Rating: 
Summary: Kind of a Mess
Review: "Naked Came the Manatee" is a group collaboration by 13 Florida authors (originally serialized in 'The Miami Herald Tropic'), where one writer produces a chapter, then passes it on to the next writer so s/he can do the same. Dave Barry starts it off with the first chapter (comically entitled "Booger"), then Les Standiford takes on the next one, followed by the 11 other mystery writers: Paul Levine, Edna Buchanan, James W. Hall, Carolina Hospital, Evelyn Mayerson, Tananarive Due, Brian Antoni, Vicki Hendricks, John Dufresne, Elmore Leonard, and Carl Hiaasen.Basically, "Naked Came the Manatee" is about a decapitated head--Fidel Castro's, to be exact--that's found in a metal canister floating in the water. From there, about half a dozen main characters (though only two stick out in my mind a day later: a 102-year-old woman and a manatee named Booger) are either trying to solve the mystery or just trying to stay alive--or both. I honestly didn't know what to expect from this book when I bought it, even though a librarian recommended it to me. The idea of collaborative writing didn't seem like a good idea, especially with so many writers battling for the helm of the story. I noticed a few authors even backtracked to cover up other author's plot holes or mistakes, even added a few unnecessary characters. The result is kind of a mess. It doesn't have very smooth chapter transitions, and felt more like a collage rather than a work of art. The Florida setting was descriptive, yet at the same time very unflattering (didn't make me want to visit, especially after reading Brian Antoni's chapter). The one good thing about "Naked Came the Manatee," though, is that it's short (approximately 200 pages), which makes for light reading. Still, this isn't one I'd necessarily recommend, unless you're a fan of one or more of the authors mentioned above.
Rating:
Summary: Kind of a Mess
Review: "Naked Came the Manatee" is a group collaboration by 13 Florida authors (originally serialized in 'The Miami Herald Tropic'), where one writer produces a chapter, then passes it on to the next writer so s/he can do the same. Dave Barry starts it off with the first chapter (comically entitled "Booger"), then Les Standiford takes on the next one, followed by the 11 other mystery writers: Paul Levine, Edna Buchanan, James W. Hall, Carolina Hospital, Evelyn Mayerson, Tananarive Due, Brian Antoni, Vicki Hendricks, John Dufresne, Elmore Leonard, and Carl Hiaasen. Basically, "Naked Came the Manatee" is about a decapitated head--Fidel Castro's, to be exact--that's found in a metal canister floating in the water. From there, about half a dozen main characters (though only two stick out in my mind a day later: a 102-year-old woman and a manatee named Booger) are either trying to solve the mystery or just trying to stay alive--or both. I honestly didn't know what to expect from this book when I bought it, even though a librarian recommended it to me. The idea of collaborative writing didn't seem like a good idea, especially with so many writers battling for the helm of the story. I noticed a few authors even backtracked to cover up other author's plot holes or mistakes, even added a few unnecessary characters. The result is kind of a mess. It doesn't have very smooth chapter transitions, and felt more like a collage rather than a work of art. The Florida setting was descriptive, yet at the same time very unflattering (didn't make me want to visit, especially after reading Brian Antoni's chapter). The one good thing about "Naked Came the Manatee," though, is that it's short (approximately 200 pages), which makes for light reading. Still, this isn't one I'd necessarily recommend, unless you're a fan of one or more of the authors mentioned above.
Rating: 
Summary: A quilt stitched together by 13 game players
Review: A horrible read. This game should not be played often. This quilt combined together with 13 patches with very bad stitches
Rating: 
Summary: A good opportunity to expand authors
Review: As you can tell form the other reviews they are mixed. I read this one because of my love for Hiaason and Hall (read them all!). Now I have a few more leads on new authors. Fair plot, but good writing.
Rating:
Summary: If only the walls (wait, the Manatee), could talk!
Review: Booger is the answer to the walls talking. Suspend belief and enter the world of a manatee that thinks, feels and reasons like us. He becomes involved in a mystery not as a victim, but as a participant in important events.
The concept of a manatee detective aiding the likes of Brit Montero in solving the case of the Castro heads is only exceeded by the writing of this by the many different writers, from Dave Barry to Carl Hiaasen. No mystery should be this much fun
Rating: 
Summary: Distilled characters + banana politics + sea cow = Mad Romp
Review: Do you read for sheer pleasure as I do? If yes, then get this book. Outstanding writers banded together to produce uniquely Florida flavored escapeism. After a short while you can smell the jungle growth, salt air, Cuban coffee, and hot streets of this tropical asylum. The characters could only exist in that humid overgrown place. The politics are an odd marriage of Miami/Havanna. The manatee is unusually thoughtful and an activist. The love interests pay dues to senior citizens. Its a fun ride through swamps, newspapers, mansions, swamp shacks, and assorted bad guys. The good guys have that Key West attitude of "If you don't like the way I live then don't watch and don't participate." Give yourself a wonderful treat, sit back, make a snack and go to it.
Rating:
Summary: Naked Came the Manatee - Never Came the Enjoyment
Review: Don't spend your money on this disjointed waste of time. There are too many characters with too little description to make them memorable. I found myself constantly flipping back trying to keep track of who was doing what to whom. As a native South Floridian, I think the book is a very sickening and unfair protrayal of the area. I plan to shred my copy and recycle the pages.
Rating: 
Summary: Borrow it don't buy it
Review: Early in the 1980's team owner Gene Autry discovered that 9 superstar baseball players do not necessarily make a great baseball team. The 13 superstar authors who contribute to this book do not achieve much better results. The plot is disjointed, writers miss cues from one chapter to the next, the pace shifts from low to high (and vice-verse) way too often. I found myself wishing that Hiassen, Leonard or one of the other superstar authors who contributed to this mish-mash would have taken the story and made a complete book out of it rather than the small but sometimes good contributions they did make. Not an entirely bad read, but certainly not worth the money needed to purchase it. Borrow it from a friend or visit the library instead.
Rating:
Summary: The wonder is that it almost works
Review: Given the source, the real wonder is that they almost got it right. Chapter to chapter this book ranges from pretty good to simply terrible. If you didn't know how it was made and who made it, the total result is mediocre at best. However, it is worth buying just to see what the next chapter looks like. If you can stand the suspense, wait for the paperback
Rating:
Summary: Manatee won me over
Review: Great story from cover to cover. Wonderful showcase of great writing talents.
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