Florida Books

I found the little things like the F-U lizards funny. They really sounded like that. I remember the 1st time I heard one. It was on a cold dark rainy night (can't see your hand in front of you even if you are touching your noise) on guard duty at a fire base 40 miles out in the middle of knowwhere. There were a few junkies in my units. Probably more than I knew. I remember one guy named Walker. Guys would start junkie pools and put in a $1 and pick a date when you thought he'd O.D. by. I never really thought of all the families that had kids killed and what they went through. I had a brother 10 years younger than me. Had I been KIA or MIA it would have effected my brother the same way it did Jimmy. My brother & I are very close and talk to each other every day. The Vietnam war was a real waste of time and lives. It is a sad part of US history. To bad we can't learn from history.

I loved Amaryllis!!! I also remember the Vietnam era. I felt I could hear Franks voice in his letters to Jimmy. Craig Crist- Evans captured the helpless feeling of Franks questioned existance while fighting his demons.
Hopefully, a POW story will follow!!!!

Growing up in the time of the Vietnam war and growing up in Florida, I can totally relate to this book. It was, indeed, a time of great turmoil in this country and also brought to the surface many family's individual struggles. Crist-Evans gives us a touching insight into one family's attempts to wrestle with their own personal demons as well as the demons of their country and times. Got a little misty at the end.

This book is a great read for teens and their parents! Both will get hooked on the writing style and the communication between father and son. It's great how the two brothers stay in contact through the troubles and confusions! I would definately recommend this book to you!

This book caught my attention when I saw the title. I read the first page and I was hooked! This author has a great writing style. He also attracts people of my age with his writing style. If you want to read other books by Craig Crist-Evans please check out Moon Over Tennessee!

Our climate is so very difficult to successfully grow flowers, especially in containers. No more hit and miss attempts, my containers are the most beautiful I have ever grown...now all my fingers have become green thumbs! I highly recomment this book to anyone who wishes to grow beautiful container gardens. It has become my planning and planting bible!

One of my gardens always fills up with water anytime it rains, so the soil and plants get washed away. This book shares creative and decorative ideas for having container gardens so the all of the Florida rain does not wash away your garden.

If only this book was available 20 years ago when I moved to Florida, the time and money I would have saved would have paid for it multiple times. Finally a book that is specific to our hot sun, pool decks, and frequent showers. After reading this book I re-did my pool enclosure container garden using many plants that I already had and it has never looked better. For example, I never thought of mixing bromeliads with my potted flowers even though I've got many varieties crawling all over the property, as do most of my neighbors. This book is full of practical information and great ideas for a truly stunning garden, thank you Pamela Crawford!

This book is a must for any gardener in Central or South Florida. The author identifies in detail which plants will perform well and how to artisticly arrange them in pots and hanging baskets. She even has a unique way of displaying hanging baskets on posts. The book is filled with planting information and it has an incredible number of color pictures. This is my favorite gardening book.

I love puttering with my plants on the lanai, so I was pleased to discover this book after reading a South Florida Sun-Sentinel review. It pointed out that the author has a degree in landscape architecture and tested 10,000 plants in more than 300 containers. That sounds a little overwhelming, but she owns a nursery so can work on that scale.
The book points out that the most common mistakes are overwatering and underplanting (not putting enough plants in the pot). She recommends fiberglass pots which don't wick away the moisture like terra cotta and are more lightweight. Plants she particularly recommends include bromeliads, succulents, dragon wing begonias, palms and crotons.

Writer Glynn Marsh Alam's Luanne Fogarty series takes place in the swampy area of northern Florida, a world few of us have experienced. She has a feel for the surroundings and is able to bring the atmosphere to life for the reader. Her stories are solid, the mystery sometimes secondary to the interesting people, motivations, and places.

Don't overlook Alam's relative obscurity as a mystery writer. These books are printed by a very small publisher so are not as widely marketed as they should be. Most mystery readers will find her books worth the read if they can find the books. There are so many less talented writers who receive more coverage. If you doubt my word--just try to find her books in your local library. My suggestion to Alam is to seek out a larger publisher--she deserves a wider audience.

