Rating: 
Summary: Hiaasen's funniest book--and THAT is saying something!
Review: I stumbled across one of those bass fishing shows a few days before I read this book. I couldn't believe people would sit around and watch people fish! But they do. And Hiaasen had a ball writing about it, too.This book has so many great moments. Skink and the poodle is one of the funniest things I've ever read. I laughed so hard, tears streamed down my face. I called a friend and tried to read the scene over the phone, but I couldn't stop laughing. It's all right, my friend knew I was crazy. He rushed out and bought the book, though! The pit bull in the trailer park scene and the aftermath is also priceless. I guess this is Hiaasen's dog book as well as his fish book. Needless to say, if you haven't read Hiaasen, start with this one. You'll be hooked.
Rating: 
Summary: Read ALL the darned books!
Review: I stumbled across this book years ago when working as the manager of a small town bookstore. Feeling it was my duty to expose myself to a wide variety of genres, I picked up Double Whammy and read it in a heartbeat. I've now read all of Hiassen's books and buying copies as gifts for other folks has just about put me in the poor house! Don't wait... read. My personal favorite? Tourist Season
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious expose of tv fishing shows!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought it was very funny. I have read all of Mr. Hiaasen's books and this one is by far my favorite. I have my own copy now and intend to re-read it many times. I would recommend this one for anyone who would like to really enjoy a book for a change.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, exciting and different.
Review: I was given this book by a friend because she knew I was a bass fisherman and avid outdoorsman. The book is about murder and corruption, but interestingly enough, is staged around the pro fishing circuit. Obviously there is a lot of money in television distribution and what shows are hot and what show are not--so the scenario is not as way out as it might sound. This book is lively and very fun to read. It is not hard to believe and it can be extra fun for someone who is into bass fishing because the author obviously knows the sport well. I handed it to a friend one weekend and he loved it, too! I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: This book is hilarious!
Review: I'm hooked! Double whammy is a laugh riot. I'm now out to read all of Hiaasen's other books. See you in the fall!
Rating:
Summary: Definitely Hiaasen's best
Review: I've read all of Carl Hiaasen's books and this one is my absolute favorite. It features the returning characters (Skink, Jim Tile, Al Garcia) and some other great characters (R.J, Katherine). It also has the craziest bad guys and is the funniest book he's written until now.
Rating:
Summary: Who knew a book about bass fishing could be this much fun?
Review: If I told you this book was just about bass fishing, you probably wouldn't read it. Thankfully, there is more to it than that. R.J. Decker is a private detective that finds himself in the office of Dennis Gault, a flashy and rich businessman that likes to fish for bass. Decker can't believe he is being offered $50,000 to try and prove that one of Gault's competitors, Dickie Gault, is cheating in bass tournaments. After putting up with Gault's attitude, Decker takes the job and the adventure begins in Carl Hiassen's 'Double Whammy.' More than anything, what makes this novel enjoyable are the characters. Decker is surrounded by an unusual ensemble. 'Skink' is a swamp hermit with a mysterious past, and teaches Decker all about bass fishing. Skink also has a fondness for road kill that makes the other characters squeemish. Reverend Weems is hardly a surprising character given all the "bad" news about religious figures in recent years, but makes a nice partner for the cheating and impish Lockhart. Other law enforcement officers, Decker's ex-wife, and Gault's seductive, gold-digging sister round out the cast. There is probably more bass fishing, or more about bass fishing, than the casual reader will want to know about. However, the bass fishing details do take a back seat to the mystery that surrounds the mysterious deaths of several secondary characters. The mystery is rather short lived, but the 'sting' that Decker and his comrades plan in the second half of the novel carry the story to a satisfactory conclusion. I'd recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys crime fiction in the style of Hiassen and Elmore Leonard, or a style that might be described as Dave Barry light. Hiassen is unrelentless in his attack on the condo craze in Florida and what it has done to the environment there, so be ready for some commentary as well.
Rating:
Summary: Carl Hiaasen Introduces Skink, His Greatest Comic Character!
Review: If you have ever enjoyed any Carl Hiaasen novels about the abuse that Florida's environment has taken from developers, crooked politicians and ne'er-do-wells of all kinds, Double Whammy is one of his finest accomplishments. That's primarily due to Mr. Hiaasen's loving introduction of his great comic (and tragic) character, Skink. Early in the book, Skink (who appears in so many later novels in the series) joins the story as he combines to help R. J. Decker find out how a famous fisherman has been cheating in bass fishing contests. In fact, this book has more Skink in it than any other Hiaasen novel. If you are a Skink fan, this is a five-star effort.
The book's premise turns out to be but a red herring for a more sinister plot that soon threatens both Skink and Decker.
Mr. Hiaasen's rapier-like wit leaves his targets walking around with their heads cut off without realizing it, as they do one foolish thing after another that lead them to their inevitable doom. Some of the targets include unethical real estate developers, television evangelists, bass fishermen, sporting event sponsors and the idle rich. If you enjoy seeing any of those pilloried, this is a fine book for you.
The book contains one of the most diabolical dispatching of a villain that I have ever read. It's a masterpiece.
The book does have a drawback. Mr. Hiaasen seems to have fallen in love with his story. After the premise is confounded, the story takes too long to develop. It becomes a page turner . . . not because you cannot wait to get to the next part, but because you want the book to reach its inevitable end sooner.
Rating:
Summary: Title says it all
Review: If you liked SICK PUPPY and SKINNY DIP, you'll love this one. As with all of Hiassen's works, odd characters are the norm. The plots are also waaaay out there. But this is the fascination with the author, for he can handle his materials and make us laugh one minute and cry the next. Carl Hiassen lures you into this tale of bass tournaments, corruption and murder with the skill of a champion angler. There's something to hook you on every page: Convincing protagonists, hilarious supporting characters, local color, and an engrossing story of murder and environmental destruction. The characters are even more believably outrageous in DOUBLE WHAMMY than there were/are in his other great reads. Just when you think the book cannot get any more outrageous, Hiassen blows you out of the water. You would be hard pressed to find a writer as amuzing as him. If you like Hiassen's work, you must read THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD--another great southern-based storyteller that packs a punch.
Rating:
Summary: One of Hiaasen's best
Review: In this novel, Hiaasen explores the world of Bass Fishing and how cheating in tournaments results in the death of a popular star. This novel also introduces Skink, a former Florida Governor who is now an "environmental gestapo" of one, and subsists off of roadkill. Hiassen introduces his usual array of wackos, as well as some truly likeable characters. The end result in a humoroous, compelling mystery novel that will leave you wanting more!
| 
