Trap Line

Black Lizard #2

by Carl Hiaasen

The gripping thriller from "New York Times" bestselling author Carl Hiaasen--now available as an ebook A Key West fishing captain takes on Florida's drug lords in an underground war that could cost him his freedom--and his life Though he is one of Key West's most skilled fishing captains, Breeze Albury barely ekes out a living on the meager earnings of his trade. Meanwhile, Cuban and Colombian drug smugglers thrive all around--and they have their sights set on Albury and his fishing boat. After the smugglers cut his three hundred trap lines and crush his livelihood, Albury is forced to run drugs to survive. But when he gets busted by the crooked chief of police and becomes a target of the drug machine's brutal hit men, Albury becomes a vigilante on the seas of South Florida, unleashing a fiery and relentless vengeance on Key West's most dangerous criminals.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Humor, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Carl Hiaasen was born and raised in Florida. After graduating from the University of Florida, he joined the Miami Herald as a general assignment reporter and went on to work for the newspaper’s weekly magazine and prize-winning investigations team. As a journalist and author, Carl has spent most of his life advocating for the protection of the Florida Everglades. He and his family live in southern Florida.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Short and sour. 1 of 10 stars

[Ricky Ginsburg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, fast read and it's impossible to tell where Montalbano turns the typewriter over to Carl Hiassen.

[aPriL does feral sometimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Trap Line' by Bill Montalbano and Carl Hiaasen is a good crime thriller. It was published in 1982, but I doubt the culture of the Florida Keys has changed very much from how it is presented in the novel. However, there is no satire in this story which experienced readers of books by Hiaasen have learned to expect! The writers have a different kind of tone in mind, a serious one. Lives are changed forever by bad people.

I've copied the cover blurb below because it is an accurate description of the novel:

With its dozens of outlying islands and the native Conchs’ historically low regard for the law, Key West is a smuggler’s paradise. All that’s needed are the captains to run the contraband. Breeze Albury is one of the best fishing captains on the Rock, and he’s in no mood to become the Machine’s delivery boy. So the Machine sets out to persuade him. It starts out by taking away Albury’s livelihood. Then it robs him of his freedom. But when the Machine threatens Albury’s son, the washed-out wharf rat turns into a raging, sea-going vigilante.

In Trap Line, Hiaasen and Montalbano pit a handful of scruffy Conchs against an armada of drug lords, crooked cops, and homicidal marine lowlife. The result is a crime novel of dizzying velocity, filled with wrenching plot twists, grimily authentic characters, and enough local color for a hundred tropical shirts. It’s the Key West the tourist brochures won’t tell you about: a place as crooked as Al Capone’s Chicago and as irredeemably violent as Wyatt Earp’s Tombstone.

"Conch" is a term for Key West-born locals.

'Trap Line' is a great beach read, even if that beach is in Florida - unless readers discover themselves in the middle of a gun shootout between drug dealers and honest Florida folk, or get caught up in an arrest by a corrupt police officer fronting for a Florida politician on the payroll of competing local drug lords! Well. I'm sure these novels based on real Florida crime exaggerate...

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hiaasen and his writing partner Montalbano bring readers to Key West, Florida, to experience how the fishing industry is struggling as they present the story of Breeze Albury. Breeze is actually a pretty good fishing boat captain, but like so many, he struggles to make ends meet. That is one reason why he took a risk and got involved with the local pot trade. It ended up with him doing some short time in the clink. Since coming out, he has focused on his fishing career and his son, an all-star baseball pitcher for the local high school team.

Things take a really awkward twist as local drug runners are expanding their business. They want to hire him not to smuggle in drugs, but some people from down south. He is wary, but he also knows he needs the money since someone seems to have stolen all 300 of his lobster traps. He feels just desperate enough to consider the opportunity.

Things in town are made a bit more complex as the local sheriff is a big, tough guy (think Sheriff Arpayo) who has become a national star thanks to his own personal war on drugs. He, of course, will be keeping any eye for any trouble. Of course, that also means hoping hoping no one else notices the trouble he gets into as he take advantage of his position.

In some ways, this book is much like the ones Hiaasen writes all on his own. The books with Montalbano seem to lack the quirky characters, which often add a layer of humor to are quite serious and dark stories/mysteries. That doesn't mean they aren't enjoyable. They just resemble the classical noir mysteries of the 1970s and 1980s more than they do his other works. They are still worth a read, though.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first encounter with Hiaasen was Razor Girl, which I found to be thoroughly entertaining and very well written. So, when I came across this earlier work, I had a preconceived notion that though it might not be as humorous, it ought to be well crafted.

