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Andrew Yancy #2
Razor Girl: A novel
A lovable con woman and a disgraced detective team up to find a redneck reality TV star in this raucous and razor-sharp new novel from Carl Hiaasen, the bestselling author of Bad Monkey.
Merry Mansfield, the eponymous Razor Girl, specializes in kidnapping for the mob. Her preferred method is rear-ending her targets and asking them for a ride. Her latest mark is Martin Trebeaux, owner of a private beach renourishment company who has delivered substandard sand to a mob hotel. But there's just one problem: Razor Girl hits the wrong guy. Instead, she ends up with Lane Coolman, talent manager for Buck Nance, the star of a reality TV show about a family of Cajun rooster farmers. Buck Nance, left to perform standup at a Key West bar without his handler, makes enough off-color jokes to incite a brawl, then flees for his life and vanishes.
Now a routine promotional appearance has become a missing persons case. And Andrew Yancy, disgraced detective-turned-health inspector, is on the job. That the Razor Girl may be the key to Yancy's future will be as surprising to him as anything else he encounters along the way--including the giant Gambian pouched rats that are haunting his restaurant inspections.
Merry Mansfield, the eponymous Razor Girl, specializes in kidnapping for the mob. Her preferred method is rear-ending her targets and asking them for a ride. Her latest mark is Martin Trebeaux, owner of a private beach renourishment company who has delivered substandard sand to a mob hotel. But there's just one problem: Razor Girl hits the wrong guy. Instead, she ends up with Lane Coolman, talent manager for Buck Nance, the star of a reality TV show about a family of Cajun rooster farmers. Buck Nance, left to perform standup at a Key West bar without his handler, makes enough off-color jokes to incite a brawl, then flees for his life and vanishes.
Now a routine promotional appearance has become a missing persons case. And Andrew Yancy, disgraced detective-turned-health inspector, is on the job. That the Razor Girl may be the key to Yancy's future will be as surprising to him as anything else he encounters along the way--including the giant Gambian pouched rats that are haunting his restaurant inspections.
384 pages, Paperback
First published September 6, 2016
3510 people are currently reading
10450 people want to read
About the author
Carl Hiaasen
100 books9,914 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 2,991 reviews
August 29, 2016
Carl Hiaasen has penned a smart, hugely entertaining, and hilariously comic satire located on the Florida Keys. I wish I could say that the crazy and lunatic web of storylines were all the product of Hiaasen's febrile imagination, but no, they have a basis in truth and Florida tabloid headlines. So be prepared for the disturbing, deranged, delinquent and delicious depiction of the Sunshine State. The eponymous Razor Girl is the quirky scam artist, Merry Mansfield, who has the MO of purposefully crashing into cars whilst attending to her privates with a razor. Her marks are men that she easily dupes with charm.
It begins with a case of mistaken identity and a car crash by Merry and her co-conspirator, Zeto, which results in Lane Coolman, being abducted. This sparks off an ill advised appearance in a LGBT Motor Club by Buck Nance in which he makes anti gay and racist remarks that lead to him having to hastily leave the club and go on the run. Buck is the star of the very popular redneck reality show, Bayou Brethren, and Lane was supposed to have been there to hold his hand and guide him. Andrew Yancy is an ex-cop, who has been reduced to the roach patrol, but feels that if he can make a big contribution in a case, he can return to being a cop. Buck becomes a wanted man when he is suspected of being behind the death of a muslim man on the Conch Train, who is viciously verbally abused for being a muslim terrorist. This tallies with the anti muslim and racist sermons that Buck has made. However. Buck has a superfan, Blister, who abducts Buck. Blister is more like Buck than Buck, and he just happens to be off his trolley.
Whilst Buck is a racist, even he cannot stomach Blister and ponders on his role in creating such monsters. Yancy goes on the hunt to locate Buck and Blister whilst at the same time trying to deter his new neighbours from settling into their home for which they have ghastly plans. He comes to be aided by the charismatic Merry. Add a con man with a sand business, 'Big Noogie' a mafia man, further car crashes, and you have a marvellous, off the rails, adventure story.
