Once, Jack Tagger was a renowned investigative reporter. However, now he is reduced to writing obituaries for a South Florida daily. He dreams of resurrecting his career by attaching his byline to the story of a famous deceased person. Jimmy Stoma, the notorious front man of Jimmy and the Slut Puppies, who died in a suspicious scuba "accident," might be the perfect candidate for Jack. But there are many obstacles in his way. His editor wants him to "break her cherry," Stoma's ambitious pop-singer widow has her own agenda, and the soulless, profit-hungry newspaper owner, whom Jack once publicly humiliated, is also standing in his path. As clues from Stoma's music start to emerge, Jack gets a chance to trade his obituary column for a story that could potentially make the front page. The discovery of a possible murder gives his career a new lease on life.

1.5 stars*

I have been a long-time fan of Hiaasen's works. However, this particular book really missed the mark for me. It's difficult to pinpoint exactly why. Maybe it's because this is the first time (that I can recall) he has written in the first person, which somehow diminishes the "thriller/suspense" aspect. Or perhaps it's the relationship between Jack and his editor that threw me off. I mean, was that really necessary? Maybe it's the relative lack of humor in this story. Sure, there were a few funny moments, but it didn't have that irreverent tone that I've come to expect from Hiaasen. Another thing that bothered me was Tagger's constant comparison of someone's age with a dead celebrity. It just got frustrating after the first few times.

I'm going to consider this book a one-off dud and move on to something new.

Paul
ARH

It took me a bit of time to read this book.

However, I have to admit that I truly enjoyed the author's unique sense of humor.

The way the author presented the story with a perfect pacing made it extremely engaging from start to finish.

Each chapter seemed to flow seamlessly into the next, keeping me hooked and eager to find out what would happen next.

The humor added an extra layer of enjoyment, making me laugh out loud at times.

It was not only entertaining but also made the reading experience more memorable.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story with a touch of humor and a great pacing.

I'm looking forward to reading more works from this talented author in the future.

I had read all 4 of Hiaasen’s YA novels when I was a kid and I absolutely loved them.

So, I thought it was high time I read one of his books written for adults. And as fate would have it, I came across this particular one at a free library.

Hiaasen is truly a master at writing comedy. I have never had a book make me laugh out loud the way this one did. It wasn't just a silent chuckle in my head; it was an audible laugh that filled the room.

The plot of the book was really interesting and it had me hooked from start to finish. I couldn't put it down.

Now, I will admit that it might lack a certain depth that some readers might be looking for. But let's be honest, you're not reading this book for some profound self-discovery.

This book is purely and simply for entertainment and laughter. So, if that's what you're in the mood for, then you are definitely going to love it.

It's a great escape from the daily grind and a guaranteed way to have a good time.

I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have a good laugh and enjoy a light-hearted read.

Watch out!

If you don't desire to find yourself laughing uncontrollably while reading about the former investigative reporter Jack Tagger, who is striving to make his way from the obituary section back to the front page by delving deeper into the death of an old rock star, then don't pick up this book.

Tagger is on a mission, and he is gradually gathering supporters in his investigation into the sudden demise of Jimmy Stoma, the notorious front man of Jimmy and the Slut Puppies. This could potentially be the story that will finally enable him to escape the shadow cast by his smart mouth and his tendency to speak out at the wrong moments, such as to the new owner of the newspaper he works for. Just because one is right doesn't necessarily mean it's the intelligent thing to do, especially when that owner is solely focused on the bottom line and not on the essence and spirit of journalism.

However, with Stoma's death, Tagger senses that there is a much larger story. Something just doesn't seem quite right, and the clues - all disjointed and definitely not anything that Tagger can present to the police or publish, for that matter - are simply part of the crazy and enjoyable reading experience crafted by Carl Hiaasen.

Hiaasen creates unforgettable characters with plenty of heart - sometimes misdirected and confused - in zany situations, and it's best to simply relax and relish the adventure.

Carl Hiaasen is an incredibly funny individual. His comic novels set in Florida are not only amusing but often downright hilarious. The pages of his books are filled with inept criminals, corrupt politicians, and bumbling police officers. Rarely do any of them come out looking good. For example, he writes, “A disagreement over lane-changing etiquette has resulted in two motorists pulling semiautomatics and inconsiderately shooting each other in the diamond lane of the interstate.” In Basket Case (2002), he describes one of his protagonist’s ex-girlfriends as having “aversion to sleep, employment, punctuality, sobriety, and monogamy. On the positive side, she volunteered weekends at an animal shelter.”

