Carl Hiaasen Popular Books

Carl Hiaasen Biography & Facts

Carl Hiaasen (; born March 12, 1953) is an American journalist and novelist. He began his career as a newspaper reporter and by the late 1970s had begun writing novels in his spare time, both for adults and for middle grade readers. Two of his novels have been made into feature films. Hiaasen's adult novels are humorous crime thrillers set in Florida. They feature casts of eccentric, sometimes grotesque characters and satirize aspects of American popular culture. Many of the novels include themes related to environmentalism and political corruption in his native state. Early life and education Hiaasen was born in 1953 and raised in Plantation, Florida, then a rural suburb of Fort Lauderdale. He was the first of four children born to Odel and Patricia Hiaasen. Hiaasen has Norwegian and Irish ancestry. He started writing at age six when his father bought him a typewriter for Christmas. After graduating from Plantation High School in 1970, he entered Emory University, where he contributed satirical humor columns to the student-run newspaper The Emory Wheel. In 1972, he transferred to the University of Florida, where he wrote for The Independent Florida Alligator. Hiaasen graduated in 1974 with a degree in journalism. Journalism Hiaasen was a reporter at TODAY (Cocoa, Florida) for two years before being hired in 1976 by the Miami Herald, where he worked for the city desk, Sunday magazine and award-winning investigative team. Hiaasen was a columnist for the newspaper from mid-1985 until he retired in March 2021. His columns have been collected in three published volumes, Kick Ass (1999), Paradise Screwed (2001) and Dance of the Reptiles (2014), all edited by Diane Stevenson. His only brother was Rob Hiaasen, an editor and columnist at The Capital newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, who was killed in the mass shooting at the newspaper's office on June 28, 2018. Carl Hiaasen's 1991 novel Native Tongue carries the dedication "For my brother Rob." Novelist After becoming a reporter, Hiaasen began writing novels in his spare time. The first three were co-authored with his friend and fellow journalist William Montalbano: Powder Burn (1981), Trap Line (1982), and A Death in China (1984). His first solo novel, Tourist Season (1986), featured a group of ragged eco-warriors who kidnap the Orange Bowl Queen in Miami. The book's main character was whimsically memorialized by Jimmy Buffett in a song called "The Ballad of Skip Wiley," which appeared on his Barometer Soup album. In all, twenty-one of Hiaasen's novels and nonfiction books have been on the New York Times Best Seller lists. His work has been translated into 34 languages. In 2016, his novel Razor Girl was short-listed for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse award for comic fiction in England. An earlier Hiaasen novel, Strip Tease, was adapted into the 1996 feature film Striptease starring Demi Moore and Burt Reynolds. Another book, Bad Monkey, is being adapted for a series on Apple TV. It will star Vince Vaughn and is being written and executive produced by Bill Lawrence, who co-created Ted Lasso. The series is tentatively scheduled to begin airing in the summer of 2024. Hiaasen's first venture into writing for younger readers was the 2002 novel Hoot, which was named a Newbery Medal honor book. It was adapted as a 2006 film of the same name (starring Logan Lerman, Brie Larson and Luke Wilson). The movie was written and directed by Wil Shriner. Jimmy Buffett provided songs for the soundtrack, and appeared in the role of Mr. Ryan, a middle school teacher. Hiaasen's subsequent children's novels are Flush, Scat; Chomp, Skink-- No Surrender, which introduces one of his most popular adult characters to younger readers, Squirm, and the latest, Wrecker. In 2014, Skink was long-listed for a National Book Award in Young People's Literature. All of Hiaasen's books for young readers feature environmental themes, eccentric casts and adventure-filled plots. Squirm, which is set in Florida and Montana, was published in the fall of 2018 and opened at #4 on the New York Times bestseller list for middle-grade novels. Released on September 26, 2023, Wrecker is set in Key West during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kirkus Reviews called it, "A batten-down-the-hatches thriller anchored by critical real-life themes". Booklist wrote: "Wielding his writing talents and wit, Hiaasen seamlessly incorporates...disparate elements into one heck of a ride". Wrecker debuted at number one on The New York Times Children's Middle Grade Hardcover Best Sellers List.His latest adult book, Squeeze Me, was published on August 25, 2020, and debuted at #2 on the New York Times Combined Print and E-Book Print Best Sellers List. The novel takes place during the glitzy Palm Beach social season, and features wild pythons and a fictional, well-fed U.S. president who has a vacation mansion on the island. Amazon and the Washington Post listed Squeeze Me as one of the best novels of 2020. Hiaasen's most recent nonfiction work is Assume the Worst: The Graduation Speech You'll Never Hear, which was published in April 2018 and illustrated by Roz Chast, who is well-known for her cartoons in The New Yorker. Song Writing During the 1990s Hiaasen co-wrote the lyrics of three songs with his good friend and famed L.A. rocker, the late Warren Zevon. "Rottweiler Blues" and "Seminole Bingo" appeared on Zevon's Mutineer album in 1995. The third song they wrote together, "Basket Case," was done in conjunction with Hiaasen's novel of the same name, and appeared in 2001 on Zevon's album My Ride's Here. Hiaasen co-wrote "Fish Porn" on Jimmy Buffett's final album, Equal Strain on All Parts, with Buffett and Mac McAnally. Personal life Hiaasen is a talented fly fisherman. His fishing career includes six wins of the prestigious Invitational Fall Fly Bonefish Tournament in Islamorada, fishing with famed guide Tim Klein. Works Fiction Adult fiction Tourist Season (1986) Double Whammy (1987) Skin Tight (1989) Native Tongue (1991) Strip Tease (1993) (filmed in 1996 as Striptease by Andrew Bergman, starring Demi Moore and Burt Reynolds) Stormy Weather (1995) Naked Came the Manatee (1996) (A Mystery Thriller Parody with 12 other authors) Lucky You (1997) Sick Puppy (2000) Basket Case (2002) Skinny Dip (2004) Nature Girl (2006) Star Island (2010) Bad Monkey (2013) Razor Girl (2016) Squeeze Me (2020)With William Montalbano Powder Burn (1981) Trap Line (1982) A Death in China (1984)Fiction for young readers Hoot (2002) (released as a movie in May 2006 by director Wil Shriner) Flush (2005) Scat (2009) Chomp (2012) Skink - No Surrender (2014) (young adult novel featuring a recurring hero from his adult fiction series) Squirm (2018) Wrecker (2023)Short stories "Tart of Darkness" (2003, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue) The Edible Exile (2013)Non-fiction Team Rodent: How Disney Devours the World (1998) Kick Ass: Selected Columns (1999) Paradise Screwed: Selected Columns (2001) The Downhill Lie (200.... Discover the Carl Hiaasen popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Carl Hiaasen books.

