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Skink #2
Native Tongue
From the New York Times bestselling author comes a novel in which dedicated, if somewhat demented, environmentalists battle sleazy real estate developers in the Florida Keys. "Rips, zips, hurtles, keeping us turning the pages at breakfinger pace." —New York Times Book Review When the precious clue-tongued mango voles at the Amazing Kingdom of Thrills on North Key Largo are stolen by heartless, ruthless thugs, Joe Winder wants to uncover why, and find the voles. Joe is lately a PR man for the Amazing Kingdom theme park, but now that the voles are gone, Winder is dragged along in their wake through a series of weird and lethal events that begin with the sleazy real-estate agent/villain Francis X. Kingsbury and can end only one way....
476 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1991
1313 people are currently reading
5142 people want to read
About the author
Carl Hiaasen
99 books9,839 followersCarl 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 963 reviews
March 2, 2025
Carl Hiaasen is back with another look at Florida, and this time he's taking a poke at the dirty (yet fun!) world of amusement parks.
I didn't realize that Skinny Dip was part of the Skink series of books. He pops up in that one as a cameo but you don't really know who he is. <--or I didn't.
In Native Tongue he has an actual role in the story, even though he's not really what I would personally call a main character.
Can Florida be considered a main character?
Doesn't matter.
So, who exactly is Skink? Well, he's an ex-governor of Florida who was supposedly super incorruptible and an environmentalist. <-- and this is how you know the book is a work of fiction.
At any rate, the guy resigned because he couldn't get anything done and went completely off-grid. He now lives in the swamps fighting the good fight as an eco-terrorist. Also, he's batshit.
The gist of this story is that a reporter with a checkered past gets hired to do PR for a second-rate theme park. When the theft of two endangered rodents turns into a murder that's made to look like a suicide of the theme park's scientist in charge of trying to breed the animals, Joe Winder's reporter instincts pick up a story. He teams up with the woman inside the theme park's mascot, Robbie the Racoon, to solve the case. He also gets some unexpected help from Skink and his ex-bodyguard (now a state trooper), and an old lady who runs an environmental group full of rich senior citizens, plus her two beleaguered henchmen.
Together this motley crew eventually attempts to take down a sleazy developer and save a chunk of the Everglades from becoming yet another golf course.
If you've read Hiaasen, I think you'll like this one. If you haven't, you'll probably think twice about going to a theme park in the Sunshine State.
I didn't realize that Skinny Dip was part of the Skink series of books. He pops up in that one as a cameo but you don't really know who he is. <--or I didn't.
In Native Tongue he has an actual role in the story, even though he's not really what I would personally call a main character.
Can Florida be considered a main character?
Doesn't matter.
So, who exactly is Skink? Well, he's an ex-governor of Florida who was supposedly super incorruptible and an environmentalist. <-- and this is how you know the book is a work of fiction.
At any rate, the guy resigned because he couldn't get anything done and went completely off-grid. He now lives in the swamps fighting the good fight as an eco-terrorist. Also, he's batshit.
The gist of this story is that a reporter with a checkered past gets hired to do PR for a second-rate theme park. When the theft of two endangered rodents turns into a murder that's made to look like a suicide of the theme park's scientist in charge of trying to breed the animals, Joe Winder's reporter instincts pick up a story. He teams up with the woman inside the theme park's mascot, Robbie the Racoon, to solve the case. He also gets some unexpected help from Skink and his ex-bodyguard (now a state trooper), and an old lady who runs an environmental group full of rich senior citizens, plus her two beleaguered henchmen.
Together this motley crew eventually attempts to take down a sleazy developer and save a chunk of the Everglades from becoming yet another golf course.
If you've read Hiaasen, I think you'll like this one. If you haven't, you'll probably think twice about going to a theme park in the Sunshine State.
January 10, 2019
If Charles Dickens moved to Florida, hung out with machete-wielding snake-hating women, wrestled alligators for corn dogs at a ramshackle road side stand, became a drunken roadie for Jimmy Buffett, dressed up as Buzz Lightyear at Disney World and kicked little kids in the ass as they passed by, lived deep in the swamp and subsisted on possum and moonshine, dealt cocaine for a cartel, mowed lawns at a senior retirement center on one of those cool motorized lawn mowers that you can ride around on, repossessed cars in Palm Beach, worked as revivalist preacher and counted election votes (and swept up once hanging chads that fell on the floor), he might be Carl Hiassen, whose specialty is throwing the spotlight on the denizens of Florida, the flaccid penis (look at a map) of the contiguous 48 states.
Hiassen has the knack for creating wacky Floridians, dozens of interweaving subplots and making Mr. Coincidence turn tricks like a five dollar hooker.
So what’s the book about?
Good vs. Evil, but it’s funny. Read the cover blurb. This isn't Tolstoy.
What is Dickens -> Hiassen outraged about?
One of his pet peeves, a$$holes who f*ck with the environment. And yes, in typical Hiassen fashion, they do get their comeuppance and it’s satisfyingly painful.
Elmore James Elmore Leonard’s got nothin’ on this baby.
In previous reviews of Hiassen’s stuff, I’ve compared him unfavorably to the master crime writer, Elmore James, whom Hiassen used to emulate. In this book, he seems to have abandoned all pretentions and sticks with what he can do best: be as funny and obnoxious as hell.
I am woman hear me roar.
In other books, Hiassen as a writer seems to trip all over himself every time he wrote from the point of view of a female character. In this book, he wises-up and doesn’t. The reader greatly benefits from this decision.
Jeff, what would happen if a horny dolphin tried to mate with a human?
That’s a great question, Random Goodreader! It’s in the book and it’s not pretty.
If you want to be amused at people you can say you are better than or hate Jimmy Buffett or think that a bout of swamp ass is the funniest thing ever, check this book out.
Hiassen has the knack for creating wacky Floridians, dozens of interweaving subplots and making Mr. Coincidence turn tricks like a five dollar hooker.