Most of Hiaasen’s novels deal with the destruction of Florida’s environment. However, in Basket Case, he delves into a subject that is clearly close to his heart: the steady decline of the newspaper industry. Hiaasen, a columnist for the Miami Herald since 1976, muses about the damage caused to a small-town paper by its profit-mad, self-indulgent young publisher. He writes, “Only two types of journalists choose to stay at a paper that’s being gutted by Wall Street whorehoppers. One faction is comprised of editors and reporters whose skills are so marginal that they’re lucky to be employed, and they know it. Unencumbered by any sense of duty to the readers, they’re pleased to forego the pursuit of actual news in order to cut expenses and score points with the suits. The other journalists who remain at slow-strangling dailies such as the Union-Register are those too spiteful or stubborn to quit.”

Jack Tagger, 46, is one of the latter. He writes obituaries for the Union-Register, a small-town Florida newspaper. He is obsessed with death, primarily his own. Hardly an hour passes without him thinking of some famous person who died at his age. He blames his mother for this obsession as she refuses to tell him how old his father was when he died. Jack has no memory of his father, who left when he was an infant. He is terrified that he won’t outlive his father. However, he’s not happy thinking about anyone else’s death either. Funerals upset him, and autopsies are even worse. This is highly unfortunate for a man who writes obituaries for a living.

Jack’s preoccupation with death may date back many years, even before he was assigned to the obituary page. But his current position “at the top of the shit list” at the Union-Register began only three years ago. He doesn’t like to talk about why an award-winning investigative journalist was demoted so ignominiously to write about the lives of pet store owners, insurance salesmen, and fishermen. But now, a familiar name has appeared in a fax from the local funeral home that may offer Jack a way out.

Jack is almost as obsessive about rock music as he is about death. So he quickly realizes that the deceased, James Bradley Stomarti, 39, was better known years ago as Jimmy Stoma of the superstar band, Jimmy and the Slut Puppies. Jack sees his byline back on the front page if he can keep the story of Jimmy’s death to himself long enough to gather the facts.

As Jack begins the interviews for Jimmy Stoma’s obituary, he soon discovers that all is not as it seems. Perhaps the young musician didn’t die accidentally while diving in the Bahamas. Maybe his 24-year-old wife had a motive to kill him. And why are she and those around her so eager to prevent Jack from learning the truth?
These circumstances could form the basis of a serious thriller. But Basket Case is anything but serious. (Except when Hiaasen reflects on the sad state of the newspaper industry.) For example, when Jack meets Cleo Rio, Jimmy’s widow, he describes the club as having “a motif that combines the exotic ambience of a Costa Rican brothel with the cozy, down-home charm of a methamphetamine lab.”
The cast of characters in Basket Case includes several of Jimmy’s ex-bandmates, who engage in a wide range of colorful behavior, usually involving drugs; Jimmy’s sister, who earns a living dressing up as a cop on a SWAT team and stripping in front of a webcam; Jack’s inept and beautiful 27-year-old boss at the Union-Register, whom he is trying to persuade to leave journalism; MacArthur Polk, 88, the former owner of the paper who has been dying regularly for many years but always manages to rally; and Race Maggad III, the profit-obsessed head of the company that owns 27 newspapers, including Jack’s.
I have also reviewed Hiaasen’s Star Island (2010) online at "Carl Hiaasen skewers celebrities," Bad Monkey (2013) at "A severed arm, a detective on the roach patrol, and a bad monkey," Razor Girl (2016) at "Reality TV, African rodents, the roach patrol," and two of his young adult novels, both of which I found disappointing.

The chairman and chief executive officer of Maggad-Feist Publishing Group snarls, "You don't worry me. You're a gnat on the radar screen."
I helpfully correct, "On the windshield, you mean. On a radar screen I would be a 'blip.'"
He then retorts, "Fuck you."

I absolutely love Carl Hiaasen's books. I just do - they are so incredibly readable. I moved this past weekend and yet, despite all the chaos, I still managed to find time to power through this book. I was just that reluctant to put it down.

