From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Blondell Wayne Tatum
Blondell Wayne Tatum
Tatum, Chemo,
Blondell Wayne Tatum a.k.a. Chemo is a fictional char- Eventually, Chemo is caught in a confrontation be-
acter who has appeared in two novels by Carl Hiaasen, tween Graveline and Stranahan out on the stilt house,
Skin Tight (1989) and Star Island (2010).[1] where he kills Graveline out of fear (or mortification)
that Graveline is about to confess the terms of the "deal"
Personal history that he and Graveline had for killing Stranahan. Chemo
is later arrested, and sentenced to four concurrent
Tatum was born in North Dakota. His parents belonged to seventeen-year life sentences at Raiford.
a religious sect that believed in polygamy, vegetarianism, In 2010, he is back in Florida, having been paroled af-
and refusing to pay income taxes. Tatum was orphaned ter 17 years, and enjoyed a lucrative spell of employment
at age six when his parents were killed in a shootout with as a mortgage loan broker. After the subprime mortgage
FBI agents in a post office outside Grand Forks. He went bubble bursts, he is back to doing security, sometimes as
to live with his aunt and uncle, who were fugitives from a bodyguard for visiting celebrities. He carves out a small
felony mail fraud charges in New Jersey, masquerading as specialty for himself as a life coach for those with self-
Amish wheat farmers in rural Pennsylvania. Blondell first destructive addictions, since he has no awe whatsoever
turned to crime when he was sixteen (holding up a bank of fame, is immune to seduction, and not at all averse to
with a pitchfork), eventually becoming a corrupt, though beating his charges to pulp if they misbehave themselves.
popular, city official in a small Pennsylvania town. After pop star "Cherry Pye’s" latest drug-and-alcohol es-
His life took a drastic turn due to a freak accident capade, her record promoter recruits Chemo to be her
during an electrolysis procedure to remove two ingrown latest bodyguard, over the objections of her family.
hair follicles from the tip of his nose. While Tatum was
unconscious, the doctor suffered a stroke and mistakenly
applied the needle to his entire face. After Tatum woke
Appearance
up, he killed the doctor and fled the city, trying to find Aside from his facial condition (which never completely
a cure for his facial condition. One wrongly-prescribed recovers after the electrolysis mishap) and the weed
medication produced a lasting effect which "looked as trimmer attached to his arm, Chemo’s appearance is also
if someone had glued Rice Krispies to every square cen- frightening because of his pallid, almost-reptilian, com-
timeter of his face" and led to his nickname, "Chemo" plexion, the sparse hair on his scalp, and the fact that he
(since many people wrongly assumed he was undergoing stands 6’9" tall.[2]
chemotherapy).
In Bal Harbour, Florida, he approaches Dr. Rudy Grav-
eline, a plastic surgeon who offers him a discount on
Books with Chemo
dermabrasion treatments in exchange for Chemo killing • Skin Tight
Mick Stranahan, a former State Investigator who is caus- • Star Island
ing Rudy worry.
During his first, failed attempt, Chemo drowns
Stranahan’s vengeful ex-wife, Chloe, with an anchor, af-
References
ter she points out the house she thinks is his. During [1] Wolff, Carlo (29 July 2010). "Celebrity culture gets
his second, Chemo dives off the balcony of Stranahan’s skewered in ‘Star Island’". The Boston Globe.
stilt house in Biscayne Bay, and his hand is bitten off http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2010/
by a strike from Stranahan’s pet Great Barracuda.[2] In- 07/29/
stead of a conventional prosthesis, he chooses to attach a carl_hiaasen_skewers_celebrity_culture_in_star_island/.
portable weed whacker.[3] Retrieved 11 August 2010.
The whole affair spirals out of control, though Chemo [2] ^ Wiemer, Robert (5 November 1989). "Mysteries:
is able to steal an amount of cash from Graveline that Why Are Those Guys Following Me?". Newsday.
allows him to undergo a complete facial dermabrasion [3] Van Dover, J. Kenneth; John F. Jebb (1996). "Miami
from a competent plastic surgeon. Although this treat- Detectives". Isn’t justice always unfair?: the detective in
ment succeeds in removing the "Rice Krispies" effect, his southern literature. Popular Press. pp. 345.
surgeon advises him that he will still have to regrow the ISBN 9780879727239. http://books.google.com/
outer layer of his facial skin. books?id=4jrTkiGLmnsC&pg=PA345. Retrieved 12
August 2010.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Blondell Wayne Tatum
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Categories:
• Literary characters
• Novels by Carl Hiaasen
• Fictional criminals
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