Stormy Weather was published by Knopf in 1995, set in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Andrew (1992), which devastated southern Miami-Dade County. Hiaasen — who covered Andrew’s aftermath as a Miami Herald columnist — uses the disaster as a lens for his signature theme: Florida attracts predators, and catastrophe brings out the worst of them.
The novel follows multiple converging plot lines: Max and Bonnie Lamb, honeymooners from New York who drive into the destruction zone to gawk (their marriage will not survive the novel); Edie Marsh, a grifter who squats in a destroyed house to collect the insurance claim; Avila, a corrupt building inspector whose approved houses collapsed because he took bribes; Snapper, a violent ex-con with a dislocated jaw; and Skink, who has been waiting in the Everglades for something exactly like this.
Hiaasen’s fury at the post-Andrew recovery — in which corrupt inspectors, fraudulent contractors, and insurance scammers exploited the suffering of hundreds of thousands — powers the novel. Every villainous character is based on types he encountered in his journalism.
Collecting Stormy Weather
First edition (Knopf, New York, 1995): Boards with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine in jacket: $20–$50
- Signed first: $50–$120