Bad Monkey

It’s been a while since I read a Carl Hiaasen novel Ten years ago I read most of his early books. I was not disappointed the same wit, humor, and adventure was a welcome reminder to get back on track and read some more of his books. This story had me in stitches and I enjoyed it immensely. That monkey cracked me up. And a great cast of crazy characters. I will be reading more of his work

It was good, but not as good as his other books. Story could’ve been better.

Love this book! Very quick read. I'm kind of concerned about seeing the movie because I love the book so much. Highly recommend this.. it's funny, it's got mystery, it's great!

Having been to both Orlando and Miami more than once, I can state categorically that humor writer/novelist Carl Hiaasen has the uncanny ability of depicting southern Florida with excruciating accuracy. It is that nuts there, and no more so than in Bad Monkey, which opens with suspended county cop Andrew Yancy trying to figure out what to do with the business end of a human arm - it's middle finger still extended in one final jab at life - that's still tucked away in his freezer. Not feeling the boat accident tag the cops have put onto it, no one wants to pursue what Yancy feels certain is a murder for fear of stirring some rough political waters, leaving newly-appointed Health Inspector Yancy to deal with everything from thwarting the sale of a monstrosity of a house next door to dealing with his ex, a sexy coroner, a voodoo queen down in the Bahamas, an insurance fraud scheme ... and, of course, the naughty monkey of the title, who manages somehow to be smart, stupid, disgusting and funny all at the same time. Typical Hiaasen, only to me not one of his best; normally with him I can go along for the ride, breezing through laughing with the occasional "OMG" thrown in for flavor. Here, about two-thirds in the story slowed way down for me, and though it picked up again in the end I had almost lost interest by then; still feel like things could have resolved themselves a bit more quickly. Not horrible, but not his best work either. **1/2

Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen ". . . a fun, fast read and a wild ride." BAD MONKEY is vintage Hiaasen. A quirky protagonist, surrounded by even quirkier characters, mired in odd-ball intrigue, in South Florida, of course. This story revolves around Florida Keys detective Andrew Yancy, newly busted to the role of restaurant inspector, aka "roach patrol," for attacking one Dr. Clifford Witt, husband of a former Yancy lover, with a hand-held Black & Decker vacuum cleaner. All videoed by cruise liner tourists with cell phones in hand. Yancy embarks on several hit and miss attempts to get his badge back. No easy proposition. Particularly since his boss, Sheriff Sonny Summers, opinion is that Yancy was lucky they didn't "charge you with sodomy." But the warm waters off the Florida Keys offer up salvation in the form of a severed arm, middle finger extended as if to say, well you know. Seems the arm belonged to a wealthy crook, who scammed various medical insurance companies for millions, only to die in a boating accident, leaving the arm behind to be hooked by a tourist on a fishing charter. But in Hiaasen's world things are never as they seem. Not even close. The police want the missing arm case as well as a murder and a suicide (or not) to go quietly into the archives. But, Yancy doesn't buy it. He sees nefarious activity in the shadows. And he has a plan. Solve the murder, disprove the suicide, and prove that the wife offed the arm's previous owner. Or did she? Tie up all these loose ends and they'll have to return his badge. Won't they? This story is totally Hiassen. It bounces around the Keys, South Florida, and the Bahamas. Reminiscent of his earlier works such as SKINNY DIP, STORMY WEATHER, and STRIP TEASE, BAD MONKEY is filled with easy one-liners, believably unbelievable occurrences, and odd ball characters: love interest Dr. Rosa Campesino, a medical examiner with a penchant for sex on the dissecting table; The Egg, a homicidal brute who has Yancy in his sites; the Dragon Queen, a Bahamian scooter-riding VooDoo witch who delights in kinky sex and casting black spells; and of course Driggs, the "bad monkey." Bad doesn't quite cover it. Maybe petulant, combative, or recalcitrant. No, vile. That's the word. What else could you say about a monkey who attacks without warning and tends toward flinging excrement on a whim? Yeah, vile works. As if all this didn't fill Yancy's plate, his neighbor is constructing a massive mansion that will block Yancy's view of the water. Yancy's attempts to waylay those plans are numerous and insane (in a Hiassen sort of way). Through solving murders, tracking down folks who have gone missing, messing with his neighbor's head, and avoiding The Egg and Driggs as best he can, Yancy attempts to develop a real relationship with the good Dr. Campesino. You'll need a scorecard to keep up with all the characters, many having a couple of aliases, and all the scams within scams, but the pages will fly by. For Hiaasen fans (like me) this book will cause more than a few laugh-out -loud moments and for new fans, welcome to his world. It's a fun, fast read and a wild ride. DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Dub Walker and Samantha Cody thriller series

Just when you think Carl Hiaasen has tapped into just about every type of crazy you might find in Florida, he dredges up something new, gives it an everglades-alligator spin, and leaves you wanting more. "Bad Monkey" starts with a tourist's nightmare: snagging a human arm instead of the big fish they'd hoped to catch, but they make the most of it, especially since the hand on the arm appeared to be giving everyone on the boat the finger. Enter Andrew Yancy, suspended from the sheriff's office for assaulting a man with a vacuum cleaner and tasked with transporting the arm. "Yancy knew the sheriff was sending the arm to Miami [from the Keys] because Miami was the floating-human-body-parts capital of America." Hiaasen's style drives the narrative as much as his ability to weave a weaving plot; examples are everywhere. Here's just one from early in the book: "During his sixteen years as a road patrol officer, Sonny Summers had received numerous commendations for not f***ing up on the job... One year he led the whole force in DUI arrests, a highly competitive category in the Keys." As for the plot? I'm sure I'd botch it if I tried to summarize it, with all the characters, their various motivations and shenanigans.... so I'll just assure you if you've loved Hiaasen for his zany unpredictability, you'll appreciate this particular story, its unique characters, and general fun. Read it if you're feeling lousy about the state of things. It will make you smile.

