"Twists and turns with breathtaking speed...You're gonna like this ride." - Washington Post Book World R.J. Decker, star tenant of the local trailer park and neophyte private eye is fishing for a killer. Thanks to a sportsman's scam that's anything but sportsmanlike, there's a body floating in Coon Bog, Florida -- and a lot that's rotten in the murky waters of big-stakes, large-mouth bass tournaments. Here Decker will team up with a half-blind, half-mad hermit with an appetite for road kill; dare to kiss his ex-wife while she's in bed with her new husband; and face deadly TV evangelists, dangerously seductive women, and a pistol-toting redneck with a pit bull on his arm. And here his own life becomes part of the stakes. For while the "double whammy" is the lure, first prize is for the most ingenious murder.
Skink Series
This series plunges readers into the murky world of R. J. Decker, a budding private investigator navigating the swamps and secrets of Florida. With a unique blend of dark humor and breakneck pacing, each installment unravels complex cases filled with deception and danger. Prepare for thrilling twists, eccentric characters, and a journey through the heart of Southern grit where survival is always on the line.
Recommended Reading Order
Native Tongue
- 416 pages
- 15 hours of reading
Disillusioned by his job in the publicity department at the Amazing Kingdom of Thrills theme park, burnt-out reporter Joe Winder finds the story of a lifetime when the last two blue-tongued mango voles left on earth are stolen
When a hurricane hits Florida, some people waste no time in exploiting it. The novel follows a few of them, including a woman who abandons a scheme to sleep with a Kennedy for a more lucrative insurance rip-off, and a former governor who turns avenger to protect the community from just such people.
Sick Puppy
- 513 pages
- 18 hours of reading
Independently wealthy eco-terrorist Twilly Spree teaches a flagrant litterbug a lesson--and leaves the offender's precious Range Rover swarming with hungry dung beetles. When he discovers the litterer is one of the most powerful political fixers in Florida, the real Hiaasen-style fun begins.
Ehemaliger Reporter Jack Tagger lebt ein trostloses Leben in der Nachruf-Abteilung. Als er vom mysteriösen Tod eines Rockstars erfährt, sieht er seine Chance auf eine Titelstory, was die frisch gebackene Witwe verärgert.
Star Island
- 480 pages
- 17 hours of reading
Twenty-two-year-old pop star Cherry Pye is attempting a comeback from her latest drug-fuelled disaster. Her 'stunt double' Ann travels everywhere with her, throwing paparazzi off the scent when they get too close. But one night, Ann's resemblance to Cherry Pye proves too convincing - she is kidnapped by an obsessed paparazzo who only realises his mistake once it is too late to go back... From there it's a fast, funny and furious race against time to rescue Ann from a terrible fate. An international bestseller, acclaimed as Hiaasen's most hilarious, gripping novel to date, Star Island is an addictive read.
Skink--No Surrender
- 304 pages
- 11 hours of reading
Richard's cousin is missing, and his best hope of finding her rests with the wily, one-eyed, ex-governor of Florida. Carl Hiaasen introduces his iconic character Skink to a younger audience in this nail-biting adventure! A National Book Award Longlist Selection Classic Malley: her parents are about to ship her off to boarding school, so she takes off with some guy she met online... Poor Richard: he's less of a rebel than Malley, and a lot less trusting. He knows his cousin is in trouble before she does. Wild Skink: he's a ragged, one-eyed, ex-governor of Florida, and enough of a renegade to think he can track Malley down. With Richard riding shotgun, this unlikely pair scour the state, undaunted by blinding storms, crazed pigs, flying bullets, and giant gators. In Carl Hiaasen's outrageous, hilarious, and wildly dangerous state of Florida, there are a million places an outlaw might stash a teenage girl. A million unpleasant ways to die. And two who will risk everything to rescue a friend . . . and to, hopefully, exact a bit of swamp justice.
Carl Hiaasen can brighten even the darkest of days and Squeeze Me is pure, unadulterated Hiaasen. Irreverent, ingenious, and highly entertaining, it perfectly captures the absurdity of our times - and the White House.
