Sick Puppy

By: Carl Hiaasen

Narrated by: George Newbern

Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

When Palmer Stoat notices the black pickup truck following him on the highway, he fears his precious Range Rover is about to be carjacked. But Twilly Spree, the man tailing Stoat, has vengeance, not sport-utility vehicles, on his mind. Idealistic, independently wealthy, and pathologically short-tempered, Twilly has dedicated himself to saving Florida's wilderness from runaway destruction. He favors unambiguous political statements - such as torching Jet-Skis or blowing up banks - that leave his human targets shaken but re-educated.

After watching Stoat blithely dump a trail of fast-food litter out the window, Twilly decides to teach him a lesson. Thus, Stoat's prized Range Rover becomes home to a horde of hungry dung beetles. Which could have been the end to it had Twilly not discovered that Stoat is one of Florida's cockiest and most powerful political fixers, whose latest project is the "malling" of a pristine Gulf Coast island. Now the real Hiaasen-variety fun begins....

Dognapping eco-terrorists, bogus big-time hunters, a Republicans-only hooker, an infamous ex-governor who's gone back to nature, thousands of singing toads and a Labrador retriever greater than the sum of his Labrador parts - these are only some of the denizens of Carl Hiaasen's outrageously funny new novel.

Brilliantly twisted entertainment wrapped around a powerful ecological plea, Sick Puppy gleefully lives up to its title and gives us Hiaasen at his riotous and muckraking best.

©2000 Carl Hiaasen (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Carl Hiaasen once again produces a devilishly funny caper. In Sick Puppy, he shows himself to be a comic writer at the peak of his powers." (Publisher's Weekly)

Outrageous Tale

Excellent narration of entertaining characters and a new sidekick for Skink
A good listen for a long car ride

Another fun Florida adventure.

I think that Carl Hiaasen is a great author. I enjoy his books. And the message they deliver.

Wonderful!

I really enjoyed this. I took a chance on it based on the reviews, and was glad I did. Although probably part of the last third could have been eliminated (it got a little long and bogged down before the climax) the ending was worth it. The ending was absolutely hysterical, and a great pay-off.

The title, 'Sick Puppy', was great, in that the story did indeed have an actual sick canine, but the same title could have applied to many characters in the book. Great story!

Roland Dahl for adults.

Standalone Book 4 in the Skink series and it's fun

Enjoyable but dark comedic romp. Two environmentally-minded heroes get together to stop real estate developers and venal politicians from paving over a still undeveloped Florida island.

Depressingly compelling

This book is like watching a train wreck. You want to look away, but you just can't. It's way too much of a reflection of modern day politics and money.

George Newbern does a masterful narration, as usual.

Classi Hiaasen

Totally whacky as always but Skink does not make his first appearance until midway through the book. The endings are becoming more and more wistful for Hiaasen's main character -- Florida before it was ruined.

Hiassen at his best

Hiassens ability to explain Florida corruption in a satirical manner is always worth listening too.

Consistently Excellent!

What made the experience of listening to Sick Puppy the most enjoyable?

Interesting plots with a twist and great humor. They remind me of Fargo for their unexpected plot twists. Also, another great 'governor' story.

Witty as Usual

Classic Hiaasen -- memorable characters in a class by themselves. Though I gave performance 5 stars, the pronunciation of some Florida locations seemed way off to me.

Good book, but the narration...

I love Carl Heisson. And this is a really good book. I don't know why The narrator chose to do his voice for Twillie as he did, but it soundscapes to me like it's just a very bad Clint Eastwood imitation and was hard to listen to, like fingernails on the chalkboard ! Other than that it was pretty good.