eBook Powder Burn epub

In "Powder Burn," a Carl Hiaasen thriller that was originally released at the height of the "Miami Vice" drug revolution that convulsed Southern Florida in the 1980s, Chris Meadows is an architect who enjoys building things. He does, anyway, until the day he watches in horror as a former lover and her little girl are accidentally killed by a Cuban hit-man chasing a carful of cocaine dealers. At that point, Meadows decides that it's time to do a little demo work - on the hit-man's organization and boss.

What follows, however, is nearly 300 pages of "vacation reading" in the worst sense of the term: this revenge-fueled thriller only holds together if your brain goes on vacation for entire chapters at a time.

"Powder Burn" is one of Hiaasen's earlier books, apparently written before he had the confidence to unleash the outrageous sense of humor that brought us such memorable characters as Skink, the former Florida governor who now lives in the glades and subsists on roadkill, or Chemo, the scarred killer who loses a hand to a barracuda and has his stump fitted with a weed-whacker. There are moments of humor in "Powder Burn," but they are few and far between.

Instead, what Hiaasen and his co-author give us is a rather undistinguished suspense novel that largely turns on a series of rather unbelievable coincidences. If your basic Hiaasen is like Elmore Leonard on laughing gas, "Powder Burn" is more like Dutch on one of those days when he mails it in ("Stay Cool," "Road Dogs," "Djibouti," etc.). It is readable, but it isn't the sort of party a Hiaasen yarn normally offers.

The characters are uniformly flat: they include such tired standbys as the apparently bent Cuban-American narc, his by-the-book white-bread partner and a battalion of muy estupido drug henchmen who seem as faded and familiar as the décor in a Motel 6. Meadows' current squeeze Terry - an unlikely combination of bush pilot and fashion plate - serves as the sole Smurfette character. She plays such a marginal role in the action that she doesn't even get to be decently menaced by the bad guys.

Meadows, the hero of the piece, and his nemesis, Jose Bermudez -- a billionaire banker who schemes to split the drug business with his elderly Colombian counterpart, then eventually nudge the Colombian aside -- suffer the worst failing characters in a Hiaasen novel can have: they are boring.

We know the banker is evil because Hiaasen tells us he is; we know Meadows is heroic because . . . well, because he does a lot of really stupid things but survives anyway. Only a hero could get away with being such a doofus.

The one really original character in the entire novel is Meadows' occasional chess partner, Arthur Krim, and in him you can see traces of the kind of interesting and amusing people that populate Hiaasen's later - and much better -- tales.

If you are out of good Hiaasen - which I was when I picked this up - by all means give "Powder Burn" a look. Sure, it has an idiot plot, but the pace is rapid enough that you don't notice the gaping holes until you are done. In the meantime, it's a readable enough time-waster, all things considered.

But first-rate Hiaasen can be extraordinary, while there are lots of other hacks out there that can write just as good a thriller as "Powder Burn." So why not give your hard-earned money to one of them instead of the guy who is slumming? Rewarding the slacker would be the biggest burn of all.

Personally, I rate "Powder Burn" only three out of a possible five skulls.

Carl Hiaasen is always a great summer read. And Powder Burn is no exception. However - don't expect the same array of kookie Florida characters, schemers, no-goods, brainless types as in his other books. This one is straight bad guys versus one good guy throughout. And with the help of a couple Miami narcotics cops, our good guy finds ways to stay alive and devise his plan for justice and freedom. This novel will hold your interest to the end. The final 2 chapters tie it together, although not every detail or loose end is completely spelled out. Just enough to make you wonder.

Having enjoyed Death in China, I had zero expectations for any of Hiaasen’s extraordinary & unique brand of humor (I’m a BIG Fan). However, I was not disappointed, because I expected and got a fast-paced, exciting & suspenseful trip into unfamiliar “surroundings” (in this case the Florida Drug Scene, circa 1980s). This was written during that period, and there are plenty of colorful characters and “circumstances” to keep turning pages & wonder how it will come out.

I did have a let-down from about 2/3 in when I felt the “feel” of the Story downshifted – as though a new Writer came on Board for the rest of the journey. This is when the Architect shifted in to revenge mode, & the pace slowed for me. I was not dying to get to the next page any more. Maybe it was just me. Maybe it was the (more?) unsavory characters, but it persisted the rest of the way -- to (for me) a disappointing & abrupt, though fast-paced conclusion that showed traces of the usual Hiaasen touch. No spoilers here.

I also own and have yet to read the 3rd Novel in Hiaasen and Montalbano’s collaborations (Trap Line) which absolutely ended with Bill Montalbano’s death in 1998. I expect another good read from that one, and am sorry that the collaborations ended.

I give Powder Burn 4+ Stars for the first 2/3 of the Book, but only 3 for the rest. Unfortunately, no decimals here. That’s still very readable, and maybe it’s me that downshifted instead of the Authors.

Not as good as his solo work I've read thus far. The character development felt as if it was an afterthought through the story for most of the players and came through more as a bridge when something had been left off of the personality that was needed at the moment.
The side stories with Manny and Moe were unnecessarily long, as Meadows' intro to cocaine and women. I never really got the point on why that was needed to be repeated as an occurrence.
While I struggled to keep up with too many loose ends floundering throughout, I finished the book. I find myself now relieved that I am done.
I've loved all the rest of Mr. Hiaasen's novels, so this review is simply my expression of slight disappointment that I took the proverbial bait and expected this to be as good as the rest.
I won't stop reading his works, I still respect his writings, it will just have to have some time before I read the next one.