The Carl Hiaasen Collection: Lucky You and Sick Puppy

by Carl Hiaasen, Ed Asner (Reading)

Lucky You
Grange, Florida, is famous for its miracles--the weeping fiberglass Madonna, the Road-Stain Jesus, the stigmata man. And now it has JoLayne Lucks, unlikely winner of the state lottery.

Unfortunately, JoLayne's winning ticket isn't the only one. The other belongs to Bodean Gazzer and his raunchy sidekick, Chub, who believe they're entitled to the whole $28 million jackpot. And they need it quickly, to start their own underground militia before NATO troops invade America.

But JoLayne Lucks has her own plans for the Lotto money--an Eden-like forest in Grange must be saved from strip-malling. When Bode and Chub brutally assault her and steal her ticket, JoLayne vows to track them down, take it back--and get revenge.

The only one who can help is Tom Krome, a big-city investigative journalist now bitterly consigned to writing frothy features for a midsized central Florida newspaper. With a persuasive nudge from JoLayne, Krome is about to become part of a story that's bigger and more bizarre than anything he's ever covered.

Chasing two heavily armed psychopaths down the coast of Florida is reckless enough, but Tom's got other problems--the murderous attention of a jealous judge; an actress wife who turns fugitive to avoid divorce court; an editor who speaks in tongues; and Tom's own growing fondness for the future millionairess with whom he's risking his neck.

The pursuit takes them from the surreal streets of Grange to a buzzard-infested island deep in Florida Bay, where they finally catch up with the fledgling militia--Chub, Bode Gazzer, a newly recruited convenience-store clerk and their baffled hostage, a Hooters waitress.

The climax explodes with the hilarious mayhem that is Carl Hiaasen's hallmark. Lucky You is his funniest, most deliriously gripping novel yet.

Sick Puppy
When Palmer Stoat notices a pickup truck tailgaiting him down the highway, he fears his Range Rover is about to be carjacked. But Twilly Spree, the man driving the truck, has vengeance, not carjacking, on his mind. Idealistic, independently wealthy, and pathologically short-tempered, Spree has dedicated his life to saving nature. And after watching Stoat dump a trail of litter along Florida's turnpike, Spree is determined to teach him a lesson by filling his precious Rover with hungry dung beetles. This would have been the end had Spree not discoverred that Stoat is one of Florida's most notorious political fixers, whose latest project is the greedy "malling" of a pristine Gulf Coast island. Now the real Hiaasen-style fun begins!

Audio CD

First published June 6, 2006

About the author

Carl Hiaasen was born and raised in Florida. After graduating from the University of Florida, he joined the Miami Herald as a general assignment reporter and went on to work for the newspaper’s weekly magazine and prize-winning investigations team. As a journalist and author, Carl has spent most of his life advocating for the protection of the Florida Everglades. He and his family live in southern Florida.

Reviews

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this as audiobook. It was my first encounter with Carl Hiaasen. The dude can write. Speaking of, if you're a fan of the film The Big Lebowski, you will probably enjoy Sick Puppy. There's not much overlap in content, but the plot lines take similar twists and turns. Oh, and Ed Asner is hilarious reading this.

[V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucky You was fantastic! Probably one of the best Hiaasen books that I have read. The lines between the heros and villains were quite clear with several ambiguous people thrown into the mix.

The plot was great and the characters were very memorable. However, the newspaper line was very similar to Basket Case.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read both of these books in the past. I have enjoyed every Hiaasin book. These were more enjoyable listening to Ed Asner read them.

[Rod Horncastle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay stuff.

[Shari]

Sick Puppy by Carl Hiaasen (2001)