Bad Monkey

I had a hard time concentrating on Carl Hiaasen's latest novel, Bad Monkey (#345).  It was mildly amusing, but I think he ran out of story and substituted sex and profanity to fill in the gaps.

The Bad Monkey of the title supposedly starred in the first of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, where the only person he didn't physically attack was Johnny Depp (obviously, this was not a female monkey!).  Because of his personality, Driggs eventually found himself traded to a Bahamian beach dweller.  When his owner's beach property is sold out from under him to a dubious American real estate developer, things head even further south for Driggs.  In the meantime, in the Florida Keys, Andrew Yancy has been demoted from detective to roach inspector due to his very public assault of a prominent doctor in the middle of Key West, defending the honor of his lover, the doctor's wife.  When a human arm is hooked by a tourist on a Key West charter fishing boat, Driggs and Yancy's lives are set on a collision course which will not end well for a number of players.

Maybe it was because the book seemed to drag on too long, or maybe it's because I think Tim Dorsey does Florida crime humor so much better, but I found this book, like Carl Hiaasen's last novel Star Island, a disappointment.  Mr. Hiaasen has the name, but in my opinion, not the claim to best Florida writer.  An okay read if you have plenty of time to spare.