This is a series that I will be faithful too. I like how the author doesn't put a lot of emphasize on Luanne social life and deals more with the story. The main character is great as are all of the secondary characters. I have to say reading these books makes me appreciate my A/C all the more....I can't wait to read the others and hope Ms Alam keeps putting them out.

Just finished "Deep Water Death" and enjoyed every page of it just as much as "Diving Deep and Deadly"! The new characters in "Deep Water Death" are just as intriguing to meet for the first time as the characters in the first of Glynn Alam's novels. And I have a hunch that we haven't seen the end of Nick Summers yet!

I have read this book as well as Dive Deep and Deadly by Ms Alam. I thoroughly enjoyed both books and found them to be page turners. My only complaint is the character is supposedly a cave diver, but Ms. Alam has obviously not researched the sport as her terminology is incorrect throughout the book and is quite bothersome it it's inaccuracies. Otherwise, it's a great read!

I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Alam's first book, Dive Deep and Deadly, but Deep Water Death is even better! The plot of this second offering in the series is well developed and fresh and involves illegal midwifery. Once again, Ms. Alam has transported the reader deep into the bowels of the humid Florida swamps with beautiful writing and descriptions. As you read, you find yourself listening for the tell tale critter sounds and feel the closeness of the steamy air. Her main character, Luanne Fogarty, is smart, witty, competent and extremely likable, without the overbearing cockiness of some mystery heroines. I look forward to the next book in the series!

This was the first of author Born's books I read. It was excellent and spurred me to get the other two Billy Tasker novels. Great characters, great setting... lots of detail. I'm a big Born fan! If you like cop books, you love James O. Born.

This author is remarkably knowledgeable from his past on the FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) and uses this experience to really captivate the reader as Born creates so many compex but easy to follow interactions between his large cast of characters. It was a book that kept me hooked until the last in wanting to find out which of the bad guys did it. The conclusion was both riveting and satisfying.

Some people are always in the right place at the right time; others aren't. Florida lawman Bill Trasker is the latter. Just off a stressful case, he was standing in line at the bank with his 8-year-old daughter when a bank robbery ensued. To help him unwind, his boss sent him to do a review on an inmate homicide at a secluded prison. Bill's trouble magnet, however, continued working at high capacity. Murder, attempted murder (of Bill), kidnapping, and a prison break move Bill's temporary duty from simple to complex and dangerous. Those same complications make for a compelling, fast-paced thriller! James O. Born is now on my must-be-read list.

This book takes a slight departure from the norm in the life of FDLE special agent Bill Tasker when he temporarily leaves Miami to investigate a death at Manatee Correctional near Gladesville. His boss feels he needs a break from his usual high-stress life of chasing dangerous criminals, plus an investigation at the prison will quiet any board of inquiry investigation into Tasker's last high-profile case. Tasker settles into his tiny, government-issue apartment, expecting a quiet idyll, but instead finds himself the victim of violent attacks by prison inmates, a blend of apathy and animosity from the prison staff, and a major attraction to the prison's investigator, Renee Chin. Tasker's next-door neighbor, Professor Klingman, is a likeable guy on an archaeological dig, accompanied by an attractive young female assistant, Billie Towers. Manatee Correctional is run with an iron fist by Captain Sam Norton and his portly sidekick, Sergeant Henry Janzig, who enforce discipline through unorthodox ways, and who want Bill Tasker gone as quickly as possible. Too bad the tenacious agent can't take a hint. At the same time, inmate Luther Williams a/k/a Cole Hodges, who was put away because of Tasker, has managed to gain trustee status and is hatching a few plans of his own while he keeps a spotless prison library.

Tasker suspects something more than a suspicious death at the prison is afoot when he's accosted first by an inmate in the psych ward, then former inmates at a bar, and again by a group of Aryan Knights, and when Professor Klingman is murdered, the Gladesville detective seems uninterested in doing anything to solve the crime. When Luther Williams escapes and calls Tasker with a tip while he's on the run, Tasker starts to put it all together.