So what’s the book about?
Good vs. Evil, but it’s funny. Read the cover blurb. This isn't Tolstoy.
What is Dickens -> Hiassen outraged about?
One of his pet peeves, a$$holes who f*ck with the environment. And yes, in typical Hiassen fashion, they do get their comeuppance and it’s satisfyingly painful.
In previous reviews of Hiassen’s stuff, I’ve compared him unfavorably to the master crime writer, Elmore James, whom Hiassen used to emulate. In this book, he seems to have abandoned all pretentions and sticks with what he can do best: be as funny and obnoxious as hell.
I am woman hear me roar.
In other books, Hiassen as a writer seems to trip all over himself every time he wrote from the point of view of a female character. In this book, he wises-up and doesn’t. The reader greatly benefits from this decision.
Jeff, what would happen if a horny dolphin tried to mate with a human?
That’s a great question, Random Goodreader! It’s in the book and it’s not pretty.
If you want to be amused at people you can say you are better than or hate Jimmy Buffett or think that a bout of swamp ass is the funniest thing ever, check this book out.
January 15, 2021
In 'Native Tongue' by Carl Hiaasen, number two in the Skink series, a pair of blue-tongued mango voles, perhaps the last on earth, are the sad victims of an indifferent heist by two inept burglars, Bud Schwartz and Danny Pogue. The two thieves did not know the small creatures were voles; they were under the belief they were rats. While escaping from the theme park the two men had burglarized for the voles they had playfully tossed each of the animals into open windows of rented cars of tourists on the highway. Since they had grabbed the box without opening it, they did not know there were only two voles inside. They believed their employer, Molly McNamara, would not care if she got a box of "rats" minus the two "who had somehow got out of the box." As they drove to her house, they were already making plans for the money she would pay them.
Molly McNamara, as the President of the Mothers of Wilderness, an environmental activist organization she had founded, hired the two young men to break into the animal labs at the Amazing Kingdom of Thrills to rescue them from the third-rate Florida theme park. The park was owned by a dreadful Florida land developer, Francis Kingsbury. Kingsbury had announced that he intended to breed the rare animals whose habitat was being destroyed by golf courses and houses. It was an attempt to save the species. The Federal government helpfully gave him $2,000,000 after processing his paperwork on the breeding effort.
Of course, Kingsbury is actually a participant in the destruction of Florida's habitat. His latest deal is adding a new golf course adjacent to the tourist theme park, but he needed funds. Scamming the government with a vole-breeding program seemed the perfect way to raise money for the golf course. Now, he has several problems.
Fortunately, Joe Winder, one of Kingsbury's employees in the park's Publicity Office, along with Charles Chelsea, is a whiz at preparing public relations announcements for the press. The two publicists create a publicity spin out of the disaster of the missing voles by thinking up the idea of a $10,000 reward for the return of the voles.
Winder has already decided he didn't like the spinning he is required to do for his boss, Chelsea, and the owner, Kingsbury, even if he is good at it. Winder took the job because he needed the money - he once was a reporter, but he had had a little incident which made certain he could no longer get a job as a reporter. He regretfully is an honest man in a corrupt state. Unknowingly, he is working for another corrupt Florida businessman.
There is another honest man in Florida, though. Skink, the famous mystery madman of the Everglades, who was introduced in a previous book, Double Whammy and Joe Winder are now on a collision course of mutual environmental activism. Hilarious hijinks ensue!
This novel can be read as a standalone. While there are serious environmental issues fueling many of the motives and activities of the characters, the book is pure fun to read.
Molly McNamara, as the President of the Mothers of Wilderness, an environmental activist organization she had founded, hired the two young men to break into the animal labs at the Amazing Kingdom of Thrills to rescue them from the third-rate Florida theme park. The park was owned by a dreadful Florida land developer, Francis Kingsbury. Kingsbury had announced that he intended to breed the rare animals whose habitat was being destroyed by golf courses and houses. It was an attempt to save the species. The Federal government helpfully gave him $2,000,000 after processing his paperwork on the breeding effort.
Of course, Kingsbury is actually a participant in the destruction of Florida's habitat. His latest deal is adding a new golf course adjacent to the tourist theme park, but he needed funds. Scamming the government with a vole-breeding program seemed the perfect way to raise money for the golf course. Now, he has several problems.
Fortunately, Joe Winder, one of Kingsbury's employees in the park's Publicity Office, along with Charles Chelsea, is a whiz at preparing public relations announcements for the press. The two publicists create a publicity spin out of the disaster of the missing voles by thinking up the idea of a $10,000 reward for the return of the voles.
Winder has already decided he didn't like the spinning he is required to do for his boss, Chelsea, and the owner, Kingsbury, even if he is good at it. Winder took the job because he needed the money - he once was a reporter, but he had had a little incident which made certain he could no longer get a job as a reporter. He regretfully is an honest man in a corrupt state. Unknowingly, he is working for another corrupt Florida businessman.
There is another honest man in Florida, though. Skink, the famous mystery madman of the Everglades, who was introduced in a previous book, Double Whammy and Joe Winder are now on a collision course of mutual environmental activism. Hilarious hijinks ensue!
This novel can be read as a standalone. While there are serious environmental issues fueling many of the motives and activities of the characters, the book is pure fun to read.
January 16, 2012
Rating: what? I was too busy laughing to hear you
Blue-tongued mango voles. If you've read the book, you've now collapsed on the floor howling in remembered glee. If you haven't read the book before, well, it's time now.
Mix Hiaasen's trademark hapless idiot criminals, burnt-out losers, small-minded grifters, and slimy real estate developers, add a cut-rate theme park, shake with a dose of environmentalist headline-grabbing, and *poof* you have the kind of book that makes summer beach reading so much fun.
