Take a trip to exotic South Florida with this dark, funny book that established Carl Hiaasen as one of the top mystery writers in the game.The first sign of trouble is a Shriner’s fez washed up on a Miami beach. The next is a suitcase containing the almost-legless body of the local chamber of commerce president found floating in a canal…The locals are desperate to keep the murders under wraps … the murders under wraps and the tourist money flowing. But it will take a reporter-turned–private eye to make sense of a caper that mixes football players, politicians, and one very hungry crocodile in this classic mystery that GQ called “one of the top ten destination reads of all time.”
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Not the best read ever. Reached silly proportions at times. Overlong as well.
You have to love Hiassen. His stories are witty and entertaining and his characters are quirky and multi-dimensional. Like Elmore Leonard, who also wrote books similar in sub-genre, Hiassen writes books that you can’t put down.
Light, humorous and a bit witty. Just okay.
i got hooked on hiaasen starting with “bad monkey”. the florida genre, the improbable intertwined subplots, and a zany cast of characters, keeps the pages (so to speak as i read on my ipad) turning! i also like the fact that the endings aren’t phony and smarmy. check out this author, you won’t be disappointed.. btw, his book “razor girl” was hysterical!
Typical Hiassen. Okay for a summer book
Carl Hiasen always tells you about aspects of Florida that never hit the headlines. Fast paced writer strong on his facts.
All Hiaasen books are good, most funny and some LOL. Usually have some type of moral theme but occasionally you have to look for it. My favorite has been LAMB. Hysterical and you learn where the “flip off” sign originated – maybe.
Hiaasen is always worth reading.
I enjoyed this book a lot, although I haven’t always liked the writer’s evil sense of humor. This book is heavy on information that should be stressed with those of us who get to winter in Florida. We exact a terrible price on the environment when we over-populate and overbuild. This is arguably never truer than in wonderful Florida where sea and wildlife are ravaged by our presence and consumption. Kuddos to Hiaasen for putting that into sharp focus. And you get a pretty good yarn along with your science lesson.
if you like Hiassen, you’ll love this
I like Carl’s books but this one was disappointing. Felt like a tirade rather than his usual quirky spin on things.
Not hiaassen’s best work
Funny and weird.
CH is a master humorist!! Great escape from the real world.
Hiaasen can do no wrong!
A fun quick read…good for the beach or on the airplane.
Was too dull to finish.
I like reading one of Carl’s books every now and then for a little bit of Floridian flavor, humor, mystery and escapism. I put up with the dead bodies as the cost of admission because I enjoy the rest of the book so much. One day I’m going to get through all of his books.
Carl Hiaasen is a master of entertaining thriller-writing. From the first page, you know this book is going to take you into new territory – and it’s going to be a wild ride. Fasten your seatbelt and enjoy every page.
Carl Hiaasen has a knack for making the already stereotypical Florida weirdoes even more so. He blends good mysteries with plenty of laughs.