Basket Case

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A rollicking and hilarious novel from the bestselling author of Squeeze Me and “Florida’s most entertainingly indignant social critic” (New York Times Book Review). Jack Tagger’s years in exile at the obituaries desk of a South Florida daily haven’t dulled his investigative reporter’s nose for a good story. When Jimmy Stoma, the infamous front man of Jimmy and the Slut Puppies, dies in a fishy scuba accident, Jack sees his ticket back to page one—if only he can figure out what really happened. Standing in his way are, just for starters, his ambitious young editor, who hasn’t yet fired anyone but plans to “break her cherry” on Jack; the rock star’s pop-singer widow, who’s using the occasion of her husband’s death to relaunch her own career; and the soulless, profit-hungry owner of the newspaper, whom Jack once publicly humiliated at a stockholders’ meeting. Following clues from the late rock singer’s own music, Jack tries to unravel the lies surrounding Jimmy Stoma’s strange fate.

Once a hotshot investigative reporter, Jack Tagger now bangs out obituaries for a South Florida daily, "plotting to resurrect my newspaper career by yoking my byline to some famous stiff." Jimmy Stoma, the infamous front man of Jimmy and the Slut Puppies, dead in a fishy-smelling scuba "accident," might be the stiff of Jack's dreams--if only he can figure out what happened. Standing in the way are (among others) his ambitious young editor, who hasn't yet fired anyone but plans to "break her cherry" on Jack; the rock star's pop-singer widow, who's using the occasion of her husband's death to re-launch her own career; and the soulless, profit-hungry owner of the newspaper, whom Jack once publicly humiliated at a stockholders' meeting. With clues from the dead rock singer's music, Jack ultimately unravels Jimmy Stoma's strange fate--in a hilariously hard-won triumph for muckraking journalism, and for the death-obsessed obituary writer himself. "Always be halfway prepared" is Jack Tagger's motto--and it's more than enough to guarantee a wickedly funny, brilliantly entertaining novel from Carl Hiaasen.

An Agatha Award Finalist for Best First Novel A-tisket, a-tasket, an indiscretion gone terribly wrong . . . A Real Basket Case, the first book in the Claire Hanover Mystery series. Feeling neglected by her workaholic husband, forty-something gift basket designer Claire Hanover joins an aerobics class at the urging of her best friend Ellen. Divorced and bitterly unhappy, Ellen and most of the other women in the class add a little vicarious excitement to their lives by flirting with the handsome instructor, Enrique. In a moment of weakness, Claire agrees to let the charming Enrique come to her house to give her a massage. She realizes she has made a deadly mistake when Enrique is shot and killed in her bedroom and her husband Roger is arrested for the murder. Determined to clear Roger's name and save her marriage, Claire sets out to find the real killer, encountering drug dealers, jealous ex-girlfriends, and angry cops along the way. Praise for A Real Basket Case: “Will appeal to Desperate Housewives fans and those who like cozies with a bit of spice”—Booklist “A tense, exciting debut.”—Kirkus Reviews “A real winner! Don't miss it.”—Maggie Sefton, bestselling author of Knit One, Kill Two

Jim is trying his uncoordinated hand at basketball. Will he use his secret skill to win the game and risk becoming the laughing stock of the school?

First in the Silver Six Crafting Mystery Series! There isn’t much crime in Lilyvale, Arkansas, but local authorities have their hands full with Ms. Sherry Mae Stanton Cutler and her housemates—a crafty group of retirees who’ve dubbed themselves the Silver Six. But when Sherry Mae’s niece, Nixy, arrives to keep them in line, Lilyvale also plays host to a killer. When Leslee Stanton “Nixy” Nix gets the latest call from Lilyvale detective Eric Shoar, she knows it means trouble. There’s been another kitchen explosion at her Aunt Sherry’s farmhouse, and the dreamy-voiced detective has had enough. If Nixy doesn’t check on her aunt in person, the Silver Six could become wards of the court. But the trouble Nixy finds in Lilyvale is not at all what she expects. The seniors are hosting a folk art festival at the farmhouse, featuring Sherry’s hand-woven baskets, when land developer Jill Elsman arrives to bully Nixy’s aunt into selling the property. When Jill is later found dead in the cemetery, Sherry is suspected of weaving a murder plot, and it’s up to Nixy and the Silver Six to untangle the truth. RECIPES AND CRAFTING TIPS INCLUDED!

