Product Description: The only trace of the first victim was his Shriner's fez washed up on the Miami beach. The second victim, the head of the city's chamber of commerce, was found dead with a toy rubber alligator lodged in his throat. And that was just the beginningNow Brian Keyes, reporter turned private eye, must move from muckraking to rooting out murderin a caper that will mix football players, politicians, and police with a group of fanatics and a very hungry crocodile.
In the beginning. Carl Hiaasen is a very talented writer. He knows how to craft stories that are delightfully over-the-top, genuinely funny and cynical to the nth degree. Tourist Season is an early Hiaasen novel about a rag-tag group of American terrorists who hope to restore Florida to its former glory by driving out all the tourists, snowbirds and retirees. To accomplish this, they go on a killing rampage which they have convinced themselves will lead to a mass exodus from the Sunshine State. Brian Keyes, a former newspaper reporter turned private eye, and Al Garcia, a Miami police sergeant, are charged with stopping the terrorists' nefarious scheme.
Those readers familiar with Hiassen's later work know that he has the habit of killing off characters in some very original and gruesome ways. Most of the time, the victims of these cruel deaths are miscreants who presumably deserve their horrible fates. Because of this, readers are not turned off by the cruelty and can even appreciate the dark humor inherent in the ghastly acts Hiaasen describes. Unfortunately, when Tourist Season was written, Hiaasen had not yet learned that repeatedly subjecting perfectly innocent characters to cruel and inhuman punishment was likely to turn off many readers and that is the book's major flaw. The first part of Tourist Season contains several instances of innocent tourists and others meeting some very violent and grotesque deaths. I for one, did not find this portion of the narrative to be particularly funny.
The latter parts of Tourist Season are, however, much more enjoyable. Plenty of over-the-top action, some pricelessly cynical commentary and a few clever plot twists bring the proceedings to a satisfying conclusion. Though slightly flawed, Tourist Season is a well written satiric novel which succeeds in showcasing Carl Hiaasen's prodigious talent. Four stars.
Get everything he writes! This is the first of the Hiaasen books with his character, Skink. Once you meet Skink, you will need to read all of the books with him in it. Read them in order as it's fun to watch the characters develop. I reread them often.
A little darker than usual, but still good for some laughs This is the third Carl Hiaasen book that I have read, and it stays pretty close to his usual formula of an unlikely hero trying to save Florida from some dangerously wacky criminals. It's an entertaining read with plenty of vintage Hiaasen humor predicated on the plausible lunacy of the Floridian race. The subject of the rape of the Everglades is pretty close to his heart, and the subtext of the book seems a little angrier than the others that I have read. In this book, he seems to have a lot of sympathy for the villain because he is murdering tourists and that's actually kind of OK. I did enjoy the book overall, and would recommend it to anyone who has never read one of Hiaasen's books, albeit not as strongly as Skin Tight or Stormy Weather.
One of Hiassen's best Having grown up in Florida I completely sympathize with Hiassen's approach in this book. Florida has become overrun with the great white north and they have basically transformed it into a South New England, or a South Upper Midwest. So much for the when in Rome do as the Romans do. Anyhow, onto the funny nature of this book.
From the get go this story rolls with wry humor, witty twists, odd characters and strange goings on. What a hilarious thought having a Shriner gone missing. I'm sure it wasn't the first time that happened in Florida, plus I couldn't get Ray Stevens'"Shriner's Convention" song out of my head. And why wouldn't a Seminole Indian know every inch of the Glades? All of these plausible scenarios interspersed with a Florida natives desirable, yet dark thoughts on tourists disappearing kind of plot make for a fun read.
Even if you're not from Florida, you should get a kick out of this romp through the Sunshine State. Scott A. Reighard, author: Jamestown: Journey Back in Time
A Modern Pop Crime Masterpiece Fans of crime and popular fiction can rejoice in Carl Hiaasen's excellent novel Tourist Season. Much, much darker than his later works - you can tell that he's passionate about Florida's landscape - and yet entirely accessible by adults looking for a good read, Tourist Season delivers in all ways it should.
Sure, the romantic subplot seems a bit forced, but it's still entertaining. The characters are ALL interesting, regardless of their quirks. They're all very well drawn, if a bit caricaturish in the end, and they work.
Tourist Season is also one of Hiaasen's shorter works, so the prose seems cut with a straight razor, moving well into the story as early as possible without losing the reader. There's not a lot of unnecessary backstory. In fact, there's just enough to make you care about the characters before you get pulled along into the depths of the beautiful Florida landscape.
What really makes the novel hum, however, is the slight lesson running underneath the story. Hiaasen clearly wants the reader to understand that the relationship between the story and his intentions are symbiotic, so the ending seems a little more preachy than it really should.
But, overall, the book is absolutely great. A spectacular read for those who have read all the Elmore Leonard they care to and need something funnier.
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