Rating: 
Summary: Rock And Roll And Mystery
Review: Carl Hiaasen's BASKET CASE is the story of a down and out newpaper writer who comes across what he believes to be his big break--a has-been rock star has died. Was it just an accident? Was it his ambitious pop-star wife? Was it one of the band members? We will find out at the end of the book, but first we are exposed to some really funny stuff. And we get some south Florida criminals and some creepy south Florida atmosphere. The book moves along nicely and is a fast read, with some good laughs and interesting characters. I especially enjoyed the rock and roll angle, which reminded me somewhat of another good mystery I recently read about the music business (DEVIL IN THE METAL). Rock on!
Rating: 
Summary: Few and far between glimpses of genius
Review: You know those non-descript concrete tiles, with all the pebbles encrusted onto them? Every once in a while there happens to be a pebble in the mortar mix with a different color, a special shine, something that makes you stop and look at it again. This is what happened to me with this book. Overall, it is quite dull and predictable (although I have to admit I didn't imagine Cleo's final was going to go down the way it did). Scattered here and there are proofs of Hiaasen's genius. This is the first book i've read by him, and I am not terribly impressed. For this genre and background, I think Elmore Leonard does a better Job. Nonetheless, this is the perfect book to take for a trip, for waiting rooms, for the side of the pool.
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Summary: Not Your Average Murder Mystery
Review: This was the first book by Carl Hiaasen that I've read, but it will not be my last. This is not your typical murder mystery. There are too many strange twists and turns to count. This book combines humor, quaky character, and numerous settings. It's perfect for anyone who enjoys sarcasm and unpredictablility.
Hiaasen tells the tale of a bitter, once hot shot newspaper journalist, Jack Tagger who has been demoted to writing obituaries. Tagger comes across the death of Jimmy Stoma, a former bad boy rock and roller, which he happened to be a big fan of. After interviewing friends, relatives, and the not so mournful widow of Stoma, Tagger becomes intrigued with the circumstances of the rocker's death, and finds some answers for himself, and for a chance to have a front-page story.
On the way to solving a murder, Tagger encounters several beatings, robbery, the oh-so-typical pop star, an odd romance, a shareholder with an evil plot, a CEO with an even more evil plot, and an unexpected twist involving a frozen lizard. What begins as a murder investigation ends as a multiple murder scandal with justice prevailing in the end, and the main character gets an added bonus as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Change of pace Hiaasen
Review: In Basket Case, Carl Hiaasen - a master of the Floridian comic caper novel - takes a slight break from his usual storytelling. Yes, this novel is comic and in Florida, but Hiaasen has changed his narrative style to tell his tale.Basket Case is the story of Jack Tagger, a typical Hiaasen hero who is a reporter and somewhat down on his luck. After enraging the paper's owner, Tagger has been condemned to writing obituaries. When a once-famous rock singer dies, Tagger writes the obit and gets a suspicion that foul play was involved...a feeling reinforced when other members of the band also start dying. Tagger sees this as an opportunity to get to the front page again and pursues the mystery. Unlike Hiaasen's other stories, this novel is told in the first person and the present tense. While still a good story, it winds up limiting his usual abilities. Limited to Tagger's point-of-view, we cannot follow some of the other interesting characters. Of course, there are no really bizarre characters in this story, which is also a change of pace. In the end, this is a good novel with no real flaws but nothing really standout either; I had fun reading it, but it was not the pure delight of a Tourist Season or a Native Tongue. Hiaasen has written a should-read, not a must-read.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderous
Review: This book his a work of art. I read it in six days, and I couldn't put it down. It shows Hiaasen's comic genuis (who else would inculde a frozen lizard?) and the real music here is the key. (See Warren Zevon's CD My Rides Here) A once-hot-shot reporter wants his ticket out of the obits. He thinks this dead rock star is the key. I marveled at the detial of the chacters and I was cracking up all the time. This book should come with two thinks:
1) Buttered popcorn
2)Warning that says: WARNING MAY CAUSE SIDES TO SPILT
Rating: 
Summary: Worse than 'Sick Puppy'
Review: I've been a Hiassen fan from the beginning. When I read " Sick Puppy ', I could barely get through it. I'm sorry to say that I gave up on ' Basket Case ' after around 70 pages. I only laughed once during those long, long, 70 pages. I have to admit that I do miss his other regular human characters. However, the character I miss most of all is Florida. In all his previous novels, you could get a sense of the Florida feel; the heat, the rain, the oddball people, the ocean, etc. Not in this novel. Except for a few bland references, the novel could be taking place anywhere. Very disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: As Comic Mystery Writers Go, Not the Best, Not the Worst
Review: Being a fan of Terry Pratchett, I thought I'd try Carl Hiassen, whom reviewers often compare with Pratchett. While this was a reasonably good mystery with a likeable central character, I couldn't see any comparison to Pratchett, whose wit and human understanding are miles ahead of Hiassen's. Perhaps this is one of Hiassen's weaker novels, or maybe--since I grew up in Miami and found it an atrocious city with the most miserable climate in the U.S.--I just don't relate to South Florida. Never could read those Travis McGee mysteries either.
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Summary: Who killed Jimmy Stoma?
Review: Once again, Carl Hiaasen takes us into the odd but appealing lifestyle of Florida, and the assorted oddballs that seem to abound there, at least in his books. An over-the-hill rock star dies in a boating "accident" in the Bahamas, and the obituary writer for a small newspaper begins to suspect that there may be more to the story than meets the eye. That being established, we have a spaced-out rock widow, assorted "hard cases", a young college intern at the newspaper, and a dead and frozen lizard, resting comfortably in a freezer on a bed of Dove bars. It's a wild ride from beginning to end, and holds the interest of the reader completely., It's not great literature, but it doesn't pretend to be; it's just good time passing reading, and worth every minute spent on it.
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Summary: First rate comic detective novel
Review: This is the first Hiaasen book I read and I thoroughlt enjoyed it. It is very funny and has an entertaining plotline. Hiassen is brimming over with creativity and energy. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Familiar Hiaasen, but Good
Review: I picked up two of Hiaasen's books (this one and Lucky You) for an airplane trip. I had previously read and enjoyed "Sick Puppy". The books have many similarities. However, I enjoy Hiaasen's style and sense of humor. The main character in this book is very sympathetic. His obsession with dates of death from his job as obit writer provides much humor. I found the motive for the murder in the book to be a little bit of a stretch. But that is a minor complaint since the book is not a murder mystery as much as a "murder comedy".
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