This one isn't too dissimilar to his other novels, but doesn't have one of his trademark crazies like the govenor who dropped off the face of the earth to become an eco-terrorist or the mad state senator who visited the strip clubs, or the body-builder thug who would in the middle of a shakedown check out his flexing muscles and forget what he was doing.

It does however have the sharptalking, newspaper hack who can keep his cool when dealing with the low life in these novels. This time he is an obit writer who had been a talented staff reporter before blowing up in a staff meeting. He happens upon a murder of a 80s punk-rocker and follows his nose and discovers the whole band-Jimmy Stroma and the Slut Puppies is getting offed one by one. The 47 year old reporter falls in love with a 27 year old reporter and has a torrid love affair during the investigation.

(How is it that 47 year olds can have sex all-night in these novels? Is that realistic? I mean since I have hit my 40s I have never had sex more than once in a day and rarely on consecutive days. Am I the exception? Can most men in their late 40s go at it all night? I mean I could do it in my 20s for sure, no problem at all. But, Jack Tagger can't be typical in this. I am not sure it is even possible to do it 4,5 times in one night at that age. I have never tried viagra, because I am sure my wife does not want to do it all night, I do not know what I would have to do to inspire that sort of libido in her. Back to the unlikely to be-ever-read review.)

He does deal with one social/economic issue in that newspapers are dying. Just as I was reading this book, I read an online note that the L.A. Times is cutting back on 700 jobs and reducing the size of the paper by 15%. Like most people 25 and older I grew up reading the paper, but the Internet has severly impacted readership and papers are dying. Jack Taggert's paper is being reduced in this for other reasons that he fights as best he can. In real life, The L.A. Times is already smaller than I remember it from before I went abroad and with the further reduction, I have a feeling that it will eventually die out as dinosaurs like myself fade away. I am pretty sure that my two literate 20-something daughters rarely read the papers.

And the L.A. Times baseball writers really suck compared to what we can find on Internet with blogs like Baseball Toaster and Joe Posnanski's blog.



Anyway, if you like Carl Hiaasen, you will like this okay. If you only want his best stuff, read Striptease or Native Tongue. They are much funnier and have some wickedly funny characters.



Funny Lyrics-"My baby is a basket case,

bipolar mama in leather and lace."