NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A hilarious novel of social and political intrigue, set against the glittering backdrop of Florida’s gold coast, from the author of Skinny Dip and Razor Girl“If you could use some wild escapism right now, Hiaasen is your guy.” —The New York Times WITH A NEW EPILOGUEAt the height of Palm Beach’s charity ball season, Kiki Pew Fitzsimmons, a prominent member of geriatric … Beach’s charity ball season, Kiki Pew Fitzsimmons, a prominent member of geriatric high society, suddenly vanishes during a swank gala. Kiki Pew was a founding member of the Potussies, a group of women dedicated to supporting the President, who spends half the year at the “Winter White House” just down the road. Meanwhile, Angie Armstrong, wildlife wrangler extraordinaire, is called to the island to deal with a monster-sized Burmese python that has taken residency in a tree. But the President is focused on the disappearance of Kiki Pew. Never one to miss an opportunity to play to his base, he immediately declares her a victim of rampaging immigrant hordes. This, it turns out, is far from the truth, which now lies in the middle of the road, where a bizarre discovery brings the First Lady’s motorcade to a grinding halt. Irreverent, ingenious, and uproariously entertaining, Squeeze Me perfectly captures the absurdity of our times.
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A great read. Almost everyone is fair game for Carl Hiaasen. Of course, there is no such thing as a bad Carl Hiaasen book.
Too vulgar for my taste, but the storyline tself was amusing and entertaining. May have been some wishful thinking on the author’s part.
Carl Hiassen is a genius! His books keep getting better and better! Love his take on 2020-2021 too!
Classic Carl H. skewering of Floridian excesses.
I always get a kick out of Hiassen’s outrageous characters and situations. This book did not dissappoint.
In typical Hiassen fashion, this is a funny book! He does a great job of fictionalizing real people, and making them humorous. It’s good story and a quick read.
I used to love Carl Hiaasen books, but this one was a stinker. Nothing but a political bashing of Trump.
When a 72-year-old wealthy socialite vanishes during a charity gala in Palm Beach, Florida, foul play is suspected. Hiaasen’s delightful story wraps around the reader like a python, pulling us in with an oddball cast of engaging characters and mystifying events. My favorite character was Angie, a self-assured wildlife relocation wrangler. The book made me smile at times, but it also touches on serious social issues.
Hilarious Hiaasen. Clever as ever.
I loved this book! It is so different fro m the past few books I have read, with a little mystery tied up inside as well. I thought Hiassen captured his characters perfectly–including those based on real-life people. Great read, as usual.
I would imagine that Trump supporters would not appreciate he overly caustic comments on Trump and the First Lady but putting that aside, the book was a fun read. As always with Carl Hiaasen, I love the strong female lead character.
Laugh out loud funny. Relevant to current affairs.
The perfect Carl Hiassen novel for this moment in history. He takes full aim at the power/political establishment with no apologies and the results are hilarious. Great characters and plenty of laughs.
Classic Hiaasen, making fun of all the unbelievable things in society and south Florida. Politically driven and hysterical!
I haven’t read a Carl Hiaasen crime novel for a while but I always loved his sense of humor, sort of a lighter version of Elmore Leonard.
This one is no different. Hungry pythons set loose on a Florida town by none other than the former governor turned ecological avenger, Skink, feature prominently in the story.
As well as the bumbling criminals that I remember from his former novels. And the average Jill, named Angie, just trying to get by in this god-forsaken world.
There has been political satire in his other books but I’m not so sure that I’ve been as aware of it, because I think it often centers on Florida politics, which I know nothing about. For this novel, the current residents of the White House take center stage, hardly thinly veiled.
There are always fascinating characters, some that we love to hate, like the society matrons self-named Potussies, in wildly improbable situations. One of their members, Kiki Pew Fitzsimmons has disappeared, leaving behind her purse and a half tab of ecstasy. “Oh, she’d never do that!” Oh, but she would.
On the one hand it feels a little like all of those glittering society novels of the 80s but with the crazy criminal element married in.
And the wildlife, always the wildlife. Angie, a wildlife relocator, is called to relocate a very large python with a very large lump in its midsection.
No one seems to make the connection with Kiki Pew’s disappearance, until the next morning.
The details, the humor, the vitality in the romp. You might think you were reading an extended “Florida Man” article, but this is fiction. Okay, mostly fiction. Which is why I love this author so much. I highly recommend this book.
I think I’ll go back and read some of the other novels I missed over the years.
I absolutely loved this book. Timely. Wickedly funny. Great story. Great Florida spoof. Crazily political.
Carl comes through again! Skink returns! If you are a Hiaasen fan you must read this book.
You don’t HAVE to read Hiassen’s backlist to love this hilarious and brilliant book. You’ll laugh your ever-loving butt off just the same. You don’t have to know about Hiassen’s life to relish the depth of his bite–the blood will still taste sweet. But if, like me, you’ve been a fan of his tales of South Florida and wish Skink were your grandpa, you need this book. Now. Right now.
Like, right now.
No one does satire better than Carl Hiaasen. We are living the times that he depicts in this story. The caricature of the President of the United States living in his estate in South Florida is flawless. I read the entire book in one day. I simply could not put it down.
If your a Trump supporter you won’t like this book! It’s another of Hiassen’s laugh fest of Florida characters, in particular this time the Palm Beach wealthy crowd. Also an unnamed president who has a winter White House in the area and his security team and Florida’s inhospitable wildlife provide lots of laughs. A very fun read!