Squeeze Me: A novel (Skink Series) Kindle Edition

It had been a while since my last book by Hiassen. I enjoyed that one enough to purchase more recently without reading a synopsis or review of any of them. I laughed so often and hard that I startled family and pets while I attempted to quit snorting and guffawing (only to reread the same bit and laugh just as hard). Well done, Mr. Hiassen. You rock.

A truly funny, well writen and engaging novel ! I laughed all the way through the story. He is truly a gifted writer.

Mar a Largo is too big a target. Like Trump and his minions. Which doesn’t stop Carl Hiaasen from doing his usual satirical number. Funny, but perhaps a bit more predictable than some. The central character, Angie, is however very appealing and you end up cheering for her on many levels.

I have read all of Carl Hiaasen's adult novels, including the three co-authored novels from the outset of his career. I have also taught his wonderful novel DOUBLE WHAMMY for years. Unfortunately I found SQUEEZE ME to be a profound disappointment. CH still has the ability to create hilarious set pieces based on popular culture in its crassest forms but I had to force myself to read this novel to its conclusion.There are two principal problems. The first concerns the plot. The plot is the once-fresh notion that an ex-governor of Florida left the office and lives as a modern Tarzan in the Everglades or some other increasingly-spoiled spot. From there he takes revenge on encroaching 'civilization' by unleashing violence upon it. That violence sometimes takes the form of 'nature finding vengeance', in this case a set of nasty and grotesquely out-sized Burmese Pythons finding their prey among the blue-hairs of West Palm. The (only) likeable character among the principal dramatis personae is one Angie Armstrong, a former vet who was imprisoned for sticking a poacher's hand in an alligator's mouth. It is Angie (now a wildlife controller) whose job it is to catch the pythons. Her relationships with other characters are little more than skin deep and the meandering plot never focuses on her to any degree that could be characterized as engaging or successful. We basically have a set of linked events concerning largely-unattractive characters that are eventually resolved in a completely predictable fashion. The only redeeming facet of the story is the reappearance of ex-Governor Clinton ('Skink') Tyree's driver, Jim Tile. Unfortunately, Jim is aging and ill. While the first is inevitable the second is unnecessary. Jim deserves better.The reason for the failed plot is the fact that the novel's principal thrust is to punish Donald Trump for living in Carl Hiaasen's state (and for being Donald Trump). While he is never named specifically (both he and Melania are identified by their Secret Service nicknames) there is no doubt that the Trumps are CH's principal subject. The book is 'satire' but satire has its own rules and protocols and it usually results in a misfire if the satiric object is attacked for reasons that are not commensurate with reality. For example: DJT is completely vulnerable with regard to the color of his skin and his (here-imagined) proclivity for top-of-the-line tanning beds. Here, however, he is portrayed as fatter than William Howard Taft (who generally topped the Donald by around 100 pounds) and guilty of continually misspeaking in a manner that exceeds the failings of Mrs. Malaprop. Again, DJT has a recognizable accent and a driving tendency toward hyperbole, but he generally gets the names straight and has a facility at remembering specific details. He is also portrayed as an endless attacker of decent, upstanding illegal immigrants and CH's ridicule of DJT's identification of some illegals via gang numbers gives the impression that MS-13 is a collection of misunderstood boy scouts. The First Lady is portrayed as a libidinous pursuer of a Secret Service agent with an Anglo name who is actually an Arab. This crosses multiple lines and--worst of all in the Hiaasen universe—it is in no way clever or funny. Satirists always have a challenging task at hand, but even the most punitive satirist (satire generally being classified as punitive or persuasive) cannot afford to appear mean-spirited, vindictive and cruel for cruelty's sake.It is also a good general rule for satirists that they attack a 'common' target, one who is judged to be deserving of satire by the vast majority of readers. To antagonize one-half of the potential audience from the get-go is seldom a shrewd move.Bottom line: while CH still has some solid novelistic chops his political animus gets the best of him here and results in a novel that many will find flawed as a work of art and offensive as an exercise in scattershot venting. CH is a hard-hitting journalist with a vastly different 'persona' (qua journalist) than his laugh-out-loud 'persona' as a novelist. Here he gets his own lines crossed and appears more like a screeching denizen of CNN than a tough journalist/genial novelist who keeps his roles appropriately separated.

I read this book with my husband and we had a great number of laughs. I will say Carl Hiaasen never fails to entertain!!! I hope he continues this saga a little more.

I’m a longtime fan of Carl Hiaasen’s wry humor. I’m also a Trump supporter. So, it was with some trepidation that I went ahead and bought (and read) this book after reading several of the one-star reviews. But the further I read, the more I realized that Trump supporters can actually read and enjoy this book by simply replacing some of the not-so-subtle Trump references with like references to earlier Democrat presidents. Hey, it worked for me. YMMV. Here are a few examples:Are you outraged to read about the First Lady having an illicit affair with - of all things - a Muslim Secret Service agent? If so, then just let your mind wander back eight years and picture the then-First Lady engaged in an affair with a close family friend and advisor - who conveniently resided with the First Family - and was also, of all things, Iranian-born.Or think back to the Democrat administration prior to that one, with a new Chief of Staff tasked with reining in the Presidential Willie. One of his first acts was to request the resignation of the Callipygean Press Secretary, who was rumored to be intimately involved with the President. Imagine her gaining a reprieve by explaining to the Chief that no, her affair was actually with the First Lady.If the very thought that our President might mispronounce the word “conch” offends you, just think back to another President who mispronounced “Navy Corpsman” as “Navy Corpse-man.” Twice. In the same speech. I hear the Teleprompter of the United States (TOTUS) was taken out behind the woodshed after that one.Do you find it beyond belief that a President would interrupt his golf game to address the Press about a tragic - but local - incident involving one of his closest supporters? Don’t. Just swap Palm Beach with Martha’s Vineyard in your mind and remember a close supporter of an earlier President being arrested for breaking and entering. Another story that should have been relegated to local police blotter news. Instead, we all watched that President interrupt his golf game to declare to the world, ”The Cambridge Police acted stupidly.” And thus ensued a ridiculous, but must-see, televised Beer Summit.If the idea that our President would mistake a black man at one of his parties for Morgan Freeman and send the man a photo of the two of them together with an inscription recalling Freeman’s role in Driving Miss Daisy strikes you as bizarre, just fondly recall the last time the Democrats lost the House majority and the outgoing Speaker violated precedent by failing to resign from her House seat. So, with the former Speaker becoming Minority Leader, which would then bump the #3 Democrat - a real minority himself - right out of the Democrat House leadership, this created an untenable situation. Thus, a new “leadership position” was created, affectionately referred to as Driving Miss Nancy.The possibilities are endless. Happy reading!

