The stories in Fifty Years a Hooker range from dramatic, nerve-pounding accounts of shark hunts to tales of comic misadventures, involving a host of eccentric characters who could not resist the pull of Frank Mundus¿ legendary "idiot magnet". Mundus¿ extensive compilation accurately reflects the book¿s title. He was, indeed, a hooker. For fifty years he sold his services, took good care of his customers and saw to it that they had a good time, hoping that they went away satisfied and would come back [...] the stories yoüll find in Fifty Years a Hooker are:
White Shark, White [...] agony of waiting for the right writer.
How I Got Started Shark [...] a broken arm and two train wrecks kept me on the right track for a fishing career.
The Pelican [...] involvement in one of the worst maritime disasters off Long Island.
Harry Hoffman and the Case of the Lost White [...] zany fishing misadventures of my friend, Harry Hoffman, and me.
The 4,500 lb. White [...] mate, my customers and I fight one of the largest whites ever taken commercially by harpoon.
Peter [...] first man who swam with sharks, while I rode shotgun. Close [...] time an ice-cream cone saved my life, plus other close [...] time I hollered at Jackie Onassis for jay-walking on the island of St. Maarten. The St. Maarten Sting: Or, How I Sold the Cricket III Borrowing a storyline from the movie The Sting, I sell my other boat and outsmart a couple of Caribbean pirates.
Portrait of the Artist as an Idiot. A mysterious artist (who lost the Mayor of Shelter Island¿s bust!) claims me as his muse for a watercolor of a white shark.
Mundus of Arabia. A Saudi Prince hires me to pioneer shark fishing in the Red Sea. I just miss a public beheading and narrowly escape one year in jail.
The 3,427-lb White Shark. In 1986 I achieve my lifetime ambition of catching the largest fish of any kind on rod and reel, with the help of some seasoned mates and an experienced angler.
Pistol-Whipped by the Law.A mate¿s dog and his ex-wife set off a chain reaction which culminates in my arrest for possession of a firearm.
Three-time Loser, Fourth-time [...] two happiest times in a man¿s life are when he buys a boat and sells it . . . and sells it and sells it, and hopefully sells it again, like I did!
Getting to the Heart of Things.I remarry, burn my snow shoes and retire to Hawaii, where I plant pineapples and fruit trees, adopt a orphaned 350 lb. wild boar, and survive open-heart surgery, aneurysm repair and prostate cancer.
My South African Shark [...] which I travel to South Africa with the Discovery Channel and hook up with white sharks once more-this time through the lens of a camera.