What can I add that will make a difference? Book's been out 20 years and there's already a gabloozel and six reviews, so pick it up! Really, there is so much fun to be had in Hiaasenland it's a shame to miss out. He writes very well-built sentences, he creates recognizable characters, and he has a flensing knife of an eye for human nature. If you haven't, please do; if you have, but weren't amused, please try this one; if you have and rolled around laughing, well, we're soul mates. Will you marry me?
Blue-tongued mango voles. If you've read the book, you've now collapsed on the floor howling in remembered glee. If you haven't read the book before, well, it's time now.
Mix Hiaasen's trademark hapless idiot criminals, burnt-out losers, small-minded grifters, and slimy real estate developers, add a cut-rate theme park, shake with a dose of environmentalist headline-grabbing, and *poof* you have the kind of book that makes summer beach reading so much fun.
What can I add that will make a difference? Book's been out 20 years and there's already a gabloozel and six reviews, so pick it up! Really, there is so much fun to be had in Hiaasenland it's a shame to miss out. He writes very well-built sentences, he creates recognizable characters, and he has a flensing knife of an eye for human nature. If you haven't, please do; if you have, but weren't amused, please try this one; if you have and rolled around laughing, well, we're soul mates. Will you marry me?
May 25, 2019
Native Tongue is my first Carl Hiaasen novel. His writing style and approach reminds me of Joe R. Lansdale, Elmore Leonard, and Harry Crews (Hiaasen makes reference to Harry Crews in this title). I laughed out loud at reading his dark humor more than once. I like the ecological theme, and how "Skink" strives to keep Florida's wild spaces, well, still wild. Lots of bizarre and memorable characters populate the story. I hope return to Mr. Hiaasen's books in the near future. He's won another fan.
November 19, 2020
Never mess with Mickey Mouse. Or so is the lesson learned by career thug Francis X. Kingsbury when he challenges the Colossus of Kissimmee by building his own cut-rate theme park called "The Amazing Kingdom of Thrills" down in the Florida Keys. Instead of Mickey and Minnie there are Petey Possum and Robbie Raccoon; the legendary thrill rides give way to a cheap water slide that reminds everyone of a giant condom; blue-tongued voles (which don't really exist) are poor compensations for Disney's wildlife-rehab efforts. Things start to go off the rails when the "rare" voles, Vance and Violet, are captured and held for ransom. Then Francis Kingsbury's greed kicks in, big-time, as he plans to plow the last pristine bits of his Key under for a mediocre golf resort against the advice of anyone who hasn't been bought off. True to himself, he schedules a "Summerfest" at the climatological worst time of year (see below).
Welcome to the astringent world of Carl Hiaasen's adult satires, of which NATIVE TONGUE (1991) is one of the best. In Hiaasen's world, when it comes to corruption many are called and just as many are chosen, including a pimpled, over-steroided head of security, two bumbling kidnappers, and an even more bumbling hit man down from the North. There are good people in the book, too, some of whom we've seen before, such as the feral Florida ex-governor "Skink" and his loyal deputy Jim Tile. The moral center of the book, as in numerous others, is a journalist (spoiler): in this case a Hiaasen-like wordsmith who does P.R. for the park (and gets moral support from his would-be girlfriend). Their efforts come together with the help of a memorable little-old-lady eco-terrorist who helps bankroll last-ditch efforts to scuttle the golf resort. It all smashes together in a wonderful panjandrum of panic that leaves the reader in doubt of the book's conclusion until its very last pages.
While NATIVE TONGUE runs on a bit, it is good cynical fun and well worth reading.
from the book:
An awakening nation heard the famous weatherman [Willard Scott] say:
"This ring-tailed rascal is one of the most popular characters here at the Amazing Kingdom of Thrills. Go ahead, tell us your name."
And in a high, squeaky voice Joe Winder gamely replied: "Hi, Willard! My name is Robbie Raccoon."
"You're certainly a big fella, Robbie. Judging by the size of that tummy, I'd say you've been snooping through a few garbage cans!"
To which Robbie Raccoon responded, "Look who's talking, lardass." (p. 378)
Welcome to the astringent world of Carl Hiaasen's adult satires, of which NATIVE TONGUE (1991) is one of the best. In Hiaasen's world, when it comes to corruption many are called and just as many are chosen, including a pimpled, over-steroided head of security, two bumbling kidnappers, and an even more bumbling hit man down from the North. There are good people in the book, too, some of whom we've seen before, such as the feral Florida ex-governor "Skink" and his loyal deputy Jim Tile. The moral center of the book, as in numerous others, is a journalist (spoiler): in this case a Hiaasen-like wordsmith who does P.R. for the park (and gets moral support from his would-be girlfriend). Their efforts come together with the help of a memorable little-old-lady eco-terrorist who helps bankroll last-ditch efforts to scuttle the golf resort. It all smashes together in a wonderful panjandrum of panic that leaves the reader in doubt of the book's conclusion until its very last pages.
While NATIVE TONGUE runs on a bit, it is good cynical fun and well worth reading.
from the book:
An awakening nation heard the famous weatherman [Willard Scott] say:
"This ring-tailed rascal is one of the most popular characters here at the Amazing Kingdom of Thrills. Go ahead, tell us your name."
And in a high, squeaky voice Joe Winder gamely replied: "Hi, Willard! My name is Robbie Raccoon."
"You're certainly a big fella, Robbie. Judging by the size of that tummy, I'd say you've been snooping through a few garbage cans!"
To which Robbie Raccoon responded, "Look who's talking, lardass." (p. 378)
May 11, 2022
I've read several books by Carl Hiaasen, including several of the Skink series. Skink is an interesting character, although he doesn't play a major role in this one. That role is probably filled mostly by a reporter named Joe Winder along with several supporting players including a senior citizen who is good at playing a batty old woman, but is actually pretty sharp, and good with a gun.
