Wednesday, September 14, 2016

RAZOR GIRL by Carl Hiaasen Audio Edition




His stories have been referred to as “fierce, funny, and Floridian” - how true!  Carl Hiaasen’s novel are ridiculously absurd and absolutely hilarious in other words for this reader irresistible.  He does it again with Razor Girl in which we meet an addition to his casts of outlandish and addled characters Merry Mansfield a.k.a. Razor Girl.

    The story opens with a small collision - Merry intentionally rear ends a car driven by TV talent agent Lane Coolman.  When Coolman gets out of his recently dented rented car to see who has done the damage he finds Merry calmly shaving her bikini area.  Of course, this catches his attention and he offers her a ride which results in him being kidnaped by her crooked employer.  As it turns out he is only one of some who have fallen victim to Merry and her partner Zeto’s kidnap-for-hire business.  Sounds like a reasonable endeavor unless you grab the wrong guy which Merry did.  Coolman was mistaken for contractor Martin Trebeaux who tried to make a dishonest living by moving sand from one beach to another which ired the Calzone crime family capo Dominick “Big Noogie” Aeola.

    Meanwhile since Coolman is still kidnaped he can’t be there for his client Buck Nance, star of Bayou Brethren, who is slated for a personal appearance at the Parched Pirate.  Without Coolman by his side Buck goes on a tear about racism that causes a demonstration that sends Buck running, although he still has the loyalty of Benny Krill, a murder prone racist who wants to join Buck’s show. 

        Coolman does manage to escape from Merry and Zeto which puts him (and the listener) in Key West where we find lawyer Brock Richardson whose fiancee loses the $200,000 ring he didn’t think to have resized when his fatter former fiancee returned it to him.  Brock’s neighbor, health inspector Andrew Yancy, finds the ring and hides it hoping that a long search for the diamond will impede Brock’s plan to build a McMansion that would block Yancy’s sea view.  Only Hiaasen!

    Now, how all of this works together to create a total laugh fest you’ll just have to listen to find out.  The world would be a much sadder place were it not for Carl Hiaasen and kudos to John Rubenstein for delivering a superb reading of my latest favorite book.

    Enjoy - no doubt you will!

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