“Sick Puppy” by Carl Hiaasen is another of Hiaasen’s light and silly eco-mysteries. You don’t have to read the book jacket (and I haven’t) to figure out that Hiaasen is a Florida native, almost certainly a former reporter and an avid environmentalist. He clearly loves all that is natural about Florida, the heat, the bugs, the swamps – everything that tony towns like Miami and mega-tourist destinations like Orlando are trying to get you to forget.

If you can’t relate at all to Hiaasen’s views, you’re probably not going to enjoy his books.  His opinions permeate every page. My favorite thing about Hiaasen is his hilarious take on villains. Most of his ”bad guys” are total idiots, almost all of them have bizarre quirks that add to their hilarity. “Puppy” is no exception and perhaps even goes TOO far into the realm of weirdness. But hey, his books aren’t supposed to be believable, just funny.

“Skinny Dip” remains my long time favorite and is perfect for a guy (or gal) in your life who has a great sense of humor and enjoys a mild mystery.