Having only read Hoot previously, I was intrigued to see how Hiaasen crafted his stories for adults. As it turns out, the style is pretty much the same as for kids, from the humorous tone to the familiar location of Florida and the underlying message of nature conservation. However, there is a significant addition of more mature content such as sex and swearing.

The book features a fairly large cast of characters. Once introduced, each one is well-developed and utilized effectively. I particularly appreciated how their individual storylines were neatly intertwined as the narrative progressed. The side plots were truly captivating and, in many ways, more enjoyable than the main plot. There was the wife constantly on the run from the lawyer with divorce papers, the fake pilgrimage spot in Grange which bordered on the sacrilegious, the sigmata man who kept his wounds moist with Crisco and paid a boy to drill his feet, the fake Madonna who cried perfumed red-food-coloured "blood" with blocked tubes, and Turtle boy with his sheer weirdness and the hilarious scene where his ex-colleague encounters him in his new state and asks, "Excuse me, but have you gone insane?"

Although the main plot had its moments of humor, such as the scene where a thug attempts to get high off a can of pepper spray and the witty description of a character's walk as "He walked with a swagger that suggested not brawn so much as hemorrhoidal tribulation," it was overall less funny than the sub-plots. Published in 1997, the references to white supremists and race relations still sound depressingly familiar 21 years later. While I was invested in the retrieval of the lottery tickets, that aspect of the story wasn't the most enjoyable to read.

In conclusion, it was a well-structured book, but I found myself more engaged with the characters and their various situations than with the overall plot. It's important to note that the book contains a significant amount of sex-talk and one attempted rape scene, which is played more for humor than actual horror.

True to a friend's billing as “irreverent, but funny”

We always relish the experience of “discovering” a new author. When a friend lent us “Lucky You” and described it as “irreverent, but funny”, we eagerly delved into it with great anticipation. It's rather strange when you begin reading a book not even knowing its genre. However, this novel quickly revealed itself to be pure humor, with just the right amount of a light mystery to add a touch of suspense along the way.

The plot was quite original. Two dumb and petty criminals, Chubb and Bode Gazzer, won the lottery for $14M. But they soon learned that another winner, JoLayne Lucks, a plucky veterinarian's assistant, also had a winning ticket worth the same amount. They decided to steal her ticket before cashing theirs in order to amass a fortune and start their own white supremacist paramilitary. Their fears of a “NATO attack from the Bahamas” give you an idea of their rather warped mental state!

When a journalist, Tom Krome, was sent to interview JoLayne and learned of her situation, he joined forces with her to track the criminals and seek justice without even notifying the cops. Meanwhile, Tom's editor, Sinclair, was dispatched to the Lucks’ hometown of Grange, Florida. There, he got involved with some religious fanatics who sold the opportunity to observe a Madonna statue that occasionally “weeps” (on command), a brake fluid road stain that supposedly resembled Jesus, and a “stigmata” man who had actually drilled holes in himself to display for donations.

One soon realizes that the light plot is little more than an excuse to showcase all these incredible characters! Although the outcome was fairly predictable, including a light romance, it doesn't deter from the enjoyment. The entertainment value rarely flags as the pages turn.

We would say that our friend's mini-review was spot-on. We would recommend Hiaasen as a sort of male equivalent of Janet Evanovich, but without the serialized nature of having just one leading character. It's also similar to the “Cat Who” series, though thankfully not as light and fluffy! Enjoy!

Overall, I would classify this as one of my more favored works by Hiaasen.

In the current context, it is rather difficult to come across villains as comedic as the ones presented in this book. Nevertheless, it is gratifying to witness that they do not emerge victorious. However, this does make the reading experience a bit stressful, which is more of my personal perception rather than an inherent trait of the book.

As for the book itself, I do believe that the ending was somewhat drawn out. Virtually everything had already been accomplished, and it was evident how everything would conclude in a manner that could have been neatly wrapped up within a few pages. Yet, there were still approximately 75 pages remaining. This elongation of the ending might have caused a slight dip in the overall pacing and impact of the story.

Despite this minor flaw, the book still manages to captivate with its unique blend of humor and engaging plot. It offers a refreshing escape from the mundane, even if the reading process can be a touch nerve-wracking at times.

Reading all of CH. This is #3 of 8 standalone books, and I absolutely loved it! Maybe it's my favorite one. The cast of characters in FL is even crazier than in the last book, with numerous laugh-out-loud moments. For example, the first time we see "The Black Tide", or Sinclair's initial reaction to the holy cooters.