Saw the series with Vince vaugh usually either thr book is better or the movie or show is better In this case both are excellent, Carl has a way of story telling and dialog that is superior in every way funny and well written laugh out loud and outrageous. Read this for a book group I am in at the boca raton history museum reading all florida books So happy they choose this one well done Carl and Yancy

Carl Hiaasen is a genius. Along with Elmore Leonard, Christopher Moore, and Tim Dorsey, he's on my short list of writers whose new novels I must read the moment they are released. Along those lines, I wasted no time in placing my advance order for BAD MONKEY the moment I knew it was coming out. After all, I have read all of his other adult novels--and have re-read some that I found especially well done. And make no mistake; BAD MONKEY starts out with the usual Hiaasen flair for distinctly Floridian dark humor, as a deep-sea fishing tourist hooks a severed arm with its middle finger extended. Thus begins a tale which runs up and down the Florida Keys, involving homicide detective-demoted-to-restaurant health inspector Andrew Yancy, who launches an off-the-books investigation of the suspected murder with the aid of a sexy/kinky Dade County medical examiner; the victim's widow, who seems nonplussed about her husband's demise; her daughter, who hates her stepmother as much as she loves her late father's ill-begotten estate; and a bevy of other whacked-out characters, including Yancey's fugitive ex, and a real estate speculator from upstate New York who is spoiling Yancy's corner of paradise. Yancy's investigation eventually leads him to the Bahamas, where he meets and befriends a fellow with whom he shares a common plight (the loss of the natural splendor surrounding his home). Their paths further intertwine with a voodoo queen, a hired thug named Egg, and a mangy capuchin monkey named Driggs--leading to a plot twist amid an approaching hurricane, which was at once unexpected and satisfying. Overall, BAD MONKEY is vintage Hiaasen. However, there are aspects of this book I found disappointing. For example, while conducting his investigation in the Bahamas, Yancy witnesses Driggs riding the roof of a moving vehicle. By itself, this incongruous scene is funny. But in a subsequent chapter, Hiaasen explains in depth how Driggs wound up on the roof of said vehicle--from the monkey's POV. This chapter, and some other passages--including far too many scenes involving Yancy's restaurant inspections--lent little if anything to the story's flow or advanced the plot in any appreciable manner. While reading these parts of the novel I couldn't help but think, "Can we get on with it, please?" Still, this story padding wasn't sufficient cause for me to dismiss the novel entirely. In BAD MONKEY, Hiaasen takes sardonic delight in skewering Florida cronyism while he addresses the greed-fueled destruction of his home state's environmental resources. These are common themes in his novels, yet they still hold up in BAD MONKEY. And the characters are as alternately manic and laconic as any he's introduced us to previously...although, I hope he brings back Skink next time around. BAD MONKEY is a fun romp, although it could have been better. Still, Hiaasen remains a master of his craft, and die-hard fans will enjoy this novel...hopefully, with both arms intact.

Pedi este libro y cuando lo recibi, vi que las hojas estaban mal cortadas. Unas hojas eran mas grandes que otras, etcetera. Devolví el libro que recibí, y me enviaron otro. Por mi sorpresa, tiene el mismo problema. No tengo tiempo ni ganas de pedir otra vez la devolución, y me lo quedo. Con un mal sabor en la boca.

I recently read the book "Bad Monkey" by Carl Hiaasen and it was an absolute blast. The book is filled with hilarious characters and wild adventures. The writing is witty and engaging and the book is packed with action and unexpected twists. Highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and entertaining read!

Having been introduced to Carl Hiaasen, well not actually Mr Hiaasen himself but his books by a fellow dog walker, and having enjoyed the first one I tried, "Double Whammy", I've just completed another, this time "Bad Monkey" and thoroughly enjoyed it. While perhaps not as rib-ticklingly funny as I found "Double Whammy", Hiaasen does though let his zany wicked sense of humour have its moments, but there's more to "Bad Monkey" than just the humour because it's an easy to read brilliant story that's just off the edge of credibility. Anchored around a severed arm that's landed by a tourist fishing boat off Key West, disgraced ex-cop now roach inspector Andrew Yancy has his suspicions about the supposed circumstances of its loss and sets out to investigate encountering a rich cast of unusual characters and the titular Bad Monkey along the way as he seeks to unravel the mystery of the arm's provenance and track down the rest of the body to which it was once attached [and that's all I'm saying, no spoilers here]. With its rich cast off misfits, weirdos, wackos and charlatans, and Hiaasen's imaginative storytelling "Bad Monkey" is highly recommended if you are looking for something light-hearted and entertaining.

This is the first book I've read by Carl Hiaasen. This book is written tongue-in-cheek, great humour as well as being a good detective story. I was constantly entertained by this author and couldn't put the book down. In future, I am going to order books that Carl Hiaasen has already published. Looking forward to reading them. I am a voracious reader of detective novels and I so enjoyed this one. Good work, Carl Hiaasen.

This is the first Carl Hiaasen book I have read and I loved it. One of the few true laugh out loud books I have read in a long time. Some great characters in unique situations. Hiaasen never reduces the seriousness of the crime but finds the funny side as well. I'll be back for more!