Skin Tight

By: Carl Hiaasen

Narrated by: George Wilson

Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

This novel by Carl Hiaasen, author of Tourist Season and Native Tongue, begins as most thrillers do, with a killing. But this is no everyday, hum-drum, garden variety killing. Our hero, Nick Stranahan, a 42-year-old private investigator who has killed five men and been married five times, skewers his attacker's aorta with the razor-sharp bill of a stuffed marlin, setting off a roller coaster ride of events that will drop-kick Stranahan into the deep slime of Miami's prosperous plastic surgery industry.

As with Hiaasen's other books, Skin Tight is one long, extended farce, a comic take on everything from TV tabloid hosts to ambulance chasers, chronicling modern America's ever-growing penchant for tastelessness, self-absorption, and high sleaze.

You will find yourself laughing in spite of yourself at wildly improbable characters like Chemo, a 7-foot monster with a face like a bowl of breakfast cereal; Heather Chappell, who wants to completely renovate her Barbi-doll body; and Reynaldo Flemm, the host of prime time's In Your Face, who stages mock attacks to his person in order to increase the Nielsen ratings.

©1989 Carl Hiaasen (P)1993 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Hiaasen's latest thriller is his funniest and sharpest novel to date....This wickedly amusing story is the work of a keen satirist who off-handedly exposes the moral rot at every level of society." (Publishers Weekly)

lost the funk in the middle

lost edge in the middle and so just became violence. and I love Hiaasen.

Classic Hiaasen

Fans of the “Skink” series will enjoy this new adventure with Mick Stranahan. He’s not as outright crazy as Skink (who is crazier than a giant, one eyed former governor who lives in the swamps) but he’s a unique none the less. The story follows a similar patter as his other books (bad guy gets a crazy idea with other crazy bad guys and hilarity ensues), but it’s still a lot of fun. Well written as always I really enjoyed “Skin Tight” its classic Hiaasen set in warm and sunny south Florida.

Mr. Wilson does a good job with the narration in both his characters and timing. It's a older recording so there is some white noise in the background but I didn't find it too distracting.

Classic Hiaasen!

If you could sum up Skin Tight in three words, what would they be?

Funny, well written

What did you like best about this story?

Memorable characters, fast paced story, the humor.

Which scene was your favorite?

Too many to single out.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Made me laugh.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommended.

A Carl Hiaasen Classic

I first read this book in 1993 on a trip out west. I think my sudden outbursts of laughter had the people around me thinking I was a lunatic. Anyway, if I were half as cool and smart as Mick, and half as tough as Chemo, I'd be one bad dude!

Plastic Surgery & Murder Hijinks

Voice actor/narrator George Wilson performs this book like the professional he is. I enjoyed the various voices used for the cast of characters, some of which impressed me. I was able to follow along and differentiate which character was speaking most of the time. To date, I haven't read a book by Carl Hiassen that I didn't like, although I cringed at some of the characterizations that might be considered politically incorrect or off-color. The story was thoroughly engaging (an unsolved disappearance of a young woman after having plastic surgery) and it went ALL over the place, taking me along for the ride. The hero, Mick Stranahan, was easy to root for, and I couldn't wait to see how he handled each situation. Example: years prior, Mick came home to find his wife (#4 of 5) fooling around with another man. Mick grabbed the naked man and superglued his (ahem) 'sack' to the hood of his car. His response was heavy-handed and over-the-top, but is only one of many crazy scenes. A 7-foot tall hit man with a weed Wacker prosthetic instead of a hand? Check. A pet barracuda living under a stilt house, providing security back-up? Check. A wood chipper used in a manner not consistent with its intended purpose? Check. The bad guys get theirs in the end and the epilogue wraps up any loose ends. 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Classic Hiaasen

Hiaasen doesn't disappoint. His wildly wacky characters are always a delight to get to know.

"The" Carl Hiassen

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, reading Hiassen books is always worth the time. I live in the Intermountain West and Hiassen's sense of humor is a nice change from the mystery stories set in the west that I usually read. Hiassen doesn't have the anti-government bent that some of the stories set in the west do. His bent seems against anti-environmentalists. And Hiassen's work is heavy on the bizarre and the funny.

Has Skin Tight turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, just about anything that Hiassen has written I have either read and/or listened to. He writes great books.

Do you think Skin Tight needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

It's is hard to tell if Hiassen's other books are follow ups. I tend to think they are, as they feature some of the characters. (Particularly the ex-governor 'skink.' I love Skink.)

Any additional comments?

In Skin Tight, the part where the barracuda bites the character's hand off and it is replaced with a "weed hacker" is one of the more hilarious pieces of his work. The re-appearance of the "weed wacker" man in Star Island was great.

It's still Hiaasen

Newer, shinier and has Hummers. Hiaasen doing Hiaasen again. Great Stuff!

Skin Tight

Love some Carl Hiaasen but this one wasn't quite as funny. No skink in this one.

Shallow and dated.

Slightly entertaining, but mostly shallow characters. It was very dated with the mention of television personalities. Most likely enjoyed more if you are a James Bond fan.