And you think your job is crazy

Pandora's Lockbox: A Wild and Wacky Real Estate Memoir by Nico Griffith is a mix of romance, true crime, and drama set against the California real estate market of the 1980s.

As the book starts, Nico is coming out of a divorce and desperate for a job and a way to pay the rent. According to Nico, applicants only had to breathe to be hired as a real estate agent in those days. As the book progresses, one suspects that appearance, as well as a pulse, played a role in her hiring at Fakke & Co., one of the top real estate offices in San Marea, California.

She digs in and, with some helpful co-workers, goes from being nobody to a top-five agent in the office in a matter of months. Throughout the book, her grit and work ethic take her to the top of her profession, a journey filled with wealthy and colorful clients. Equally entertaining are her tales of cut-throat real estate agents who would seemingly do anything for a commission.

I did enjoy the glimpses into the 1980s that Nico provides. Interest rates in those days were 14 to 16 percent, and she notes: "I had no secretary, no buyer's agent, no computer, no cell phone." Her success was built on shoe leather and a relentless schedule that stretched for months without a day off.

The book could be faster to get to the wacky tales of clients. At the start, Nico spends a good deal of time talking about the clothing and accessories that make female agents successful. Also, more than necessary, she gives detailed descriptions of her fellow agents and clients. We know all about hair, fashion, and endowments of noteworthy characters.

Without giving too much away, Nico and her co-workers navigate alligators, naked men, mobsters, murderers, perverts, snakes, and con men and women.

I never experienced a "holy cow" moment with these stories, but they are mostly enjoyable. Perhaps Nico's most touching chapter concerns a frumpy agent named Lou Anna, who is so poor that she has to use city buses to get to work and call on clients. Seeing how Nico and her co-workers rally to help the hard-working but hapless Lou Anna is worth the read.

Two downsides contributed to my rating. One is the romance she exhaustively details between her and a wealthy Texan who is a Robert Redford lookalike. She devotes three chapters to this relationship, which veers into romance pulp.

She writes: "A full moon rose into view over the horizon much like an English muffin might rise out of a toaster." While it is a life-changing relationship for her, it occupies too much space and could be shortened.

The other criticism is that tighter editing would have improved the speed and energy of the book. More than once, I wished she would get to the point and avoid over-sharing details about hair, accents, shoes, clothing, and vehicles.

Ultimately, I learned that real estate is a challenging way to make a living, not for the faint of heart. She notes that most real estate agents sell only two properties a year. Also, it's a job with long hours and rare days off. However, if you can hack it, it will be exciting.