"Are these stories true, or inventions of your imagination?" asks Kroft. "Professional wheelchair thief."Truth is stranger than fiction, especially in Florida. And if you like Carl Hiaasen, the interview is terrific.
"True," says Hiaasen.
"School board candidate whose legal residence turned out to be a tool shed," asks Kroft.
"True," says Hiaasen.
"The U.S. attorney who bit a stripper during a table dance," asks Kroft.
"It's real," says Hiaasen. "True."
"A South Florida mayor who tried to hire City Hall workers to kill her husband," asks Kroft.
"Yup. Yup," says Hiaasen. "I believe she's gotten a new trial since then. But there was testimony that she solicited for a hit man in City Hall."
"All those are true," asks Kroft.
"I wish I'd made them up," says Hiaasen, laughing. "I wish I made them up."
Monday, June 05, 2006
Only in Florida
With hurricane season just heating up, even a Californian hesitates to take whacks at Florida. Still, as noted in a posting some time back, Florida does seem to have taken the crown from California in the "only in..." stories. This 60 Minutes interview with Carl Hiaasen would seem to confirm it. When I'm in search of quality pulp fiction, Hiaasen can hit the spot. He takes most of his more interesting crime incidents from real life in Florida.
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2 comments:
I saw that interview and enjoyed it. He is quite a character and now I want to read one of his books but havn't looked into it yet. Any suggestions?
I haven't read one for a while. I looked on Amazon, and one reviewer of Stormy Weather said: "If you're new to Hiaasen's books, Stormy Weather is a good place to start. My favorite Hiaasen books are: Strip Tease, 1993; Stormy Weather, 1995; Lucky You, 1997; Sick Puppy, 2000; and Skinny Dip, 2004."
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