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Naked Came the Manatee
In South Florida, everyone wants to get a head. But not just any head. A very famous human head--severed and snugged away in a cryonic container. A head that could spark a revolution and change the course of history.
Everybody wants a piece of the rotund gangster Big Joey G., a 102-year-old environmentalist, hard-boiled Miami reporter Britt Montero, lawyer Jake Lassiter,ÌýÌýand a would-be dictator in exile--with ex-president Jimmy Carter and a lovable manatee named Booger thrown in for good measure.
With bodies piling up it's anybody's guess what will happen from one chapter to the next, as an all-star line-up of Florida's finest writers take turns at taking this outrageously original novel to the limit--and beyond.
Everybody wants a piece of the rotund gangster Big Joey G., a 102-year-old environmentalist, hard-boiled Miami reporter Britt Montero, lawyer Jake Lassiter,ÌýÌýand a would-be dictator in exile--with ex-president Jimmy Carter and a lovable manatee named Booger thrown in for good measure.
With bodies piling up it's anybody's guess what will happen from one chapter to the next, as an all-star line-up of Florida's finest writers take turns at taking this outrageously original novel to the limit--and beyond.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 27, 1997
24 people are currently reading
2014 people want to read
About the author
Carl Hiaasen
115Ìýbooks9,336ÌýfollowersCarl Hiaasen was born and raised in Florida. After graduating from the University of Florida, he joined the Miami Herald as a general assignment reporter and went on to work for the newspaper’s weekly magazine and prize-winning investigations team. As a journalist and author, Carl has spent most of his life advocating for the protection of the Florida Everglades. He and his family live in southern Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews
December 4, 2008
Once upon a time, 20 or so journalists at the Long Island newspaper Newsday, posed as a single writer named Penelope Ashe and wrote a really bad sex novel called Naked Came the Stranger.
In 1997, Dave Barry wrote the first chapter of Naked Came the Manatee and passed it to the right, in the tradition of that party game called Telephone. He thought he'd made up enough characters for all of the South Florida writers involved in the project. And like the first person in the Telephone circle, he lost control as soon as it left his mouth. Er, hands. You see, the next person in line was Les Standiford (Presidential Deal), who brought in his previously owned character, John Deal. But what could he do, following a first chapter about a manatee named Booger who lives in Biscayne Bay?
Standiford gave the story to Paul Levine (Flesh & Bones), who took the same liberty and introduced his attorney character Jake Lassiter to the mix.
In an interview* with The Miami Herald's Fred Tasker, Dave Barry said, "One scary trend was that Les Standiford started introducing his character, and Paul Levine his character. I thought, 'Boy, there's going to be an awful lot of characters in this book.' I was glad when people started killing them."
Edna Buchanan (Act of Betrayal) picked it up from there, reviving her crime reporter Britt Montero from a previous novel and passed the project to James W. Hall (Tropical Freeze), whose chapter was titled "The Old Woman and the Sea." Another new character.
Next, the story went to Carolina Hospital (A Century of Cuban Writers in Florida), who added a touch of the exotic and soon dumped it in the lap of Evelyn Mayerson (Miami).
So Mayerson worked with it and later gave it to Tananarive Due (The Between), who gave it to Brian Antoni (Paradise Overdose), who gave it to Vicki Hendricks (Iguana Love), who gave it to John Dufresne (Love Warps the Mind a Little). Dufresne wrote from inside Booger's head for a little soliloquy. Ah.
Then the story was picked up by Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty), and it finally shuffled off to Carl Hiaasen (Lucky You). Lucky him.
The Miami Herald's Tropic Magazine published a new chapter every week for 13 weeks. Think about that. You get this piece of a book and have one week to make your own addition. There was no preconceived plot; that the plot isn't brilliant is no surprise. I'm impressed with the thing even being produced at all. And with Carl Hiaasen getting stuck tying up all of the loose ends in the final chapter... well, I thought he did a fine job.