Though Born's third effort is as good as his first two, it is not quite as much fun. There seem to be fewer characters and a lot less going on, though he makes good use of characters from the earlier novels in a way that ties them all together and makes me anxious to get my hands on the fourth. Born keeps his stories entertaining by changing the point of view often. Even though Luther Williams is a bad guy, I inexplicably wanted him to succeed in his escape because there's something likeable about him. Even Elmore Leonard doesn't draw his villains that well.

Jim Born is the best thing to happen to crime fiction so far in the new millennium. Anyone who loves crime novels, especially those set in Florida, should be reading him.

James Born's third effort in the Bill Tasker series (see "Walking Money" and "Shock Wave") is an enjoyable read but somewhat short of earning the deification described by other reviewers here. Born has a way to go before his character is in the same room as Doc Ford, Jack Reacher, Bobby Lee Swagger, or Dave Robicheaux. That being said, Tasker, a special agent for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), is an engaging protagonist. He is smart yet misses the obvious at times. He can be explosively decisive at times yet is smart enough to seek a simpler way out. He attracts beautiful women yet is somewhat insecure around them and is still recovering from an unwanted divorce.

Born is a master of characterization and dialogue--elements that seem to go hand-in-hand in his books. His characters are fleshed out and credible; indeed. He makes you think you know them by books end. His dialogue is snappy, appropriate, and never causes you to stop and say--"nah, he wouldn't have said that". Born also is adept at describing his environment and his scenes are believable and well described.

In "Escape Clause", Tasker kills a bank robber with his young daughter watching. To help him get back to normal and escape media attention, his director sends him on what seems a easy case of discovering who killed a wealthy land developer's son while incarcerated in Manatee Correctional in Gladesville. Tasker settles in state housing near the prison, makes some friends (and enemies), and quickly finds himself attracted to two local females...the assistant to an archiver and researcher who lives next door and an enigmatic inspector at Manatee Correctional.

Quickly, Tasker is threatened both inside and outside the prison walls, several dead bodies turn up, a prison break occurs, and it becomes clear that no one wants him around. He gets little help from Captain Norton or his stooge Sgt. Janzig from inside the prison and more surprisingly, no help at all from the local Gladesville detective, Rufus Goodwin.

He finds himself falling hard for Renee Chin, the inspector at Manatee, but has trouble following through on his feelings. As the plot unfolds, Tasker finds himself questioning everyone's loyalty around him. Clearly, his biggest task is to find out who he can believe and trust. Surprisingly, it is Cole Hodges (now known as Luther Williams), an inmate who was sent to Manatee by Tasker in a previous novel, who becomes the catalyst for helping Tasker solve the multi-faceted case.

The pacing is brisk at times, yet there were also periods where things seemed to languish a bit. A particular bit of information by Born regarding where Tasker keeps his gun was reiterated enough times that even the densest reader could see it coming, a point that just seemed unnecessarily cheesy to this reader. All-in-all, "Escape Clause" is an effective addition to the Bill Tasker series.

This book was given to me when I relocated to Florida, and I have thanked my benefactor many times over. Living in Florida means living with and respecting the wild critters, who are part of the beauty of this wonderful state. The colorful photos make it easy to identify the animals who slither through my new world and give me valuable information about which ones I should admire from afar.

I would like to say that I am extremely happy with this book. The pictures are huge and are printed on extremely high quality glossy paper. I would recommend this book to everyone that lives in Florida or is considering moving here.

we LIVE in central florida and my nature loving kids are constantly bringing home wildlife. the vivid accurate photos in this book allow them to ID their living treasures with confidence. (then they get additional info from the internet). the book is also full of useful info, and conservation topics.

My kids and I went on a kick of reading reptile books at a difficulty level similar to this one. After a week of going through various titles, I was surprised to learn more about alligators from the short section in this book than I had learned from all the previous stuff we had read together! Ditto for cottonmouths, and other reptiles.

The photographs are superb, and there are enough pictures of each species to give a true feel for what it looks like instead of a single profile view of each.

If it's slithering, clawing or hopping around your Florida yard you'll find it in this book. The photographs are very well detailed for easy identification. I also recommend Florida's Fabulous Insects for other creepy crawlies.