I was right. Trap Line is a fine book, albeit one lacking in the zany humor for which the author seems well known (in his later works). Nevertheless, the characters are well drawn and interesting, the plot is acceptably constructed (though not particularly complex), and the sense of place is, well, one of the book’s best features. The reader can practically hear the whine of mosquitoes and feel the humidity of Florida’s southernmost Keys. The smell of the ocean and salt in the damp air fill the pages as we follow along with “Breeze” Albury, Captain of a fishing boat who finds himself up to his gunwales in trouble that he did not invite.

Hiaasen has written a clever tale of the underdog who manages to turn the tables on very bad odds and for whom one can’t help but root. This is a solid novel, and one that any fan of the author would likely want to read.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

While teeming with typical Hiaasen elements, Trap Line is a bit more hard-boiled and violent than his usual fair (one can presume this might be a result of the presence of Bill Montalbano, who shares co-authorship, but it's hard to tell where his prose begins and Hiaasen's ends). Some of the transitions are a little shaky, which leads to momentary bouts of confusion in terms of keeping some plot points and characters straight. Speaking on the latter, there's quite a few characters introduced throughout so the reader needs to stay on their toes. A quick, engaging read that's several levels above your average Airport bookstore potboiler.

[K.D. Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a little different than the other books Hiaasen has written. It lacked a lot of the humor that his other books have; also the environmental aspect. But I still liked it a lot. It was a fun read. By the way, my favorite Hiaasen novel is "Skintight." If you like "Trap Line," check that book out. The heavy is a guy named "Chemo!"

[Nancy 6+ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not Carl's usual tongue-in-cheek murder mystery/satire, but a straight-up crime drama. As such, it was just ho-hum. Rather pointless, unless you are really interested in the life of a fisherman in the Florida Keys.

[Mike French · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trap Line is the second novel that Carl Hiaasen and Bill Montalbano co-wrote. While it doesn't have the humour of his Skunk books,it is a very enjoyable read!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow burn

It started slow but kicked up when the character Auggie entered the picture (not that he was an amazing character— but that’s when the book came into its own). Not all of the things in the novel have aged well, but in a time capsule, they can be appreciated.

[George Hamblen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn’t love a book taking place in the Florida Keys with lawyers drugs and money? The authors’ create a great story loaded with a captain out for revenge after he loses his fishing traps. Highly recommend

[Donna LaValley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was published in 1982; Hiaasen wrote it with Bill Montalbano. It is not at all like Hiaasen's solo novels with laugh-out-loud lines and situations. It does have a complicated plot, very very bad guys, and somewhat suitable revenge upon most of them. However, it has some brutality and violence that would be objectionable to most readers, and is quite over the top on the testosterone scale - not that there's anything wrong with that! It's a worthy genre and sometimes I like it, just as I enjoy "chick lit" as well.

There are dozens of men and only 3 women, one of whom is a wasted wreck and quite dismissible.

I'd like to think I can pick out which sections were written by which author. There was sex told partly from the woman's point of view which was occasionally snicker-worthy, and there was worship-worthy descriptions of the manly, rugged, strong, skillful, intelligent, decent, good-but-so-wronged main character.

One interesting monologue about men and the sea, worth reading twice, fails to tie in with Breeze's (main character) decision.

I give this 3 stars instead of 2 because there are beautiful descriptions of the Caribbean waters and islands - really lovely.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read all of Carl Hiaasen's other books, so it was fun to look at a book he co-wrote 30 years ago. The authorial voice of his later work is certainly present, but the ridiculous hilarity of his villains—for which he is so well known today—is notably absent. What we're left with is a decent little thriller (albeit a comparatively humorless one), which ain't nothing to sneer at.

An additional oddity: the little anti-gay slurs peppered throughout the text aren't necessarily distracting, but they certainly alert the reader to how much has changed since 1982.

[Trevor Mcpherson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well crafted, but the Hiaasen humour I've come to know and love merely peeked out from a few characters. What I liked most about this was the length. What ever happened to the 250-280 page novel? The story wasn't lacking, and I wasn't left thinking: "gee, I wish there was another 100 pages of deep reflection and soul searching by the protagonist, or perhaps an increase in lengthy exposition to really make this book worthwhile."

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had not read a Carl Hiassen book for about 10:years until this one, and I was a bit hesitant because it was a co-write and I normally avoid those. I really enjoyed this book. It is well written, gallops along at a cracking pace, and has some nicely drawn characters. It has less of the black humour of many of the writers other work, I will not be leaving such a long gap before reading another one.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of crime and entrapment and how quickly things can go wrong. A good mystery, with corruption, smuggling, and a flawed hero, trying to make the best of his life and take care of his son. This is an early Hiaasen, written with Bill Montalbano, and is more of a crime novel than his later works, but the development of quirky characters is still there. I enjoyed the book.

