Bad Monkey

By: Carl Hiaasen

Narrated by: Arte Johnson

Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

A wickedly funny novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Squeeze Me 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.

“[A] comedic marvel … [Hiaasen] hasn’t written a novel this funny since Skinny Dip.”—The New York Times

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.

©2013 Carl Hiaasen (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“[A] comedic marvel ... [Hiaasen] hasn’t written a novel this funny since Skinny Dip.... Beautifully constructed.” (Janet Maslin, The New York Times)

“No one writes about Florida with a more wicked sense of humor than Hiaasen.” (Jocelyn McClurg, USA Today)

“[A] rollicking misadventure in the colorful annals of greed and corruption in South Florida.... Hiaasen has a peculiar genius for inventing grotesque creatures ... that spring from the darkest impulses of the id. But he also writes great heroes.” (Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times)

Great book

This book keeps you on your toes and is very surprising. Will do better next time on my reviews.

Hollywood Monkey Makes Good

Would you consider the audio edition of Bad Monkey to be better than the print version?

Hiassen's colorful characters come to life through the audible medium! I own every book he's written in both book and audio form for this reason.

What did you like best about this story?

I listened to Bad Monkey over two days and LOVED it. Hiassen's quirky, hilarious and questionably ethical characters keep the story rolling along at a perfect pace. I wish Skink was in every book he writes but this time I didn't miss him!

Bad Monkey Good Read

Good mix of fun and suspense supported by the author's own knowledge of the keys and Bahamas, would make a fun movie.

Loved this book.

What made the experience of listening to Bad Monkey the most enjoyable?

I like a lighter read now and again, and this was a fine book to fill a couple of hours. I like the main detective...very Harry Bosch like character. His antics as he tries to reclaim his spot in the detective ranks are fine, as is his penchant for sex and hooking up with both the right and the wrong people. Full of fun characters, not much in the way of plot twists, but a great romp.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I think I liked our main character the best.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the monkey clamped onto one of the bad guy's penis.

If you could rename Bad Monkey, what would you call it?

Would never rename it...great title.

Not as good as previous Hiassen's but ...

Any Hiassen is worth a listen, though this isn't one of his best. And the new narrator is not as fun as the one who does the older books.

Laughed out loud!

Thoroughly enjoyable story and performance that kept my interest throughout the book.
I actually had a tough time staying away.

Good story, awful narration

I liked the story but the narration was just awful. It didn't fit the story at all and made it hard to focus. Read this one instead.

You paid this guy?

He's awful, someone re-record this. Book is fine but it's like he is reading it for the first time, out loud.

Interesting Story, but…

I was surprised we knew a lot about the murder early on, but the author does a good job throwing in a plot twist to the story. The last five or six chapters took away a lot of the suspense and the story seemed to drag on at this point.

Arte, the narrator, was terrible. He changed dialects for one character within the same scene and wasn’t strong at giving each character their own cadence. Some of the dialect was just down right bad. Next time consider hiring an actor like Bahni Turpin (very seasoned) or newcomer Emana Rachelle. They both excel at dialect work and character specificity.

Witty. Enjoyed the narrator.

I loved the narrator. Reminds me of Norah Ephron in the accent and tempo. Will listen to more books by this author and narrator.