One part satirist, one part muckraker, Carl Hiaasen has become one of Florida's most adored modern writers because of his ability to effectively address issues of greed, crime, corruption and pollution in the Sunshine State without ever taking himself (or his fictional characters) too seriously. Hiaasen is a master at portraying Floridians in all of their wacked-out glory, from eccentrics like Flush's Lice Peeking, a half-pickled ex-mate of a cruise ship who trades his testimony against his former boss for a fishing boat, to crooked politicians (Strip Tease's breast-obsessed congressman Dave Dilbeck comes to mind). He also has a knack for creating unlikely but somehow believable protagonists, like Honey Santana, a hot-tempered, telemarketer-loathing single mom who serves as the heroine in his most recent novel, Nature Girl. Hiaasen discusses and signs copies of Nature Girl this Friday evening at an Inkwood Books-sponsored event. Fri., Dec. 1, 7 p.m. Friday Morning Musicale, 809 W. Horatio St., Tampa, 813-253-2638.
This article appears in Nov 29 – Dec 5, 2006.