Skinny Dip

By: Carl Hiaasen

Narrated by: Barry Bostwick

Length: 4 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's Summary

Chaz Perrone might be the only marine scientist in the world who doesn't know which way the Gulf Stream runs. He might also be the only one who went into biology just to make a killing, and now he's found a way, doctoring water samples so that a ruthless agribusiness tycoon can continue illegally dumping fertilizer into the endangered Everglades. When Chaz suspects that his wife, Joey, has figured out his scam, he pushes her overboard from a cruise liner into the night-dark Atlantic. Unfortunately for Chaz, his wife doesn't die in the fall.

Clinging blindly to a bale of Jamaican pot, Joey Perrone is plucked from the ocean by former cop and current loner Mick Stranahan. Instead of rushing to the police and reporting her husband's crime, Joey decides to stay dead and (with Mick's help) screw with Chaz until he screws himself.

As Joey haunts and taunts her homicidal husband, as Chaz's cold-blooded cohorts in pollution grow uneasy about his ineptitude and increasingly erratic behavior, as Mick Stranahan discovers that six failed marriages and years of island solitude haven't killed the reckless romantic in him, we're taken on a hilarious, full-throttle, pure Hiaasen ride through the warped politics and mayhem of the human environment, and the human heart.

©2004 Carl Hiaasen (P)2004 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Hiaasen's signature mix of hilariously over-the-top villains, lovable innocents and righteous indignation at what mankind has done to his beloved Florida wilderness is all present in riotous abundance in his latest....Hiaasen's books are so enjoyable it's always a sad moment when they end." (Publishers Weekly)
"No reprobate escapes the satirical eye of Hiaasen, who writes like the love child of Hunter S. Thompson and Evelyn Waugh....Like Hiaasen's nine previous novels, this one's a corker, chock-full of belly laughs and blistering truths." (Booklist)

Humor and Mystery

I love mysteries--mainly during the summer; I also enjoy clever humor. This book is just perfect--well read with tongue in cheek. Definitely recommended.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

As Much Fun As Skinny Dipping!

This is an excellent read...funny and inventive with outstanding characters. Couple that with an outstanding narrator and you've got a really winner!!!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Funny Listen

This book and reader were extremely entertaining. At times I laughed out loud.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A+

I liked this book alot-- The story moved along quickly, with alot of interesting twists. The narrator was good, and easy to understand the character differences.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Best Listen So Far

This was the best listen so far in my 6 months of membership. Since I live in Florida, it was especially funny. Great characters, great plot, wonderful sense of humor. Can't wait to listen to another of his books.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Not 13 hours

this is NOT a 13 hour book! it is only about 5 hours. I bought it for a trip based on its advertised length!

Skinny Dip is a Fun Ride!

Skinny Dip is a fun ride with unforgetable characters. Carl Hiaasen is the master of his craft.

Classic Carl Hiaasen

Quirky, crazy characters again are on the loose to right some wrongs committed by selfish, self-serving sociopaths. I always love the way Hiaasen weaves his sense of humor, social conscience and environmental awareness into his creative mystery stories. His blatant disdain for the rampant hypocrisy in our industrial/political system warms my heart. He is my kinda guy and I love the way he thinks and writes. My only complaint is that this book was ABRIDGED. I try to get only UNabridged books and didn't notice this discrepancy until after the purchase.

Better to be Seen and not Heard

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Writer made characters one-deminsional. I would have liked better narrater. His voice was flat and you noticed he was male during his female speaking parts. In a narrator you are lost in the story not the voice.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Game of Thrones

How could the performance have been better?

As above

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Skinny Dip?

The shopping at the mall, the sneaking in and out of the house was excessive and towards the end where the heroine dresses as a male and follows the detective

Any additional comments?

Good parts but overall I was disappointed. I know where here was going with this but it missed the mark. Do not get me wrong, I love a good Mickey Spillane novel but this was undeveloped and left the reader feeling as though she waisted her time.

Interesting, well written and entertaining!!

I'm glad I purchased this story. I read the reviews for this and Hiassen's other stories and they were fairly diverse which made me wonder about this title.

First, however I did not find this nearly as funny as others did. Irregardless, it was a very engaging story. I particularly enjoyed the way Hiassens characters raised questions or dilemnas through their actions and Hiassen answered the questions/resolved the dilemnas flawlessly and satisfyingly. This same trait also highlights the minor criticism I have for the book. This is that it was often predictable, yet fortunately, the ending was not predictable and thus satisfying. My other criticism is that the book was fairly short. (less than 5 Hours). Importantly, the characters were well developed, interesting and brought to life through the narration.

I give it 4/5 stars. The briefness and predictability being the only negatives. I recommend this title and will very likely try another Hiassen.