"The plot is disjointed," one reader whines. "It's full of clichés," another one sighs. So? It's even absurd, I'd agree. Hey, it's a comic thriller. You say it's hard to keep track of the characters? Yup. It is. And if you're looking for character development, sorry. There are too many of 'em. But to say reading it is a waste of time? That it's a rotten book? Absolutely not.
This is 13 writers playing, folks, not the next War and Peace. In that same interview, Elmore Leonard said, "I hope everyone gets this - that it's not a real novel. That cheers me up. If it were reviewed as a real novel, I think they'd find it somewhat inconsistent." Yeah, what he said.
The beauty of the not-a-real-novel is that, after 13 chapters, you can tell what authors to pick up on your next trip to the bookstore. I didn't care for all of them, but Naked Came the Manatee was my first exposure to Hiaasen and now I'm working my way through his entire collection.
If nothing else, soothe yourself knowing that the $205,000 Putnam Books put up for the novel was donated by the authors to charities, not pocketed and carried gleefully to the bank.
So what's this book about, you ask?
Well.... Coconut Grove, Florida, is the setting. You immediately meet a manatee named Booger and two bungling thieves who have a boat wreck because they run over the hapless sea cow. They lose their mysterious cargo in Booger's bay. Then you meet an old lady who makes a habit of swimming with Booger - naked. She finds part of the crate's contents. A near-drowned man, who is rescued by the manatee, discovers the rest. Fidel Castro has apparently lost his head - twice - in Biscayne Bay. The lady who owns a dive shop is the old lady's granddaughter, and her husband Phil... wait, this is already getting complicated.
Just read the book.
In 1997, Dave Barry wrote the first chapter of Naked Came the Manatee and passed it to the right, in the tradition of that party game called Telephone. He thought he'd made up enough characters for all of the South Florida writers involved in the project. And like the first person in the Telephone circle, he lost control as soon as it left his mouth. Er, hands. You see, the next person in line was Les Standiford (Presidential Deal), who brought in his previously owned character, John Deal. But what could he do, following a first chapter about a manatee named Booger who lives in Biscayne Bay?
Standiford gave the story to Paul Levine (Flesh & Bones), who took the same liberty and introduced his attorney character Jake Lassiter to the mix.
In an interview* with The Miami Herald's Fred Tasker, Dave Barry said, "One scary trend was that Les Standiford started introducing his character, and Paul Levine his character. I thought, 'Boy, there's going to be an awful lot of characters in this book.' I was glad when people started killing them."
Edna Buchanan (Act of Betrayal) picked it up from there, reviving her crime reporter Britt Montero from a previous novel and passed the project to James W. Hall (Tropical Freeze), whose chapter was titled "The Old Woman and the Sea." Another new character.
Next, the story went to Carolina Hospital (A Century of Cuban Writers in Florida), who added a touch of the exotic and soon dumped it in the lap of Evelyn Mayerson (Miami).
So Mayerson worked with it and later gave it to Tananarive Due (The Between), who gave it to Brian Antoni (Paradise Overdose), who gave it to Vicki Hendricks (Iguana Love), who gave it to John Dufresne (Love Warps the Mind a Little). Dufresne wrote from inside Booger's head for a little soliloquy. Ah.
Then the story was picked up by Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty), and it finally shuffled off to Carl Hiaasen (Lucky You). Lucky him.
The Miami Herald's Tropic Magazine published a new chapter every week for 13 weeks. Think about that. You get this piece of a book and have one week to make your own addition. There was no preconceived plot; that the plot isn't brilliant is no surprise. I'm impressed with the thing even being produced at all. And with Carl Hiaasen getting stuck tying up all of the loose ends in the final chapter... well, I thought he did a fine job.
"The plot is disjointed," one reader whines. "It's full of clichés," another one sighs. So? It's even absurd, I'd agree. Hey, it's a comic thriller. You say it's hard to keep track of the characters? Yup. It is. And if you're looking for character development, sorry. There are too many of 'em. But to say reading it is a waste of time? That it's a rotten book? Absolutely not.