Aside from Skink, there is another fun recurring character who follows him from place to place, a big, black State Trooper named Jim Tile who gets reassigned whenever Skink moves. Jim Tile is a pretty cool character. He meets up with a lot of racists who seem to want to provoke him with racial epithets, but Jim is good at outwardly ignoring them until he doesn't. At other times, he seems to love intimidating them, doing things like eating in places that don't welcome non-whites, and taking his time at it.
The real main character is Florida and its environmental rape by land developers and crooked politicians. Skink was previously an honest governor of Florida, but finally gave up and walked away, disappearing until given up for dead by most people. Jim Tile had worked with him and helped him disappear.
Aside from Skink, there is another fun recurring character who follows him from place to place, a big, black State Trooper named Jim Tile who gets reassigned whenever Skink moves. Jim Tile is a pretty cool character. He meets up with a lot of racists who seem to want to provoke him with racial epithets, but Jim is good at outwardly ignoring them until he doesn't. At other times, he seems to love intimidating them, doing things like eating in places that don't welcome non-whites, and taking his time at it.
The real main character is Florida and its environmental rape by land developers and crooked politicians. Skink was previously an honest governor of Florida, but finally gave up and walked away, disappearing until given up for dead by most people. Jim Tile had worked with him and helped him disappear.
January 31, 2016
This book has more hilarious adventures of "Skink", ex-governor of Florida. Some of the wacky characters are two misfit burglars, an obsessed older woman environmentalist who shoots people plus the owner and various employees of "The Amazing Kingdom of Thrills" amusement park. All of these people interact and produce some laugh out loud lines.
September 20, 2020
Skink is the M-A-N!! \= o )
September 14, 2020
A bit overlong by 20-30 pages... perhaps 50.
Skink doesn't appear until around page 70 when he saves our lead character's life by battering to death a motley pair of hit-men. Joe Winder, former investigative newspaper reporter currently employed as a hack by an imitation Disneyworld amusement park, The Amazing Kingdom Of Thrills.
Parts Edward Abbey mixed with a tractor-trailer load of Elmore Leonard style screw-ups, bad guys and good guys alike. A real far-fetched page-turner of a crime romp. You can't stop cheering for the good guys.
Great series. I thought I'd read this 20 or 30 something years ago but it was all new to me.
If you're an Elmore Leonard fan who's gone through all the Leonards 3 times or more, this will be a special read for you.
Skink doesn't appear until around page 70 when he saves our lead character's life by battering to death a motley pair of hit-men. Joe Winder, former investigative newspaper reporter currently employed as a hack by an imitation Disneyworld amusement park, The Amazing Kingdom Of Thrills.
Parts Edward Abbey mixed with a tractor-trailer load of Elmore Leonard style screw-ups, bad guys and good guys alike. A real far-fetched page-turner of a crime romp. You can't stop cheering for the good guys.
Great series. I thought I'd read this 20 or 30 something years ago but it was all new to me.
If you're an Elmore Leonard fan who's gone through all the Leonards 3 times or more, this will be a special read for you.
Bud Schwartz was so preoccupied that he got off on the wrong floor and found himself standing amidst throngs of cooing relatives at the window of the nursery. He couldn't believe the number of newborn babies -- it baffled him, left him muttering while others clucked and pointed and sighed. In a world turning to shit, why were so many people still having children? Maybe it was a fad, like CB radios and Cabbage Patch dolls. Or maybe these men and women didn't understand the full implications of reproduction.
More victims, thought Bud Schwartz, the last damn thing we need. He gazed at the rows of sleeping infants, crinkly and squinty-eyed and blissfully innocent, and silently foretold their future. They would grow up to have automobiles and houses and apartments that would all, eventually, be burglarized by lowlifes such as himself.
November 29, 2016
Carl Hiaasen at his very best; 4 stars for the writing and story, another 1/3 for this having an even larger portion of humor + 1 star for the blue-tongued voles alone. So that comes to... all the stars! We don't need no stinking literary super high quality! We have blue-tongued rodents and Skink!
May 17, 2007
I recommended this book to a large crowd of people in an airport one time because I was laughing so hard, snot was coming out of my nose and one lady finally said "WHAT are you reading?!?!". Approximately half of the crowd standing there wrote down the title and author... hope they had the same snot-laughing-experience I had! :)
May 7, 2018
3.5 stars
Joe Winder is a journalist who is fed up with mainstream news so he takes a job as a publicity writer for a Disney-like theme park. This park also has animal exhibits one of which is of endangered voles. The voles are stolen by a couple burglars hired by an environmental extremist. The burglar idiots think they just have a couple of rats and decide it would be fun to throw one of the rats into passing convertible just for yucks.
Winder and his boss, Charles Chelsea, begin writing a series publicity articles that tries to twist the situation to make more money for the theme park. The theme park owner is out make a buck and uses any gimmick he can regardless if it is not entirely legit. The park security is made up of thugs with the chief security man a bodybuilder hooked on steroids.
The theme park owner is also developing a "waterfront" condominium complex. When they bulldoze the land by Winder's favorite fishing spot, he decides to go rogue.
The situation turns chaotic. Skink, the ex-governor turned environmental vigilante and hermit, turns up at strategic moments to save Winder's bacon.
As much as I enjoy Carl Hiaasen's books, Native Tongue was sort of a hit and miss proposition for me. I'm not sure why. The story is well written. The characters are the usual cast of eccentric old balls. This is Book 2 of the Skink series. I have read almost all of the books of the series out of order. The books seem to read well as standalones because so few characters carryover from one book to the next. Oh well, this a fun book with a story full of laughs.
Joe Winder is a journalist who is fed up with mainstream news so he takes a job as a publicity writer for a Disney-like theme park. This park also has animal exhibits one of which is of endangered voles. The voles are stolen by a couple burglars hired by an environmental extremist. The burglar idiots think they just have a couple of rats and decide it would be fun to throw one of the rats into passing convertible just for yucks.