Best Seller Carl Hiaasen Books of 2024

  • A Case of Exploding Mangoes synopsis, comments

    A Case of Exploding Mangoes

    Mohammed Hanif

    A Washington Post, Rocky Mountain News, Boston Globe Best Book of the YearIntrigue and subterfuge combine with bad luck and good in this darkly comic debut about love, betrayal, ty...

  • Wrecker synopsis, comments

    Wrecker

    Carl Hiaasen

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  Wrecker needs to deal with smugglers, grave robbers, and pooping iguanasjust as soon as he finishes Zoom school. Welcome to another wild adventur...

  • Amsterdam synopsis, comments

    Amsterdam

    Ian McEwan

    BOOKER PRIZE WINNER NATIONAL BESTSELLER A sharp contemporary morality tale, cleverly disguised as a comic novel, Amsterdam is "a dark tour de force, perfectly fashioned...

  • Paradise Screwed synopsis, comments

    Paradise Screwed

    Carl Hiaasen & Diane Stevenson

    "Along with Kick Ass, this is one of the best collections of occasional journalism published in recent years."Booklist (starred review)

  • Lucky You synopsis, comments

    Lucky You

    Carl Hiaasen

    From the New York Times bestselling author of Squeeze Meand “Florida’s most entertainingly indignant social critic” (New York Times Book Review)a novel starring three lottery winne...

  • Morality for Beautiful Girls synopsis, comments

    Morality for Beautiful Girls

    Alexander McCall Smith

    Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series and its proprietor, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective. In this charming series,...

  • Bad Monkey synopsis, comments

    Bad Monkey

    Carl Hiaasen

    A wickedly funny novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Squeeze Me in which the greedy, the corrupt, and the degraders of what’s left of pristine Floridanow, of the Ba...

  • The Power of Positive Idiocy synopsis, comments

    The Power of Positive Idiocy

    David Feherty

    David Feherty, expro golfer and current commentator at NBC Sports and the Golf Channel, delivers a laughoutloud funny and totally uncensored collection of rants sure to surprise an...

  • Nine Women, One Dress synopsis, comments

    Nine Women, One Dress

    Jane L. Rosen

    A charming, hilarious, irresistible romp of a novel that brings together nine unrelated women, each touched by the same little black dress that weaves through their lives, bringing...