This is 13 writers playing, folks, not the next War and Peace. In that same interview, Elmore Leonard said, "I hope everyone gets this - that it's not a real novel. That cheers me up. If it were reviewed as a real novel, I think they'd find it somewhat inconsistent." Yeah, what he said.
The beauty of the not-a-real-novel is that, after 13 chapters, you can tell what authors to pick up on your next trip to the bookstore. I didn't care for all of them, but Naked Came the Manatee was my first exposure to Hiaasen and now I'm working my way through his entire collection.
If nothing else, soothe yourself knowing that the $205,000 Putnam Books put up for the novel was donated by the authors to charities, not pocketed and carried gleefully to the bank.
So what's this book about, you ask?
Well.... Coconut Grove, Florida, is the setting. You immediately meet a manatee named Booger and two bungling thieves who have a boat wreck because they run over the hapless sea cow. They lose their mysterious cargo in Booger's bay. Then you meet an old lady who makes a habit of swimming with Booger - naked. She finds part of the crate's contents. A near-drowned man, who is rescued by the manatee, discovers the rest. Fidel Castro has apparently lost his head - twice - in Biscayne Bay. The lady who owns a dive shop is the old lady's granddaughter, and her husband Phil... wait, this is already getting complicated.
Just read the book.
December 13, 2008
Like most such serially written books, starts out strong, but as it progresses, each previous writer is more and more likely to write the next one into a corner. In some such stories, the ending is a foregone conclusion, so the writers needn't struggle too much to assure that the assassination is foiled, the lovers are united, etc., but something that starts with an open ending, like this book, paradoxically creates more troubles for writers and readers. For example, , the final writer, finishes more by undoing, sometimes cleverly, sometimes gracelessly, many of the previous complications and even characterizations.
That said, all the writers know and love/hate/mostly love southern Florida and capture its crazy and corrupt essence. The manatee is an endearing protagonist and the story is full of McGuffins of all kinds.
Overall, though, the individual writers are more satisfying as individuals, and this book more as a curiosity than a story.
That said, all the writers know and love/hate/mostly love southern Florida and capture its crazy and corrupt essence. The manatee is an endearing protagonist and the story is full of McGuffins of all kinds.
Overall, though, the individual writers are more satisfying as individuals, and this book more as a curiosity than a story.
May 12, 2019
Are you interested in funny, entertaining writing by a cadre of highly regarded writers? This is the book for you. Its a mystery thriller parody with each of the 13 chapters composed by a different Miami-area writer, including , Carl Hiaasen, Dave Berry and to name just a few.
Originally serialized in the Miami Herald's Tropic magazine, the book was conceived by the editor of the newspaper magazine and wrote the first chapter, which was then handed to the next writer and so on, until completed the final chapter.
The manatee of the title, named Booger, is a gentle creature who somehow finds himself involved in the antics of some very interesting, some not too intelligent people. There's the 102-year-old woman who swims with him in the middle of the night and the men who kidnap her granddaughter, and who seems to be the recipient of one of the mysterious containers so many people are interested in getting their hands on.
The plot involves lots of characters, coincidences, murders and those mysterious canisters but for the most part its slightly improbable, silly and darn fun reading.
The book was published originally in 1996 and the proceeds from the novel were donated to charity.
Originally serialized in the Miami Herald's Tropic magazine, the book was conceived by the editor of the newspaper magazine and wrote the first chapter, which was then handed to the next writer and so on, until completed the final chapter.
The manatee of the title, named Booger, is a gentle creature who somehow finds himself involved in the antics of some very interesting, some not too intelligent people. There's the 102-year-old woman who swims with him in the middle of the night and the men who kidnap her granddaughter, and who seems to be the recipient of one of the mysterious containers so many people are interested in getting their hands on.
The plot involves lots of characters, coincidences, murders and those mysterious canisters but for the most part its slightly improbable, silly and darn fun reading.
The book was published originally in 1996 and the proceeds from the novel were donated to charity.
