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No matter what you heard or thought about the movie version of Strip Tease, forget it. Film simply can't catch the layers of humor, satire, and imagination that author Carl Hiaasen creates in each of his novels. When a deranged Florida congressman falls for a gorgeous but virtuous stripper, he dedicates himself to pursuing this tasseled princess. Not only is she a real beauty, she's a damsel in distress. The effects of his quest will ripple through the spotlights of the strip joint, the sugar cane fields of south Florida, and some powerful political careers. Fueled by innocent lust and dizzy miscalculations, this story will keep you howling with surprise. George Wilson's colorful narration is the perfect vehicle for Carl Hiaasen's twisted fairy tale.… (more)
User reviews
I like Carl Hiaasen and have read and enjoyed several of his books including his young adult novels like "Hoot."
"Strip
I wanted to like this book but I chucked it at about page 238. I didn't like the last 220 pages. The book is about a nude dancer named Erin who works at a bar called the Eager Beaver trying to earn enough money to pay a lawyer to get custody of her child back. She gets involved in all sorts of escapades. The book has no sex scenes, just lots of naked dancers and a whole bunch of leering adolescent jokes and asides. Meanwhile the story didn't go anywhere and many of the events taking place didn't make sense.
So I chucked it.
I actually think this may be my favourite book by Hiaasen so far. I've only read four, but this one seemed to have a more complex storyline than the others. I also really liked some of the characters. I do normally enjoy his environmental viewpoint, but the funny thing is - even though this is probably my favourite by him - the environmental stuff was really very minimal background stuff in this one.
As the story begins,
Another customer, Jerry Killian, nicknamed, Mr. Peepers, takes a photo. Killian sends Erin a message that he might be able to get her daughter back. He intends to use the photo to have Congressman Dilbeck use his influence to get a judge to change his custody ruling. Later, Killian turns up dead.
Malcolm J. Moldowsky is Dilbeck's "fix it" man. In a situation like Killian approaching Dilbeck and talking about a photo, Malcolm knows how to put a stop to an unpleasant situation.
A subplot has the club bouncer, Shad, working with an attorney named Mordecai, to sue the Congressman. Mordeccai is playing customers against each other in that the fiance of the first patron wants to sue Dilbeck for damages in hitting her fiance.
Sgt. Al Garcia is on vacation when he finds Killian's body. Garcia is an honorable man and this makes solving Killian's murder personal.
This is an uproariously funny novel. Erin's dry sense of humor had me smiling throughout the crazy happenings in the novel. Dilbert is also an excellent character whose one mindedness and absence of any moral values was depicted magnificantly. A wonderful caper but perhaps, a bit too long.
It had one moment though, that I usually hate in thrillers like this: when the heroine does something totally and unnecessarily stupid, like going to meet villain on her own despite knowing that
The photograph becomes the catalyst for a number of incidents. Political fixers attempt to protect an unraveling Congressman, an ex-husband drug addict stealing wheelchairs while retaining custody of a child, scorpions and roaches being used in scams to extort money from corporations, murders and a dancer and homicide detective looking to set things right.
This is a thriller set on a simmering boil all the way till the end.
Too many plot twists and turns; lots of characters with their own side stories. This would have been better had it been tightened up in length, but overall, entertaining.
But you can usually point to someone you know and say 'THEY would make a good actor for THIS character."
The book also kept our interest from start to finish.
It DOES come with a DC alert, though - make sure your hands and mouth are