Honestly, I found "Basket Case" to be a little calmer than the last few Hiaasen novels I've read. Hiaasen's novels are renowned for their wacky Florida hijinks, outlandish characters, and scenarios. And while this book definitely had all of those elements, when compared to some of his other, later novels, this one was just a touch calmer.

The story follows Jack Tagger, an obit writer at a local newspaper who was demoted to writing obituaries after publicly embarrassing the CEO of the paper at a shareholder's meeting. Jack becomes embroiled in the suspicious death of a former rock star. Unwillingly joined by his young editor and the sister of the deceased, he embarks on a quest to uncover the truth. And of course, the truth turns out to be the crazy Florida sunshine and insanity.

I found Jack to be a reliable and engaging protagonist. I adored his friendship with the daughter of his ex, and the way his relationship with his editor developed over the course of the novel.

"Basket Case," like all of Hiaasen's novels, is filled with a wonderful supporting cast and flows smoothly from one event to the next without ever seeming forced. It's a great read for fans of wacky light mysteries.

Other than "Team Rodent", I had never delved into a Hiaasen novel until this particular one. I had constantly heard wonderful things about his works and had even listened to people compare him to many of my most beloved authors.

Last night, I embarked on the journey of reading "Basket Case" (in fact, I completed it... having started it yesterday). Now that I have finally had the pleasure of experiencing a Hiaasen novel, I must wholeheartedly state that I absolutely adored it.

Firstly, the story is set in my home state of Florida, a place I miss profoundly. So, it was truly delightful to be back there, if only in my imagination. Secondly, Hiaasen is an incredibly intelligent writer. I have perused numerous "humorous" books that verge on being insulting in terms of their implausibility when striving for a laugh. However, Hiaasen never crosses that line. The story takes precedence, and his writing style is intelligent, witty, and effortlessly readable. You never have to reread a line to understand what he is trying to convey, nor are you ever insulted by childishness.

The characters are captivating, humorous, charming, likable, quirky, and most importantly, extremely human. I never once doubted their authenticity; in fact, I feel as though I have encountered them before. The plot is engaging and unfolds like a mystery, making you truly root for our protagonist, Jack Tagger. The book follows Jack, a former rising star in the newspaper industry who spoke out of turn at the wrong moment and was consequently reassigned to the demeaning realm of obituary writing. He now suffers from neuroses associated with the job, namely an obsession with death, mainly his own and the age at which it will occur. Up until now, this has wreaked havoc on his relationships and caused his career to dwindle to almost insignificance. Then, he covers the death of Jimmy Stoma, an ex-rocker and musical bad boy. Very quickly, he determines that there is something amiss about the death, and the old reporter within him awakens... And begins to cause trouble.

The rest of the cast of characters includes: Emma, Jack's editor and possible love/hate interest; Juan, the Cuban sportswriter and Jack's best friend; Cleo, the dead rocker's wife and aspiring pop diva; Janet, the dead rocker's singer and arch-enemy of Cleo; and Carla, Jack's ex-girlfriend's daughter and club scene maven.

The ensemble grows even larger and more fascinating. Colonel Tom is by far my favorite scene in the book, but I won't go into details. You simply have to read that part for yourself. In the end, the book is darkly humorous, engaging, and offers fairly high-speed entertainment towards the conclusion when everything starts to go awry. I am aware that Tim Dorsey is often compared to Hiaasen, but in reality, there is no comparison other than the setting of their books. Dorsey is extremely over the top, while Hiaasen is firmly grounded in reality... albeit a strange and demented reality, yet a believable one nonetheless. I would compare him more to Vonnegut (minus the sci-fi aspect) than to Dorsey, Pratchett, or Gaiman.

This book truly ranks among the greats, right up there with Dave Barry's books, within the "Florida humorous mystery" genre!

It presents a side-splittingly funny narrative centered around a rather flawed character. This character is an obituary writer, which in itself is an interesting occupation. However, what makes this story even more engaging is that this writer has a deep-seated fear of dying prematurely.

The book takes the reader on a hilarious journey as we follow the antics and adventures of this character. It's not only extremely enjoyable but also incredibly easy to follow the story. The author has done a remarkable job of creating a world that is both humorous and captivating, making it a must-read for anyone who enjoys a good laugh and a well-told mystery.

I've only read about half of one other Carl Hiaasen book before, namely Nature Girl. It managed to convince me to randomly pick another one from the library. In Nature Girl, the characters were crazy, and Hiaasen skillfully wove together their story lines, resulting in hilarious effects.

