Basket Case    by Carl Hiaasen Order:  USA  Can Warner, 2003 (2002) Hardcover, Paperback, Audio, e-Book Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by David Pitt On July 22, 1999, the Miami Herald published an article by their popular columnist, Carl Hiaasen, headlined 'Celebrity deaths reveal our worst.' In it he wrote: 'To say the press has a morbid streak is perfectly fair and accurate. Death is often news, and the unexpected death of a celebrity brings out the worst in the media's worst.' In Basket Case, Hiaasen's new novel, Jack Tagger, once an up-and-coming investigative journalist and now a down-and-out obituary writer, is handed the story that could catapult him back onto the front page: the death of Jimmy Stoma, of Jimmy and the Slut Puppies. While trying to claw his way back into respectability, Jack uncovers a mystery whose solution is fiendishly subtle and deadly. This is a delightful novel; Hiaasen, in case you don't know, is a very witty guy, and he likes to have fun. Consider this, for example: Jack's troubles at the paper started when he dared to criticize the company's new owners, a publishing conglomerate called Magged-Feist, and if you think that sounds a little like 'maggot feast,' I'm sure that's not a coincidence. And do I need to point out that calling a corrupt politician 'Cheatworth' is a satiric gesture that Dickens himself would have approved? There are other name games, but let's let Hiaasen reveal the rest of them himself. Hiaasen, who's spent many a year writing for newspapers, packs the novel with plenty of behind-the-scenes intrigue: Jack, to select one example of many, has to protect his story from some of his fellow reporters, who might want to take it and run with it. There's also a nice sub-plot about the paper's former owner, who's not happy with the new owners and who has, shall we say, a very clever plan for dealing with them. The novel is exciting: Tagger, who just wants to turn this rock star's obit into front-page news before somebody takes the story away from him, walks head-first into conspiracy and danger. It is fresh: Hiaasen tells the story in the present tense, so we find out about things the same time Jack does (I know the present-tense gimmick is being used a lot lately, way too much in fact, but Hiaasen actually knows how to use it). It is charming: Hiaasen manages to work in a love story, a funny and tender one that, in the hands of a less talented writer, might have seemed dreadfully out of place. It is, in short, a thoroughly entertaining novel. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews