cute story, but at times it just sort of drug on and on.
interesting ending too. I enjoyed it. ( )

¡Viva Las Noches de Diciembre, Viva!

Tourist Season, published in 1986 is a dystopian novel set more than 37 years in the future and is perfectly prescient of present day Florida.

This is also 10 years BEFORE Rupert Murdock created the far-right-wing, fascist propaganda network Fox. Fox "news" programs - affectionately and more properly known as Faux News - are the most watched in the US and functions as sort of a cross between Pravda and the National Enquirer although the former may also owned and operated by Murdock since its pro-Kremlin stances have long been established. Granted, something like 150 million Americans prefer alternative facts; Insurrectionists and the "Covid is a hoax" crowd (however, if the global Coronavirus pandemic is not a hoax, those people who opt to drink bleach and take horse dewormer instead). And as I write this, three former Fox executives recently expressed regret for helping Rupert Murdoch build his US broadcasting business, describing Fox News as a "disinformation machine." Ummm, okay, but you're about 30 years too late, that bus has sailed.

Cable networks like Fox are licensed as entertainment so they are not bound to report any actual facts on programs they claim to be news, hence, Faux News. In Tourist Season, our anti-hero or protagonist Skip Wiley, became overburdened by too many years in the news industry and found himself to be, let's say, somewhat jaded. Wiley determined that only way to turn the tide of destruction was to proactive and proceed in a less than subtle fashion.

******************

"Brian, what is Florida anyway? An immense sunny toilet where millions of tourists flush their money and save the moment on Kodak film. The recipe for redemption is simple: scare away the tourists and pretty soon you scare off the developers. No more developers, no more bankers. No more bankers, no more lawyers. No more lawyers, no more dope smugglers. The whole motherfucking economy implodes! Now, tell me I'm crazy."

"Skip, there's got to be another way,"

"No!" Wiley shot to his feet, uprooting the beach umbrella with his head. "There... is... no... other... way! Think about it, you mullusk-brained moron! What gets headlines? Murder, mayhem, and madness - the cardinal M's of the newsroom. That's what terrifies the travel agents of the world. That's what rates congressional hearings and crime commissions. And that's what frightens off bozo Shriner conventions. It's a damn shame, I grant you that. It's a shame I simply couldn't stand up at the next county commission meeting and ask our noble public servants to please stop destroying the planet. It's a shame that the people who poisoned this paradise won't just apologize and pack their U-Hauls and head back North to the smog and the blizzards. But it's a proven fact they won't leave until somebody lights a fire under ‘em. That's what Las Noches de Diciembre is all about. ‘Cops Seek Grisly Suitcase Killer' ... ‘Elderly Woman Abducted, Fed to Vicious Reptile' ... ‘Golf Course Bomb Claims Three on Tricky Twelfth Hole‘ ... ‘Crazed Terrorists Stalk Florida Tourists.'" Wiley was practically chanting the headlines, as if he were watching them roll off the presses at the New York Post.

******************

[On Las Noches de Diciembre.]

"Mr. Keyes," a vice-mayor said, "what is it they want?"

"They want us to leave," Keyes said.

"All of us," Garcia added, "from Palm Beach to Key West."

"I don't understand," the vice-mayor said.

"They want Florida back," Keyes said, "the way it was."

"The way it was when?"

"When it wasn't fucked up with so many people," Garcia said.

The table erupted in snorts and sniggering, and the men in the blazers seemed to shake their heads gravely in syncopation. "Why doesn't this kind of shit ever happen to Disney World?" one of them said mournfully.

[Given that this is first fiction novel, I will give Carl a pass for not envisioning that the money and politics that runs the US would not install a Ron DeSantis as governor of Florida who would actually go after Disney World.]

******************

[I loved that our anti-hero used Victor Hugo as an alias; fits in perfectly with the American political situation.]

"Did he give a name at the airport?"

"Yes, he did," Garcia said.

Then all at once, like a flock of crows: "What?"

Garcia glanced over at the police chief. The chief shrugged. The Orange Bowl chairman waved a chubby hand, trying to get somebody's attention.