Winder and his boss, Charles Chelsea, begin writing a series publicity articles that tries to twist the situation to make more money for the theme park. The theme park owner is out make a buck and uses any gimmick he can regardless if it is not entirely legit. The park security is made up of thugs with the chief security man a bodybuilder hooked on steroids.
The theme park owner is also developing a "waterfront" condominium complex. When they bulldoze the land by Winder's favorite fishing spot, he decides to go rogue.
The situation turns chaotic. Skink, the ex-governor turned environmental vigilante and hermit, turns up at strategic moments to save Winder's bacon.
As much as I enjoy Carl Hiaasen's books, Native Tongue was sort of a hit and miss proposition for me. I'm not sure why. The story is well written. The characters are the usual cast of eccentric old balls. This is Book 2 of the Skink series. I have read almost all of the books of the series out of order. The books seem to read well as standalones because so few characters carryover from one book to the next. Oh well, this a fun book with a story full of laughs.
June 24, 2007
By page 320 I was quite ready to put Carl Hiaasen's Native Tongue down. As cleverly drawn as Hiaasen's characters are, it seems he was quite unwilling to let them go, and hence 100 pages after I was done reading, the book ended.
The story follows former investigative reporter turned PR man Joe Winder as his job and the events around it at the Amazing Kingdom theme park on North Key Largo turn from bad to worse. Following the daytime kidnapping of two endangered mango voles, the park goes into panic mode, one that roller coasters into murder, arson, love affairs and accidental death via sex with dolphins. Through all of this, Native Tongue conjures all the best of the South Florida mystery. A former investigative reporter himself for the Miami Herald, Hiaasen peppers all of his prose with the obscure and eccentric journalistic detail that makes the Miami crime scene so interesting to follow. In a way, the book even made me want to go home, to the mangoves and the warm waters, and this mind you, is not a feeling often inspired in me, so strip malled, traffiked, lack of insuranced and expensive is South Florida now.
Essentially, for a quick and thoughtless, though not thought numbing, read Native Tongue is an ideal pick, an airplane or travel book for sure, the type you read going from one place to the other.
The story follows former investigative reporter turned PR man Joe Winder as his job and the events around it at the Amazing Kingdom theme park on North Key Largo turn from bad to worse. Following the daytime kidnapping of two endangered mango voles, the park goes into panic mode, one that roller coasters into murder, arson, love affairs and accidental death via sex with dolphins. Through all of this, Native Tongue conjures all the best of the South Florida mystery. A former investigative reporter himself for the Miami Herald, Hiaasen peppers all of his prose with the obscure and eccentric journalistic detail that makes the Miami crime scene so interesting to follow. In a way, the book even made me want to go home, to the mangoves and the warm waters, and this mind you, is not a feeling often inspired in me, so strip malled, traffiked, lack of insuranced and expensive is South Florida now.
Essentially, for a quick and thoughtless, though not thought numbing, read Native Tongue is an ideal pick, an airplane or travel book for sure, the type you read going from one place to the other.
June 28, 2018
I love Carl Hiaasen books unfortunately I have problem with the slow pace of this one. Overall it's very entertaining especially the characters and humor throughout the book. My favorite character has to be the bad guy, Pedro Luz. The steroid addict security guard who walked around with steroid drip IV rig. He also became concerned and obsessed with measuring and documenting his sexual wand. There wasn't much of Skink in this one which was a bit disappointing.
January 1, 2018
Mr. Hiaasen is always a good choice. This one’s about the troubles for a Walt Disney wanna be in Key Largo. Well done, funny and captivating.
November 20, 2020
Native Tongue is an enjoyable read, but perhaps not the best of the Carl Hiaasen books I have read.
The underlying theme is familiar: a slightly unwitting protagonist becomes involved in trying to prevent the destruction of more of Florida’s natural land and wildlife by a selection of sleazy developers, charlatans, corrupt politicians, violent enforcers and so on. This time the main threat is from a sort of seedy, dishonest sub-Disneyland theme park and the plot plays out rather as you’d expect, but with some very amusing moments – not least from a gun-totin’ older woman for whom the word “feisty” is wholly inadequate.
Hiaasen’s books are always good value. This may not be one of the wittiest or most engrossing, but it’s very enjoyable and I can recommend it.
The underlying theme is familiar: a slightly unwitting protagonist becomes involved in trying to prevent the destruction of more of Florida’s natural land and wildlife by a selection of sleazy developers, charlatans, corrupt politicians, violent enforcers and so on. This time the main threat is from a sort of seedy, dishonest sub-Disneyland theme park and the plot plays out rather as you’d expect, but with some very amusing moments – not least from a gun-totin’ older woman for whom the word “feisty” is wholly inadequate.
Hiaasen’s books are always good value. This may not be one of the wittiest or most engrossing, but it’s very enjoyable and I can recommend it.
February 7, 2018
No actual feedback because I read this when I was 12 (and just found it in my mom’s books). However, I remember really enjoying it.
April 3, 2019
A shot at Disney and not a shot at Disney, but really a shot at Disney.
World: The world building is fantastic, this time Hiaasen takes on the huge amusement parts and the crappy things they do and the facade they put on for customers. But it’s not just this, once again Hiaasen loves playing with the Florida environment and we get deeper into the development of these parts and their other projects. The characters here are quirky and very Hiaasen and the pieces for the world are wonderfully over the top done. Good stuff.
Story: This is a Hiaasen story so all the same beats are here but this time with a Disney (but not Disney) spin on the story. Once again we have an environmental issue and the corrupt people that are in Florida allow it for it to happen. I really enjoyed the world aspect of this tale so therefore the same story again with a different coat of paint really did it for me. I love amusement parks but now seeing what may be behind them makes me kinda wary. I really liked the humour once again, it’s insane and quirky and over the top to allow for the satire to sink it, it’s good.
