" and a former Late Show with David Letterman
writer, Scheft (The Ringer
) returns to fiction with a laugh-out-loud story of aging rock stars reclaiming their musical ids. After their whimsical anthems took their classmate at Chase Academy by storm in the late '60s, the Truants, a Kinks-style garage band, made a record, disbanded and faded into musical oblivion, becoming an asterisk on the long list of good-but-not-great garage bands. Fast-forward three decades when a German record collector shells out $10,000 for a rare copy of their album, and, to everyone's surprise, their five minutes of fame seem poised for extension. A potential gig at their 30th high school reunion gives Scheft a welcome opportunity to make fun of their lives: John, a dermatologist repulsed by strangers' requests to "look at this" or that skin ailment; Richie, a sleazy divorce lawyer who beds his clients; gay Latin (the language) enthusiast Brian; uxorious drummer Tim; and Jerry, who's addicted to gambling and the sugar substitute Equal. Add a hapless sibling eager to reunite the gang, an expletive-driven record connoisseur, an anatomically blessed baker, a knitted plot of dark humor and daffy scenarios, and a unique jocular style, and this sophomore novel hits all the right notes. (Dec. 1)