"The suspect did use a name at the airport," Garcia said, "but we believe it was an alias."

"What was it?"

"In fact, we're ninety-nine percent sure it was an alias," the detective said, fading from the microphone.

"What was it, Al? What?"

"Well," Garcia said, "the name the suspect gave was Hugo. Victor Hugo."

There was a lull in the questioning while the reporters explained to each other who Victor Hugo was.

******************

I hated the ending. It made sense, and it was probably symbolic of the whole story. Unbeknownst to all a small destruction which will lead to the ultimate destruction of all while the world remains blissfully ignorant. I get it, I just didn't like it. ( )

Dark because its' oddly callous about non-main character deaths. ( )

loved it. ( )

Tourist Season is one of Carl Hiaasen's earlier mystery/comedy novels set in Miami. Published in the 1980s it is full of what now sound like anachronisms, pay phones, Datsun cars, typewriters and Jane Fonda exercise videos. Weird, funny an hard to put down like all of his books this one is about a former Miami Sun reporter who has become a private investigator because his newspaper career ended in some kind of disgrace. A former colleague of the investigator decided to rid Florida of tourists and retirees and return it to nature and the native peoples it was stolen from. The former colleague gathered a group to help him terrorize the whole population of Florida. How will it go and will Brain the reporter turned investigator stop it? ( )

I have read "Tourist Season" so many times I have lost count. The Shriners, the shore-front real estate, the beauty queen, the parade, football star, the Indian, and a former governor create an exploding mystery for reporter Brian Keyes. I love the Shriners in this story. They steal the show for me. It will only be a matter of time before I reread this book.

In a serious vein, the author gives facts about FL ecology, wildlife, and how the growth in FL is hurting it. All of his books do this. Each one spotlights a different animal or bird. Carl Hiassen also writes books for the younger crowd. They are excellent, and nobody dies. ( )

It was fun to read Hiaasen's first solo novel which was published way back in 1986. It was just fun to read a novel from a time before the Internet and modern technology--imagine chasing a bad guy with no cell! Remember newspaper reporters! And typical Floridian Hiaasesian hijinks. ( )

I'm sure I've read this book in the past, but I decided to read it again and found I didn't remember anything about the book. Although the story never dragged (at least not much), I felt it would have been better if it had been a little shorter. If I was grading it as a first time novel, I would grade it 4 stars. ( )

This comic masterpiece has been around for a while, but it is as politically relevant as ever. It is also very, very funny in the darkest possible way. And it tells a great story that keeps the reader flipping those pages. Don't usually give crime fiction five stars, but this more than deserves it. ( )

In this novel, a ragtag terrorist group, led by a well known journalist, is trying to empty Florida of tourists and immigrants from the north. Hilarity ensures. ( )

Love Carl Hiaasen, but this is not one of my favorites. Of course there were some classic characters in it and it was entertaining. A good summer read. ( )

I've only recently discovered Hiaasen (thanks, actually, to a reader of this list!) and after three of his books, I'm now a lifelong fan. His black humor and quirky plot pieces are just delicious. In Tourist Season a Miami newspaper columnist has decided that Florida was better off before tourists so he sets out to fix the problem. (reviewed in 1996) ( )

Only read 100 pages and quit. Too Corny. Will read no more of him. ( )

More of a thriller than a mystery but even more a satire of 1980s Florida and the way PR and newspapers interact. My biggest problem with it wasn't the over-the-top characters but Brian Keyes' decision to not go to the police after he discovered that Skip Wilson was involved. His reasoning behind this decision felt forced and not once did he seem to consider that his own PI license could be revoked for this obstruction. He became in effect an accessory after the fact. ( )

Sarcastic, misanthropic, sexist so-called humor that didn't seem humorous to me. Throw in interesting ways to torture dogs and this is not a book I'd recommend to anyone, but I'm sure people who are annoyed by political correctness will love it. ( )

