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Fun,
Adventurous,
Interesting

4 reviews

Bad Monkey

by Carl Hiaasen

Published: 2013-06-11
Hardcover : 336 pages

9 members reading this now
21 clubs reading this now
6 members have read this book

Recommended to book clubs by 4 of 4 members

No other editions available.

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Introduction

Andrew Yancy—late of the Miami Police and soon-to-be-late of the Monroe County sheriff’s office—has a human arm in his freezer. There’s a logical (Hiaasenian) explanation for that, but not for how and why it parted from its shadowy owner. Yancy thinks the boating-accident/shark-luncheon explanation is full of holes, and if he can prove murder, the sheriff might rescue him from his grisly Health Inspector gig (it’s not called the roach patrol for nothing). But first—this being Hiaasen country—Yancy must negotiate an obstacle course of wildly unpredictable events with a crew of even more wildly unpredictable characters, including his just-ex lover, a hot-blooded fugitive from Kansas; the twitchy widow of the frozen arm; two avariciously optimistic real-estate speculators; the Bahamian voodoo witch known as the Dragon Queen, whose suitors are blinded unto death by her peculiar charms; Yancy’s new true love, a kinky coroner; and the eponymous bad monkey, who with hilarious aplomb earns his place among Carl Hiaasen’s greatest characters.

Here is Hiaasen doing what he does better than anyone else: spinning a tale at once fiercely pointed and wickedly funny in which the greedy, the corrupt, and the degraders of what’s left of pristine Florida—now, of the Bahamas as well—get their comeuppance in mordantly ingenious, diabolically entertaining fashion.

Editorial Review

No editorial review at this time.

Excerpt

One

On the hottest day of July, trolling in dead-calm waters near Key West, a tourist named James Mayberry reeled up a human arm. His wife flew to the bow of the boat and tossed her breakfast burritos.

“What’re you waiting for?” James Mayberry barked at the mate.“Get that thing off my line!”

The kid tugged and twisted, but the barb of the hook was imbedded in bone. Finally the captain came down from the bridge and used bent-nose pliers to free the decomposing limb, which he placed on shaved ice in a deck box. ...

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Discussion Questions

Suggested by Members

Conservation and development encroaching on delicate habitats and species

Property rights and new construction versus existing smaller homes.

Does the monkey really move the story along? Would you like the book as much without the monkey?

by kcderr (see profile) 03/15/16

Looked online for discussion topics.

by kehaulani (see profile) 03/15/16

I would be interested to know what other book clubs discussed regarding this book. We didn't have much of a discussion, we just raved about how much we liked it.

by fiddlefingers (see profile) 08/23/13

Weblinks

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Notes From the Author to the Bookclub

The New York Times Book Review - Marilyn Stasio

Any fears that Carl Hiaasen might be mellowing are put to rest by Bad Monkey, another rollicking misadventure in the colorful annals of greed and corruption in South Florida…Hiaasen has a peculiar genius for inventing grotesque creatures—like the monstrous voodoo woman known as the Dragon Queen and Driggs, a scrofulous monkey "with a septic disposition"—that spring from the darkest impulses of the id. But he also writes great heroes like Yancy and Neville…

Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 4 of 4 members.

Kinda raunchy

by kcderr (see profile) 03/15/16

It's a fun departure from the "normal" book club books, but be forewarned, there's a lot of gratuitous sex, violence and foul language. Some ladies in our group didn't like the book for this reason and didn't come to the discussion.

n/a

by kehaulani (see profile) 03/15/16

Member Reviews

Overall rating:

by Jill R. (see profile) 07/27/21

by Debbie A. (see profile) 07/03/21

by Ginger G. (see profile) 01/17/21

by jenny s. (see profile) 01/17/21

by Canela B. (see profile) 01/17/21

Book club name /favorite animal
Bad monkey :

2writers (some Easy some not good flow ) Clinton /Paterson ?

Florida fraud : fender benders , urine for diabetes , Medicare more documentati

... (read more)

"Not your typical bookclub book..."by Karen D. (see profile) 03/15/16

Bad Monkey isn't a book I normally would have chosen to read on my own but I found I was very excited to discuss the book with our club. It's action packed and would make a great movie. It's funny that... (read more)

"Bad Monkey"by Marvy G. (see profile) 03/15/16

Many sub-plots make for an interesting read. Some occurrences seem far-fetched, yet everything comes together in the end. Brilliant one-liners, bordering on the hilarious; many chapter endings hold you... (read more)

"Fun, Light Read"by Erika G. (see profile) 12/17/15

Bad Monkey is a fun vacation read - funny and optimistic about life.

"Bad Monkey "by Linda V. (see profile) 08/23/13

I don't normally read a book because someone tells me it's "funny." But this was a book club selection. I couldn't put it down, and yes, it is hilarious. Everyone in our club loved this book... (read more)

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