Helpful Score: 2
Great humorous look at life and crime in Southern FL. As always, a memorable cast of characters!
Helpful Score: 2
I enjoyed it very much and ordered a couple of more of his books. A former investigative reporter is demoted to the obituary page and then becomes embroiled in a murder mystery. Really interesting and funny sidebits about the newspaper business and good twist and turns along the way. It is particularly funny about associating things that happen with the deaths of famous persons.
Helpful Score: 2
Great read. Entertaining. Moves right along. Great cast of characters keeps you hoping that the good guys win.
Helpful Score: 1
Living in Florida, working at a theme park, Carl's work hits home for me. I love his humor, a little trashy in all the right places, definitely "R" rated. Great departure..
My first read of Hiaasen, which I didn't think I'd like, turned out to be a pretty good one! Now I can't wait to read more of his books.
fun read
Great summer mystery read; part of an ongoing series.
Good quick read!
I'm a big Carl Hiaasen fan. This one does not disappoint.
Donna V.
Donna V.
A good mystery with lots of humor! Hiaasen is a journalist who draws on his background to create superb realistic fiction.
I really enjoyed the book. It was a fun read.
Crazy mystery! Keeps you interested all the way through.
A classic Carl Hiaasen book. His quirky humor makes this book a pleasure to read, especially for anyone who has ever worked for a newspaper.
One of my favorite Hiaasens. A page-turner of old fashioned newspaper journalism, a yummy reluctant romance, and of course, murder (but always interesting amusing murder-- cartoon violence, nothing I can't handle). Oh, except this one has less environmentalism and more rock and roll. And you can tell Hiaasen really believes in his narrator. Totally fun and satisfying.
Hiaasen is hilarious, as always.
Great read. Basket Case has Carl Hiaasen usual black humor with a murder mystery.
Good read. Can't go wrong with dead rock stars and frozen iguanas.
Great read! Couldn't put it down. Hysterically funny, irreverant, and fast-paced. What writer besides Hiaasen could conjure up a burglary scene involving a frozen lizard?
A great mystery with typical Hiaasen humor.
great humor, fast read, a good Hiaasen book.
Another hilarious thriller by a very entertaining author.
Fast read, in spite of its length, with Hiaasen's usual wit.
Im not a big carl hiaasen fan, but this was my first book ive read of his. Slow for me.
Good detective story about a guy who writes obits
for a small newspaper, and his adventures in researching one.
for a small newspaper, and his adventures in researching one.
One of the best so far. Great humor, great story, great characters.
Too funny! - MMP
An entertaining and satisfying mystery from the master of the comic crime novel.
This was the first book by Carl Hiaasen that I've read and I enjoyed it so much that I read it cover to cover in one sitting! It moves quickly, the characters are believable, and the story had a good mix of suspense, drama, action, and humor. I look forward to reading more from this author!
Great escapist Hiaasen novel. Fun. Light.
Fun, whodunit set in Florida. A great read.
First book I've read by Hiaasen. Great story. Interesting plot. Easy to read.
good read very funny
Once a hotshot investigative reporter, Jack Tagger now bangs out obits for a south Florida daily. Jimmy Stoma, the infamous front man of Jimmy and the Slut Puppies, dead in a fishy-smelling scuba "accident" may be Jacks story back to the front page. If only he can figure out what happened.
Typically Hiassen. More original characters representing the wackyand insane. Addictive reading. I'm going to be deeply disappointed when I finished all of Hiassen's books.
Typically Hiassen. More original characters representing the wackyand insane. Addictive reading. I'm going to be deeply disappointed when I finished all of Hiassen's books.
Entertaining and witty. My first Hiaasen will not be my last.
Carl Hiaasen is always a good read. This one is no exception.
Funny and "weird". No dull moments.
Take one dead rock & roll star, his Courtney Love-type widow, the mysterious deaths of his former bandmates, and the lost tracks of a comeback album. Stir in Jack Tagger, a middle-aged investigative reporter obsessed with death since his banishment to the obit desk; a fetching young editor with a yen for our hero; and a boss looking for a reason to fire him. Put them in the hands of a master like Carl Hiaasen, who adds his trademark flourishes (who else would use a frozen lizard as a weapon?) to a creaky plot like this one, and the result is a winner. Florida is full of caper writers with journalistic credentials, and plenty of them have a deft hand with quirky characters, but no one in the genre is better than Hiaasen. --Jane Adams
I have not laughed out loud while reading like this in a long time. Wait til you meet the lizard!
Enjoyed an insider's view of the newspaper biz and the morbid sense of humor of anti-hero Jack Tagger. A quick read with lots of twists and dead-on observations of the seedy side of life in the music industry.
Good book, but a little slow paced until the end.
Funny but tries too hard. worth a read a good summer beach book
Carl is his wacky self with his characters and their thoughts about how to live life and get through it. You have no other option but to laugh and enjoy!
This was my first Hiaasen, and I truely enjoyed it. Laughing all the way through, with great political tidbits, musical references, and naughty jokes.
More funny stuff from Hiaasen: a failed investigative reporter now writing obituaries senses something odd about the accidental death of rock star Jimmy Stoma and follows up on his suspicions.
Murder mystery solved by a journalist in Florida. Interesting inside information on the world of working at a newspaper. News to me, anyway.
Funny as usual!!!!!
I love Hiaasen's sense of humor
I love Hiaasen's sense of humor
comedy, mystery with a funny obituary writer
Didn't read it. Read another one by this auther and don't care for this author.
One of the funniest books I have ever read!
Fairly amusing with some unconventional solutions. Enjoyed the book.
Hotshot investigative reporter, Jack Tagger, now bangs out obituaries for a South Florida daily. Jimmy Stoma, infamous front man of Jimmy and The Slut Puppies, turns up dead in a fishy-smelling scuba "accident". As clues from Stoma's music give Jack the chance to trade obits for a story that could hit the front page, murder gives his career a new lease on life. This is a frisky novel - fresh and juicy - and vintage Carl Hiaasen. Lots of fun!
Very good book. It was fun to read.
Take one dead rock & roll star, his Courtney Love-type widow, the mysterious deaths of his former bandmates, and the lost tracks of a comeback album. Stir in Jack Tagger, a middle-aged investigative reporter obsessed with death since his banishment to the obit desk; a fetching young editor with a yen for our hero; and a boss looking for a reason to fire him. Put them in the hands of a master like Carl Hiaasen, who adds his trademark flourishes (who else would use a frozen lizard as a weapon?) to a creaky plot like this one, and the result is a winner. Florida is full of caper writers with journalistic credentials, and plenty of them have a deft hand with quirky characters, but no one in the genre is better than Hiaasen.
Another great tale from Hiaasen
Another interesting book and good read, but too many curse words.
my husband read the book not myself