Brooke

"Mom - quick, go to the audible website and give this one 5 stars. I loved it!"

I am a big Hiaasen fan, and couldn't wait to listen to this one. But it just didn't grab me like the rest of his books do - my mind wandered a bit.

Hiaasen is as funny and farcical as ever, with the same crazy over-the-top cast of charcters (fans of "Skinny Dip" will enjoy seeing the origins of the "Captain") that he always writes, but the fishing backdrop bored me and the narrator was awful. He swallowed and mouth-breathed so repeatedly that I found myself unable to listen when it was quiet around me; I could only tolerate it with a lot of noise going on, like at the gym. I'm sorry to see that so many of Hiaasen's books are read by this guy (do they not listen to themselves?) - the narrator of "Skinny Dip" is far superior.

Still, it's classic Hiaasen dark humor, and it made me laugh many times, so that's worth 4 stars.

I love Carl Hiaasen - his books are always a great read. This was my first time listening to a Hiaasen novel - and it was one of the best listens I've had since joining audible a year ago. The narrator is excellent - very easy to understand, lots of well-done voices for the different characters, and no annoying voice/mouth quirks. I'm hoping that all the Hiaasen novels are read by this same guy!

As for this novel specifically, I thought it was one of Hiaasen's best. Fascinating, darkly hilarious, and really hard to put down. I loved all the characters, except (obviously) for the slimeball husband, and felt very invested in their fates. The ending was nicely satisfying. I see some people disliked the Viagra jokes - I didn't think they were superfluous or juvenile at all; they fit perfectly with Chaz and his personality.

Parents: Hiaasen has a children's book out, "Hoot", that my 10 year old adored and my 7 year old liked.