As with any Hiaasen novel, I found it non stop entertainment and full of black humour. He does a great job in skewering a particular type of reality show and other aspects of Florida life. Oh, yes, and be prepared to encounter Giant Gambian rats and more. The author is remarkably good in the array of strange, weird and off beat characters that he conceives of and develops. Excellent read. I have no hesitation in recommending this book. Great book. Thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
It begins with a case of mistaken identity and a car crash by Merry and her co-conspirator, Zeto, which results in Lane Coolman, being abducted. This sparks off an ill advised appearance in a LGBT Motor Club by Buck Nance in which he makes anti gay and racist remarks that lead to him having to hastily leave the club and go on the run. Buck is the star of the very popular redneck reality show, Bayou Brethren, and Lane was supposed to have been there to hold his hand and guide him. Andrew Yancy is an ex-cop, who has been reduced to the roach patrol, but feels that if he can make a big contribution in a case, he can return to being a cop. Buck becomes a wanted man when he is suspected of being behind the death of a muslim man on the Conch Train, who is viciously verbally abused for being a muslim terrorist. This tallies with the anti muslim and racist sermons that Buck has made. However. Buck has a superfan, Blister, who abducts Buck. Blister is more like Buck than Buck, and he just happens to be off his trolley.
Whilst Buck is a racist, even he cannot stomach Blister and ponders on his role in creating such monsters. Yancy goes on the hunt to locate Buck and Blister whilst at the same time trying to deter his new neighbours from settling into their home for which they have ghastly plans. He comes to be aided by the charismatic Merry. Add a con man with a sand business, 'Big Noogie' a mafia man, further car crashes, and you have a marvellous, off the rails, adventure story.
As with any Hiaasen novel, I found it non stop entertainment and full of black humour. He does a great job in skewering a particular type of reality show and other aspects of Florida life. Oh, yes, and be prepared to encounter Giant Gambian rats and more. The author is remarkably good in the array of strange, weird and off beat characters that he conceives of and develops. Excellent read. I have no hesitation in recommending this book. Great book. Thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
December 12, 2019
This is another hilariously funny south Florida romp by Carl Hiaasen with a great cast of odd, strange and curious characters. At the heart of the story is Andrew Yancey who was formerly a police detective. Sadly, Yancy was booted from his job and demoted to being a pest inspector for the health department after he got into an altercation with a girlfriend's husband.
Yancy is desperate to get back his detective rank, and sees his opportunity when he becomes entangled in a web of disasters that involves a missing reality TV star, a self-absorbed Hollywood agent, a would-be reality star named Blister, an unscrupulous attorney who stupidly becomes addicted to a dangerous male-enhancement product produced by a company he's suing, a guy who owns a firm called Sedimental Journeys that steals pristine sand from one Florida beach and sells it on another, a handful of mobsters, a herd of giant rats, and a woman named Merry Mansfield who is working a racket in which she fakes vehicular accidents while shaving herself in parts best left undescribed in a family-friendly review like this.
Hiassen walks a very narrow tightrope here in weaving a story that sometimes veers very close to going over the edge, and some readers may feel that he has actually done so. But if you're in the right mood, this may well be the funniest book you've read in a long time.
Yancy is desperate to get back his detective rank, and sees his opportunity when he becomes entangled in a web of disasters that involves a missing reality TV star, a self-absorbed Hollywood agent, a would-be reality star named Blister, an unscrupulous attorney who stupidly becomes addicted to a dangerous male-enhancement product produced by a company he's suing, a guy who owns a firm called Sedimental Journeys that steals pristine sand from one Florida beach and sells it on another, a handful of mobsters, a herd of giant rats, and a woman named Merry Mansfield who is working a racket in which she fakes vehicular accidents while shaving herself in parts best left undescribed in a family-friendly review like this.
Hiassen walks a very narrow tightrope here in weaving a story that sometimes veers very close to going over the edge, and some readers may feel that he has actually done so. But if you're in the right mood, this may well be the funniest book you've read in a long time.
October 14, 2016
Though I've read all Carl Hiaassen's books, this was not one of my favorites. Felt as though there was more unnecessary filler than usual. This seemed to slow the flow down somewhat.
That being said, it was still lot's of fun and an easy read.
As always, the action and story were original and a great ride. I love the fun and silliness of these books. Always good to lighten my mood and give me a few laugh out loud moments.
Looking forward to the next one.
That being said, it was still lot's of fun and an easy read.
As always, the action and story were original and a great ride. I love the fun and silliness of these books. Always good to lighten my mood and give me a few laugh out loud moments.
Looking forward to the next one.
November 10, 2018
While Mr. Hiaasen has some funny moments here, there's too much negativity to overcome it all. 5 of 10 stars
January 23, 2020
There is no need to read most Carl Hiaasen books in any particular order. Most stand on their own and, if you have read one, you know what you are getting. Among the features usually are:
Florida “culture” skewered and grilled;
Wacky people or wacky behavior;
Some unusual ways of earning a living;
Corruption with or without politics;
Humor from the deepest black to the simplest puns; and,
A study of human relationships and what some apparently find attractive.
