Most of Carl Hiassen's books are murder mysteries, with a twist, or maybe better to say, with twisted people. Open Season is no exception.
Like most of his books, Open Season is set in Florida. The story is about professional bass fishing and some shady characters involved in it. One professional believes another is cheating and therefore winning all the tournaments. He hires an ex-police photographer to get some compromising photos. Along the way, in usual Hiassen style, a variety of wacky characters are introduced including a former Florida governor who lives like a hermit in the woods.
Hiassen's novels usually have an environmental element to them. In Open Season, one of the "bad guys" is building housing projects at the expense of what was once protected land. Don't worry, he gets his in the end.
I like Hiassen's novels not just because he writes a good crime story, but because his characters are colorful and crazy. This book is written for adults, but Hiassen has written book for younger people as well, including, Hoot and Flush. If you like a mystery with a little environmental awareness and humor mixed in, you will like Hiassen. I give this one a 3 out of 5. I was not as crazy about the bass fishing as some of his other story lines, but I still liked the book.
I think I'd be the same way about the bass fishing taking the stars out of the rating.
ReplyDeleteHiaasen does seem to have the pulse of the area, though, complete with an ex Florida governor living as a hermit. :-)