Book Review: Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen

 

From the publisher:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Another instant classic from Carl Hiaasen—laugh-out-loud funny, tackling the current chaotic and polarized American culture (following in the path of Squeeze Me), with two wonderful Hiaasen heroes

“The afternoon of September first, dishwater-gray and rainy, a man named Dale Figgo picked up a hitchhiker on Gus Grissom Boulevard in Tangelo Shores, Florida. The hitchhiker, who reminded Figgo of Danny DeVito, asked for a lift to the interstate. Figgo said he’d take him there after finishing an errand.”

Thus begins Fever Beach, with an errand that leads—in pure Hiaasen-style—into the depths of Florida at its most Floridian: a sun-soaked bastion of right-wing extremism, white power, greed, and corruption. Figgo, it turns out, is the only hate-monger ever to be kicked out of the Proud Boys for being too dumb and incompetent. On January 6, 2021 he thought he was defacing a statue of Ulysses S. Grant, but he wound up spreading feces all over a statue of James Zacharia George, a Civil War Confederate war leader.

Figgo's already messy life is about to get more complicated, thanks to two formidable adversaries. Viva Morales is a newly transplanted Floridian, a clever woman recently taken to the cleaners by her ex-husband, now working at the Mink Foundation, a supposedly philanthropic organization, and renting a room in Figgo’s apartment because there’s no place else she can afford. Twilly Spree has an anger management problem, especially when it comes to those who deface the environment, and way too many inherited millions of dollars. He's living alone a year after his dog died, two years after he sank a city councilman’s party barge, and three years after his divorce.

Viva and Twilly are plunged into a mystery—involving dark money and darker motives—they are determined to solve, and become entangled in a world populated by some of Hiaasen’s most outrageous characters: Claude and Electra Mink—billionaire philanthropists with way too much plastic surgery and a secret right-wing agenda—and Congressman Clure Boyette—who dreams of being Florida’s (and maybe America’s) most important politician. The only things standing in his way are his love for hookers and young girls, and his total lack of intelligence. We meet Noel Kristianson—a Scandinavian agnostic injured when Figgo thinks he’s a Jewish threat to humanity and runs him over with his car; Jonas Onus—Figgo’s partner in white power idiocy; and many, many more. Hiaasen ties them all together and delivers them to their appropriate fates, in his wildest and most entertaining novel to date.

My Thoughts: Like all of Hiaasen's books, Fever Beach is somewhat off the wall. Up to a point, you can picture things happening. Then, it goes one step beyond. It's funny and it's satire.

My favorite characters were Viva, Twilly, and Moe. Galaxy was interesting- more so when she went on sabbatical. Least favorite characters included Dale Figgo and Jonus Onus. But I don't think we are totally meant to dislike them most of the time. Maybe feel a little sorry for them at times. Another least favorite character is the congressman. If I tell you why I did and didn't like the characters, we'd be into spoilers territory. Suffice it to say that the good guys follow Mae West's quote: "When I'm good, I'm very good. But when I'm bad I'm better." The not so good guys had fewer good moments and more just plain stupid ones.

The book moves along at a good pace. It's not all action, but it does all propel the book forward. I did not see everything that happened coming, but that's part of the fun with a Hiaasen book. 

I gave the book 5 out of 5 stars. It's well-written. The characters and events are interesting. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy satire and humor with one foot in the political world and the other foot straining to be out of this world. And if you like Hiaasen, don't miss this one.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinions nor my review. 

Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen was released May 13, 2025 from Knopf.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #545: Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher:

Another instant classic from Carl Hiaasen—laugh-out-loud funny, tackling the current chaotic and polarized American culture (following in the path of Squeeze Me), with two wonderful Hiaasen heroes

“The afternoon of September first, dishwater-gray and rainy, a man named Dale Figgo picked up a hitchhiker on Gus Grissom Boulevard in Tangelo Shores, Florida. The hitchhiker, who reminded Figgo of Danny DeVito, asked for a lift to the interstate. Figgo said he’d take him there after finishing an errand.”

