R.J. Decker

Created by Carl Hiaasen
(1953—)

An ex-con and former news photographer, disillusioned and burned-out R.J. DECKER is a rookie private eye out for what he can get, be it a big juicy case or a roll in the hay with his ex-wife, in Carl Hiaasen’s 1988 gonzo noir novel, Double Whammy.

He’s living in a trailer park, but he has high hopes — he’s recently been hired to prove that sleazy television celebrity Dickie Lockhart is regularly cheating on Florida’s professional large-mouth bass-fishing circuit, and then a corpse pops up in Coon Bog — possibly connected to his investigation. What could be better?

This being Hiaasen’s Florida, though, Decker has to deal with Skink, the Everglades-dwelling swamp rat with an appetite for road kill who just happens to be a former governor of the state (of course he is), a hooker-addicted televangelist, a few overly seductive ladies, some killers, a gun-crazy good ol’ boy with a pit bull on his arm, a couple of honest (Honest!) cops, and several other colorful Sunshine State miscreants.

You know… the usual Hiaasen cast of characters.

Double Whammy was Skink‘s first appearance in Hiaasen’s books, but it wouldn’t be the last. Like road kill, he turns up often, but usually departs before he starts to smell bad.

Sadly, Decker hasn’t returned. Except that…

TELEVISION

Following the success of Bad Monkey  on AppleTV+ in 2024, ABC decided to get in the game with RJ Decker which made its  its debut  on ABC (and Hulu) in March 2026. Two seasons in (as of this writing) I’m still trying to get my head around it. Carl Hiaasen is one of the executive producers, but so far, this is Hiaasen-lite; a tamped down version of Florida that features plenty of the expected quirky characters, but nothing too, too quirky — this is broadcast TV, after all, and we wouldn’t want to offend Grandma or confuse Junior, right? It’s better than Tracker, but not by much.

So far. Hope springs eternal…

UNDER OATH

• “The cast of bizarre characters and the suspenseful events confirm Hiaasen’s reputation for creating singular villains and heroes. While he’s probably unpopular among some fellow citizens in his home state, he will certainly please readers who appreciate the Swiftian wit in his cautionary tales.”
  — Publishers Weekly

NOVELS

• Double Whammy (1988) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!

TELEVISION

• RJ DECKER
  (2026, ABC)
  13 60-minute episodes
  Based on characters created by Carl Hiaasen
  Starring Scott Speedman as RJ DECLER
  Also starring Kevin Rankin as Aloysius “Wish” Aiken
  Adelaide Clemens as Catherine Delacroix
  Bevin Bru as Melody “Mel” Romero
  and Jaina Lee Ortiz as Emi Ochoa
  Guest stars: Beau Bridges 
  • SEASON ONE
  • “Pilot” (March 3, 2026)
  • Twenty Pounds of Clem in a Ten-Pound Bag” (March 10, 2026)
  • The Needle and the Damage Done” (March 17, 2026)
  • In Vanity Veritas” (March 24, 2026)
  • Burn Notice” (March 31, 2026)
  • Where Do I Sign Up?” (April 7, 2026)
  • SEASON TWO
  • “The Point of Us Breaking” (September 15, 2026)
  • “Manos: Hands of Fate” (September 22, 2026)
  • “Arms and Armadillos” (September 29, 2026)
  • “The Angler” (October 6, 2026)
  • “Better Luck Tomorrow” (October 13, 2026)
  • “Blame It on the Rain” (October 20, 2026)
  • “Before You Accuse Me” (October 27, 2026)

FURTHER INVESTIGATION

• Freshly Squeezed
  Florida Eyes

Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.