Carl Hiaasen, Take Me Away!

Kate Langenburg/A&E Groove

I’m going to share one of my guilty pleasures with you so that you can adopt him as one of yours, too. Carl Hiaasen, a fairly well known author from Florida, has written countless books over his years in the field. Some of his greatest hits include Nature Girl, Sick Puppy, and Hoot, which was recently made into a movie (with some help from Jimmy Buffett).

This post will serve as a general overview for you. In the future, I will certainly have reviews of some of his individual books. To tell you a little bit about his novels, they are all mysteries that take place in Florida. Hiaasen has quite a bit of pride for his home state!

Each novel usually introduces readers to five or six different characters, who start out as complete strangers. Through whatever set of circumstances they encounter, they always end up meeting by about three quarters through each book to finish the tale and end the mystery.

The thing that I love so much about Hiaasen’s books are that they all have a nature/environmentalism theme. The topics range from litterbugs to endangered species to cleaning up the ocean. However, the characters are often crazy and comedic, making each book a true pleasure to read. The villains are always suffering from some insane lack of common sense.

Also the fact that all the tales take place in Florida is great, too. It sets the scene for a beach paradise, rich with history and nature. I don’t know about you, but mysteries in tropical places seem more appealing than those in snowy places.

Let that warm Florida sunshine beat down on your face as you pick up your first Carl Hiaasen book! Get enthralled in fighting litterbugs. But hey, if things get too hairy, you can always relax under a palm tree.