This one wasn't as good as some of the other "Skink" stories, imho. That said, however, it was still a good read with great characters and an engaging plot. I have yet to find a bad Hiaasen book, so even though I thought it wasn't as good as some of the others, I still enjoyed it tremendously. ( )

From Florida originally myself and it's a faithful portrait of the eccentrics and lowlifes that populate the area. Witty, funny, and genuinely captivating read. ( )

One of my favorite Hiaasen books in a long time. Completely over the top but just what I needed right now. ( )

Wacky and entertaining, as always. ( )

The most entertaining so far because the bad guy was so inept at killing people. Skink makes a couple brief appearances but sadly seems a bit worse for the weather. ( )

"the murder of the Everglades, as perpetuated by Red Hammernut and others, is insidiously subtle and undramatic. Unlike more telegenic forms of pollution, the fertilizers pouring by the ton from the sugarcane fields and vegetable farms of Southern Florida do not produce stinking tides of dead fish or gruesome panoramas of rotting animal corpses. Instead, the phosphates and other agricultural contaminants work invisibly to destroy a mat of algae known as periphyton, the slimy Brown muck that underlies the River of Grass and is its most essential nutrient. As the periphyton begins to die, the small fish that feed and neat there move away. Next to go are the egrets and herons, the bluegill and largemouth bass, and so on up the food chain. Soon the sawgrass prairies wither and starve, replaced by waves of cattails and other aquatic plants that thrive on the torrent of phosphorus, yet provide miserable habitat for native birds and wildlife.

Joey perrone is married to a PhD who works for Florida State wildlife and game. He's also in the employ of red Hammernut, a farmer who throws his agricultural pollutants into the Everglades. CHaz Perrone Missreports the pollution levels adjacent to hammernut's farm, allowing him to keep operating at a high profit.
Joey catches her husband filling out water pollution tables. Believing her to be onto his game, he throws her off a cruise ship where they were allegedly rekindling their romance. But she survives, and together with the man who saved her, when she washed up off his Island, plots her revenge on him.

I used to read all of Carl hiaasen's books when I was younger. I still find him as good as I remember him back in the day. And yes, Skink makes a welcome appearance at the end, helping out the character of Joey Perrone, unbeknownst to her. (Clinton Tyree, a.k.a. Skink, is a fictional character who has appeared in several novels by Carl Hiaasen, beginning with Double Whammy in 1987.) ( )

Funny, dark, Hiaasen is good as usual. ( )

Not his best, but a good read. ( )

Carl Hiaasen gives us another chance to see two of our favorite characters in Skinny Dip. Ex cop Mick Stranahan and the former governor of Florida now known as Skink. When a woman whose husband has pushed her off a cruise liner washes onto Mick's small island the adventures begin. Joey didn't die from the fall or drown as her husband hoped by using her swimming and diving skills developed as a college athlete swims until Mick in his fishing boat happens to find her. The husband is a corrupt state biologist who is faking pollution reports in the pay of a agribusiness polluter. How will this all work out. Read it and see. While some of Hiaasen's books , such as Hoot, are for young adult readers this one is not YA.
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"Skinny Dip" is another good Carl Hiaasen book where the bad guys get punished, and the good guys flourish. "Skinny Dip" is Nick's 2nd novel and Skink's 6th. It's a bit long, but the characters are well developed. I enjoyed this book from start to finish. ( )

Fun book! ( )

One of those off-the-wall stories based in Florida. Carl Hiasen, Tim Dorsey, Elmore Leonard. I have never been to Florida, and between these 3 authors, not sure if I want to! ( )

Great book, start to finish. One of Hiaasen's best. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a good story with good writing that keeps the plot moving along. ( )

Carl is a guilty pleasure. His love for the Everglades gets in the way a bit but is always forgivable. The first half tickled my toes, the second not so much. ( )

Old reviews went missing. How does save not working?
Love Hiaasen books.
He needs to write faster. :) ( )

I thought the books was extremely well written just a little confusing when introduced to new characters in the middle of the story and it lost the meaning of the story throughout. ( )

Chaz Perrone is the very definition of hapless. Always looking for the easy way out, he generally finds it and then screws it up. He thinks his wife has discovered his fraudulent work activities so he tosses her overboard on a cruise, forgetting that she is a champion swimmer. In true Hiaasen fashion, this is only the tip of the iceberg of wonderful fun. Skinny Dip is another Hiaasen treasure. ( )

Adventure! Perseverance and doggedness, mystery and intrigue, this book has it all wrapped up in a whimsical romp on the beach. An unusual tale of stupidity and revenge, a crooked scientist decides to dump his wife overboard because--well, that is part of the mystery, so I'll leave that out. He thinks she's dead, but she swims to safety, and plots her revenge. ( )

Funny! And fun. Well written and a simple pleasure to read, which does not prevent it from making a point, "it wasn't much of a reach from killing a place to killing a person." P.251 ( )

This book was funny. It was light and an easy read. Believe it or not - it was recommended by my husband (whose other books he recommended to me I did not like). I am going to have to read more of Carl Hiaasen's books.



The story is about a man who pushes his wife overboard on their anniversary cruise. She survives because she is a strong swimmer, and spends two weeks on an island with a man who helps her drive her husband crazy. Her husband thinks she is dead, but they play mind tricks on him and soon his whole scene unravels.



The book takes place in swampy Florida near the Everglades. After living in Florida for a few years, I knew right where they were. Mat tells me most of his books take place in South Florida. No wonder the books are funny - South Florida is a funny place.



I highly recommend it. There are a lot of interesting characters, and it moves along nicely. ( )

There are a lot of things that Chaz isn’t good at - marriage, his job, telling the truth, and murder, but he is good at fraud, at least for a while. He throws his wife off a cruise ship, but she manages to survive, and at that point, Chaz is in for a boat-load of trouble, all of it deserved. Author Carl Hiaasen has liberally dosed this tale with humor, made sure the good guys come out on top, and even redeems a bad guy through an unusual relationship. This fun read is a quirky ride through the swampy land of the Everglades and is peopled with equally quirky characters sure to entertain you from beginning to end. ( )

Not as good as I remember the first time, but really, Carl Hiaasen can do no wrong in my book. Just slightly less...right :-) ( )

funny and a great read but the ending was weak and disappointing ( )

Silly fun. ( )

An inept biologist employed by the state of Florida and is also on the payroll of a crooked farmer. The biologist fudges the water quality reports so that the farmer can continue to pour chemicals into the Keys. "Farmer" is used loosely here, this character owns many many acres of farm land and uses cheap labor who are abused in countless ways by sadistic overseers. In any event, the biologist, Chaz, is ruled entirely by greed and his libido. He thinks his wife may be on to his scheme so he "kills" her. Did I mention he is inept? She doesn't die and goes on the reek havoc in his life until at last justice is hilariously served. ( )