Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen

 

When one sees a Hiaasen from the mid-late 1980s in the library, one checks it out. Obviously this is really early Hiaasen, but it's really goofy and really off the chain in ways he kinda got away from for a while, with less in the way of his current satirical inclinations. I suspect that if one knew Florida history well enough, one might be able to unpick some elements of reality from Skink's story--this is a really early version of Skink and might be the beginning of the character--but that's less relevant than it might seem. The characters kinda loop and swirl their way through the story, I guess it's possible there's at least a little punching-down at televangelists and their flocks, and at pro fishermen and their audience, but given Hiaasen's feelings about Florida and the environment and the fact that both the above are hip-deep in bad development (evergreen Florida, there) I think it's pretty easy to tell where the ire is really directed. Really funny and fast-paced and a great read, if not particularly great literature (or even intended to be).