  • Skin Tight synopsis, comments

    Skin Tight

    Carl Hiaasen

    Bestselling author Carl Hiaasen serves up a humorous helping of "taut, fastpaced action...crisp and hot” (The New York Times).  After dispatching a pistolpacking intruder fro...

  • The Rules of Attraction synopsis, comments

    The Rules of Attraction

    Bret Easton Ellis

    From the New York Times bestselling author or Less Than Zero and American Psychoa startlingly funny, kaleidoscopic novel about three students at a small, affluent liberalarts colle...

  • Navigate Your Stars synopsis, comments

    Navigate Your Stars

    Jesmyn Ward

    A revelatory, uplifting, and gorgeously illustrated meditation on dedication, hard work, and the power of perseverance from the beloved, New York Times bestselling, and twotime Nat...

  • The Books That Changed My Life synopsis, comments

    The Books That Changed My Life

    Bethanne Patrick

    One hundred of today’s most prominent literary and cultural icons talk about the books that hold a special place in their heartsthat made them who they are today.Leading authors, p...

  • Snatch synopsis, comments

    Snatch

    Gregory Mcdonald

    Whether it’s a Middle East oil crisis in the 1970s or the London Blitz during WWII, world events have a way of breeding trouble on the home front, too. That’s how Toby Rinaldi, son...

  • Squeeze Me synopsis, comments

    Squeeze Me

    Carl Hiaasen

    NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER A hilarious novel of social and political intrigue, set against the glittering backdrop of Florida’s gold coast, from the author of Skinny Dip and ...

  • Make Something Up synopsis, comments

    Make Something Up

    Chuck Palahniuk

    Twenty one stories and one novella from Chuck Palahniuk, literature's favorite transgressive author, Make Something Up is a compilation that disturbs and delights in equa...

  • Cactus Jack synopsis, comments

    Cactus Jack

    Brad Smith

    A delight from paddock to finish line." Booklist (STARRED REVIEW) Brad Smith “rivals Elmore Leonard at his best” (Publishers Weekly). His latest novel, for fans of Richard Russo ...

  • Stormy Weather synopsis, comments

    Stormy Weather

    Carl Hiaasen

    NATIONAL BESTSELLER A hilarious and scathing novel from the author of Squeeze Me about a crazed and determined man who has devoted his strange existence to saving southern Florida...

  • 44 Scotland Street synopsis, comments

    44 Scotland Street

    Alexander McCall Smith

    44 SCOTLAND STREET Book 1 The residents and neighbors of 44 Scotland Street and the city of Edinburgh come to vivid life in these gently satirical, wonderfully perceptive serial n...

  • Murder at Crime Manor synopsis, comments

    Murder at Crime Manor

    Fergus Craig

    THE MANOR HOUSE MURDER MYSTERY AS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN IT . . . DETECTIVE ROGER LECARRE IS BACK!!!'What's better than a good crime novel? I'll tell you a spoof crime novel, by the ab...

  • Dead Solid Perfect synopsis, comments

    Dead Solid Perfect

    Dan Jenkins

    The legendary golf novel, rereleased in a special edition with a new foreword by the author. Don Imus said it best: "Dan Jenkins is a comic genius." And nowhere is that genius more...

  • Depth of Winter synopsis, comments

    Depth of Winter

    Craig Johnson

    “It’s the sceneryand the big guy standing in front of the scenerythat keeps us coming back to Craig Johnson’s lean and leathery mysteries.”  The New York Times Book ReviewWalt...

  • Razor Girl synopsis, comments

    Razor Girl

    Carl Hiaasen

    The new fulltilt, unstoppably hilarious and entertaining novel from the bestselling author of Skinny Dip and Bad MonkeyWhen Lane Coolman's car is bashed from behind on the roa...

  • Swamp Story synopsis, comments

    Swamp Story

    Dave Barry

    Pulitzer Prize–winning and New York Times bestselling authorand actual Florida ManDave Barry returns with a “hilariously funny” (Steve Martin) caper full of oddballs and more twist...

  • Native Tongue synopsis, comments

    Native Tongue

    Carl Hiaasen

    From the New York Times bestselling author comes a novel in which dedicated, if somewhat demented, environmentalists battle sleazy real estate developers in the Florida Keys. "Rips...