[Mary Mullane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't believe I found a Carl Hiaasen book I hadn't read. It doesn't have as much wicked laugh-out-loud humor as his later more environmental books do, but it still had the twists & satisfying revenge.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been a big Hiaasen fan but ignored these early collaborations with Bill Montalbano. Although they lack the dark humor and wacky characters that typify Hiaasen's solo work, the plot and characters are every bit as compelling as his later novels.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As one can see from my rating, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. But then, I’m a real sucker for stories about native Floridians at the end of the their heyday. I hadn’t expected, judging by the first book in this series, that the Hiaasen/Montalbano team would gel so well.

[Joan Pasco · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is hard not to like a Carl Hiaasen book in my opinion. This one was very different from the others I have read - more serious than humorous, but a good read.

[Bonnieb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Key West is the locale for this Hiaasen story, with drug running, people smuggling, crooked local politicians and police...and of course ‘the good guy’...in this case, Breeze Albrey, a fisherman. Good, quick read and always fun to read stories based where one happens to be...

[Dave Lieberman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Carl Hiassen although I know he's not everybody's cup of tea. The book had some elements in it that were a bit far-fetched but it had a satisfying conclusion. Like most of his books, there is humor in it and some of the characters are one-dimensional. However, having said all that, it was a fun, quick read.

[Parke Guthner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not expected.

I love everything Carl Hiaasen writes. My favorites involve the “Captain” as he likes to be called. This is a different genre but still wonderful.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

An early book by Hiaasen and Montalbano. It shows promise, but lacks the punch of later books.

[Zoe Rudich · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars
1/5 spice

Once again, I am a sucker for a Hiaasen novel. Now he wasn't the main author on this book, just played a supporting role but I knew he wouldn't mess around with someone who wasn't equally as good as him.
Another chaotic and kooky South Florida man story but we added the Keys and the local "conchs" to the mix.
Between the drug runs, boat chases, and double crossing the themes of family and love still played their role in a way that helped elevate the story rather than feel just thrown in.
Another stellar beach read for me and I wan't wait to find another one of Hiaasen's works I haven't consumed yet.

[Stephanie Kimball · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite book by Carl Hiassen, but as usual he does give the reader many lessons about the Florida ecosystems and environments. This book covers fishing etiquette, and the politics that govern the commercialism of the Florida Keys. He also expounds on the underlying draw or tension to either get out of there for good or to stay on the rock.
I realize that this was written in 1982 and that he co-authored it with Bill Montalbano. It certainly is not like his other books with kooky characters that make me outright laugh. I've always enjoyed his writing style that teaches me to appreciate all of the Florida ecosystems; mangroves, wetlands, mammals, birds, etc. It is always fun to be schooled when the story has the most outlandish characters to accompany the story. This book is more serious and not really a laugh out loud type of book.
Although the gay sentiments in this book were not PC for 2018, it certainly makes me appreciate how far we've come from 1982 when they were more widely accepted.
I can't wait to read another Hiassen book. It's always a fun surprise to see what storyline and characters he will publish next.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carl Hiaasen's 2nd title published with William Montalbano (1982); this is the first one I've read from their collaboration, and so it is the earliest Hiaasen book I've ever read. I can definitely see signs of greatness to come from his later work. Trap Line is a short but fast-paced tale of intrigue in the South Florida world of drugs, kidnapping, shootings, explosions, and romance. Not yet present are Hiaasen's more colorful characters (notably, Skink) nor his environmental awareness. Still, he creates notable, well rounded characters; a relateable, likeable protagonist and his cohorts; despicable, but interesting antagonists. I'm looking forward to reading the other titles in the Hiaasen/Montalbano series.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm kind of amused at all the reviewers who don't realize this is early Hiaasen, when he was transitioning from crime columns to crime fiction and had not yet developed his unique voice. With one or two small exceptions, it's devoid of the wacky humor and larger-than-life characters that make his solo work so great; worse, it highlights the fact that, once you get past those, his plots aren't all that complex or even memorable. The satirical nature of his solo work more than compensates for these shortcomings. Playing it completely straight, as Hiaasen does here with his co-writer Montalbano, causes this to be little more than run-of-the-mill crime fiction.

[Ian Laird · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the early (1982) thrillers from Miami Herald investigative journalist Carl Hiaasen, written in collaboration with William D Montalbono, and falling short of the uninhibited exuberance of Hiaasen’s later solo efforts.

This one is more serious in tone, with fewer fantastically colourful amoral bastards on display. It concerns drug and people smugglers standing over local fisher folk and the belligerent reaction of the locals when the baddies just go too far.

The lesson: don’t muck around with a fisherman’s lobster traps.

[John Heise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Breeze Albury, a fisherman in the Florida Keys, who runs afoul of a local criminal enterprise. They basically force him to import some drugs using his boat, but they set him up to get caught while other boats complete their deliveries without incident. Albury slides in deeper as their corrupt attorney gets him freed and Albury then is compelled to smuggle some folks into the USA from Columbia. Of course, he is also double crossed on this venture. After all of this, Albury strikes back. This is an easy and enjoyable read.