Richard Barone's Frontman is a great inside look at what is takes to be a surviver - as a musician in the music industry. And a well respected on at that.
It is mostly the industry 'from within' as well as Richard's personal experiences and a few tips on how it works and how to work it.
Nice! And did I say well written?

Frontman: Surviving the Rock Star Myth

"Frontman" is a uniquely honest and refreshing story that works on several levels at the same time. What makes a frontman? Why do they do it? Few books, if any, have explored the phenomenon from the point of view of the subject so brilliantly. B-52's Frontman Fred Schneider says it best on the back cover: "BUY THIS BOOK"!!!

Richard's book is an extremely enjoyable, involving look at a business that eats its own without blinking, but he's come out of everything he's encountered with an amazingly uncynical, positive view. I can't recommend Frontman highly enough... a wonderful way to spend your weekend!

With 'Frontman' Richard Barone adds another remarkable achievement to his already impressive portfolio. Most books I've read by or about musicians have disappointed and/or caused me to like a performer less. 'Frontman' only helps me further appreciate one of my favorite artists! Richard offers a fascinating "travelogue" of his career and music. As in his songs, his writing is eloquent but never pretentious or cloying, and honest but never self-indulgent or gossipy. And as intended, his stories of the music biz are enlightening, engaging and educational for any aspiring frontmen. Richard has truly experienced the wild rollercoaster ride of the entertainment industry and still remains modest, upbeat, and astonishingly un-jaded. Whether or not you're already a fan of Richard's work, this is a great read... and if you're not, you will be by the time you finish this book!

What a surprise to find that the frontman, Richard Barone, is a poet, a musician and singer, a philosopher and mystic. I was skeptical when a friend gave me the book exclaiming, "you'll love it." I love music, but wasn't interested in knowing the ins and outs of the music business (which is accomplished with humor, intelligence and punches). So, I read the first page and was convinced he could write, and then read the last two pages, which reeled me into the reality that this book was much more than black and white words. I've thanked my friend for turning me on to The Frontman. I've given copies to several of my friends, who have thanked me. And, so it goes, there are numerous ways to be inspired, appreciate creativity, notice serendipity, and be compelled to consider the grand unanswerable questions of life. Thank you Richard Barone!

What would happen if the Government could help people learn to use their Psychic powers for spying and murder. Fifteen years ago, they did just that.

When Andrew Steele, a prominent psychiatrist who had been working for the government is found dead, and his wife Rae missing, Detective Sheppard goes to work. His job could depend on solving this case. When he meets Mira Morales, a psychic, many questions evolve. For instance, what does the death of Steele have to do with the death of her husband? Read and find out.

This was a very good book. A little slow starting out but reaches a crescendo and comes crashing down in a wonderful conclusion. Ms. MacGregor did a wonderful job with the characters in this book. You will find yourself easily liking Rae and Sheppard and feeling just a little bit sorry for Hal.

My only negative comment would be that Ms. MacGregor could have put a little more action in this book. The few action scenes were good and well described. However, though not packed with action it is "Intense" for lack of a better word. I truly enjoyed this book.

This was my first MacGregor book. I think it was a good choice and certainly won't be my last. If you like Mystery or Detective novels, this is a book for you.

SUMMARY: The novel that introduces psychic bookstore owner Mira Morales, her feisty grandmother Nadine, and precociously impish daughter Annie, The Hanged Man is the story of Fort Lauderdale floating detective Wayne Shepherd, searching for the killer of famed criminologist Andrew Steele and the disappearance of his wife Rae. His search leads him to a tip phoned in by a reluctant Mira, whom he draws into this web of intrigue. Also on the trail of the perpetrator is FBI big-wig Lenora Douglas, who chaired a covert operation called Delphi with the late Steele. Solving his murder is imperative to her admonition by her superior to erase all traces of Delphi.