Carl never fails to make me laugh out loud.

If you are not a fan of 45, you will laugh out loud in parts of this book. It paints a picture of him that millions believe is entirely accurate. The main character, Angie, is a bit unrealistic but certainly moves the plot and keeps you turning the pages. The injustices of our systems come through in so many ways. Little things like names used are to provide depth to the theme and further chuckles. It is a fun read with a definite message.

If you are new to Hiassen, look elsewhere, and if you are a long-term fan, prepare to be underwhelmed. I've read around 10 books by Hiassen and I really like his work, but this is simply not one of his better stories. The ingredients are all present for a smart witty satirical adventure with colorful characters and sharp political undertones, but this book feels incomplete. It almost feels rushed, as if he was scrambling to finish this under some deadline and was unable to fully develop the pieces needed to establish the overall story with depth. The narrative involving the First Lady and a secret service agent is just bad. Lots of potential here, but falls short of pretty much anything else he has done.

Hilarious, absurd, and hysterical, this was a well-plotted and bizarre crime thriller with an abundance of black humour and silliness. The main characters were quirky, colourful, and brilliantly portrayed. 4.5 stars! A central character is the American President, known to the secret service as Mastodon. This portrayal may seem to some as too outrageous to be credible even as satire. He is vile, uncultured, hates immigrants who become his targets for blame and lies, spends time ranting and raging on twitter, loves and creates conspiracy theories, enhances his appearance with bronzing creams and tanning beds. Oh, wait! this portrayal seems right on! The story begins at the Casa Bellicosa on Palm Beach, near the Winter White House, at an exclusive charity ball. Attending are the filthy rich, the entitled and the frivolous. Among the guests are members of the POTUSSIES, an enthusiastic, fervent fan club for the current POTUS. The group is comprised of elderly women. Head of this group who support their beloved President, is Fay Alex Riptoad. A prominent member is Kiki Pew Fitzsimmons. They devote much time and energy to supporting the President, bewailing the 'fake news' and impeachment hearings. Kiki, age 72, wanders away from the party while drunk and disappears. Evidence by a murky koi pond suggests that she may have stumbled in and drowned but divers are unable to find her body.The manager of the mansion/ grounds-keeper does not want anyone to learn of her disappearance to ruin its reputation for partygoers and prospective future guests. He will do anything to keep this a secret. The manner of her death was grotesque. Two incompetent small-time criminals have gotten into the plot to keep the cause of Kiki's death from ever being revealed. Later, Kiki's body is found encased in concrete at a building site. Angie Armstrong, an ex-veterinarian, ex-wildlife officer, now runs Discreet Captures. She is employed to capture and to remove wildlife pests that have invaded homes and businesses. She had been in prison for causing a poacher to lose his hand. He is now making threatening calls to her daily. Angie knows what really happened to Kiki, but can't yet prove it. When Diego, an innocent, illegal immigrant from Honduras is unjustly blamed for the murder, Angie is determined to free him from prison. The President seizes on Diego's arrest to falsely rave in speeches and on twitter that Diego was head a terrorist Latino cartel aiming to destroy the American way of life with murders and rapes. This inflames the crowds, including the POTUSSIES, and proof of his innocence will not easily win the young man's release from prison. There is much more craziness, insanity and plain silliness in the story. This includes the return of deranged ex-governor, Skink, who has been living as a hermit, and who has plans of stirring up trouble to the next level. There is adultery within the Winter White House, the murder of some bungling, hired criminals, pythons on LSD, and a malfunctioning tanning bed. This should appeal to anyone who enjoys black humour and satire, but beware if you are a supporter of the President!

Very disappointing like most of Hiassen's novels. I loved "Skin Tight" and because of that I bought several of his novels which I found way inferior, but then, hey, no writer can strike pure gold every time they write a book, can they? This one had very good reviews so I thought that maybe this time I would find something as good as "Skin Tight". Man was I in for a deep disappointment. Laugh out loud? Not a single time. I barely smiled throughout the novel. The way he pokes fun at Trump has zero originality or creativity and is so over the top that I found it pretty silly. As for the plot and twists not very credible. So, overall, it wasn't boring, but not worth wasting one's time on it. I'd rather re-read G.P. Wodehouse for a good laughter.

If you are polishing up your lawn signs in preparation for the recently announced candidate for 2024, this book is definitely not for you! Otherwise, start your ab workouts now - this one will leave you sore from laughing!Hiaasen is at his best and I can’t wait for more. So much so, I read this twice.

Another good book. Skink shows up eventually and even Tyree. What happened to the main victim was interesting. Good amusing ending.