Monday, July 10, 2006

#68: Double Whammy -- Carl Hiaasen

A double whammy is not, in this instance, the thing that the Conservatives accuse Labour of dishing out: it's a kind of fishing lure, used for catching big-mouth bass. Bass fishing is a massive growth industry in the USA, apparently, and big-name fishermen will stop at nothing to win competitions and the sponsorship deals that go with 'em.

The stage is set for another eco-thriller set in Florida, another appealing and eccentric cast of characters, another outing for Andy Garcia. Hiaasen's writing is as light-hearted, witty and clever as ever: he reminds me of Chandler without the noir, though there's plenty of (Heart of) Darkness here. His women are sassy and independent, his men are clever (even when villainous), and his eco-terrorists are never two-dimensional.

This one has a pet bass and fingerprints that set off all sorts of alarms.

Very enjoyable read, though I wouldn't want to read another Hiaasen for a while: there's a sameness of style and theme to his novels (though perhaps I haven't read enough of them, in chronological order of writing, to see the evolutionary process). But when something works this well, why fix it?

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