Too High [Hardcover]

Corson Hirschfeld (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2001

Murders and militias and snakes, oh my!

Too High delightfully fulfills the reputation Corson Hirschfeld established for delicious, off beat mysteries in the tradition of Hiaasen and Leonard.

Hawaiian archaeologist Digger Fitz arrives in Golden Leaf, Kentucky, for a reunion with his niece, Nikki, a herpetologist, and his cousin, and fellow archaeologist Edgar. But he has barely unpacked his bags when he becomes the primary suspect in Edgar's gruesome murder. To find the real killer, Digger and Nikki must dodge country cops and their crazed kin, a pair of eccentric collectors waging a private war over an invaluable artifact, a mountain militia . . . and four hundred rattlesnakes from a reptile shipment gone awry!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following his well-received debut, Aloha, Mr. Lucky (2000), Hirschfeld delivers another uproarious novel of eccentrics and fanatics. A bus loaded with 436 southern timber rattlesnakes crashes in eastern Kentucky, releasing its cargo into foreign territory. Quiet and deadly, they become the leitmotiv in the operatic events unfolding in McAfee County. Hawaiian archaeologist Digger Fitz and his herpetologist niece, Nikki, team up with the local sheriff's department to find a killer when Digger's cousin Edgar is found murdered. A retired archaeologist himself, Edgar had been consulting for wealthy oddball Smoot Mudd, a self-proclaimed descendant of Daniel Boone. Smoot and his arch-rival, Cincinnati corporate raider Alphonse LeCoup (who claims the explorer La Salle for his ancestor), are vying to buy what Digger discovers is a stolen artifact of the French and Indian Wars. (Edgar had almost certainly learned the object was hot before he died.) For these two men, it's war; for McAfee County, it's Armageddon. The convoluted plot pulls in an over-armed local militia fueled by fear of the federal government and extraterrestrials in equal measure; self-described former Mossad agents; and a sexy, blonde, beehived grifter and her drug-addled brother, a hit man named Jesus-Bob. The murder investigation takes a back seat to the antics of the two old men and their foot soldiers. The skillful juggling of multiple viewpoints, as well as the vivid characters, make this an amusing and enjoyable book. There are some loose threads at the end, but it's all funny. (Sept. 13)Forecast: Fans of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen looking for more of the same could help this series catch fire.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Hawaiian archaeologist Digger Fitz, whom we first met in Aloha, Mr. Lucky [BKL F 15 00], takes center stage accompanied by a whole new cast of oddball characters in Hirschfeld's second offbeat mystery. This time the setting is Golden Leaf, Kentucky, where the last of the Fitz clan--Digger, his niece Nikki, and his cousin and fellow archaeologist Edgar--have planned a reunion. When Digger arrives, however, he finds Edgar dead and the local police looking for a suspect. Who better than an aging hippie stranger like Digger? When he and Nikki set out to find out the truth about Edgar's death, the plot begins to sprawl in all directions. Secondary characters include a pack of loony militiamen obsessed with aliens, two eccentric antique collectors feuding over a rare artifact, and several fugitive rattlesnakes. Deserving of its numerous comparisons to the works of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen, this is a fun read and an intriguing whodunit. Carrie Bissey
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (September 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765300117
• ISBN-13: 978-0765300119
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,776,761 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goodness Snakes!, January 14, 2002

By 

Joe Settles (Nicholasville, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Too High (Hardcover)

As a huge fan of snakes and eastern Kentucky, I found the book to be more than entertaining. It was a complete riot! This book has a little bit of everything from state militias, Bugs Bunny, Willie Nelson, and timber rattlesnakes to keep you on your toes. It was a wonderful read, and I would suggest to anyone who has ever looked fondly at reptiles or plastic worms - read it!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Its a damn funny book, April 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Too High (Hardcover)

This is a book full of high-level hilarity, with many interwoven themes that you cannot put it down for fear of losing one of the threads. Hirschfeld has done another masterful job, and I look forward to his third effort. A note for Mr. Clark (one of the earlier "reviewers" of this book). Authors don't draw their front covers, and they have no say in the design. The fanciful snake on the front cover is just that -- fanciful, and is unrelated to the intellectual content of this fine volume. Also, "antivenom" has completely overriden the almost unknown scientific term, "antivenin," in common usage in the United States. Had Hirschfeld used antivenin in his book, it would have been misunderstood by most of the public, and laughed at by academic herpetologists. He did it just right. In fact, he did the entire book right. It is herpetologically one of the most accurate books of fiction ever written.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't give up on it, its a winner, February 20, 2002

By 

K. Shoop "tkshoop" (roaring spring, pa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Too High (Hardcover)

This book has a slow start. I almost quit reading it a third of the way through, but I'm really glad I kept going. It just keeps getting better and better up to an hysterically funny climax.