Basket Case by Carl Hiaasen Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Basket Case
Book Review: Fellow author gives thumbs up
Summary: 5 Stars
[...] I give this a thumbs up for outrageous comedy at its best. I have been a Carl Hiaasen fan for years and have loved every one of his books that I have read.
What I loved about this book, as is the case with all of his, is that his characters are so engaging. The plot twists and turns are unexpected and the situations keep getting more and more outrageous. It is dark, satirical, and delicious. I don't know how he does it. The flavor of all of his books is the same. Yet this, just like the rest, was as refreshing as the first book I read by him.
Davis Aujourd'hui, author of "The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude"
Book Review: Good but not his best work
Summary: 3 Stars
I have read all of Hiassen's book. This one is good but not as exciting as most of his others. It is still worth reading as it is good entertainment.Book Review: Good to the Last Drop, er Page, that is
Summary: 5 Stars
Because Jack Tagger, former ace investigative reporter for the Union-Register, had the gall to publicly humiliate the young CEO of the publishing group that purchased the paper in front of the shareholders, he has been demoted to writing obituaries.
Jack listens to the re-released CDs of a lot of '70 rock bands as his music of choice, so when he hears that Jimmy Stoma, of Jimmy and the {small} Puppies, has turned up dead after scuba-diving in the Caribbean, he wants to know a little more.
Unfortunately his obit editor allows him no leeway, so he investigates on his own time, because the headman for the rock group that gave the world such songs as "Mouth Full of Muscle," and the Grammy-Award winning album A PAINFUL BURNING SENSATION deserves more than a few lines in an obit.
He sets out to dig up some answers, tracking down Stoma's widow, a Courtney Love type called Cleo Rio; the surviving band members; and Stoma's Internet stripper sister Janet.
The story zooms along, powered by delicious dialogue, and a quirky but likable cast of characters such as - Juan Rodriguez, womanizing loyal friend and aspiring novelist; Emma Cole, ambitious newspaper editor who has a unique fetish for fluorescent nail-polish; Carla Candilla, the teenage club scene veteran and jailbait daughter of Jack's ex-girlfriend; and Colonel Tom, a 175 dead lizard who sleeps with the Dove Bars in Jack's freezer.
This story will have you laughing the night away and before you know it, you'll be finished with a fine story and you'll have learned a heck a lot about the newspaper business too, in this mucho humorous story.
Book Review: Hiaasen Is A Fun, Breezy, Adult Summer Read
Summary: 4 Stars
Hiaasen does it again with "Basket Case," in which a denigrated ex-reporter turned obituary writer tries to solve the murder of the leader of the popular 70s group "The Slut Puppies." Like other Hiaasen books, this has it all: murder, wackos, and romance. Most of all, it has Hiaasen's unique blend of comedy wrapped into an easy and fun read. I highly recommend it.Book Review: Hiaasen delivers again! Funny, with the obligatory twist and goofy characters.
Summary: 4 Stars
I only gave this book four stars instead of five, mostly because, as much as I love them and keep going back, all the Hiaasen novels are starting to look, smell, and feel the same to me.
This book follows pretty much the same formula - there's a guy, Jack, a reporter who lives alone, is kind of hung up on an ex, is a rebel in that he called out a bad guy (who happened to be his boss, and it was at a shareholder meeting) and so he's been punished by being relegated to the obituary pages.
When an interesting obituary of a former rock star crosses his desk, he senses a bigger story and has to fight with his (younger, female...you get the idea) boss/editor to let him research the story.
Basket Case has all the hallmarks of any other Hiaasen book - there's boats, chases, bad guys, good guys who are disaffected, nontraditional romance, goofy characters, and great dialogue.
The only thing is, when I read my first Hiaasen book I was like, "where does this guy come up with this stuff!?" and now I think I have an idea. He came up with it once, and keeps putting different twists on the same idea.
Don't get me wrong - I love it - but it's kind of like a Hershey bar - I already know everything about what it's going to be like and how it's going to end, I've enjoyed one a gazillion times, there's not much new. But hey, it's delicious and tempting and I keep going back, so it must be a formula that's working!