BASKET CASE

If you like your mysteries twisted--in a good way--try Carl Hiassen's 2001 contribution to the genre. After sabotaging his promising newspaper career, former investigative reporter Jack Tagger is stuck writing obituaries. When Jimmy Stoma, lead singer of a once hot rock band, dies in a suspicious diving accident in the Bahamas, Jack sets out to do the obit. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, narrator George Newbern seems to be having as much fun as listeners. As Jack interviews a quirky assortment of friends, relatives, and suspects, Newbern hits all the Hiaasen zaniness, including a fight in which Jack's only weapon is Colonel Tom, a frozen monitor lizard. Laugh-out-loud scenes, truthful dialogue, wildly clever plotting, and Newbern's snarky attitude keep the mystery completely engaging. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2013]