Powder Burn (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

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Summary: Drugs and Murder in Miami
Review: 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.

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Summary: Powder Burn, rewiewed by Geir Elseth
Review: 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.