Carl Hiaasen's Latest

Carl Hiaasen fans have come to expect novels full of wit and wisdom, bile and brilliance. His latest, Basket Case (Knopf, $25.95), doesn't break any new ground, but it is almost exactly that type of book. In typical fashion, Hiaasen introduces a new protagonist: down-on-his-luck reporter Jack Tagger. Thanks to an ugly run-in with the company CEO, Tagger finds himself writing obituaries. As expected (and Hiaasen wastes no time here; the expected happens in the opening chapter), he runs across a death that can get him back on top. Jimmy Stoma, infamous lead singer of Jimmy and the Slut Puppies, dies in a diving "accident" that doesn't quite make sense. Former star reporter Tagger is the first to see the truth behind the singer's death. Thankfully, Hiaasen quickly diverts this adventure from what could have become a rock & roll novel to a very entertaining indictment of the homogenizing of newspapers (a subject of keen interest to Austinites).

Hiaasen accomplishes his goal with expediency of plot and a fascinating cast of characters: Jack's ambitious young editor; Stoma's widow, pop star diva Cleo Rio; Jack's best friend, a sportswriter and Cuban boat survivor; a frozen lizard; and a host of other bizarre individuals. While it has all the elements of a typical Carl Hiaasen novel, ultimately Basket Case is a mediocre outing. If you're new to Hiaasen, you might do better to check out some of his other titles like Double Whammy or last year's Sick Puppy. Carl Hiaasen is one of America's finest humor mystery writers, but this book, while not horrible, is far from his best.