He’d been told he was drop-dead gorgeous, and the cameras didn’t lie. Gunner Nord was in Miami to model designer underwear for a feature ad for one of the prestigious women’s magazines, and he hoped to convince his girlfriend to move to Miami with him. He had a five-star suite in the Fontainebleau, a three-carat ring in a tiny velvet box, and an offer of a tryout for a professional jai alai team. Gunner hoped the first two would be persuasive enough for his high-maintenance girlfriend. While his modeling career was glamorous, Father Time didn’t let anyone slip by him, and Gunner wasn’t idiotic enough to believe he’d be the exception. He was, it seemed, idiotic enough to believe a high-powered New York corporate tax attorney would still find him acceptable if he told her he wanted to chuck the modeling career in favor of playing a sport using a basket strapped to his hand. His proposal died unspoken when he returned to his suite to discover his girlfriend packed and about to embark on a cruise with someone else. Her bon voyage gift to him was a pre-paid massage with a happy ending delivered by a siren of a Cuban masseuse. The therapist’s magical fingers relieved more than just the knotted muscles in his neck and back. They left him with the desire to do something responsible for the rest of his life, but only if the siren would agree to be by his side.

Thirteen-year-old Matt is so envious of his best friend Keith that he wishes things would go badly for him, and when Keith's fortune changes while at the same time Matt finds his first true girlfriend, Matt is overcome with guilt.

A rollicking and hilarious novel from the bestselling author of Squeeze Me and 'Florida's most entertainingly indignant social critic' (New York Times Book Review) Once a hotshot investigative reporter, Jack Tagger now bangs out obituaries for a South Florida daily, 'plotting to resurrect my newspaper career by yoking my byline to some famous stiff'. Jimmy Stoma, the infamous front man of Jimmy and the Slut Puppies, dead in a fishy-smelling scuba 'accident', might be the stiff of Jack's dreams - if only he can figure out what happened. Standing in the way are his ambitious young editor, who hasn't yet fired anyone but plans to 'break her cherry' on Jack; the rock star's pop-singer widow, who's using the occasion of her husband's death to relaunch her own career; and the soulless, profit-hungry owner of the newspaper, whom Jack once publicly humiliated at a stockholders' meeting. Using clues from the dead rock singer's music, Jack sets out to discover the truth, in another raucous, brilliant novel from the master of comic crime fiction, Carl Hiaasen.

Serenity a mom? The thought's enough to make her crack. It's the last project she ever expected. Her health class requires each student to care for chicken eggs 24/7 to simulate the round-the-clock nurturing a real baby needs. Serenity thinks that's a tough assignment until she finds herself with much more than a baby chick to care for!

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A rollicking and hilarious novel from the bestselling author of Squeeze Me and “Florida’s most entertainingly indignant social critic” (New York Times Book Review). Jack Tagger’s years in exile at the obituaries desk of a South Florida daily haven’t dulled his investigative reporter’s nose for a good story. When Jimmy Stoma, the infamous front man of Jimmy and the Slut Puppies, dies in a fishy scuba accident, Jack sees his ticket back to page one—if only he can figure out what really happened. Standing in his way are, just for starters, his ambitious young editor, who hasn’t yet fired anyone but plans to “break her cherry” on Jack; the rock star’s pop-singer widow, who’s using the occasion of her husband’s death to relaunch her own career; and the soulless, profit-hungry owner of the newspaper, whom Jack once publicly humiliated at a stockholders’ meeting. Following clues from the late rock singer’s own music, Jack tries to unravel the lies surrounding Jimmy Stoma’s strange fate.