Flush

By: Carl Hiaasen

Narrated by: Michael Welch

Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's Summary

A hilarious, high-stakes adventure involving crooked casino boats, floating fish, toxic beaches, and one kid determined to get justice. This is Carl Hiaasen's Florida - where the creatures are wild and the people are wilder! 

You know it's going to be a rough summer when you spend Father's Day visiting your dad in the local lockup. 

Noah's dad is sure that the owner of the Coral Queen casino boat is flushing raw sewage into the harbor - which has made taking a dip at the local beach like swimming in a toilet. He can't prove it though, and so he decides that sinking the boat will make an effective statement. Right. The boat is pumped out and back in business within days and Noah's dad is stuck in the clink.  

Now Noah is determined to succeed where his dad failed. He will prove that the Coral Queen is dumping illegally...somehow. His allies may not add up to much: his sister Abbey, an unreformed childhood biter; Lice Peeking, a greedy sot with poor hygiene; Shelly, a bartender and a woman scorned; and a mysterious pirate - but Noah's got a plan to flush this crook out into the open. A plan that should sink the crooked little casino, once and for all.

©2005 Carl Hiaasen (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic Reviews

"...Hiaasen still succeeds at relating an entertaining story while getting across a serious message about conservation and the results of just plain greed." (Booklist)

Adequate, but something's missing

Maybe it's because most of Carl Hiaasen's books conjure up such gritty, quirky characters that this book -- which would rate as a good book if it were written by someone else -- is a bit of a let-down. The plot has great potential but the characters just don't run with it. The usual irreverent humor is much subdued. Hoot, Hiaasen's first book for young people, was written in a young boy's voice and was rich with the conflicts and everyday details of early-teen life. Flush lacks these savory details. The reader of this audio version is also adequate but lacks the delicious irony which infused Chad Lowe's reading of Hoot. I feel as if the writer -- who's not capable of writing a BAD book, as far as I can tell -- just didn't have his heart in this one, and the narrator isn't inhabiting the book, just reading it aloud.

it was incredibly hard to hear at the times.

the reader is either moving towards and away from the Mic, or the times where something is said "under the breath"are just so low. I had to rewind a number of times in the car and put the volume all the way up to pick up missed lines. it was very frustrating.

Author A-, Narrator D-

I've read/listened to several books by Carl Hiaasen and have enjoyed them greatly. This one? I couldn't get past the first five minutes. The narrator just turned me off completely. He sounded like somebody reading a cereal box to themselves. No enthusiasm, no energy, just a casual bored tone of voice like he had something better to do.

By all means, read Hiaasen's work, but make sure you can handle this narrator before purchasing. I wish I had....

A Disappointment

I am a huge fan of this author and have "read" all of his previous novels and loved them all. I was very excited when I saw that he wrote a new book and immediately bought it... only to be disappointed. It should have been a short story rather than a novel as there was not much plot development and the story seemed streched to make it into a novel. All in all, an ok book.

Great family listening

No, it's not as drop dead funny as Hoot. But it is more appropriate and easier for an 11 year old to follow, enjoy, and discuss the decisions each person makes. It's fine for a fan, but even better for kids.

a fun read

This was a great book to share with my nine-year-old during a family vacation.

It had Haaisens wit but in a child friendly format. That there was a message important to any Floridian is just a bonus.

Terrific as Ever

Only if you had your sense of humor surgically removed at an early age could you fail to appreciate Carl Hiaasen's Flush. It is Hiaasen at his best with a new character and a new set of problems.

For some reason, however, Hiaasen keeps bringing out of the woods some version of his scary old man character. In prior books it was the former governor turned environmental vigilante. In this case ... well.. listen to the book. If you've not read the other books, you won't be bothered by it, and if you've not read the other books, it won't strike you as odd. If you have read them, like me, you'll shrug and pass it off as a recurrent, if somewhat altered theme.

Hiaasen hates bullies, and this is one of those books where bullies get their comeuppance in the end. If you liked Tourist Season and Stormy Weather, you'll enjoy Flush. And if you have never heard these books... what are you waiting for?

A real disappointment

Having read Double Whammy, Tourist Season and Skinny Dip, I did not think it possible that I would dislike one of this author's books enough to stop midway through.
Mainly, the narrator is terrible, gives no depth or personality to the characters, and even when the plot presents a few of the "crazy charactors' Hiaason is known for, they are read dryly.
This book is read in an almost monotone and I can't say whether the book could be good---but this version is Definitely NOT.

Boring

This book was very disappointing. Very blah characters and no energy or spunk. Hoot is a much better book with a similar storyline. This seems like half a book, with all the exciting bits removed. Sorry Carl

Great story and we'll narrated

Loved listening to this while driving on a road trip. Better than any radio.