March 23, 2012
An extended gag as much as a book. Thirteen authors who have dished their share of Florida crime tales (including the top-billed Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard, Edna Buchanan, Paul Levine and James Hall) get together to write a chapter each of an increasingly bizarre tale involving a frozen head and a slate of characters so cracked they have to be Miami residents. Some familiar series protagonists show up, too, such as Buchanan's Britt Montero, Levine's Jake Lassiter and Les Standiford's John Deal.
Each writer uses his/her signature style, which can lead to some whiplash-inducing transitions. Allowing Dave Barry to lead off was either brilliant or crazy; he saddled everyone with Booger, the titular manatee, and it's a hoot to see a tough guy like Deal come to terms with an aquatic mammal named Booger while keeping a straight face.
It's fun, it's occasionally silly, and like Tim Dorsey's books, it's an antidote for all the palm-tree sturm und drang you've been soaking up. That it ultimately doesn't hang together all that well is almost beside the point. It's 201 pages of a gaggle of great writers laughing up their sleeves; c'mon, you want sense, too?
Each writer uses his/her signature style, which can lead to some whiplash-inducing transitions. Allowing Dave Barry to lead off was either brilliant or crazy; he saddled everyone with Booger, the titular manatee, and it's a hoot to see a tough guy like Deal come to terms with an aquatic mammal named Booger while keeping a straight face.
It's fun, it's occasionally silly, and like Tim Dorsey's books, it's an antidote for all the palm-tree sturm und drang you've been soaking up. That it ultimately doesn't hang together all that well is almost beside the point. It's 201 pages of a gaggle of great writers laughing up their sleeves; c'mon, you want sense, too?
Read
August 2, 2011Interesting concept: 13 different authors, each of whom penned a chapter, taking the story in their own direction. Dave Barry wrote the opening chapter, which had me in hysterics despite my best attempts to stifle my giggles so my 8 year old son, who was asleep next to me, wouldn't wake up. A manatee named Booger? Brilliant!
I'd never heard of the majority of the writers, so I had no idea what to expect. Each chapter had its own style, its own flavor, but they all worked together really well. There was only one chapter which felt out of sync with the others - I won't say which, because it might just have been my mood that night.
Carl Hiaasen did a FABULOUS job of wrapping it up in Chapter 13 and making all of the seemingly incongruous parts fit together. I remember flipping through the paltry 24 pages that he wrote and thinking that there was no way he could do it, but by the end I was flabbergasted.
Definitely worth reading again. :)
I'd never heard of the majority of the writers, so I had no idea what to expect. Each chapter had its own style, its own flavor, but they all worked together really well. There was only one chapter which felt out of sync with the others - I won't say which, because it might just have been my mood that night.
Carl Hiaasen did a FABULOUS job of wrapping it up in Chapter 13 and making all of the seemingly incongruous parts fit together. I remember flipping through the paltry 24 pages that he wrote and thinking that there was no way he could do it, but by the end I was flabbergasted.
Definitely worth reading again. :)
March 14, 2010
Like the waters of Key Biscayne, in and near where much of the plot of this book occurs, this story is choppy. That's to be expected, given the novel consists of 13 chapters, no two written by the same author. Dave Barry kicks off the story, Carl Hiaasen finishes it, and the writers in between are all seasoned Floridian authors of varying renown. Some of the chapters are funnier than others, some better written, and a couple don't work at all. The approach makes for disjointed storytelling at best, and reads more like a series of tenuously interconnected vignettes than an actual story. It's an interesting writing experiment, but one that's been done before and better. If you're a fan of any of these authors or the peculiar inanities of south Florida life, you'll enjoy this book.
October 4, 2021
Couldn't pass up a book that lists Hiaasen, Barry, and Leonard as some of the authors. Glad I grabbed this little gem at the library book sale. It's a wild romp through Florida's Coconut Grove that I thoroughly enjoyed.
September 5, 2020
This was a cleverly conceived humorous novel: thirteen mystery authors write a novel, each author writes a chapter, and then "passes it off" to the next author.
