Customer Reviews

Powder Burn

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After having enjoyed other books by Carl Hiaasen, I had certain expectations about this book. I was not disappointed, but Powder Burn is not in the same league as Tourist Season, Doubble Whammy, Skin Tight, Striptease and Stormy Weather. But it was interesting to note the similarities between this book and the later ones mentioned above. It is the cuban cop, journalists playing a part, the plot taking place in Florida (Miami) and the focus of a theme that, I belive, the authors feel is a threat to the Florida region. This time it is drug war and dopers, in the other novels it is the disadvantages of tourism, the destroying of nature, the search for beauty by operations and corruptions among politicians. One major difference is that the main character in this book, an architect named Chris Meadows, is not the tough hero type, but rather a more human hero driven by fear. So if you are a fan of Carl Hiaasen, you should read Powder Burn. On the other hand if you are not a fan, you might find the book a bit ordinary.

A shadowy figure with immense power and money decides to take over the cocaine trade in Miami. It requires, of course, killing his rivals. Chris Meadows, a young, Miami architect, is only dimly aware of the drug trade until an old girlfriend and her child are accidentally killed before his eyes by hitmen. Worse, he can identify the killers, so he becomes their target. When a police detective seems more interested in using Chris for bait to catch the killers than in protecting him, Chris decides that he is on his own. His terrified twists and turns to evade the killers take him through the deadly world of Miami's drug scene. Hiaasen and Montalbano, writers for the Miami Herald, put an authentic edge on a Miami that tourists don't see. This is not the Hiaasen who writes biting humor about Florida's developers and politicians. This is the Hiaasen who gives us a thriller steeped in Miami. The story will keep you reading.

I am a long time fan of Carl Hiassen and have read nearly all of his books, always eagerly looking forward to his next book. But for me, Powder Burn was a huge disappointment. I found the story line mundane and predictable. As always, however, his characters are original, clever and realistic. I'm not even sure why he wrote this book and it can only be described as ordinary. read it if you can't find anything else to read, but don't expect much and don't pay full price for it!

Like "Trap Line" (and unlike the very mediocre "A Death in China"), this novel works pretty well because the authors really know the subject and the environment they're writing about. Perhaps the biggest flaw: when implicated in a murder, Meadows (the main character) never seems to consider contacting an attorney--which would be the first thing any intelligent, rational person (as he is supposed to be) would do. This is the kind of defect that makes the entire book seem weak. We know it's fiction, but it should at least be theoretically believable. Maybe this is the legacy of Hiaasen's usual off-the-wall black humor fantasies.

These stories written with Bill Montalbano are really different than Hiaasen's Florida novels...It seem like they are mostly written by Montalbano and are really good reads. Good plot, good development and good finish. I have read all three of the novels that the two writers collaborated on and all three are excellent. If you are expecting all of the humor in a Carl Hiaasen tale, look elsewhere. If you are looking for a good read, try this..