@pluralistic

Reading your summary of the characters I'm having the normal horrified reaction that yes he is describing reality.

Names have been changed to blur the poloroid of reality.

@pluralistic It was certainly timely and on target.

@pluralistic

Hiaasen is the bomb. His most famous /notorious comment about Florida weird is that in every novel he created a character, usually the henchman, who is so over the top that they couldn't possibly be real.

But he writes about Florida and said invariably he will read the papers and find somebody at least as absurd as the henchman he created.

@pluralistic

I've been a Hiaasen fan ever since I read 'Sick Puppy' [more a decade ago?]. Without a doubt one of the most gifted crime/comedy writers of all time. His novels are full of rich characters, inventive and twisty plots. 'Fever Beach' is one of his best!

@pluralistic Fever Beach and Enshittification are my top two reads of 2025. Amazing to see that you're a Carl fan!