cover image Duck Duck Wally

Duck Duck Wally

Gabe Rotter, . . Simon & Schuster, $24 (306pp) ISBN 978-1-4165-3786-1

Rotter relies heavily on black street slang for comic effect in his zany debut, starting with “chizapter 1.” Wally Moscowitz, a self-described “frumpy, kinda chubby little boring man” living in Los Angeles, writes lyrics for rapper Oral B, the current star of Godz-Illa Records. When not penning lyrics full of four-letter words for Oral, Wally also writes dirty bedtime fables for adults, examples of which are sprinkled throughout the novel. Godz-Illa CEO Abraham “Dandy” Lyons has assured Wally that if anyone ever discovers that Oral B isn't writing his own lyrics, Wally will end up in a ditch. Soon, Wally's dog gets 'napped, goons are trying to kill Wally and everyone rushes to and fro against a backdrop of glitzy L.A. bizness thuggery. Rotter's a talented writer, though readers who find variations of the same joke funny enough to support the silly plot will be most rewarded. (Aug. )