Characters: Skink is awesome and he’s a part of this so yeah there’s that. The new characters here are fun, they fall into the Hiaasen mold and that’s great. There is the crazy killers, there is the corrupt rich person, there is the well meaning but somewhat of a lost and loser main characters, it’s all here. I love these characters.
This was a fun book, it’s the same book but with a Disney not Disney spin on things.
Onward to the next book!
World: The world building is fantastic, this time Hiaasen takes on the huge amusement parts and the crappy things they do and the facade they put on for customers. But it’s not just this, once again Hiaasen loves playing with the Florida environment and we get deeper into the development of these parts and their other projects. The characters here are quirky and very Hiaasen and the pieces for the world are wonderfully over the top done. Good stuff.
Story: This is a Hiaasen story so all the same beats are here but this time with a Disney (but not Disney) spin on the story. Once again we have an environmental issue and the corrupt people that are in Florida allow it for it to happen. I really enjoyed the world aspect of this tale so therefore the same story again with a different coat of paint really did it for me. I love amusement parks but now seeing what may be behind them makes me kinda wary. I really liked the humour once again, it’s insane and quirky and over the top to allow for the satire to sink it, it’s good.
Characters: Skink is awesome and he’s a part of this so yeah there’s that. The new characters here are fun, they fall into the Hiaasen mold and that’s great. There is the crazy killers, there is the corrupt rich person, there is the well meaning but somewhat of a lost and loser main characters, it’s all here. I love these characters.
This was a fun book, it’s the same book but with a Disney not Disney spin on things.
Onward to the next book!
July 4, 2022
Really 3.5 stars. Oh, Florida! What are we going to do with you? Welcome to the wacky (and sometimes disturbing) world of Carl Hiaasen. His novel Native Tongue came out in 1991, and Florida seems to have gotten even wackier over the years. This is the third Hiaasen novel that I’ve read and as far as enjoyment, I would say that this is the middle child. To be honest, I almost stopped reading the book because a couple of fairly horrible things happen to some animals early on. However, I stuck with it, and I’m really glad I did because it turns out there are some old friends in here from Stormy Weather. Actually, I think Native Tongue came out first, and then Stormy Weather, so I read them out of order, but it doesn't matter - it's not like this is an actual series, after all. Mr. Hiaasen’s books remind me a bit of Christopher Moore without the supernatural stuff. We don’t need the supernatural to spice things up here - It's Florida! Both Moore and Hiaasen seem to enjoy bringing back characters from other books, which is something I really dig; It’s almost like running into an old friend. Hiaasen has a wicked sense of humor (again, like Christopher Moore), which I very much appreciate. If you can get past a bit of “ick” in the beginning, you will go on to meet lots of fun, as well as some frightening, characters. The best part about this trip to Florida? No insect repellant required! If you are looking for a quick vacation read that practically reeks of Florida - and summer- then this book is for you. Bye for now, fellow readers!
June 28, 2022
Content Warnings at the End of the Review
Joe Winder, former journalist and current PR hack, works for the Magic Kingdom, putting out press releases to help diminish any mishaps that happen at the park. But when a pair of extremely rare voles go missing from the park, and people start dying, Winder realizes that he might have to start taking action.
I liked this book a lot more than I liked Double Whammy, but it's still not my usual sort of read. I enjoyed the theme of environmentalism that ran throughout -- a little stronger than it was in Double Whammy -- and the female characters were a little better too (they were still mostly sex objects, but at least Carrie tried).
The characters were stronger in this book too. Oh sure, the bad-guys remained pretty one-dimensional, but the rest of the characters went on interesting journeys and I think every single one of them ended the book in a different place than when they started.
I figured out the 'mystery' nearly right away, but I don't think these books are really about whodunnit; the reveal comes pretty early as well. Overall, it was entertaining to read.
CONTENT WARNINGS
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Racial slurs and racism, which the author does not condone. Animal abuse. Sexual assault as perpetrated by a dolphin.
Joe Winder, former journalist and current PR hack, works for the Magic Kingdom, putting out press releases to help diminish any mishaps that happen at the park. But when a pair of extremely rare voles go missing from the park, and people start dying, Winder realizes that he might have to start taking action.
I liked this book a lot more than I liked Double Whammy, but it's still not my usual sort of read. I enjoyed the theme of environmentalism that ran throughout -- a little stronger than it was in Double Whammy -- and the female characters were a little better too (they were still mostly sex objects, but at least Carrie tried).
The characters were stronger in this book too. Oh sure, the bad-guys remained pretty one-dimensional, but the rest of the characters went on interesting journeys and I think every single one of them ended the book in a different place than when they started.
I figured out the 'mystery' nearly right away, but I don't think these books are really about whodunnit; the reveal comes pretty early as well. Overall, it was entertaining to read.
CONTENT WARNINGS
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Racial slurs and racism, which the author does not condone. Animal abuse. Sexual assault as perpetrated by a dolphin.
December 29, 2023
12/28/23 - I couldn’t even really remember if I’d read this book, but got the audiobook for my trip and enjoyed it thoroughly and did remember a lot of it once I got listening. I really love Hiaasen!
7/1/15 - So, Skink is one of my favorite characters in the long and chequered history of my falling in love with book characters, so I'm not sure why I've never read Native Tongue, since Skink is such a key character here (Sick Puppy is still my favorite Hiaasen ever, and subsequently, one of my favorite books ever). I enjoyed this thoroughly - Yes, Hiaasen has recognizable, identifiable patterns and traits to all his books: the destruction of the Florida landscape, the weirdness of native Floridians, the tired/burned out, world weary ex-journalist protagonist - but I love all these things and they make for some engrossing, page-turning reads for me for sure!
7/1/15 - So, Skink is one of my favorite characters in the long and chequered history of my falling in love with book characters, so I'm not sure why I've never read Native Tongue, since Skink is such a key character here (Sick Puppy is still my favorite Hiaasen ever, and subsequently, one of my favorite books ever). I enjoyed this thoroughly - Yes, Hiaasen has recognizable, identifiable patterns and traits to all his books: the destruction of the Florida landscape, the weirdness of native Floridians, the tired/burned out, world weary ex-journalist protagonist - but I love all these things and they make for some engrossing, page-turning reads for me for sure!