WHY YOU'LL LIKE IT: If you enjoy elements of the supernatural in your novels, or are an aficionado of psychic detective fiction, you'll immensely enjoy this story. Mira is written as a strong, brave heroine with human foibles, and her family life is as integral to the story as her unique abilities. Shep is a rarity in the detective fiction genre - a masculine, stalwart guy who is not so entrenched in his beliefs about the system or his own ability that he is willing to disregard pertinent information, regardless if it comes from a sense other than the usual five.

WHY YOU WON'T: MacGregor attempts to invoke some sympathy for the killer from the reader, but it just doesn't wash. Everyone has a sob story, and his isn't so terrible that it excuses his actions. However, he is cleverer than most villains, and his preternatural ability is terrifying.

BOTTOM LINE: Suspenseful, action-packed, and romantic, this is a wonderful offering from a woman who always delivers compulsively readable fiction. Highly recommended.

MacGregor plunges into a psychic world of terror in this well-conceived and written thriller. All the usual ingredients are here: covert Government experiment using psychis to advance their own means in the guise of helping the government; a dashing cop, Wayne Sheppard; a psychic heroine, Mira Morales; a devilish handsome villain, Hal Bennet; a beguiling, ambitious and deadly female FBI agent, Lenora Fletcher; a kidnapped beauty who finds herself falling for her captor, and assorted other psychics and heroes/villains.
MacGregor pulls out some surprises, and keeps the action brisk and exciting. MacGregor, an obvious horror novel/movie fan, utilizes this love in scenes reminiscent of Farris' "The Fury" and King's "Carrie."
A very enjoyable read.

My wife got me in a library one day. I hated reading books but wen she was searching for her historical romances, i stumbled upon a book, kept deep inside and dark. i grabbed it out of curiousity. well the title really attracted me ALOT- The Hanged Man. I've always loved thrillers, murders etc. so i read the front pages and couldnt stop reading even wen my wife went away! i didnt really know if i wanted to borrow the book cos i was not a bookworm or some sort. but i did the right thing by borrowing. its very very nice! i love it! psychics and murders. everything is nice. now im starting to like psychics plot! anyone recommend me a book pls?

T.J. MacGregor has gotten my attention with this novel. I am fan of mysteries and thrillers with a psychic character in them, MacGregor definitely delivers a tale tight with psychic abilities. "Project Delphi" spawned seven psychics taken from prisons, trained by the FBI, and used as psychic assassins and spies. Now, years after the project was disbanded when three of its members escaped, the seemingly random murder of a criminal psychologist - and the kidnapping of his wife - is anything but random after all.
Enter Mira Morales. A psychic who tuned in on the murder before it happened, and a woman for whom the police have no respect, she just might be the only thing capable of unravelling the conspiracy, uncovering the criminals, and saving the kidnapped woman's life... if she can live that long with three trained psychics after her, and only one detective on her side.
Definitely a thriller, this book had me gripped. There's only a few parts to the book that had me annoyed, but they were fairly minor (there's a whopping big coincidence to the book's plot that made me twitch). Moreover, the psychic abilities take centre stage without causing harm to the plot nor the characterizations. This was a good read, and fans of Kay Hooper, Margaret Lawrence, and Joseph Glass should like it.
'Nathan

As a "local" I generally cringe when reading books set here in the Keys because they do not reflect the "end of the road", anything goes crazy residents who live here, work here and deal with an endless summer vacation. Mary Stella nails it. From the opening scene where Dora bonds with a stuffed trophy fish and takes it home in the divorce settlement, to the island fever bungalow renovation after a bender at the local bar, she gets the insanity and reality of living in paradise to a "T". Her hero is the perfect example of all the hidden gems we have hiding here under the guise of island bums and his patient, loving, acceptance of Dora's quirks as he brings her back to the land that civilization missed is what romance is really all about. This is not a quickie, oh-baby-you-are-so-hot-I-have-to-have-you romance. This is a slow burn under a tropical sun. If you are looking for a plastic Club Med then read someone else. If you are looking for the real paradise of Margaritaville, buy both of Stella's books today.