The novel centers around the discovery of two canisters, each containing the head of ... ahem ... Fidel Castro! The reader is left wondering - how did these heads end up in Coconut Grove Miami? A motley cast of characters, including a 102-year-old pro-environment grandma who swims with a manatee, a slick lawyer, an ambitious reporter, and an athletic diver get wrangled up with Cuban mobsters whose mission it was to see to it that the heads are delivered to the appropriate party.
Along the way we experience the sounds of a Miami nightclub, a frustrating traffic jam, and various scenes in Cuba as well.
The chapters / passages told from the point of view of the manatee are super special - at some points he provides the humans clues and tries to save them from further trouble. At the end of the book, though, humans do as humans do ...
The plot gets sort of convoluted, as one can imagine, when so many writers are trying to take the story in their own direction. But all in all I think this was a successful and fun group effort. One could reread to ensure that all loose ends are tied up, but for me reading it once proved sufficiently satisfying.
The novel centers around the discovery of two canisters, each containing the head of ... ahem ... Fidel Castro! The reader is left wondering - how did these heads end up in Coconut Grove Miami? A motley cast of characters, including a 102-year-old pro-environment grandma who swims with a manatee, a slick lawyer, an ambitious reporter, and an athletic diver get wrangled up with Cuban mobsters whose mission it was to see to it that the heads are delivered to the appropriate party.
Along the way we experience the sounds of a Miami nightclub, a frustrating traffic jam, and various scenes in Cuba as well.
The chapters / passages told from the point of view of the manatee are super special - at some points he provides the humans clues and tries to save them from further trouble. At the end of the book, though, humans do as humans do ...
The plot gets sort of convoluted, as one can imagine, when so many writers are trying to take the story in their own direction. But all in all I think this was a successful and fun group effort. One could reread to ensure that all loose ends are tied up, but for me reading it once proved sufficiently satisfying.
June 13, 2023
Well, just not as funny as the norm. Perhaps the exquisite corpse wasn’t quite up to par? Probably just too much violence and gore. Still, a good wrap up of characters in the end.
September 15, 2010
The basic premise of this novel is that twelve Florida writers got together and wrote a chapter each. It was originally serialized in a magazine, so the way it worked was the first author wrote chapter one, which appeared in the magazine. With that to go on, the next author had to continue the story in chapter two. So on and so forth until Carl Hiaasen had to tie everything up at the end and make a coherent story out of it.
While Hiassen did write the best chapter (in my opinion), the way the book was written made it a recipe for disaster, and it showed in the plot. Well, the plot was more or less weak to begin with, and the changing of perspectives every chapter made this novel come out a bit flat.
It was a quick and easy read, and I do enjoy most of the authors involved in the project, but all in all, I wouldn't really recommend it. If you have some spare time and the book is lying around, sure, pick it up. But, I wouldn't go out of my way to read it.
While Hiassen did write the best chapter (in my opinion), the way the book was written made it a recipe for disaster, and it showed in the plot. Well, the plot was more or less weak to begin with, and the changing of perspectives every chapter made this novel come out a bit flat.
It was a quick and easy read, and I do enjoy most of the authors involved in the project, but all in all, I wouldn't really recommend it. If you have some spare time and the book is lying around, sure, pick it up. But, I wouldn't go out of my way to read it.
October 7, 2008
Remember that game where you get a bunch of people together and one person starts a story then breaks off and the next person continues the story, and so on? Well this book is what happens when that bunch of people are all published authors. Just like those impromptu group stories, this story is a lot of fun, but suffers from characters that suddenly begin acting out of character, plot points that show up suddenly then just drift away, and even chapters that shift genres. Kudos to Carl Hiaasen who had the unenviable job of trying to tie down a story that had grown way out of hand and provide a reasonable conclusion to it.
October 24, 2019
The jacket says this book is "a delirious invention that is at once harrowing and hilarious, filled with pungent commentary and razor-sharp observations". If I agreed, I'd have given it more than three stars.
