His protagonist is a newspaper reporter who has bucked the boss and been demoted for his effronterya character who will be familiar to hiaasen followers. While writing the book, hiaasen collaborated with singer songwriter warren zevon, a longtime friend. Once a hotshot investigative reporter, jack tagger now bangs out obituaries for a south florida daily, plotting to resurrect my newspaper career. Pacing the story moves and doesnt lag at any point. And like many of demilles protagonists, obit writer jack tagger tells us the story with a smartassed dialogue.
Buy a cheap copy of basket case book by carl hiaasen. Humor general its meant to be funny and it was refreshing to read a mystery that was fairly light and without too much heavy emotion. In addition to being a murder mystery, the novel also explores a career in newspaper journalism, and is a screed against the downsizing of american newspap. The story is pure hiaasen a laughoutloudfunny mystery filled with outrageous characters, genuine suspense, a flawed and reluctant hero and an rock band called the slut puppies. It was so easy to read that i was finished before i knew it.
In basket case, the general types are personified as a rock singer female of limited talent and endless ambition and a greedy newspaper mogul. While writing the book, hiaasen collaborated with singersongwriter warren zevon, a longtime friend. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The wires announce the death of james bradley stomarti, aged 39, in a diving accident. Carl hiaasens basket case is a refreshing departure from his usual save the evergladesthemed novels. Basket case, published in 2002, is the ninth novel by carl hiaasen. Once a hotshot investigative reporter, jack tagger now bangs out obitu. Basket case is about journalism, rock n roll and mortality, plus a bit of sex from the lower end of the r rating. You get to like the main character whose paper is bought out by moneygrubbing entitled rich and who is put into a dark corner of the paper on the obituary desk when. Carl hiaasen has carved out a good career for himself as a writer of offbeat comedy crime thrillers set in florida, peopled by ecoconscious good guys, sleazy real estate moguls and cretinous bad guys. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading basket case. Also by carl hiaasen hiaasen 5book trade paperback box set. Basket case is the first carl hiaasen that ive read and it was pretty good.
For a former newspaper reporter and increasingly devoted carl hiaasen fan such as myself, this book was a twofer. Like many nelson demille novels, carl hiaasen writes his basket case from the first person viewpoint. But the humor characteristic of his writing is fully alive. Basket case is another in his series of fictional high jinks of the rascals of south florida and the downandout hero who catches them in the end. It is a crime novel set in florida that centers on the death of singer jimmy stoma, the former lead man of jimmy and the slut puppies. From novel to novel another piece of the sunshine states landscape comes under threat from ex. He is the author of thirteen previous novels, including the best sellers razor girl, bad monkey, star island, nature girl, skinny dip, sick puppy, and lucky you, and five bestselling childrens books, hoot, flush, scat.
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