KEY OF SEA is the story of one woman's Floridian journey of life that will come full circle in search of the truly wonderful and vibrant woman she had left behind. Dora Lee will find more than she would or could have hoped for. From the disappointments and betrayal of her ex-husband to the boy back home. This beautifully written story encompasses all the warm feelings that speak to our heart and transports the mind. Bravo, Ms. Stella, you have a hit with KEY OF SEA and this should be an award-winning year for you! KEY OF SEA is a faultless five hearts and a must read!

Dora Lee's husband, J. Walter Morrison III, has just handed her divorce papers after being his trophy wife for fourteen years. It is back to plain old Dora Lee Hanson who is a discarded, has-been socialite without any purpose now. Treasure Coast mansion will no longer be her home; she must be out within a week. At thirty-nine years of age, Dora Lee feels old and useless. With her tail tucked between her legs, she will go back home to her conch roots to a place she'd never thought she would be living again, Hanson's Marina and Mall with her Grandpa Willie. In truth, the Hanson's Marina and Mall is just a glorified row of broken down storefronts. Could her life get any worse?

As always, Grandpa Willie will have his arms and heart open for his "Baby Girl." Dora Lee had gone to live with her grandparents when her mother and father were killed. It is just her Grandpa Willie now and she will need him more than ever! When Dora Lee gets there, it is to the nightly ritual of watching the sun setting on the horizon. All the storeowners gather on the front porch every night, it is a tradition. None of them look happy to see her, including Bobby her best friend Jo Jo's brother. What happened to the gangly kid whose heart she broke? He is no longer a boy, but a big green-eyed hunk that she finds attractive. Things are not looking good for Dora Lee.

KEY OF SEA is by Mary Stella. This book follows in the footsteps of ALL KEYED UP and should be called, "The Key Of Success," because this book is brilliant! Ms. Stella has written a splendidly poignant story that touched this reader. Dora Lee's fascinating pilgrimage back to her old haunts and friends will grab you from the moment you open this book. You will become possessed with the comfort of Dora Lee's conch roots as this story unfolds. From her Grandpa Willie, who can at times have Key Disease (a slow moving pace). To Dora Lee's best friend Jo Jo, whose hyper and optimistic personality will have you laughing with glee. The storyline and characters are clear-cut and precise with a clarity that rings like a crystal flute, just magnificent!

This reviewer highly recommends KEY OF SEA and it is a keeper for her. If you only get to read one contemporary romance this year, please, make it KEY OF SEA. Get your copy when it hits the shelves August 2005!

Reviewed by © Janalee Ruschhaupt, 2005.

I love the Florida Keys, and Key of Sea brings it to life so realistically, you can smell the salt air. Dora Lee is a heroine most of us can relate too--a little bit damaged by life and working on her self esteem. And Bobby is just the medicine we need, er, I mean that Dora Lee needs for her condition. Not only is this a delightful romance, but Mary Stella uses fun Keys references in creative ways, sneaking them into metaphors and similies that will make the reader chuckle.
Read this book! And if you haven't already read All Keyed Up, get both.

This is Mary Stella's second book and is more enjoyable than her first endeavour if that is possible.

Dora Lee Hanson leaves the Florida Keys for the bright lights and hopefully a modelling career. Instead she marries a wealthy magnate, J. Walter Morrison III, but after fourteen years of marriage he divorces her for a younger "Trophy" wife. Feeling crushed and rejected, Dora goes home to her grandfather who will welcome her with open arms. Bobby Daulton was crushed when Dora Lee left the Keys the first time. When he sees Dora again after all these years, he realizes his feelings for her have not changed. Bobby decides that this time his "trophy" is not getting away from him and he has every intention of reeling her in before she gets away. The patience of Bobby and the skittishness of Dora makes this a fun, light-hearted, heart warming and touching read. The setting could not have been better for these characters and the storyline works so well for them. Mary Stella has written another winner and leaves this reader eager for more books from her set in the Keys.