It's amusing; a light piece of fluff. Several of the authors have well-known and distinctive voices. I was somewhat expecting to notice a shift in voice at each chapter, but they all were subsumed into this story, those voices made vanilla. That probably makes the story a whole rather than the sum of parts, but I don't know anybody who admits their favorite flavor is vanilla.
It's amusing; a light piece of fluff. Several of the authors have well-known and distinctive voices. I was somewhat expecting to notice a shift in voice at each chapter, but they all were subsumed into this story, those voices made vanilla. That probably makes the story a whole rather than the sum of parts, but I don't know anybody who admits their favorite flavor is vanilla.
June 5, 2013
Booger the manatee is much more fun to follow than Fidel Castro, truly. I enjoyed this summer read.
August 12, 2017
Thirteen chapters, each by a different author. Kind of hit or miss, but still a quick, fun read.
July 18, 2021
Thirteen Florida writers passed around a round-robin crime thriller--each contributing a chapter to this story of two inept, small-time thieves hired to transport mysterious cargo across Biscayne Bay. What follows is a madcap tale that involves a manatee named Booger, a 102 year-old woman who likes to skinny dip at midnight with the manatee, three head of Fidel Castro (and only one is still attached...), Jimmy Carter, and various series characters belonging to the aforementioned writers. We have gangsters and Castro rivals, reporters and lawyers all trying to hold onto the precious canisters containing Castro's heads. We have bodies showing up everywhere from the Bay to a bridge to a low-profile hotel. And with thirteen writers adding more complications in every chapter, it's anybody's guess what the plot is and how it will all turn out.
Sometimes these round-robin writing adventures work out. The Floating Admiral by members of the Detection Club (Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, et. al) was highly entertaining and the writers involved made every effort to produce a mystery that not only entertained but made sense and tied up all the threads satisfactorily. Sometimes these things don't work out. This would be a case in point. Every time it seemed like one of the writers was trying to give us a mystery that had some sort of continuity to it, then the next writer would have to throw in something to throw the rhythm off. It seemed to me that most of the writers were playing a game of one-upmanship. "Oh, you introduced that character and that complication? Well...hold my beer and watch this!"
At best, this is a light bit of fluffy entertainment. But it's not at its best very often. The most likeable characters are the manatee and Marion McAlister Williams (our elderly skinny dipper)--and one of the writers in their wisdom (insert heavy sarcasm) decided to kill off one of them. So far, the collaborative novels written post-2000 haven't fared well with me. I gave Natural Suspect (written in 2001) a one-star review and guess what? This one gets the same.
First posted on my blog .
Sometimes these round-robin writing adventures work out. The Floating Admiral by members of the Detection Club (Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, et. al) was highly entertaining and the writers involved made every effort to produce a mystery that not only entertained but made sense and tied up all the threads satisfactorily. Sometimes these things don't work out. This would be a case in point. Every time it seemed like one of the writers was trying to give us a mystery that had some sort of continuity to it, then the next writer would have to throw in something to throw the rhythm off. It seemed to me that most of the writers were playing a game of one-upmanship. "Oh, you introduced that character and that complication? Well...hold my beer and watch this!"
At best, this is a light bit of fluffy entertainment. But it's not at its best very often. The most likeable characters are the manatee and Marion McAlister Williams (our elderly skinny dipper)--and one of the writers in their wisdom (insert heavy sarcasm) decided to kill off one of them. So far, the collaborative novels written post-2000 haven't fared well with me. I gave Natural Suspect (written in 2001) a one-star review and guess what? This one gets the same.
First posted on my blog .
June 19, 2025
So glad that “Booger� (the manatee) will be living happily ever after. Who knows about the future for all the humans. Okay my book BINGO group, this book is perfect for the top row center square!
August 24, 2021
I like so many of these writers, but this book is too convoluted for me
January 1, 2024
A hilarious way to end 2023.
June 3, 2022
Quick entertaining read. Interesting to get a sampler pack, 12 or so authors do honors on a chapter.