Newspaper reporter Tom Krome is dispatched to Grange, FL to interview JoLayne Lucks, who just won a $28M lottery. There were two winning tickets, and the wannabe Aryans with the other ticket refuse to share. Before Tom leaves town, they steal JoLayne's ticket and assault her, setting off a chain of events. Tom wants to investigate rather than write a fluff piece as originally planned, but his boss, Sinclair, has no interest, so Tom goes it alone.

To make matters more complicated, Tom's latest fling, Katie, has a murderously jealous husband. And his wife, who is an expert at dodging divorce papers, doesn't make things any easier. Alluring Hooters waitress, Amber, is kidnapped by the 3 Aryans, adding more intrigue to the story. She knows how to take care of herself, and her presence causes the Aryan militia to self-destruct. Longtime JoLayne admirer and ATF agent, Buffet, offers crucial assistance. And the local religious scam artists in Grange complete the picture. In the end, after a few days in the Keys, Tom and JoLayne pretty much save themselves and ultimately save the tract of wilderness that is home to the cooters (which is the underlying eco-theme, although relatively minor in this book).

I really liked this one. PS - If I hadn't already read Double Whammy, with the bulldog, I think some of the crab scenes would have had me laughing out loud too.

This is the best Hiaasen book I've read so far!

It truly encompasses all the elements that make his works so incredibly readable. There are crazy fanatics of every kind, jumbled together with a (very) few "normal" individuals. The story is filled with murder and mayhem that you simply wouldn't believe. The bad folks receive their just deserts in abundance.

Moreover, there are multiple lottery winners, the fascinating Florida wildlife, and love blooming in the most unexpected places.

What a remarkable and engaging book this is! It keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, with its unique blend of humor, mystery, and adventure. Hiaasen has once again proven himself to be a master storyteller, and I can't wait to read more of his works.

It was a silly read. But I'm glad it made me think.

What would I do if I won the lottery? This question has crossed my mind countless times.

If I were to win the lottery, the first thing I would do is pay off all my debts. It would be such a relief to be free from the burden of financial obligations.

Next, I would travel the world. I have always dreamed of visiting different countries, experiencing their cultures, and seeing their beautiful landscapes.

I would also donate a portion of the money to charity. There are so many people in the world who are less fortunate than I am, and I would like to do my part to help them.

Finally, I would invest the remaining money to ensure my financial security for the future.

Winning the lottery would be a life-changing event, and I would make sure to use the money wisely.

So I read Hoot with my kids and initially thought this was just another adolescent fiction book. I planned to read it and then recommend it to my 11-year-old if it was a decent read. However, I soon realized that this is not a kid's book at all; it's an adult novel. And unlike his adolescent fiction, which I found to be good, I found this one to be just juvenile adult humor.

First, while the premise of Hoot was good, with kids trying to save the owls and the environment, I found the premise here, where an adult is also trying to save a piece of land from development but this time for turtles, to be repetitive. Doesn't Hiaasen have any other plot ideas? I mean, really, we just age the characters, add a bit more sex and violence, change the Pancake house to a mob boss, and owls to turtles, and the new novel is ready to go.

As if the absurdity of the theft of the lotto tickets by white trash supremists and the introduction of the mafia wasn't enough, Hiaasen felt it necessary to add in the abduction of the Hooters waitress. But the whole kidnapping scene was ridiculous. She's driving the car, she knows that all he has is a screwdriver, and both her dad and boyfriend live near Hooters. So, why doesn't she drive to Tony or her parent's house and start honking the horn? Yeah, she might get stabbed by the screwdriver, but she isn't going to get raped or killed. Instead, she willingly drives him ALL THE WAY TO THE KEYS? Total garbage. I understand that Amber was necessary to the plot later (and for the return of the 2nd lotto ticket), but Hiaasen needed a better way for her to get there.

Another unnecessary and stupid plot twist was the whole excursion to the Keys. If they want to escape, why not head to Tallahasse first to get the winnings? One of the tickets is rightfully theirs; wouldn't the whole thing have made more sense if they got that money first? I know they have to wait on Jolayne's ticket and that they shouldn't collect the first batch of dough together, but why are they heading to the Keys instead of to Tallahasse? Oh yeah, because Hiaasen wanted to strand the bad guys on an island and get to rant about vultures later. Again, just garbage.

