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From Publishers Weekly
Hiaasen's signature mix of hilariously over-the-top villains, lovable innocents and righteous indignation at what mankind has done to his beloved Florida wilderness is all present in riotous abundance in his latest. It begins with attractive heiress Joey Perrone being tossed overboard from a cruise ship by her larcenous husband, Chaz—not for her money, which she has had the good sense to keep well away from him, but because he fears she is onto his crooked dealings with a ruthless tycoon who is poisoning the Everglades. But instead of drowning as she's supposed to, Joey stays afloat until she is rescued by moody ex-cop Mick Stranahan, a loner who has also struck out in the marriage department. Then the two together, with the unwitting aid of a suspicious cop who can't pin the attempted murder on Chaz, hatch a sadistic plot to scare that "maggot" out of what little wit he has. Even Tool, a hulking brute sent by the tycoon to keep an eye on Chaz, eventually turns against him, and much of the fun is in watching the deplorable Chaz flounder further and further in the murk, both literally and figuratively (Chaz's job, as the world's unlikeliest marine biologist, involves falsifying water pollution levels for the tycoon). Hiaasen's books are so enjoyable it's always a sad moment when they end. In this case, however, sadness is mixed with puzzlement because the book seems to end in mid-scene, with Chaz in trouble again—but is it terminal? We thought at first there were some pages missing, but Knopf says that was the ending Hiaasen intended. Odd.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* What do you get when you cross a sleazy marine biologist, a corrupt tycoon with a bad comb-over, and a voluptuous wife hell-bent on revenge? Another delirious romp through the swamps of South Florida from irrepressible Miami Herald columnist Carl Hiaasen. Chaz Perrone was sure he'd seen the last of his wife when he pushed her over the balcony of the Sun Duchess cruise ship off the coast of Florida. But Joey Perrone, a former championship swimmer, survived the fall and clung to a bale of Jamaican hashish long enough to be rescued by retired cop Mick Stranahan. Joey wants to know why her husband wanted her dead (he feared she was onto his scheme of doctoring Florida Everglades water samples at the behest of ruthless agribusiness tycoon Red Hammernut). Then, with Stranahan's help, she wants to drive him crazy. No reprobate escapes the satirical eye of Hiaasen, who writes like the love child of Hunter S. Thompson and Evelyn Waugh. His trademark cast of skewed characters includes old favorites like Skink and new arrival, Tool, a hirsute, painkiller-addicted thug with a bullet lodged in a decidedly cheeky place. Like Hiaasen's nine previous novels, this one's a corker, chock-full of belly laughs and blistering truths. Allison Block
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Hiaasen's best,
This review is from: Skinny Dip (Mass Market Paperback)
Charles "Chaz" Perrone is a biologist who doesn't know anything. He is testing water samples in the Everglades where he is deathly afraid of the wildlife. He is running a profitable pollution scam for Red Hammernut, a mogul in the agriculture business. Chaz fears that his wife Joey may be onto his little scam and decides to do away with her by heaving her overboard on a cruise.But Joey is a championship swimmer and manages to hang onto a bale of marijuana and then get rescued by loner and ex-cop Mick Stranahan. Instead of coming forward to the cops, Joey decides to pay Chaz back. What follows is a crazy, funny blackmail campaign against the lazy Chaz. Chaz gets to be babysat by Red Hammernut's muscle man, Tool. As Chaz gest more and more frenzied Tool grows a conscience. I loved this book and all the characters but especially Tool. Hiaasen does a great job of a tongue-in-cheek mystery surrounded by environmental concerns in the Everglades.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The low-down on a very funny read,
This review is from: Skinny Dip (Hardcover)
This is my first Cal Hiaasen book. I'm glad I read SKINNY DIP. It is Wacky with a capital W. Joey Perrone is murdered by her sleazy marine biologist Chaz on their second anniversary cruise vacation. Well, Chaz thinks he's killed her, but Mick Stranahan, former detective, rescues Joey from the Gulf waters. Together they "gaslight" Chaz Perone and he doesn't know what hit him. Strangely Joey is all at sea as to her husband's motive for murder. Some things in this book seem expected such as the romance between Stranahan and Joey, but the secondary characters, they're something else! Karl Rolvaag, the detective assigned to Joey's case loves snakes and he would rather live in the frozen tundra of Minnesota than the steamy jungles of Florida. The apish Tool, who becomes rather endearing at the end. There is an underlying theme regarding the environment in the form of the Florida Everglades and its erosion. This theme is personified in a real interesting, enigmatic character called the Captain. He is a Vietnam vet, but he is also the Greenman or Wild Man of mythology. What a great character and what a great, fun story. Also higly recommended would be the shocking, funny, sometimes morbid, but always entertaining CHILDREN'S CORNER by bestselling author, Jackson McCrae.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely well-done,
This review is from: Skinny Dip (Hardcover)
If you enjoyed books such as "A Confederacy of Dunces" or "The Bark of the Dogwood," then you'll love this most-recent novel by Mr. H. Set in the disappearing and endangered Everglades, the cast of wacky individuals that make up this mind-altering romp is ingenious. Leave it to the author of "Lucy You" to come up with yet another great read.
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