March 26, 2017
This was an unusual buy. I had bought an Omnibus of Carl Hiaasen for just INR 99 from a Crossword store. And I had hit the gold. The book is funny, action-packed, cute, tragic and what all. The author takes us deep into the world of amusement parks. The characters are simple yet one will get attached to them. A good book.
May 20, 2017
Really enjoyed this book. Loved the humor injected from start to finish.
February 26, 2025
Crazy antics at a Florida (of course) theme park. Yes you get the wacky hijinks readers expect from a Hiaasen title, but this one dragged for me. The author usually offers some good insight into the state’s plant and animal inhabitants in his works, but this caper aims for straight-up comedy. Frankly, it all gets to be a bit tedious. Took me nearly a month to read. It’s hard to get excited about a tale where pretty much every character is the Bad Guy.
January 12, 2017
It's better plot-wise than the first Skink book. I mean, if there is any plot, at some points it's just one zany thing after another. It's fun to read, but extremely difficult to figure out the motivations of anyone, be it good or bad. If I don't want to really think, this book is fine. But his heart is in the right place, Skink's as well as Hiaasen's, as long as you're not a poor unendangered pit viper. If you are, you might slowly get roasted and eaten. On the plus side, . And that was because there was a distinct lack of them in this book, rather than any sober restraint on Skink's part.
So, for what it's worth, this is the plot. It starts with the thievery of two adorable blue-tongued mango voles from a Disney knockoff called Amazing Kingdom of Thrills by some bum thieves who don't even know the count of what they've stolen (the last two in the world), and who think it's a great idea to lose the things before they can be handed over to the person who contracted them, specifically by throwing the little critters into unsuspecting convertibles. They're promptly killed. The voles, not the thieves, but it's a near thing even for the thieves. Molly McNamara is one tough retired dame, and she retains their services to make the world a worse place for the owner of the amusement park, one Francis Kingsbury. She knows Skink. Who has left Harney county for reasons unknown and is now loafing around Key Largo with a panther collar. Also for unknown reasons.
A man named Joe Winder writes press releases for the amusement parks, but after the theft of the voles and a suspicious death of the scientist/vet by ingestion into Wally the Whale (the whale died also), he decides enough is enough and joins Skink, Molly McNamara, the thieves and a curvy young lady who joins them for the heck of it in making mayhem. Joe does it by stealing letterheads and writing official sounding press releases such as snakes in the park or staff infected by whatever it is. All hell breaks lose though, because Kingsbury is just that kind of shithead.
It's kind of hilarious if you don't think about it. Skink lets off steam by shooting at parked cars, for example. They're environmentalists, these people, but they're not exactly very hinged, for the lack of a better word. I mean, Skink walks around eating roadkill for reasons best known to himself, lives with several hundreds of dead tree derivatives (books), and refuses to surrender the panther collar, making the rangers follow the thing from pillar to post in fuel burning helicopters or cars. Then there's a burning of the amusement park at the end that can't have been too good for the environment, but it's done anyway. The idea is to stop Florida land developers and they do, in this book, but honestly, if all people see are the $ figures in front of their eyes, someone bigger than Kingsbury would buy the waterfront land. It's nice to know that in books the villains have been thwarted, but it's kind of sad when balanced against what's happening in the world.
On a side note, I listened to this book on audio. The narrator was identified as George Wilson, who I'd heard previously in Double Whammy, but I wouldn't have known it if I hadn't been told. His Skink sounds very different, and not in a good way. He's also rather terrible at female voices to be honest. His Jim Tile is great, but sadly, Jim Tile isn't in this book much.
So, for what it's worth, this is the plot. It starts with the thievery of two adorable blue-tongued mango voles from a Disney knockoff called Amazing Kingdom of Thrills by some bum thieves who don't even know the count of what they've stolen (the last two in the world), and who think it's a great idea to lose the things before they can be handed over to the person who contracted them, specifically by throwing the little critters into unsuspecting convertibles. They're promptly killed. The voles, not the thieves, but it's a near thing even for the thieves. Molly McNamara is one tough retired dame, and she retains their services to make the world a worse place for the owner of the amusement park, one Francis Kingsbury. She knows Skink. Who has left Harney county for reasons unknown and is now loafing around Key Largo with a panther collar. Also for unknown reasons.
A man named Joe Winder writes press releases for the amusement parks, but after the theft of the voles and a suspicious death of the scientist/vet by ingestion into Wally the Whale (the whale died also), he decides enough is enough and joins Skink, Molly McNamara, the thieves and a curvy young lady who joins them for the heck of it in making mayhem. Joe does it by stealing letterheads and writing official sounding press releases such as snakes in the park or staff infected by whatever it is. All hell breaks lose though, because Kingsbury is just that kind of shithead.
It's kind of hilarious if you don't think about it. Skink lets off steam by shooting at parked cars, for example. They're environmentalists, these people, but they're not exactly very hinged, for the lack of a better word. I mean, Skink walks around eating roadkill for reasons best known to himself, lives with several hundreds of dead tree derivatives (books), and refuses to surrender the panther collar, making the rangers follow the thing from pillar to post in fuel burning helicopters or cars. Then there's a burning of the amusement park at the end that can't have been too good for the environment, but it's done anyway. The idea is to stop Florida land developers and they do, in this book, but honestly, if all people see are the $ figures in front of their eyes, someone bigger than Kingsbury would buy the waterfront land. It's nice to know that in books the villains have been thwarted, but it's kind of sad when balanced against what's happening in the world.
