A review by emilykathleenwrites
Basket Case by Carl Hiaasen
3.0
I found this title at Mesa Books, a used bookstore in Santa Barbara, and one of my favorite places to waste time.
I first read Hiaasen in college for a class on detective fiction and I remember liking the light snarky tone of the author's voice. The main character, Jack Tagger, a disgruntled obit writer, is deplorable and a little pathetic but also loyal and loveable.
Even though bodies are piling up everywhere the tone isn't dark, maybe because it's Maimi? I like a book that has a few plot twists and I pretty much knew who done it the whole time, BUT overall I was entertained.
Hiaasen always seems to weave some kind of social commentary into his books. This one was about the decline of newspapers and the danger of losing local reporting. Seems a little prophetic seeing as how it was written in 2002 right at the start of the consolidation of newsrooms and the boom of the internet.
Another almost creepy reference came when the main character is talking about how the dead rockstar had to keep his projects safe from studio pirates that might try and steal his music. Then he says, "God only knows where Prince hides his masters." ... considering that when Prince died in 2016 a safe at his estate was cracked open to reveal thousands of never before heard recordings this line gave me the chills.
I first read Hiaasen in college for a class on detective fiction and I remember liking the light snarky tone of the author's voice. The main character, Jack Tagger, a disgruntled obit writer, is deplorable and a little pathetic but also loyal and loveable.
Even though bodies are piling up everywhere the tone isn't dark, maybe because it's Maimi? I like a book that has a few plot twists and I pretty much knew who done it the whole time, BUT overall I was entertained.
Hiaasen always seems to weave some kind of social commentary into his books. This one was about the decline of newspapers and the danger of losing local reporting. Seems a little prophetic seeing as how it was written in 2002 right at the start of the consolidation of newsrooms and the boom of the internet.
Another almost creepy reference came when the main character is talking about how the dead rockstar had to keep his projects safe from studio pirates that might try and steal his music. Then he says, "God only knows where Prince hides his masters." ... considering that when Prince died in 2016 a safe at his estate was cracked open to reveal thousands of never before heard recordings this line gave me the chills.