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)

Bad Monkey, Great Book

It's insane, but sadly believable for my hometown. This is a dependable Hiaasen read. The story is full of twists and story lines that at the end are neatly ties together to make perfect sense of the chaos. Despite the grim plot, you can't help but laugh.

Another great one from Hiaaaen

It's your normal (if that were even possible) Carl Hiaasen novel that takes you everywhere you need to go to tell you everything and more that you didn't need to know but you're sure happy about it when you're finished! enjoy!!

Arte Johnson does a great job!

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

This is a fun summer road-trip listen. I just had to post a review in response to all the negative early reviews of Arte Johnson's reading. This is really well-read. Arte J's characterizations are a good fit for this material. (His "Norwegian accent" is spectacularly bad, but it's a very brief excerpt, and c'mon -- this is just a lightweight comic crime novel! I really enjoyed it.

What other book might you compare Bad Monkey to and why?

Just a good ol' Hiassen pot-boiler. A fun read.

Have you listened to any of Arte Johnson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first time I've heard Arte Johnson read. I'll look for more.

Who was the most memorable character of Bad Monkey and why?

The interaction between the voodoo queen and her customer was a favorite aspect for me.

Love Hiassen. Wish Arte was better

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

no, trying to figure out the money back thing,

What could Carl Hiaasen have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Pick a better narrator. Because every character sounds exactly the same, I can't keep track of who's who.

Was Bad Monkey worth the listening time?

No.

Any additional comments?

Buy the book and read it

Typical Hiaasen

If you like his other books, you will like "Bad Monkey". I enjoy his writing style even though it is light. Frankly I'm surprised more of them have not been successful screenplays. His books are a good escape from the non-fiction that usually consumes my credits. Many of the reviewers are panning Arte Johnson's narration...not sure what the big deal was...I thought it was fine, in fact-- above average.

Hilarious!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

As usual Carl Hiaasen cracked me up. I listened to it while driving to Florida from Virginia. There I was going 80 mph, laughing so hard I could hardly breathe.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The developer trying to sell the house across the street from the main character. I knew that whenever he appeared in the story, something hysterically funny was going happen.

What about Arte Johnson’s performance did you like?

Hi deadpan delivery of the book.

Any additional comments?

I hope Carl is working on his next book.

Another funny one...

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

The narrator. Unlike most of the other reviewers I thought Arte Johnson's reading of this was almost perfect. It's true he mixed up the regional accents a couple of times but all in all I really enjoyed this telling.

Have you listened to any of Arte Johnson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've never heard him do a book previous to this one.

Any additional comments?

I normally save books like this (Hiaasen, Rick Reilly, etc) for the car. My wife and I have so dissimilar tastes in books that authors like these are about the only things we can both agree on. In this case I enjoyed the reading so much I burned through it in two days at work. I'm sure I'll be able to hear it again when we are traveling though.

A plot twister!

Hiaasen makes such good use of actual Florida craziness. Wasn't sure how the monkey would figure into the story, but he definitely earned star billing for his part in the karmic revenge.

Arte Johnson is WOW!

This "book" was recommended by a friend who read in hardback. I'm so glad I bought the Audible version. Arte Johnson ("Ver-r-ry inteRESTing . . . but schtupid!) would make a bad book good--and this is a fun book. Highly recommend.

Hiaasen at his Best

my favorite author has outdone himself. narrator so-so but the story makes it a winner!