25 years later, it was sad to think about the poor manatees running out of food. :-(
Our book club started a new theme, read a book set in each state, we started with Florida :-)
We finished up the last theme, book set in each Canadian Province and Territories, very interesting.
25 years later, it was sad to think about the poor manatees running out of food. :-(
Our book club started a new theme, read a book set in each state, we started with Florida :-)
We finished up the last theme, book set in each Canadian Province and Territories, very interesting.
August 1, 2015
Not as funny as I'd hoped it would be. In 1995 and 1996, a team of South Florida's best writers collaborated on a wacky mystery story that was published a chapter at a time by the Miami Herald's "Tropic" magazine (RIP).
The first chapter, setting up the storyline, was by Dave Barry, and featured a manatee named (of course) Booger. Other writers had to then pick up the story and run with it. Les Standiford tossed in his series hero, John Deal, and then Paul Levine had his attorney hero Jake Lassiter representing Deal in a court case and trying to flirt with Edna Buchanan's reporter hero Britt Montero. Tanarive Due, Vicki Hendricks and others then had to try to make sense of what came before and add to it. One writer even went into the mind of Booger -- and of Jimmy Carter, who gets involved somehow as well. The final chapter, wrapping everything up, is by Carl Hiaasen.
Because of how it was written, the storyline jumps around a lot as the characters pursue what they think is the frozen head of Fidel Castro, and then find out there's a second head out there as well. I'm sure this was all great fun while reading it in the Tropic installments, but trying to read it all together as a book exposes its flaws. (And don't get me started on what it gets wrong about manatees.)
Still, the book has its pleasures, particularly its depiction of the insanity of life in South Florida in the mid-1990s. The chapter Elmore Leonard wrote, focusing on a couple of crime-scene clean-up experts explaining how they do their work, is a queasy joy. And kudos to Hiaasen for writing a scene in which the real Fidel Castro, going incognito in Miami, gets mugged by a Marielito.
The first chapter, setting up the storyline, was by Dave Barry, and featured a manatee named (of course) Booger. Other writers had to then pick up the story and run with it. Les Standiford tossed in his series hero, John Deal, and then Paul Levine had his attorney hero Jake Lassiter representing Deal in a court case and trying to flirt with Edna Buchanan's reporter hero Britt Montero. Tanarive Due, Vicki Hendricks and others then had to try to make sense of what came before and add to it. One writer even went into the mind of Booger -- and of Jimmy Carter, who gets involved somehow as well. The final chapter, wrapping everything up, is by Carl Hiaasen.
Because of how it was written, the storyline jumps around a lot as the characters pursue what they think is the frozen head of Fidel Castro, and then find out there's a second head out there as well. I'm sure this was all great fun while reading it in the Tropic installments, but trying to read it all together as a book exposes its flaws. (And don't get me started on what it gets wrong about manatees.)
Still, the book has its pleasures, particularly its depiction of the insanity of life in South Florida in the mid-1990s. The chapter Elmore Leonard wrote, focusing on a couple of crime-scene clean-up experts explaining how they do their work, is a queasy joy. And kudos to Hiaasen for writing a scene in which the real Fidel Castro, going incognito in Miami, gets mugged by a Marielito.
October 18, 2019
Remember that thing where a bunch of people would write a chapter of a book? Do they still do that? This is one of those. The authors include Dave Barry, Carl Hiassen, Elmore Leonard, somebody named Carolina Hospital (is that a name, or a place?), and several others that I'd never heard of. A neat concept, but the problem is that every author felt the need to introduce a new character, practically, and in some cases flat out contradicted what other authors had written. What's the first rule of improv, guys? Don't say "no." Also, if you get Dave Barry to write your first chapter, you end up with a manatee named "Booger."
The story is set in Miami and involves intrigue, Fidel Castro, a mysterious box, explosions, and the aforementioned manatee. A fun little read, as long as you really don't care anything about solving mysteries, since of course the first author had no idea what would happen next.
