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Reader Reviews Who knew a book about bass fishing could be this much fun?, August 30, 2003 Reviewer: Dennis Keithly from Richardson If I told you this book was just about bass fishing, you probably wouldn't read it. Thankfully, there is more to it than that. R.J. Decker is a private detective that finds himself in the office of Dennis Gault, a flashy and rich businessman that likes to fish for bass. Decker can't believe he is being offered $50,000 to try and prove that one of Gault's competitors, Dickie Gault, is cheating in bass tournaments. After putting up with Gault's attitude, Decker takes the job and the adventure begins in Carl Hiassen's 'Double Whammy.' More than anything, what makes this novel enjoyable are the characters. Decker is surrounded by an unusual ensemble. 'Skink' is a swamp hermit with a mysterious past, and teaches Decker all about bass fishing. Skink also has a fondness for road kill that makes the other characters squeemish. Reverend Weems is hardly a surprising character given all the "bad" news about religious figures in recent years, but makes a nice partner for the cheating and impish Lockhart. Other law enforcement officers, Decker's ex-wife, and Gault's seductive, gold-digging sister round out the cast. There is probably more bass fishing, or more about bass fishing, than the casual reader will want to know about. However, the bass fishing details do take a back seat to the mystery that surrounds the mysterious deaths of several secondary characters. The mystery is rather short lived, but the 'sting' that Decker and his comrades plan in the second half of the novel carry the story to a satisfactory conclusion. I'd recommend this novel to anyone that enjoys crime fiction in the style of Hiassen and Elmore Leonard, or a style that might be described as Dave Barry light. Hiassen is unrelentless in his attack on the condo craze in Florida and what it has done to the environment there, so be ready for some commentary as well.
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