Trap Line, by Carl Hiaasen and Bill Montalbano

In Carl Hiaasen's early days of writing fiction, he partnered with Bill Montalbano to write three gritty crime novels.  The second, Trap Line, exposes the underbelly of life in Key West, where fishermen and drug runners take to the seas to make a living.  When Breeze Albury refuses to help some smugglers, they get their revenge by cutting his trap lines, ruining his business.  Trying to make up his losses, he ends up in league with local criminals, who lead him into a different sort of trap.  Running from the corrupt local law enforcement and hiding out from the criminal gangs, he plots his devious revenge.

Trap Line is a shadow of the more entertaining series of books he writes later on.  As in most of Hiaasen's books, everyday folks get mixed up with bumbling criminals, but Trap Line lacks most of the humor and absurdity of his later fiction.  Ultimately that means this is quite a bit less enjoyable.  There are no heroes here, only varying degrees of badness getting revenge on badness.

All that said, Hiaasen's colorful characterizations and sense of Florida culture, along with the interconnected plot lines, set him apart from typical crime writers.  Hiaasen fans might want to pick up Trap Line for some historical perspective on his work, but it will make them long for Skink and the fun of Hiaasen's later fiction.