Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen

 

After the mess that was Tuesday's attempted read, I needed something reliable. Hiaasen does not write normal, or rational, crime novels, but he is reliably fun and funny; this novel is no exception. An unhinged storyline, deranged characters, and delicious turns of phrase; all with satisfactory or better payoffs. This is not the full-on satire of some of Hiaasen's novels, but there is a lot in it about Florida and corruption and wealth and development and people just trying to get by without being total shits. Many of his characters are implausible and deranged, but the ones at their hearts tend to be remarkably unselfish; it's nice to spend time in their heads. Yeah, it's a movie tie-in printing, I don't care; if anyone deserves to have his novels adapted and make more money, it's Hiaasen.