Carl Hiaasen’s book always relax me and keep me turning pages. This book is set in Key West, Florida and it made me miss my time living in the tropics. I lived in the tropics from 1992 to 1999 and then again from 2002 to 2008. Hiaasen’s crime novels always have colorful characters and are set in the crazy state of Florida. Hiaasen was a reporter for the Miami Herald for many years and weaves in the stories he probably covered of con men, gangsters, and eccentric people to color his novels. One time on a layover in Miami I did drive about halfway down the keys and I want to get back there someday to stay awhile and see what life is like at the southernmost part of the continental USA.
My favorite character in this particular thriller/crime novel is the down-on-his-luck health inspector, Andrew Yancy. He was demoted from the police as a detective and is trying to get back into the good graces of the sheriff so he can get back on the force. He is tall and handsome and Hiaasen always includes beautiful, crazy women in his novels, so despite his low salary, Yancy is able to attract women. Every character is going to for something and their interactions are hilarious. Hiaasen mixes in news stories so reality television, the New Jersey mafia, corrupt lawyers, Florida real estate, and ecology are all featured in the plot. The eponymous Razor Girl is a con artist that helps thugs catch people who have somehow ran foul of gangsters. It is an enjoyable read and I recommend the book.
I checked out the book from the Great Lakes Digital Library which I access through my home library in West Iron County, Michigan. The software, Libby, gives user statistics. I picked up “the book” 16 times and it took me 9 hours and 41 minutes to read it. Interesting insight about reading. Although the library does not have all the books I want, I am finding enough to save me several hundred dollars over the course of a year.
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