When trophy wife Dora Lee Hanson gets traded in for a shinier model, she returns to her home in the keys with nothing more than a not-so-lucrative divorce settlement, her ex-husband's stuffed tarpon and a wicked case of Whipped Dog Syndrom. But don't feel too bad for Dora Lee. Her journey toward self-discovery and true love is only beginning. In this heart-warming, laugh out loud tale of new beginnings in the face of setbacks, Mary Stella provides her readers with a highly entertaining read. Her portrayal of the Florida Keys is delightfully accurate and her characters are people you love to root for. If you want a book that makes you laugh, makes you think, and makes you smile, I highly recommend Key of Sea.

There was a brief stage in my college career when I hoped to get into newspapers. Unfortunately, I'm a very slow writer. I would sweat bullets over remarkably simple stories, and my editorial prowess was equally dubious. It was at that time I discovered Carl Hiaasen and his remarkably subversive novel, TOURIST SEASON. His author's bio indicated that his newspaper setting was drawn from authentic experience -- he was a columnist for the Miami Herald.

Unfortunately, the web was just in its infancy, and access to Hiaasen's newspaper writing was apparently one of the few exclusive benefits of living in South Florida. KICK ASS turns out to be just the sort of collection that I had been craving for many years.

KICK ASS does not disappoint. It begins with a nifty introduction that provides a smattering of biographical information on Hiaasen, as well as a context for the subjects and tone of his columns. Hiaasen clearly resides in a longstanding tradition of muckraking American journalism, and I mean that in the best possible way.

This is no mere sampling of his work -- there are more than 200 columns here, organized by topic, and just about every one of them meets the mandate stated in the title of the collection. Hiaasen has a passion for the environment, consumer protection, crime control, and good government. His portrait of a Florida reeling after the flood of growth and development of the last three decades is even starker than the one in his novels. Speaking of the novels, it is also fun to see where he "lifts" some of his ideas for the things that happen in his books. The overamorous dolphin of NATIVE TONGUE appears in KICK ASS as well.

If there is anything to regret about this book, it is that the topical organization often generates confusion for the reader when certain figures re-occur. Some of them almost develop a roguish charm. After all, us non-Floridians don't have to live with the direct consequences of local corruption. A little wrap-up to let us know how some of the notorious figures and controversies ended up would have been nice. I always hated that device at the end of his novels, but it would be perfect for a collection like this.

As a lifelong resident of Florida (albeit a ninetten-year-old one), I have seen Florida at its best and worst. Hiiasen's columns represented in this book illustrate the "politics" and people of a great but confused state. If you live in Florida, have visited, or even have heard of it, this book will both amuse and depress you, as is the nature of the state. Everyone will identify with the outrage Hiiasen evokes over the disregard of the envirnment, the sham of politics, and the overall life in Miami, and indeed, all of Florida. This book will remind readers of what Marjorie Kinnan-Rawlings and Marjorie Douglass once experienced in Florida, and tells both the good and the bad of what has happened after a hundred years of exploitation If you want a non-stop laugh and a big dose of reality, read this collection - it's one of the best books in print right now.

This book is; to borrow another Hiaasen title a real Hoot. He is without a doubt not only informative,and thought provoking but he does it while leaving his readers in stiches. I think he shows a genuine affection for the idiots he writes about

I've never set foot in Florida, but I can't get enough Carl Hiaasen. I've read every single novel he's written and I have to say his columns are just as worthy a read.

From the opening column of the book (Carl Hiaasen's Florida Stress Test) to some of the more serious writings (the group of prostitutes he talks to, the crumbling county health building) Hiaasen writes it all with a razor-sharp flair and zeal that can't be matched. You know this guys just loves going to work every day.

Who else would refer to the newly elected mayor of Miami as a "pernicious little ferret"?

Keep them coming, Carl. I'm waiting on Volume 3.

Sidenote: I also wrote this review for "Paradise Screwed" b/c it's the same book, just different selected columns.

If you've ever read a Carl Hiassen book (or Tim Dorsey for that matter) and you wonder where he became so cynical, or where he gets his outrageous ideas from, read this book. Taking only the best of his newspaper columns, this book gives little glimpses into the absolute mess that was Miami/South Florida in the 80's/90's. Taking on anything from connected land developers, to cartel-backed politicians, to prostitute employing evangelists.

