Trap Line

Trap Line, like Powder Burn also written by Carl Hiaasen and Bill Montalbano, gives the reader a glimpse into lives hooked either by chance or choice into 'The Machine' running drugs between Colombia and the USA via the waterways of Florida. Trap Line has a colorful cast of characters you 'know' must surely exist somewhere in this world, so why not Florida. Friends and foes, those innocent and those guilty all combine to make Trap Line a good read. Breeze Aubury knows the rules of the drug running trade only too well, having once been caught and imprisoned for pot smuggling while trying to earn desperately needed money to help his sick daughter. The years since her death have left Breeze Albury's life and that of Peg, his ex wife, now remarried and living in a drug and drink world, in shambles. Ricky, their son is the only thread that connects them. Ricky Albury's a good kid with a pitching arm that holds the promise of greatness in baseball. His talent is a pure gift, one that Breeze Albury sees as his son's only way off the Rock. Baseball is the chance for Ricky to avoid repeating Breeze's life of scrambling to make a living as a fisherman. That's why Ricky works at Burger King and not on the boat with his father. Breeze is an honest man, older, wiser but still not safe from his past.'The Machine' traps Aubury into smuggling illegals by cutting all 300 plus of his trap lines. Now, beyond broke, he once again becomes a pawn in the drug game of the Machine. No friendly game here, evil has chartered Captain Albury's boat, the Diamond Cutter, and set the course for treachery. Put your life jacket on, this boat ride's a thriller. ~ Mrs. B.

Breeze Albury was basically an honest man until the machinations of the Machine (the Cubans) and a group of Colombians toss him into a high stakes game. When nearly all his trap lines are cut while his bills mount, Breeze takes a side job delivering a load of pot. He smells a set-up just a little too late, and finds himself in an even deeper mess. When the Machine plots with the Colombians to do away with him, Breeze, his girlfriend Laurie, and a number of fed-up Key West residents devise a plan for revenge, which gets all the more serious when they mess with Breeze's pride and joy, his son Ricky. Hiaasen fans looking for his trademark humor should know he hadn't begun exploring that facet of his talent yet. Otherwise, this book is thick with his special flavor, peppered with wonderful characters who would have been at home in any Hiaasen novel. Breeze is a middle-aged, slightly shopworn fisherman whose one remaining ambition in life is to see his son pitch in the majors. Like nearly everyone else in this book, he lives in a trailer. His ex-wife is a drunk who sells seashells to tourists, and his current live-in girlfriend Laurie is a waitress at a local restaurant. They're being investigated by Christine Manning, governor's counsel conducting an investigation into smuggling and corruption in the Keys. She's also onto Chief of Police, Huge Barnett, and Winnebago Tom, who moves all manner of controlled substances in his vehicles. The numerous other small characters are equally well-drawn, their personalities what we've come to expect from Hiaasen. While some seem disappointed his trademark humor is not in evidence, they seem to be missing the point. This is a well-crafted thriller with wonderful characters written by a couple of obviously talented guys. I'm glad it's part of my Hiaasen collection.

If you want to recall past days and exploits in Key West in the 70's or just read a good paced novel with insight into how it used to be before the t-shirts and buffet wanna-be's got there; try Trap Line...Carl got around in his younger days. Glad I stumbled over this old book.Now well see how Powder Burn goes.

Breeze Albury is one of Key West's best fishing captains. His skill gets the attention of the drug lords that funnel a torrent of drugs into America through the Keys. Breeze refuses to work for them, so they steal his ..... But when they harm his son, Breeze goes wild and leads fishermen and townspeople in an all-out war against the drug machine and its dirty police chief. It's an entertaining story with a big helping of Key West flavor and atmosphere.