# Double Whammy

By Carl Hiaasen · Skink Series, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/double-whammy-13b20d49/

A cheating allegation in Florida’s bass-fishing circuit lands private eye R. J. Decker among TV personalities and hired killers. Finding out how Dickie Lockhart wins his tournaments becomes a dangerous job, with the reclusive Skink as an unlikely ally.

## What makes it funny?

In the opening, a fisherman rehearses a made-up road accident to prove that his expensive fog lights were a sensible purchase. After he dies, his wife hears that his wallet is missing and promptly phones the credit-card company.

### The comedy at work

Money and status dictate what people care about, even when someone is dead. Hiaasen extends that selfishness to the fishing business and its religious sponsor, whose public piety conceals land deals and private vices.

### Try this if…

The appeal is a caustic crime story with grotesque characters and plenty of contempt for hypocrisy. Fishing provides the setting for rivalries over money, celebrity and power.

### Good to know

The opening includes strong language, sexual references and a corpse that ducks have pecked at. Death is part of the joke as well as the investigation.

## What to expect

- Genre: Crime & thriller · Mystery
- On the shelf: Private eye & detective
- Kind of humor: Dark comedy · Satire
- The atmosphere: Irreverent
- Audience: Adult
- Format: Novel
- Published: 1987

## More in Skink Series

- Book 4: Sick Puppy

## A few distinguishing details

- A cheating scandal in professional bass fishing

## Sources & further reading

- Book information: [Series bibliography](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/carl-hiaasen/double-whammy.htm)
- Author commentary: [Author book page](https://carlhiaasen.com/books/double-whammy)
- Review: [Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780399132971)
- Publisher: [Publisher and opening sample](https://www.penguinrandomhouseretail.com/book?isbn=9780593334751)