Rating: 
Summary: Welcome back
Review: "Skinny Dip" represents a welcome return of the quirky, edgy characters from novels like Skin Tight but also the rogue hero of that same novel, Mick. "Skinny Dip" has the same likeable heros and shallow, slimy villains, not to mention the usual "hit man with strange physical/emotional quirks." (In this case, grossly too much body hair and a penchant for stealing highway crosses. My all-time favorite Hiaasen character was the killer who had a dead pit bull attached to his arm in "Native Tongue.")
I've enjoyed his recent novels, but "Skinny Dip" seemed like old times, though with some modern touches, like a hint of humanity in one of the heavies and a more ambiguous ending for one particular villain.
Can't wait for the next one...
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Summary: Laugh-Out-Loud Funny. Hiaasen at His Best.
Review: Any writer who can imagine a character who hallucinates hearing 'Hey Jude' sung as a duet between Bobby Gentry and Plácido Domingo can't be ignored. This guy Hiaasen is one of the funniest writers around. I'll read anything he writes. This one, though, is one of his best. I couldn't put it down and I laughed so hard my wife thought I might have a stroke. It tells a page-turning story that involves characters that probably couldn't exist in reality, but who cares? The plot is complicated, with parallel threads running throughout, but it makes good sense and, of course, comes out right. Further, he manages to make the reader think about unfunny things like the horrible agricultural pollution of the Everglades--Hiaasen loves his swamps and their denizens, human and otherwise--without it becoming the least bit preachy.
Obviously I don't have much to add to the previous 176 reviewers, but I felt I had to add my own enthusiastic endorsement.
Scott Morrison
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Summary: Hiaasen on top again!
Review: Chaz throws wife Joey overboard on a cruise. She manages to survive and now the game begins!!! Hiaasen once again shows us how the Everglades is an important part of our environment.
Rating:
Summary: Wacky characters and a fun plot make for a great summer read
Review: Florida is a unique state. It is the number one tourist destination in the world with more theme parks and pristine beaches than just about anywhere else. However, it also is quickly being overdeveloped and if you believe Carl Hiaasen, it is due to greedy and unscrupulous individuals. However, Hiaasen makes them out to be cruel and ridiculous characters whose greed will lead to their inevitable demise. The fun for the reader is watching them self destruct.
The latest Hiaasen antihero is Chaz Perrone who for no explicable reason throws his wife off an upper deck of a cruise ship in a vain attempt to kill her. His wife, Joey, survives and with the help of her rescuer and new friend, former cop and hermit Mick Stranahan, try to come up with answers while exacting their revenge.
So many authors try for humor. However, in many instances they try too hard and it becomes quite forced while the plot lags. Hiaasen is the measure of what ingredients go into making the best humorous novels in the mystery genre today. The strength of his work are several. First, the plot is always interesting comically reflecting abnormal behavior in what should be routine situations. In this case taking a cruise vacation. Second, the characters are truly outrageous and unforgettable. The wackiest in this story is Troy, a very large man hired to protect Chaz. He has a bullet stuck in his buttocks which causes him severe pain requiring him to steal pain medicine in the form of adhesive Band-Aids from local nursing homes. Chaz comes in at a close second. He is incredibly self centered worried more about his potency than the well being of his wife or girlfriend. He is a marine biologist who hates marine life as well as biology. Why he does it remains the mystery. Of course it is the act of throwing his wife off the ship that begins his eventual demise. On top of all this is an ecological warning about saving the Everglades and a riveting plot occasionally interrupted by truly hilarious lunacy. Many try but nobody does funny like Carl Hiaasen.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Fun
Review: Great tongue-in-check mystery with characters that you have to like. I rooted for the ill-used wife and admired her quest to get even with her filandering husband rather than leave his punishment to the police. I applauded her spunk and laughed as she exacted her revenge. Great read!
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Summary: Side-Splitting!
Review: Hiaason has left me speechless once again! While I found this book to be a bit tame by his standards, I still found the wacky plot twists and the crazy characters to be entertaining and completely worth the time.
My favorite thing about Hiaason his how deftly he can craft a situation to make you believe you know how it is all going to end up, and then he pulls the rug out from under you. It never fails. And in Skinny Dip he remains true to form.
The witty dialog, fast-pace, and downright nutty backstories will have you flipping pages until the end. And then, you'll be wishing for just one more paragraph!
A delight!
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Summary: Great plot, characters, and it is funny to boot!
Review: I got my copy of 'Skinny Dip' yesterday and finished it early this morning! It was that good. Mr. Hiaasen is back with a hilariously mix of outragouse villains, colorful characters and his anger at humankind for what they have done to the Florida wilderness. The story starts when Biologist Charles 'Chaz' Perrone suspects his sexy wife Joey, has discovered his a pollution scam he has been running for a Florida Ag Biz Mogel, Red Hammernut (what a name!)- of course this is all illegal but they are making a bunch of money. He solves this problem by taking Joey on a cruise where he plans on dumping off the boat, thus solving his problem. The only problem Is Joey Is a champion swimmer, and this skill, along with some luck and a bale of Marijuana, allows her to survive! After which she sets out to blackmail her Lazy tail chasing husband, and of course all hilarity ensues! This is another Great Hiassen read in the vien of his other books. I also Recommend: Just about all of Carl Hiassen's other books. Also check out "A Tourist in the Yucatan" fun thriller!
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Summary: Glad Hiassen is back with this one
Review: i have read all of Hiassen's books with his wacky, zany Florida characters. This book is hard to put down. You could read it in an hour if you wanted to, its that good. The characters are vibrant and colorful and if you have never read Hiassen before, this is a great place to start. I recommend if you ever get a chance to go to one of his book signings, go! You wont be sorry. Truly a genuine person and a real nice down to earth author!
Rating: 
Summary: Best suited to south Floridians
Review: I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I was from Florida and could identify with all of the references made to people and places in the Sunshine state. Hiaasen does a fine job of putting together a story, but I found this novel to be just that: a so-so story. It wasn't gripping enough for me. Perhaps I went in with expectations too high. I'm finding that when I read I want to get more out of a book than what I was left with here. I have the same feeling that I had after reading Baldacci's, The Winner. All in all this is an okay "light read", and I say go for it if you're from south Florida. Otherwise, think twice if you want more than "fluff".
Rating:
Summary: Not his best but not bad either
Review: If you have never read Carl Hiaasen please don't start with this book. My personal favorites are Striptease (which was butchered in the theatres)and Tourist Season but also enjoyed Lucky You and Sick Puppy for the sheer ridiculousness of their humor. Don't judge a body of work by this one book.
I wish that you could use half-stars in this system because the book isn't a four star read nor is it a three but somewhere in the murkey middle.
I really enjoy reading Carl Hiaasen and have read all of his previous novels. His earlier books have left me exhauted from the laughter. This one didn't do that although there were a few laugh out loud moments. This book is not as preposterous as Lucky You or as funny as my all time favorite Hiaasen book, Striptease. But it isn't a bad read either. I think that part of the problem with this book is that his writing is no longer that fresh voice from Florida but a known quantity for which we have very high expectations because some of his previous books have been so outstanding.
So I'm giving this book 3 stars because if any one else had written it that's what it would deserve. We can't fault a writer for failing to live up to our expectations when we set them ridiculously high. But we do know that he has done much better. The problem with this book, in my opinion, was a lack of tension...in the plot, between the romantically intwined, and those in adversarial positions. The story lacked punch. Pure and simple.
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