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Summary: Florida the way it should be (and is)
Review: Stretch your eyes, brain, and especially your fingers, because Tourist Season starts off like a mystery and ends like an action thriller, and that means you won't be putting it down. The only thing this book lacks is a version for those who can't handle the way Carl Hiaasen gets into human nature's ugly side with characters and plot lines so bizarre, they're almost realistic. This roller coaster takes a while to climb the hill, but that makes the rest of the ride all the better. And even if you've never been to Miami, Hiaasen's occasional denouncing of Floridian ways will make you laugh, and make you think.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: The classic Carl Hiassen right here. You might not like the subject matter of this book if you're not a native Floridian, but it's a great work of fiction anyway. If you liked any of his other books, this one is for you!
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Summary: Wonderful, off-center story fun for vacation reading
Review: There is absolutely no way that anyone can read a Carl Hiaasen novel without having a great time. Mr. Hiaasen writes with a very engaging, humorous style that you just can't dislike. His characters are uniformly quirky and fairly jaded, and his adventures deliver quite a few chuckles and also some good insights into the inner workings of Florida politics.In this book, which I believe is his first novel, Mr. Hiaasen is at his finest. The plot centers around an eco-terrorist group bent on driving tourists out of Florida and making it once again the pristine wilderness it was 500 years ago. The bad guys are a collection of a Cuban exile, a Native American casino owner, and the disgruntled ex-columnist that leads them. Their antics range from the strange to the downright evil, all in the name of saving the environment. And coming to the rescue is a cynical Miami reporter/bodyguard who ends up in the middle of the plot, alternatively trying to catch the bad guys and guard the Orange Bowl Queen. Cynical reporters are something that Carl Hiaasen writes very well, and in this book, he's at his finest. He also excels at bringing the political and social issues of South Florida to light through his sarcastic, brilliant storytelling. As a dedicated fan of Florida fiction (which includes Elmore Leonard, Leonard Shames, Randy Wayne White, and John D. MacDonald), I can say that Carl Hiaasen is one of the greats. His books are easy to read, his prose witty and engaging, and his stories exactly the ticket to take your mind off your problems. Listen closely when reading one of his books. If you try, you can hear the wind in the palm trees and the crashing of the surf on the beach. This is truly one of life's great, simple pleasures.
Rating:
Summary: Travis McGee without the guilt.
Review: This fall-on-the-floor-laughing novel was the inspiration for Jimmy Buffett's song, "The Ballad of Skip Wiley". The hero and his unlikely band of ecological terrorists try to free Florida from the impact on all the people streaming into the state.
Dead-on stereotypes, pranks, humor and just a little bit of an edge. Enjoy
Rating: 
Summary: Funny migrating toward silly
Review: This is a great book. It is also a somewhat far fetched premise. It starts off fairly conventionally, then gets progressively more outlandish. It is funny in unexpected ways, though not a thigh-slapper. My first exposure to Carl Hiassen, but by no means my last. I'm hooked!
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Summary: Hilarious
Review: This is my first Hiaasen book, and man it was funny. Hiaasen really has a way with describing things -- I mean who can describe a woman's voice as "so delicious that even 'spinach casserole' comes off as 'Let's do it!'". The bickering Viceroy Wilson and Jesus Bernal provide great laughs. But the funniest character is probably Richard L Bloodworth! This character is a really bad journalist, but he doesn't know it. The way he screwed up Skip Wiley's column was riotous. And how about the "Nachos of December"?!! BWAHAHA! Don't miss this one!
Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining
Review: This is the Carl Hiaasen we know. He turns his black comedy and satire as it relates to the ever current problem of the influx of people to South Florida. A Shriner disappears leaving only his fez behind. Another local business booster is found dead with an toy alligator in his throat. You will start to want to see what the villain of the story does next, for he is more interesting than the hero. You will not want to put this book down. What I also like about his books is if you know a bit about South Florida you can see these things really happening. I did not want to give the plot away, for their are some twist and turns you will enjoy. And the title of the book is highly suggestive. So if you want a fun read, open "Tourist Seaosn".
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Summary: Believe it --- LOL
Review: This was my first Carl Hiaasen experience. The counter lady at a used book store suggested it (thank you, thank you, thank you) and I've read everyone of Hiaasen's works since then AND I've paid full price so Mr. Hiaasen could be duly compensated for the (unfortunately) short but intense stretches of reading joy he's provided. And as far as the laughing out loud reference in my review title, too many book jackets promise it but this one delivers! If you're new to Hiaasen I suggest you start here and read chronologically. First you'll see the talent grow and you'll get to know the serial characters as they're introduced. If you want a good, fast, quirky, funny, sometimes hilarious read, where the bad guys get what's coming to them---sometimes in the most bizzare ways---then begin at the beginning and carry on through to the most recent Hiaasen offering, Sick Puppy (although you could skip Lucky You and not miss much). Have fun!
Rating:
Summary: In the beginning...
Review: This was the first whiff, the first rush, the first crush I had for Carl Hiaasen. This is still one of his funniest books to date and has an unbelievable cast of characters: Cuban revenge squads who can't make a bomb that works; northern immigrants who can't swim and an alligator named Pavlov that can't play bridge. Once you read this, you will come to know Hiaasen's style: the characters and the criticisms change but the format is usually the same and some of the characters reappear in other books. His books should be wonderful screenplays--he is as screenworthy as is Elmore Leonard--but the only screenplay made of a book of his to date that I know of is Strip Tease (all his novels have two word titles). Strip Tease had one inspired moment: casting Burt Reynolds as the lecherous Florida politician in the pocket of the Cuban sugar industry, but the rest of the film was a disaster, starting with Demi Moore. So since one doesn't know if any more films will be made of Hiaasen's books and since the only one filmed stunk, read, read, read and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: In the beginning...
Review: This was the first whiff, the first rush, the first crush I had for Carl Hiaasen. This is still one of his funniest books to date and has an unbelievable cast of characters: Cuban revenge squads who can't make a bomb that works; northern immigrants who can't swim and an alligator named Pavlov that can't play bridge. Once you read this, you will come to know Hiaasen's style: the characters and the criticisms change but the format is usually the same and some of the characters reappear in other books. His books should be wonderful screenplays--he is as screenworthy as is Elmore Leonard--but the only screenplay made of a book of his to date that I know of is Strip Tease (all his novels have two word titles). Strip Tease had one inspired moment: casting Burt Reynolds as the lecherous Florida politician in the pocket of the Cuban sugar industry, but the rest of the film was a disaster, starting with Demi Moore. So since one doesn't know if any more films will be made of Hiaasen's books and since the only one filmed stunk, read, read, read and enjoy.
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