Each column is 1 to 1.5 pages in length making it the perfect length to read here and there, or big bites at a time. If you're a fan of Carl Hiassen, try this book not for Hiassen's opinion, but just for the shear knowledge of ludicrisiosity he imparts.

This book was so awesome I felt like I was in Florida ! This story was about a girl named Brenna who really liked manatees. One day Dr. Mac
decided to take Maggie,Zoe,and Brenna to Florida to visit a manatee
rescue center,that needs money really bad.You will have to read the
book to find out what happens next. I really enjoyed this story because
I love animals,especially manatees!

This is the fourth book in the WILD AT HEART series about young vet volunteers. You've read about Maggie, Sunita, and David. This book is about Brenna, and manatees. Manatees are large marine mammals. They look something like floating elephants. They're related to elephants, too, as well as to aardvarks and hyraxes. Did you know that? Brenna did. She loves manatees. She did a school project on them and got an A+. Now she gets to travel by airplane to Florida with Dr. Mac and her two granddaughters, Maggie and Zoe, to work in a rescue mission for manatees. And she is jazzed! She takes along her camera with its zoom lens, and she can't wait to meet Dr. Mac's former pupil, Gretchen, who runs the rescue mission. Of course, her mother's parting words, "Be polite, watch your temper, and think before you open your mouth," get Brenna into trouble --- when she forgets them!

They no sooner arrive at the mission than Gretchen and her assistant Carlos get a phone call about a wounded manatee that needs help. Brenna wants to go along, and she makes Dr. Mac mad by asking Gretchen to let them. But Gretchen says it's okay. When they find the manatee, they discover that it's Violet, an old friend of Gretchen and Carlos. She's been struck by a boat. The propeller ripped into her back, broke her ribs, and punctured a lung. She's been floating, helpless and in pain, for weeks. Gretchen and Carlos don't know whether they can save her or not. When they get her back to the mission, Gretchen lets Dr. Mac and the girls watch the surgery.

While Violet is recuperating from the first surgery, Gretchen takes Dr. Mac and the girls on a floating restaurant cruise to the Gulf of Mexico. Is that neat or what? While Brenna tries to figure out which fork to use (she has three), she notices an abandoned baby manatee thrashing in the water. Gretchen uses Brenna's camera with its telephoto lens to see that the baby is tangled in the rope of a crab pot. The tide is coming in, and the baby will drown unless someone rescues him. Gretchen puts on a life jacket and jumps overboard. Brenna thinks she needs help and jumps in, too --- without a life jacket. Gretchen isn't happy about that, and Dr. Mac is steamed about it.

They rescue the baby and take it to the mission. Carlos says Brenna can name him. She names him Key Lime. That's her pie that was melting while she helped Gretchen rescue him. Key Lime needs an adopted mother, and he wants Violet to volunteer. But Violet is getting worse, so Gretchen and Carlos have to operate on her again. But there is even more terrible news than that. The mission is in debt. It needs hundreds of thousands of dollars just to survive, and Gretchen's bank loan is denied. Even if they can save Violet and Key Lime, they can't save the mission. Or can they? I'll give you some clues: Brenna's camera and a baseball game. Got it? Then you'd better read the book!

--- Reviewed by Tamara Penny

I absolutely LOVE any Wild at Heart Books, and I can never put them down. I would strongly suggest that you buy this book for you, friend, or a family member. Anyone could find something that they enjoy in these books!!!

This book is very intriguing, I couldn't put it down! Brenna and two other friends (Zoe and Maggie) went to Florda to study manatees. When they get there they meet a marine biologist who works at a rescue center for manatees and other animals. This place needs ALOT of money to stay open. When Brenna takes a picture of a famous baseball player driving his boat too fast where manatees may be, and then shows it to him after his baseball game... Did she just save the rescue center? I suggest this book to anyone who likes water animals, and alot of adventure.

I think this book is AWESOME it's my faivorite in the series !
It's about this girl named Brenna who gose to Florida with some other volunteers from Wild at Heart animal clinic to reaserch Manatees and really makes a diference. I would recamend this book to any persone that likes water animals or just wants a Great book.