Synopsis:
Andrew Yancy—late of the Miami Police and soon-to-be-late of the Monroe County sheriff’s office—has a human arm in his freezer. There’s a logical (Hiaasenian) explanation for that, but not for how and why it parted from its shadowy owner. Yancy thinks the boating-accident/shark-luncheon explanation is full of holes, and if he can prove murder, the sheriff might rescue him from his grisly Health Inspector gig (it’s not called the roach patrol for nothing). But first—this being Hiaasen country—Yancy must negotiate an obstacle course of wildly unpredictable events with a crew of even more wildly unpredictable characters, including his just-ex lover, a hot-blooded fugitive from Kansas; the twitchy widow of the frozen arm; two avariciously optimistic real-estate speculators; the Bahamian voodoo witch known as the Dragon Queen, whose suitors are blinded unto death by her peculiar charms; Yancy’s new true love, a kinky coroner; and the eponymous bad monkey, who with hilarious aplomb earns his place among Carl Hiaasen’s greatest characters.
Here is Hiaasen doing what he does better than anyone else: spinning a tale at once fiercely pointed and wickedly funny in which the greedy, the corrupt, and the degraders of what’s left of pristine Florida—now, of the Bahamas as well—get their comeuppance in mordantly ingenious, diabolically entertaining fashion.
Review:
This may be an oldie, but it's the proverbial perfect Summer read. Yancy isn't perfect, but at his core, he has a heart of gold, and a willingness to right wrongs. That morality helps to get him into some intereting positions, including his current demotion. Which seems to start a domino sequence of unbelieveable events (which is central to a good Hiassen book), that also provide a great amount of laughs while you're reading. Hiassen books are great lighter mysteries full of quirky characters and conclusions that leave the reader very happy. Don't miss this book, and see just how bad that Summer monkey can be!
About the Author:
Carl Hiaasen was born and raised in Florida. He is the author of nineteen novels, including Skinny Dip, Sick Puppy, Stormy Weather, Basket Case, and, for young readers, Flush and Hoot. He also writes a regular column for the Miami Herald. -
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