Thus begins Fever Beach, with an errand that leads—in pure Hiaasen-style—into the depths of Florida at its most Floridian: a sun-soaked bastion of right-wing extremism, white power, greed, and corruption. Figgo, it turns out, is the only hate-monger ever to be kicked out of the Proud Boys for being too dumb and incompetent. On January 6, 2021 he thought he was defacing a statue of Ulysses S. Grant, but he wound up spreading feces all over a statue of James Zacharia George, a Civil War Confederate war leader.

Figgo's already messy life is about to get more complicated, thanks to two formidable adversaries. Viva Morales is a newly transplanted Floridian, a clever woman recently taken to the cleaners by her ex-husband, now working at the Mink Foundation, a supposedly philanthropic organization, and renting a room in Figgo’s apartment because there’s no place else she can afford. Twilly Spree has an anger management problem, especially when it comes to those who deface the environment, and way too many inherited millions of dollars. He's living alone a year after his dog died, two years after he sank a city councilman’s party barge, and three years after his divorce.

Viva and Twilly are plunged into a mystery—involving dark money and darker motives—they are determined to solve, and become entangled in a world populated by some of Hiaasen’s most outrageous characters: Claude and Electra Mink—billionaire philanthropists with way too much plastic surgery and a secret right-wing agenda—and Congressman Clure Boyette—who dreams of being Florida’s (and maybe America’s) most important politician. The only things standing in his way are his love for hookers and young girls, and his total lack of intelligence. We meet Noel Kristianson—a Scandinavian agnostic injured when Figgo thinks he’s a Jewish threat to humanity and runs him over with his car; Jonas Onus—Figgo’s partner in white power idiocy; and many, many more. Hiaasen ties them all together and delivers them to their appropriate fates, in his wildest and most entertaining novel to date.

Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen is expected out May 13th, 2025 from Knopf.

Why am I waiting on this book? It's Carl Hiaasen. I think most of his stuff is funny. I thought Squeeze Me by him was pretty funny and this follows in the same vein according to the synopsis. I like it because it's not serious and pokes fun at the world.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 Sponsors of charity balls were seldom fazed to learn that the one-night rental fee for Lipid House was a quarter of a million dollars, not including custom catering. However, rumors of goliath pythons could wipe out a season's worth of bookings. (p. 16)

Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen was released in paperback with a new epilogue May 11th, 2021 by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Book Review: Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen

Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Andrew Yancy used to be a detective. These days he detects things that would shut down restaurants. He also spends some of his time trying to find his way into his previous boss's good graces hoping he will be reinstated to the force.

In this edition of Andrew's life, he has his hands more than full with a variety of characters such as Merry the razor girl who bumps a car into his life while shaving her bikini area. There's also Buck Nance, the star of a "reality" show where he plays at being a redneck raising roosters for their feathers to tie flies. Benny, aka Blister, who idolizes Buck to an extreme. Add in a mafia boss and his girlfriend. And a lawyer addicted to the product of the company he is suing. And more. The characters are wild. The specific combination really makes the book.

While the book might be a little slow in parts, overall it moves at a decent pace. Between the characters and the deft somewhat increasingly complicated plotting, it kept my attention.

I really enjoyed this humorous, offbeat tale. If you're looking for an unusual book with a sense of humor that defies being placed in one genre, this could be a good book for you. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.



View all my reviews

Teaser Tuesday: Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen

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Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Merry Mansfield told Yancy a version of her life so far-fetched that he bit his lower lip, trying not to laugh. “That’s so rude,” she said.
“You’ve got a charming imagination. I could listen to you go on all day.”
"What did I say that you don’t believe?”
“Basically every word.”
“See, I’m just testing you. So far, so good.”
(p.153)

Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen was published September 6, 2016 by Knopf.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Waiting on Wednesday #145: Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