  • Tourist Season synopsis, comments

    Tourist Season

    Carl Hiaasen

    Take a trip to exotic South Florida with this dark, funny book that established Carl Hiaasen as one of the top mystery writers in the game.The first sign of trouble is a Shriner's ...

  • Snuff synopsis, comments

    Snuff

    Chuck Palahniuk

    In the crowded greenroom of a pornmovie production, hundreds of men mill around in their boxers, awaiting their turn with the legendary Cassie Wright. An aging adult film star, C...

  • Strip Tease synopsis, comments

    Strip Tease

    Carl Hiaasen

    NATIONAL BESTSELLER From “Florida’s most entertainingly indignant social critic” (New York Times Book Review)an inventive tale yet of savage appetites and sweet justice. Only in A...

  • The Sinners synopsis, comments

    The Sinners

    Ace Atkins

    In this novel from New York Timesbestselling crime master Ace Atkins, violence comes in many forms...and this time it may be more than Quinn Colson can handle.The Pritchards had ne...

  • Then She Vanished synopsis, comments

    Then She Vanished

    T. Jefferson Parker

    What if the client who's hired you can't be trusted...and the woman you're looking for doesn't want to be found? With Then She Vanished, threetime Edgar Award winner and New York T...

  • Carl Hiaasen 5-Book Collection synopsis, comments

    Carl Hiaasen 5-Book Collection

    Carl Hiaasen

    This collection features five of Carl Hiaasen's hilarious, awardwinning classics!Take a trip to Carl Hiaasen's Floridawhere the animals are wild and the people are wilderwith ...

  • Double Whammy synopsis, comments

    Double Whammy

    Carl Hiaasen

    “Follow the adventures of a newsphotographerturnedprivateeye as he seeks truth, justice, and an affair with his exwife” (The New York Times) in this hilarious caper from bestsellin...

  • The Downhill Lie synopsis, comments

    The Downhill Lie

    Carl Hiaasen

    Originally drawn to the game by his father, Carl Hiaasen wisely quit golfing in 1973. But some ambitions refuse to die, and as the years–and memories of shanked 7irons faded, it ...

  • The Children Act synopsis, comments

    The Children Act

    Ian McEwan

    A brilliant, emotionally wrenching novel from the Booker Prize winner and bestselling author of Atonement about a leading High Court judge who must resolve an urgent caseas well as...

  • The Death and Life of Bobby Z synopsis, comments

    The Death and Life of Bobby Z

    Don Winslow

    FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE CARTEL.When Tim Kearney, a smalltime criminal, slits the throat of a Hell's Angel and draws a life sentence in a prison full of gang members, he ...

  • Skinny Dip synopsis, comments

    Skinny Dip

    Carl Hiaasen

    Chaz Perrone might be the only marine scientist in the world who doesn’t know which way the Gulf Stream runs. He might also be the only one who went into biology just to make a k...

  • Music for Love or War synopsis, comments

    Music for Love or War

    Martyn Burke

    "Music for Love or War is slashandburn funny, but also unexpectedly touching and wise. Few writers can take you in one breath from the hills of Afghanistan to the gates of the Play...

  • Knockemstiff synopsis, comments

    Knockemstiff

    Donald Ray Pollock

    "More engaging than any new fiction in years." Chuck PalahniukAn unforgettable work of fiction that peers into the soul of a tough Midwestern American town to reveal the sad,...

  • Carl Hiaasen 4-Book Collection synopsis, comments

    Carl Hiaasen 4-Book Collection

    Carl Hiaasen

    Discover the funny side of Florida with #1 New York Times bestselling author Carl Hiaasen in this collection of four books: Hoot, Flush, Scat and Chomp."It's classic Hiaasenlaughou...

  • The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine synopsis, comments

    The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine

    Alexander McCall Smith

    Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series and its proprietor, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s premier lady detective. In this charming series,...

  • The Thin Man synopsis, comments

    The Thin Man

    Dashiell Hammett

    Nick Charles seems to find trouble wherever he goes. He thinks his sleuthing days are behind him when Julia Wolf, a former acquaintance, turns up dead. Nickthanks to some persuasio...

  • To the Land of Long Lost Friends synopsis, comments

    To the Land of Long Lost Friends

    Alexander McCall Smith

    In the latest book in the widely beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Precious Ramotswe takes on a case for a childhood acquaintance and finds that family relationships a...

  • The House of Unexpected Sisters synopsis, comments

    The House of Unexpected Sisters

    Alexander McCall Smith

    Precious Ramotswe learns valuable lessons about first impressions and forgiveness in this latest installment of the beloved and bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.&#...