I don't think I clicked with Hiaasen's sense of humor. I can see the potential in the story and the plotline was interesting. I just didn't get along with the execution of the plot. Most parts seemed to drag on and I was waiting forever for the "big event". I didn't like any of the characters, and there weren't even any characters that I loved to hate. I can see how this book would appeal to fans; I just think it didn't match my reading style. The reason I gave this book 3 stars instead of a lower rating was because the ending of the book was perfect. It matched the personality of the characters and no other ending would have been appropriate. I give Hiaasen full credit for fully committing to the plan. ( )

The story was OK. Interesting enough, but not great. I mean, seriously, do you think an f'd up newspaper columnist, a has-been football player and a terrorist who can't build a decent bomb are going to succeed? No. The only mystery here is whether they'll die or if Keyes will finally grow a pair and turn them in.

My biggest issue with the book, though, was the dogs. First, a dog was torn up to lure a retiree to her death. Guess I'm a bit twisted - I felt bad for the retiree, but worse for the dog. Then a bomb is set off at a greyhound track. A landmine. And the dogs are blown inside out. And it's treated so . . . casually . . . it just turned me off. I mean, the dog blown closest to the finish line wins and pays out?

If the story had been really good up to that point, I might've kept reading. But the quirkiness can only carry a book so far.

For me, the characters weren't developed enough to care about and there wasn't enough mystery to make me turn the page.

If you're looking for a quick, shallow read and enjoy dark humor, you might enjoy this book. If you're looking for an interesting mystery that will keep you guessing, this isn't the book for you. ( )

The first one I read that got me hooked on Carl Hiaasen. ( )

I just "discovered" Hiaasen last year and am trying to read all his works. This is one of his first novels and I can see his talent, although I don't think it's his best effort. He is fun to read and I'll keep reading his works. ( )

Tourist Season is a caper about an amateur terrorist organization that wants to end the tourist industry that is ruining Florida. When the president of the Miami Chamber of Commerce is found dead inside a suitcase with his legs amputated and a rubber alligator stuffed down his throat, police and newspaper reporters prefer to believe it's simply another South Florida crime. Soon, other tourists begin disappearing. The police determine there's no connection and it's not too important. This frustrates the group who is doing the killings. They start sending letters with the name of their terrorist group, Las Noches de Diciembre, linking the Chamber of Commerce death to the disappearances of a visiting Shriner and a Canadian tourist.

Private Detective and former newsman Brian Keyes realizes the terrorist group's goal is to convince all tourists to leave the state and never return. It's not long before Brian finds himself caught up in a bizarre string of crimes: a series of murders perpetrated by a radical group using carnivorous reptiles, both living and rubber, as weapons in an attempt to free Florida from the greed, development and reckless destruction of the environment.

I found this to be a very entertaining book, with interesting characters, and a plot that moves briskly along through a number of twists and turns. This was my first Carl Hiasson book and I can see why he has legions of fans enjoying his stories. ( )

It's hard not to like these stories. They're engaging and fun. I'll keep reading them. ( )

This guy is one sick puppy, but he tells a good story. ( )

Maybe I should admit a bias here -- I am really not a mystery fan. When I found out that the hero of this book is a private investigator, I was immediately biased against it. That the PI came from a journalist background, just like Hiaasen, made me more dubious. With the single exception of Wiley the characters are pretty much all stereotypes. I mean, come on -- the down on his luck former football player, the hotheaded latin, the mystical Indian (argghh), the good cop and the bad cop, etc. There are some humorous turns of phrase, I will grant you, but nothing here that counts as any kind of commentary on the human condition, unless you count the now overdone and trite environmental NIMBY-ism. Oh, and the hero ends up with the brilliant beauty queen -- someone please tell me that in writing this Hiaasen wasn't just indulging in personal fantasy. Nothing here to convince me to waste my time reading any of his other books. ( )

Heartbreaking. This is not a comedic book. It's the Florida cautionary tale. I bawled at the end. If you are new to Hiaasen, start here at the beginning. All of his later works pale in comparison. ( )

A solid introduction to the bizarre world of Carl Hiassen, but without the bit of humanity that he brings to later book. Representative of his type of humor - if you enjoy it, read on with the series; if not, probably should find something else. ( )