Synopsis from Goodreads:
The new full-tilt, razor-sharp, unstoppably hilarious and entertaining novel from the best-selling author of Bad Monkey, Star Island, Nature Girl, et al.
When Lane Coolman's car is bashed from behind on the road to the Florida Keys, what appears to be an ordinary accident is anything but (this is Hiaasen!). Behind the wheel of the other car is Merry Mansfield--the eponymous Razor Girl--and the crash scam is only the beginning of events that spiral crazily out of control while unleashing some of the wildest characters Hiaasen has ever set loose on the page. There's Trebeaux, the owner of Sedimental Journeys--a company that steals sand from one beach to restore erosion on another . . . Dominick "Big Noogie" Aeola, a NYC mafia capo with a taste for tropic-wear . . . Buck Nance, a Wisconsin accordionist who has rebranded himself as the star of a redneck reality show called Bayou Brethren . . . a street psycho known as Blister who's more Buck Nance than Buck could ever be . . . Brock Richardson, a Miami product-liability lawyer who's getting dangerously--and deformingly--hooked on the very E.D. product he's litigating against . . . and Andrew Yancy--formerly Detective Yancy, busted down to the Key West roach patrol after accosting his then-lover's husband with a Dust Buster. Yancy believes that if he can singlehandedly solve a high-profile murder, he'll get his detective badge back. That the Razor Girl may be the key to Yancy's future will be as surprising as anything else he encounters along the way--including the giant Gambian rats that are livening up his restaurant inspections. 

Why am I waiting on this one? I've come to enjoy Carl Hiaasen's offbeat writing. The characters certainly sound unique. And there is always some humor to what Hiaasen writes. And note from the reviews of ARCs that I've seen, this is definitely a book for grown-ups. Razor Girl is due out September 6, 2016 from Knopf.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our ever-growing TBR lists. Thanks for coming by!

Teaser Tuesday: Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of  Should Be Reading.

Anyone can participate. just do the following.

Rules:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t  give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Published June 11th 2013 by Knopf 

Anyone who has read Carl Hiaasen knows his sense of humor is kind of weird and offbeat. Bad Monkey is no exception. There is also copious swearing. Still overall it's a good offbeat story so far. The book was published in June of 2013 by Knopf. 

Yancy was a policeman until very recently. Now he has been busted down to "roach patrol" aka Restaurant Health Inspector. But, he has had a human arm in his freezer until recently. It was found off the coast with a shark's tooth in it. They were able to identify the missing man, but Yancy thinks it looks more like murder than accidental causes. Therefore, he is investigating the case on his own in hopes that if he solves it, it will get him rehired by the Sheriff as an officer of the law.

Teaser: Yancy is talking with the Miami Coroner, Rosa, over lunch. He's taken a fancy to her.

"Still, you could have handled it better. Now, what happened down in the Keys?"

"That I'd rather not discuss."

"Too bad," Rosa said. "My life coach told me not to sleep with anybody who harbors a murky past."

"What about a murky present?"

So, what are you reading this week? Share a teaser or a link in the comments. I look forward to hearing from you!

Waiting on Wednesday #50: Skink - No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. 

This week I am eagerly waiting on Carl Hiaasen's first YA novel Skink- No Surrender. It's due out September 23, 2014 from Knopf Books for Young Readers. 

Skink is easily one of the most loved characters in Carl Hiaasen's books. I know he is one of my favorites. One of the things that impressed me was the library he keeps in the trunk of a car, another his kindness to an old lady. And don't forget he prefers to be called "Captain." The former governor of Florida with one eye and perfect teeth has had many wild adventures and this promises to be another one.

From the publisher and Goodreads:

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, wandering vigilante, with perfect teeth. Also, a former governor of Florida. Also, supposedly dead. But he's a man who relishes a lost cause, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to find Malley. With Richard riding shotgun, this unlikely pair sets off on a breakneck chase, undaunted by blinding storms, crazed pigs, giant gators, and flying bullets.

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'll risk everything to rescue a friend . . . and to, hopefully, exact a bit of swamp justice. With Skink at the wheel, the search for the missing girl is both nail-bitingly tense and laugh-out-loud funny. 

I've read many of his books for grownups and enjoyed them. I am really looking forward to this one and expecting it will be quite good as well. 

What's your WoW this week? Leave the title or a link in the comments.