Rating: 
Summary: Hiaasen Rocks and Rolls In This One!
Review: Carl Hiaasen's latest comedy crime novel introduces Jack Tagger; a former star investigative reporter banished to obit writer thanks to a slight confrontation with the paper's CEO at the stockholders' meeting of the giant newspaper conglomerate. Jack is sure that he can get back on the front page with the help of an obituary of some "famous stiff." And when former rocker Jimmy Stoma of Jimmy and Slut Puppies dies in a questionable skin-diving accident he thinks he might have his story. Especially when it looks like someone is trying to kill the remaining Slut Puppies.Hiaasen abandons his usual environmental pulpit as a subplot in this novel in order to take on the plight of newspapers that are being emasculated by profit hungry publishing conglomerates. Actually, this is a welcome change, and the issue actually plays an important part in the novel's plot. (I also was able to identify with these issues.) The characters are all well defined with the villains, while still being totally vile, vicious, and evil, this time coming across more as characters and less as caricatures. Because of (and not in spite of) his many quirks, you have to like Jack Tagger and his quest for his front page near impossible dream. By the way, along the way he finds love in the most unlikely of places. Hiaasen is back in top form with this one, and I recommend it highly!
Rating:
Summary: Keep 'em coming Carl!
Review: I thought this book was on par with the best of his others. The first person voice was a terrific touch and since that person was a journalist, Carl definitely was able to make it realistic and very biting (one of my favorite lines in the book is what Jack would prefer to leaving the newspaper world and going to law school).
Rating: 
Summary: Is Hiaasen being held by the taliban
Review: after waiting with bated breath for each of Hiaasen's new works,
I was so terribly bored by this book I returned it unfinished for
a refund. no humour no action Not Hiassen
Rating: 
Summary: A BIZARRE CASE!
Review: "Basket Case" is another bizarre, witty, raw, graphic, clever novel by Carl Hiaasen. The plot has more twists and turns than a roller coaster and are just about as thrilling or gut-wrenching depending on your point of view. A wannabe investigative reporter trying to revive his writing career uses his obituary column to link himself to famous dead people. He stumbles into the quagmire of some horrific calamities and weird characters and the chase is on.This is vintage Hiassen. Those who have enjoyed his previous books will like this latest caper. All others, read at your own peril.
Rating:
Summary: Please excuse this refugee from mediocre mysteries
Review: But I really enjoyed this book. It didn't tax my brain and it made me laugh. This is the first book by Hiaasen I have read and I think I'm going to try another one. For people who expect a tight, gut-wrenching mystery that gives the brain aerobic exercise, this ain't it. But I think I've developed a crush on Jack Tagger. He tries so hard to be hip and really has convinced himself he is...kind of like my husband, one step behind but cute as hell while he's doing it. The only thing I disagree with--Tagger is a closet detective and it's hard sometimes to remember he's an obit writer. Why didn't Hiaasen just follow the same form letter of other mystery writers and make him one? But then again, this is what might be saving Tagger from the aforementioned mediocrity...
Rating:
Summary: Carl does in again
Review: This is another of his superb works, if he suits your tastes in reading. The story is about an 80's rock star that drowns in the Bahamas under somewhat mysterious circumstances. The only people truly interested in his death are his sister and an aging fan that writes obituaries for a Florida newspaper. The fan is a defrocked reporter that has been reduced to the lowliest task at the paper. On the sly, he begins investigating the death of the rock star, and runs into sister and the widow. The sister is true to her brother's memory, but the widow is less than truthful about the death of her husband. The widow's motives are unknown, but suspicious nontheless. During the course of the investivation, the reporter is pommeled, robbed and loses his prized frozen lizard, but finds his true love. Several members of the 80's band are killed and injured, but it still leads to no motive for the violence. Near the end of the novel, the reporter must put his life on the line, but in the end, all is well. This is a normal formula for Carl's stories. He makes it work, giving you a hero to root for and bad guys you love to hate. The only down side is that Skank, a character that runs through several of his novels, does not appear this time, but I am sure he will be back soon. It is a must read for Hiaasen fans, and should be read by anyone that enjoys exciting, humorous, and fast paced action.
Rating:
Summary: Not Up to Par
Review: This was an OK mystery, but it didn't even make me smile--let alone laugh out loud--like his other books. I missed his usual whacky characters and situations.
Rating:
Summary: Back on Track
Review: The last two Carl Hiaasen books were mediocre, so I was delighted that with "Basket Case" the author is reviving much of his old black humor. I disagree with some of the other reviewers that the latest novel is a disappointment. It's an easy, humorous read. However, as the other reviewers point out, it is definitely not up to the standards of his earlier books which were laugh out loud classics of Southern Florida wackiness.
Rating:
Summary: Tense drama and action throughout
Review: Jack Tagger was once a fine investigative reporter: now he writes obituaries for a Florida newspaper - but his skills aren't wasted yet. When a mysterious cuba accident draws his attention and talents, a deepening case of quicksand and complexities emerges. Tense drama and action throughout a mystery filled with twists and turns.
Rating:
Summary: This can't have been written by Carl
Review: I kept trying to get involved in this book. I tried to like the characters, the situations, the plot. Couldn't do it. Gave up on it a fourth of the way through. Gave it a "DF" (didn't finish) in my ratings chart.
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