Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 4/16/2024 + 1183 more book reviews

Another fun romp from Hiaasen and the wacky denizens of South Florida. This one is about a woman, Joey Perrone, who is thrown from a cruise ship by her husband, Chaz Perrone. But why did Chaz try to murder his wife who survives the attempt and ends up seeking vengeance on her scumbag husband? Joey is rescued after clinging to a bale of marijuana floating in the Atlantic by Mick Stranahan (who was also the protagonist in SKIN TIGHT, one of my favorite Hiaasen novels). Joey doesn't want to report her attempted murder to the police because she feels it would be her word against Chaz's. So she convinces Stranahan to help her try to drive Chaz crazy by a series of bizarre actions. Chaz is a young marine biologist who obtained his PhD with the help of a shady farm owner named Red Hammernut, who is paying Chaz to report bogus data related to fertilizer pollutants coming from Hammernut's farm into the Everglades. Another character in the novel is Edward "Tool" O'Toole, a very large hairy individual, who works for Hammernut as a sometimes body guard, is a fentanyl addict who goes to nursing homes to steal fentanyl patches, and who also collects roadside crosses for his backyard. There is also Karl Rolvaag, a County detective investigating the disappearance of Joey who also has a couple of pet pythons that may be killing his neighbors' pets. In addition, Skink, the former governor of Florida who lives in the swamps makes a couple of brief but timely appearances.

As usual, this one was full of great characters as only Hiaasen can write them. It also was very topical with Hiaasen focusing on the environmental issue of the pollution and restoration of the Everglades. This wasn't my favorite Hiaasen novel but I would still heartily recommend it.

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