I think Hiaasen was trying to add some literary value by attempting to engage in a race discussion. However, I found each and every time that he brought it up to be stereotypical and shallow. We have the white trash supremists who are extremely offensive and we have suspicious Jolayne who rags on Tom for never having had a black girlfriend. Tom, on the other hand, is all eager and never once considers that maybe there are some negative social implications to this endeavor. I really just lacked any sort of complexity in the discussion.
I was also floored that both the Judge and Bernard Squires thought he could retire on $250K. I know this was written in the 90s. But really, $250K would not allow anyone to retire to the Bahamas in an upper middle class lifestyle since, oh, say 1930!
Finally, Moffit was another necessary character for the plot but totally unbelievable. Why wouldn't he just have his ATF friends take out the bad guys? If they had the VHS tape and the evidence of injury to both JoLayne and Chub and Bade and they arrested Chub and Bade and found two lotto tickets on them, wouldn't that be enough? Why is it better for him to help them along in ways that could get him in trouble and then conveniently leave so they can muck about and then come back just in time to collect the VHS tape and get rid of Squires? Ugh... just all too convenient and weird and unbelievable.
I know this is stupid, but I was also annoyed at the spelling of cigarettes throughout. He uses "cigaret" (which according to my kindle version of the OED is an acceptable spelling, I grant you), and every time I saw it I wanted to scream.
Really, there was very little redeeming about the book. There were a few cute moments and opportunistic set-ups, but the entire thing was mostly just rambling unbelievable nonsense. If it was 150 pages instead of almost 500, it would have been okay.

I once endured a Gilbert and Sullivan Opera sitting beside a man who evidently knew the work extremely well.

He was so resolute that the entire audience would recognize how thoroughly he was relishing the Opera (and presumably regard him as highly cultured) that for two hours, we all had to bear his forced guffaws and belly laughs, complete with handkerchief eye dabbing at any faintly amusing lines in the dialogue and very loudly gasping in shock at every minor plot development.

No one was impressed by his supposed enjoyment of the opera; instead, everyone thought he was a jerk, and all of us had a lesser enjoyment of the performance due to his pantomime-like audience behavior.

That guy is representative of all the book critics whose clippings adorn the front and back covers of this book.

This is an enjoyable, readable, and interesting book. Overall, it is a pleasant and mildly diverting work that might bring a couple of almost-smiles of amusement.

However, it is completely spoiled by 3 pages of national paper review clippings proclaiming it "laugh out loud funny" and so hilarious that you daren't read it on public transport for fear of uncontrollable laughter.

I don't know much about the industry 20 years ago, but it must be either blatant bribes for reviews or an "emperor's new clothes" competition among critics to claim that this is the funniest thing.

Either way, it ruined the book for me because I found myself constantly waiting for the funny parts to begin right up until the last 100 pages when I finally accepted that they never would.

This was an extremely wild ride indeed.

The book in question is filled with humor that constantly keeps the reader engaged. The plot, on the other hand, is rather fast-paced, which gives the story a sense of urgency and excitement. However, it also feels a bit all over the place at times.

It was as if I had stepped into a real-life version of a "Florida man" meme. The events and characters in the book were so strange and unpredictable that it was almost comical.

Despite its flaws, the book was still an enjoyable read. The humor and fast-paced plot made it difficult to put down, and I found myself constantly eager to see what would happen next.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a lighthearted and entertaining read that will keep them on the edge of their seat.

I can't imagine that when this book was being released, I was a mere 7 years old

This is my favorite among all of Hiassen's books.

It is truly, uproariously hilarious!

The story kicks off with a young African-American woman who has just won a whopping $18 million in the Florida lottery. However, she has to share the proceeds with a man who has the absurd idea of forming his own white supremacy militia.

Hiassen masterfully portrays the idiocy of this racist man as he attempts to steal our heroine's lottery ticket.

I have read this book numerous times, especially whenever I'm in need of a good, hearty laugh.

My 17-year-old daughter has read it even more frequently than I have, and I can still hear her uncontrollable laughter every time she re-reads it.

The book's humor is so engaging and timeless that it never fails to bring joy and amusement to both of us.

It's a must-read for anyone who loves a good laugh and a unique, entertaining story.

Hiassen's writing style is simply brilliant, making this book a true gem in the literary world.

I think it was the case that my mood was bad when I was reading this book.

Normally, I have a great affection for Hiaason's books.

However, this particular one just seemed to be going nowhere for me.

It didn't capture my interest or engage me in the way that his other works have.

I found myself constantly losing focus and having a hard time getting through the pages.

Maybe it was just an off day for me, or perhaps there was something about this book that didn't quite click.

Whatever the reason, I was disappointed with my experience of reading it.

But I still have high hopes for Hiaason's future works and will continue to give them a try.

After all, one bad book doesn't mean that his entire body of work is not worth reading.

I'm sure there are still many great stories waiting for me to discover in his books.