On a side note, I listened to this book on audio. The narrator was identified as George Wilson, who I'd heard previously in Double Whammy, but I wouldn't have known it if I hadn't been told. His Skink sounds very different, and not in a good way. He's also rather terrible at female voices to be honest. His Jim Tile is great, but sadly, Jim Tile isn't in this book much.
February 29, 2020
Hiassen is a gifted writer. He is able to entertain, deal with important social issues but at the same time keep it lighthearted and even throw a few good laughs in. Like everything else I've read by him, the locale is South Florida and he is primarily skewering the real estate developers, the theme parks and the corrupt politicians that seem to thrive there, but Wow! Does he make it entertaining! Hiassen has a good ear for dialogue and I may return for Skink 3 after I finish my current read
July 25, 2011
Ex-reporter Joe Winder is now the PR writer for the Amazing Kingdom of Thrills theme park in Key Largo, Florida. Formerly an employee of the competition (Disney), Joe now writes real sweet press releases, you know, the sugar-coated kind. Things get a little interesting at the Rare Animal Pavilion. The rare, treasured and last two surviving specimens of the blue-tongued mango vole (similar to rats, I guess) are carelessly stolen and inevitably killed by two [bumbling] burglars hired by a 70-year-old member of the Wildlife Rescue Corps.
Francis X. Kingsbury is a land developer, hiding from his past life in New York. He's the founder, president and chairman of the park. He's the big cheese. He's also developing Falcon Trace, a waterfront home site and golf club. The Wildlife Rescue Corps. is un-thrilled about this land development as well.
Unlike Jack Tagger, the main character in Hiaasen's "Basket Case," Joe Winder, is dragged through the muck and mishaps at the park and into a mystery of multiple levels. His bosses have really pushed him into the investigative driver's seat. Jack Tagger of "Basket Case" takes it upon himself, out of curiosity, to get involved. A member of an old band he liked mysteriously drowns and he really wants to find the truth. Both main characters hold similar jobs, however, and get dragged into a PI position, checking out murders, suicides, looking for evidence and clues, basically sticking their noses where they don't belong and risking their lives for a lousy job.
Native Tongue was too far-fetched for me. We've got a vole doctor killed by Orky the Wale, the scene set up like a suicide. A girlfriend who "talks dirty" for a living. (O-kay, that I believe.) And, Dickie the Dolphin has a helluva romp in his tank with a beautiful TV reporter. Far-fetched is fine, but this was really ridiculous. I had a few laughs, I admit, but I wouldn't recommend this one.
Francis X. Kingsbury is a land developer, hiding from his past life in New York. He's the founder, president and chairman of the park. He's the big cheese. He's also developing Falcon Trace, a waterfront home site and golf club. The Wildlife Rescue Corps. is un-thrilled about this land development as well.
Unlike Jack Tagger, the main character in Hiaasen's "Basket Case," Joe Winder, is dragged through the muck and mishaps at the park and into a mystery of multiple levels. His bosses have really pushed him into the investigative driver's seat. Jack Tagger of "Basket Case" takes it upon himself, out of curiosity, to get involved. A member of an old band he liked mysteriously drowns and he really wants to find the truth. Both main characters hold similar jobs, however, and get dragged into a PI position, checking out murders, suicides, looking for evidence and clues, basically sticking their noses where they don't belong and risking their lives for a lousy job.
Native Tongue was too far-fetched for me. We've got a vole doctor killed by Orky the Wale, the scene set up like a suicide. A girlfriend who "talks dirty" for a living. (O-kay, that I believe.) And, Dickie the Dolphin has a helluva romp in his tank with a beautiful TV reporter. Far-fetched is fine, but this was really ridiculous. I had a few laughs, I admit, but I wouldn't recommend this one.
January 25, 2010
Carl Hiaasen does what he does, and he does it well. That's basically it.
You know when you pick up a book by Hiaasen that you're going to get:
a) Sleazy Florida land developers
b) A protagonist who's a little person fighting a losing battle, but doing it with style.
c) A romantic subplot, usually involving a remarkably competent woman
d) Theme: 'Don't tear up the everglades / gulf coast'
e) A number of laugh-out-loud moments
f) An over the top bad guy, probably addicted to something bizarre. In this case, steroids.
This one doesn't disappoint on any of these counts. There were, I'll admit, a couple of times when I felt it was all getting just a little too predictable - Hiaasen following a well established formula - but the final chapters got me in and cracked me up, so all was forgiven in the end.
Sure, there might be a formula, but if it aint broke...
You know when you pick up a book by Hiaasen that you're going to get:
a) Sleazy Florida land developers
b) A protagonist who's a little person fighting a losing battle, but doing it with style.
c) A romantic subplot, usually involving a remarkably competent woman
d) Theme: 'Don't tear up the everglades / gulf coast'
e) A number of laugh-out-loud moments
f) An over the top bad guy, probably addicted to something bizarre. In this case, steroids.
This one doesn't disappoint on any of these counts. There were, I'll admit, a couple of times when I felt it was all getting just a little too predictable - Hiaasen following a well established formula - but the final chapters got me in and cracked me up, so all was forgiven in the end.
Sure, there might be a formula, but if it aint broke...
November 12, 2017
You would think a book set at a cut-rate Florida theme park, featuring an environmentalist granny with an itchy trigger finger, an ambitious phone sex worker, an ex-governor living in cranky hermitry in the Everglades occasionally shooting up tourists' rental cars, bunging cops and robbers, oversexed porpoises, and "blue-tongued mango voles" would be a comedy gold mine. And Native Tongue is funny, but while it's funny in bits and pieces, I just didn't think the book as a whole was as funny as Double Whammy or Nature Girl or Strip Tease. Carl Hiaasen's books about weird, weird Florida are full of weird, weird people, and he excels at comic irony and plots that slowly wend their way towards a slightly over-the-top denouement.
Native Tongue will be enjoyable to Hiaasen fans, but it's not one I would start with.
Native Tongue will be enjoyable to Hiaasen fans, but it's not one I would start with.
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