After 15 novels and 25 years as a columnist for the Miami Herald, Carl Hiaasen has earned a reputation for writing funny fiction and fierce commentary. Now he has taken on celebrity culture with a new book, “Star Island,” which debuted last week at number two on the New York Times Bestseller list.
The novel is about a minimally talented pop star named Cherry Pye and the people in the circus around her. The book gave Hiaasen a chance to aim his laser-like wit at the making of tabloid fodder. But the research for the book was an excruciating task, even for this former investigative reporter.