The story is set in Miami and involves intrigue, Fidel Castro, a mysterious box, explosions, and the aforementioned manatee. A fun little read, as long as you really don't care anything about solving mysteries, since of course the first author had no idea what would happen next.
January 23, 2013
I have lived with the legend of this book ever since my parents let me read Dave Barry when I was a small child (Bad move, parents. I'm super strange now and it's your fault).
In my mind, nothing beats the humor and weirdness of South Florida's best and most cherished authors: Barry, among others like Hiassen and Shroder, collaborated on the book and each added a chapter. You think this would make for a great romp, but really, it's just as confusing and halting as it sounds.
I even read this while in the Keys to get the full experience. Like being on a jet ski, it was an experience I enjoyed, but don't wish to repeat (I don't like boats).
These guys are my heroes, and the book definitely poked at my South Florida mythology gland, but as far as the writing goes the book barely approached expectations. I am okay with that.
In my mind, nothing beats the humor and weirdness of South Florida's best and most cherished authors: Barry, among others like Hiassen and Shroder, collaborated on the book and each added a chapter. You think this would make for a great romp, but really, it's just as confusing and halting as it sounds.
I even read this while in the Keys to get the full experience. Like being on a jet ski, it was an experience I enjoyed, but don't wish to repeat (I don't like boats).
These guys are my heroes, and the book definitely poked at my South Florida mythology gland, but as far as the writing goes the book barely approached expectations. I am okay with that.
June 16, 2018
If this book had been written by just one author, I would definitely look at it much more critically. As it was, I thought it was pulled together surprisingly well. Dave Barry and Carl Hiaasen are the only authors of this book that I've read previously. I am more interested to read other works of some of these Florida authors and others I can probably skip.
Overall, it was entertaining because it was so outlandish. Also, I would have appreciated it more if I was more familiar with Miami.
We read this for our mystery book club at the local library and had lots of fun discussing it.
Overall, it was entertaining because it was so outlandish. Also, I would have appreciated it more if I was more familiar with Miami.
We read this for our mystery book club at the local library and had lots of fun discussing it.
December 24, 2017
Not great, but really good. I like the premise of a bunch of authors agreeing to create a novel, with each successive chapter the responsibility of a new author, and certainly some author working hard to leave the end of a chapter with something very challenging for the follow-on person. And of course, I was not aware of the creation of NAKED CAME THE STRANGER under similar circumstances, but decades earlier. I will recommend to my daughter.
January 30, 2020
Bizarre, lighthearted murder mystery. The fun here is in knowing how it was done. Reading this is like watching a movie where the actors are having great fun doing it and the enjoyment is contagious. Without emphasizing any single author's style, all come through with amazing continuity, lots of guffaws and occasional out-loud laughs.
February 16, 2020
Each chapter is written by a different author resulting in a short story. Just about all the different author were enjoyable, except one. Written in a prosy "artistic" verse, it really didn't make much sense and added nothing to the novel. Conclusion was by Carl Hiassen, who as usual, finished it off with a bang.
June 29, 2020
I bought this book understanding it was a collaboration, tag-team effort, and, it worked!
The story was creative, the characters likeable, realistic, but not too deep, and the pace moved.
It is a delightful little romp of humor, intrigue, and color, at an affordable price, both financially and time required to read.
Enjoy!
Liz
The story was creative, the characters likeable, realistic, but not too deep, and the pace moved.
It is a delightful little romp of humor, intrigue, and color, at an affordable price, both financially and time required to read.
Enjoy!
Liz
July 27, 2019
Interesting concept with the chapters each written by different authors. It was in the Carl Hiaasen section and that pulled me in first off. If you like his work, it is very much in his style. Give it a read.
March 12, 2020
Well written considering the number of “authors�. A bit disjointed ,but still typical Hiaasen , over the top , with stereotypical South Florida characters and antics. I loved the “Cuba� angle. A great beach read!!
August 4, 2020
Some of the best contemporary Florida writers park all egos and poke fun with sharpened pens at people and places in paradise in this satire. Read this for a sampler and explore their individual books.
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