As a bonus, if you hate your in-laws, there are some fantastic one liners that you may want to practice.

It’s not a deep thinking book. The ending is a bit too abrupt and trite, and yet it’s still worth reading. If you’re into suspenseful and steamy books for the beach, this would fit the bill.

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.

Still it has all your favorites back and in the action again – Lulu, Grandma, Morelli, Ranger and Rex. While Janet has it down to a formula, few can argue that it’s not a winning formula. Her books are easy and fun to read, they nearly always have you laughing out loud at least once, and they appeal to most any adult.

If you like Janet Evanovich, you may also like “Skinny Dip” by Carl Hiaasen or Janet’s other heroine in “Metro Girl“.

While the book got a little strange towards the end, it was a gripping tale with enough twists and turns to keep you going. If you like the old John Grisham books, you’ll probably enjoy “Taken” as well.

And in case you’re wondering, it is NOT related to the Liam Neeson movie.

I just finished “Tourist Season” by Hiaasen and while it had me chuckling once or twice, it was less than his best. Still, it wasn’t as bad as “Strip Tease” which I found to be so tedious that I never finished.

“Tourist Season” stars a poor private investigator who’s hired to find an old friend of his, who has since stolen his woman. There’s also a rash of murders of tourists by a band of lunatics, including a former NFL player. And, naturally, there is a man-eating crocodile involved.

The lead character was likable enough. The villains weren’t quite as creative as Hiaasen sometimes includes. His unlikely heroes came in the form of Shriners from out of town, which was nominally amusing, but eventually seemed to fall a little flat.

Hiaasen has a love of Florida, which is glorified in his books, particularly the Everglades. So if you live in Florida, or just love visiting there, you may enjoy that angle. His books always have a “mystery” in them, though sometimes it is bizarre or simplistic. And there’s usually a beautiful woman who is either the damsel in the distress or the villain, depending on the novel.

Still Hiaasen has a sense of humor that is both dark and sometimes deeply hilarious.

At the crux of the plot is a female director called in to a movie shoot that’s had a million kinds of bad luck. And our hero is a special forces consultant called in to help out the movie star get his stunts right.

There are some laugh out loud moments, many of which surround the references to comic book shops and Wonder Woman underwear – but you’ll have to read it to get in on the joke!

There’s a cute little kid (isn’t that a prereq anymore?), a psychotic killer, helicopters, stolen jade and a one-eyed alligator. It’s sort of like “Romancing the Stone” in book form.

You’re not going to learn anything from reading “Don’t Look Down” but it probably won’t make you stupider

For some reason, it appears that Patterson thought that by going super gruesome, he could stimulate excitement about his books again. I’m all for gruesome when it fits the story and is appropriate. I’ve read “The Hot Zone” (my review) and I like Patricia Cornwell novels and yet I would still say that Patterson pushed it too far. Boiling children alive in oil? Putting grenades in people’s orifices? Raping dead women? If you want to read the “Saw” of books, go for it, but that’s not what I’m looking for.

The villain, called Tiger, seemed like an interesting character, but he never really developed beyond a shadowy figure (cue spooky music). And the big confrontation scene ended was to simply and conveniently. Was Patterson’s deadline looming so he just threw in something?

I thought I had learned my lesson after “Judge & Jury” (my review). But then I spotted “Cross Country” and all those fond memories of the good old days with Alex Cross flooded me and I forgot all common sense, picked it up and read it. And I regretted it. Learn from my mistakes! “You’ve Been Warned” (that book is terrible, do not read it!!!!).

Surprisingly enough, I found myself not really caring. While I liked the character Peyton, she appeared far too seldom to connect with (which is strange as she’s one of the main characters). Staub is winding together a number of women’s stories and rather than supplementing each other (as George RR Martin frequently does), these often compete for your attention and distract from the main plot.

And the ending goes completely strange. Not in a super-shocking development (which is a GOOD thing in a mystery), but in a “Huh? Did I totally miss something?” kind of way.

I prefer a Robin Cook medical thriller or a good Kay Scarpettanovel by Patricia Cornwell instead (but only if it’s classic Scarpetta).

The conspiracy theory aspect is a bit over the top, but if you can forgive that, you will find it to be a fairly fast-paced and light read. The romance is more hinted at than actually acted out (which may disappoint some readers. This is no steamy Nora Roberts or Jude Deveraux novel). And Johansen is clearly setting herself up for an Eve Duncan series (which seems to be the trend anymore, does anyone just write one stand-alone romance novel anymore?).

If you’re looking for suspense/romance combo, you might also check out Julie Garwood or Tami Hoag. If you just want steamy, go for Elizabeth Lowell.

Connelly is great at making his characters complex and his plots thick and fast paced. I like that Mickey is more than just another lawyer out to steal his clients’ money, that he struggles with his ex-wives and that he’s a former drug addict. 

I can’t say that this is the best Connelly book ever, but it was entertaining and more classic Connelly.