"R.J. Decker, star tenant of
the local trailer park and neophyte private eye is fishing for a killer. Thanks
to a sportsman's scam that's anything but sportsmanlike, there's a body
floating in Coon Bog, Florida -- and a lot that's rotten in the murky waters of
big-stakes, large-mouth bass tournaments. Here Decker will team up with a
half-blind, half-mad hermit with an appetite for road kill; dare to kiss his
ex-wife while she's in bed with her new husband; and face deadly TV evangelists,
dangerously seductive women, and a pistol-toting redneck with a pit bull on his
arm. And here his own life becomes part of the stakes, for while the
"double whammy" is the lure, first prize is for the most ingenious
murder.” This was Hiaasen’s second solo
novel. He had written three more traditional thrillers with William Montalbo,
but with his first tale, Tourist Season, it became clear that Hiaasen was going
to bring a new voice to thrillers, one more silly and outrageous, yet still
ugly and violent. In essence, he created a whole new subgenre of mysteries that
writers like Tim Dorsey and Janet Evanovich would draw success years later. As
much as Hiaasen loves Florida, he clearly loves showing its dark side, the
juxtapositions of rich, influential white conservative fake Christians who must
deal with the white trash, and POC, and the other crazy denizens that populate
his books.
It does get off quick start,
even with the boggling down of facts about bass fishing. Decker is a likable
guy with a short temper, but who clearly is trying to live a better life. But
he does come off a bit weak. The deaths are violent and worthy of noir-style
tales. The difference here, much like Donald E. Westlakes Dortmunder tales,
some of the villains are dumb as a box of hair.
A fun, inventive book, even if mystery mixed with farce doesn’t work all the way through.
No comments:
Post a Comment