Book 33 - Skin Tight - Carl Hiaasen

Although I've read a bunch of classic literature, I've also peppered my selections with some non-fiction and pop fiction. I've already confessed that Carl Hiaasen is one of my favorite pop writers, so it should come as no surprise that I've read yet another of his thoroughly entertaining books.

Book 33 - Skin Tight - Carl Hiaasen

As I said in my review of Nature Girl (http://the52booksin52weekspersonalchallenge.blogspot.com/2010/07/book-22-nature-girl-carl-hiaasen.html), Hiaasen's work is highly formulaic, and Skin Tight is no exception. Set in Florida, the story centers around a retired state investigator, Mike Stranahan, who now spends a quiet existence on a stilt-house on the water, fishing and boating and entertaining young coeds who he happens to find nude sunbathing on his deck. Quiet indeed, until a hit man shows up to kill him, and Stranahan is forced to defend himself by stabbing his would-be killer in the chest with the sword-like nose of a trophy marlin. The killer dies before Stranahan can get him to talk, leaving him to wonder who put the hit out on him. Sure, Stranahan has made some enemies over the years, but he's retired now, so why go after him?

Well, it turns out that Stranahan was involved in a missing persons case involving a girl who disappeared after getting a nose job. Her doctor, Rudy Graveline, a Miami plastic surgeon of undeserved renown, killed her by accident on the operating table, and is covering it up so that he can hang on to his lucrative practice, a plastic surgery mill where young talented doctors do most of the cutting and he takes all the credit. The truth is that Rudy is a hack who's fought off malpractice so many times that he is in danger of losing his license, and he is not going to let that happen. He believes that Stranahan can expose him as the girl's killer, and therefore wants him out of the way.

Meanwhile a TV investigative reporter, Reynaldo Flemm, and his producer, Christina Marks, have caught wind of the story through a disgruntled former employee of the doctor. Christina is the true talent behind the duo: she lines up interviews, writes the questions, checks the facts, etc. Reynaldo is a vain bumbler, who is more interested in gaining notoriety by getting punched on camera than he is in uncovering a real news story. Christina teams up with Stranahan in more ways than one, and finds herself dodging the bullets of Chemo, a second hit man sent by the doctor to kill Stranahan. Chemo has a horribly disfigured face, the result of an electrolysis laser accident, and is doing the hit in exchange for dermabrasion treatments.

If you have read any of Hiaasen's work, you know this is only the beginning. Corrupt zoning commissioners, blackmail, dirty killer cops, a rather unique hand prosthesis, and more botched surgery keep the action humming along nicely. Hiaasen's writing style is tight and the comedic oddness of the characters and situations keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. This is a thoroughly entertaining book, and I recommend it to anyone who likes quirky comedy/action/mystery stories.