However, this book turned out to be a tremendous disappointment. Many times, I almost gave up due to sheer boredom, but I pushed through, hoping that things would improve. The humor in this book simply falls flat, and the plot lies in that terrible gray area of being unrealistic yet not overblown to the point of exaggeration. It's more like the author doesn't quite know how real people act, rather than a conscious attempt at satire. This is also the case with most multi-cam sitcoms.

Some of the lowlights include: Hahaha, guys, there's a dude named Loréal! How is Tagger's 17-year-old almost-stepdaughter living on her own and also a fixture in the club scene? There is a cam-girl stripper, and very little is done with this humor-wise beyond descriptions of her wearing fetish gear. Additionally, Janet and Jack did not become an item, depriving us of a delightful fetishy sex scene and a potentially more age-appropriate pairing than Jack and Emma.

Fast, amusing, and light mystery novel!

This type of novel offers a unique reading experience. It is a bit implausible, which can be both a charm and a drawback. However, it serves as a reasonable break from more serious fiction and nonfiction.

During a Memorial Day weekend, when you are relaxing on the beach, this kind of mystery novel can be a great choice. It provides entertainment and keeps you engaged without being overly demanding.

The light-hearted nature of the story allows you to unwind and enjoy the moment. You can easily get lost in the plot and forget about the stresses of daily life.

Whether you are a fan of mystery novels or just looking for a fun read, this type of book can be a great addition to your beach bag. So, pick up a fast, amusing, and light mystery novel and enjoy a fun Memorial Day weekend on the beach!

Basket Case: Carl Hiaasen
♥ ♥ 1/2

Unfortunately, this book was not as hilarious as I recalled. Some of the narratives were extremely long, tiresome, and boring, to the extent that I had to skim through those parts.

Jack Taggar, who used to be a top reporter, now writes obituaries for the local paper. He had the misfortune of criticizing the new owners at a board meeting for their destruction of the paper. Since then, his new editor, Emma, has been looking for an excuse to fire him but has been unsuccessful.

As Jack's 47th birthday approaches, he becomes increasingly obsessed with the deaths of his missing father and famous writers who died before their 47th birthday, such as Oscar Wilde, Albert Camus, H.P. Lovecraft, and George Orwell.

Enter Jimmy Stoma, the lead singer and leader of the defunct rock 'n' roll band The Slut Puppies. Jimmy disappeared while scuba diving at a WWII plane crash site in the Bahamas and was later found dead miles away from the dive spot.

Jimmy had been working on new music, which he shared with only one of his two bass players. His one-hit-wonder wife, Cleo, is far from being a grieving widow and has Jimmy cremated without an autopsy.

Several band members meet violent deaths after their living spaces are burglarized and trashed, with one survivor telling the tale to Jack.

Jimmy's sister senses something amiss and asks Jack to help her uncover what Jimmy was hiding, why he was murdered, and what role Cleo plays in all of this.

After much persuasion, Emma joins Jack in his search for the truth and the rejuvenation of the newspaper.

What better way to enjoy a Florida beach vacation than by indulging in a bit of Carl Hiaasen's literary magic? 'Basket Case' (for the most part) steers clear of the environmental and political themes that frequently grace his novels. However, it still abounds with his signature smart-ass humor and those wry chuckles that readers have come to love, all while presenting a captivating plot. It may not be his absolute finest work, but let's face it, even a mediocre Hiaasen offering is rather outstanding.

The 'star' of 'Basket Case' is Jack Tagger, an obituary writer at a relatively small Florida newspaper. He has been relegated to the fringes of journalism due to a past indiscretion involving the paper's new owner. He's far too talented for this job and is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to expand beyond writing about the departed elderly. His chance arrives when a former rock star who fronted his favorite band meets an untimely end in a diving accident. Something seems amiss to Jack, and he manages to finagle his way into delving deeper into the death. This quickly snowballs into a series of hilarious encounters with his editor, mother, ex-girlfriend, the deceased's wife and her entourage, his sister, Mexican assassins, the remaining band members, and numerous others. The story unfolds at a brisk pace and reaches a conclusion that is both uproariously funny and cringe-worthy.

I've been a fan of Hiaasen's humor, characters, and stories for decades. While 'Basket Case' may not crack his Top 5, it's still an enjoyable way to while away a few hours while baking in the Florida sun.