Razor Girl captures much of this, set in Key West. The titular “girl” makes her living by rear-ending other cars and committing insurance fraud or kidnapping. We have several caricatures of current video culture and those who promote it. We have a nightclub performance guaranteed to offend the “special” residents of Key West. Organized and disorganized crime designed to take advantage of Florida’s unique tourist attractions. Love and sex mixed up with pharmaceuticals. All of these thrown at the reader at a fast pace. There are no heroes. There are a lot of damaged people just trying to get to tomorrow. They include the “Razor Girl” and a former police detective (Andrew Yancy), now a restaurant food inspector, also an agent for a recent big star in a cable reality show, plus a lawyer who gets rich farming out product liability cases, and a sleazy government contractor who gets rich putting sand back on beaches that the ocean washes away every year.
Apparently, Florida is a cornucopia of people behaving badly and a patchwork of mini-cultures that continue to clash. Our author never seems to have a problem finding something new to satirize. This book is no exception.
Florida “culture” skewered and grilled;
Wacky people or wacky behavior;
Some unusual ways of earning a living;
Corruption with or without politics;
Humor from the deepest black to the simplest puns; and,
A study of human relationships and what some apparently find attractive.
Razor Girl captures much of this, set in Key West. The titular “girl” makes her living by rear-ending other cars and committing insurance fraud or kidnapping. We have several caricatures of current video culture and those who promote it. We have a nightclub performance guaranteed to offend the “special” residents of Key West. Organized and disorganized crime designed to take advantage of Florida’s unique tourist attractions. Love and sex mixed up with pharmaceuticals. All of these thrown at the reader at a fast pace. There are no heroes. There are a lot of damaged people just trying to get to tomorrow. They include the “Razor Girl” and a former police detective (Andrew Yancy), now a restaurant food inspector, also an agent for a recent big star in a cable reality show, plus a lawyer who gets rich farming out product liability cases, and a sleazy government contractor who gets rich putting sand back on beaches that the ocean washes away every year.
Apparently, Florida is a cornucopia of people behaving badly and a patchwork of mini-cultures that continue to clash. Our author never seems to have a problem finding something new to satirize. This book is no exception.
August 26, 2022
“It was unhinged carnal curiosity.” (3.5 stars)
RAZOR GIRL is Carl Hiaasen’s second novel featuring former detective turned health inspector Andrew Yancy. I have enjoyed both. They are madcap, over the top, and perfect for a beach or a lazy summer day.
Especially fun in this text is the character who inspires the title, a woman of questionable background and values who calls herself Merry Mansfield. I would never want to know her in real life, but safely trapped in the pages of a novel she is a lot of fun. I also continue to enjoy Hiaasen’s character Andrew Yancy. He has just enough wit, combined with a laid-back personality, that you kinda envy the dude and his life. At least a little.
The story is a romp through Key West, featuring reality tv stars, con artists, slick lawyers, and the obligatory redneck. The last 75 pages get way too zany and all too convenient in their denouements, but it’s fun to read, so who cares? Not I!
Quotes:
• “Anger cools. Disappointment only festers.”
• “An unhurried, unexamined existence looked pretty sweet.”
• “At that moment a more circumspect man might have paused to review the train of bad decisions that had brought him to such a precipice.”
If there is ever third tale featuring Andrew Yancy, I will pick it up.
While reading this book, with my toes in the sand and the surf pounding, an expected wave soaked me and the book. And it seemed apropos. RAZOR GIRL should have some salt and water stains on its pages.
I did not mind it one bit.
RAZOR GIRL is Carl Hiaasen’s second novel featuring former detective turned health inspector Andrew Yancy. I have enjoyed both. They are madcap, over the top, and perfect for a beach or a lazy summer day.
Especially fun in this text is the character who inspires the title, a woman of questionable background and values who calls herself Merry Mansfield. I would never want to know her in real life, but safely trapped in the pages of a novel she is a lot of fun. I also continue to enjoy Hiaasen’s character Andrew Yancy. He has just enough wit, combined with a laid-back personality, that you kinda envy the dude and his life. At least a little.
The story is a romp through Key West, featuring reality tv stars, con artists, slick lawyers, and the obligatory redneck. The last 75 pages get way too zany and all too convenient in their denouements, but it’s fun to read, so who cares? Not I!
Quotes:
• “Anger cools. Disappointment only festers.”
• “An unhurried, unexamined existence looked pretty sweet.”
• “At that moment a more circumspect man might have paused to review the train of bad decisions that had brought him to such a precipice.”
If there is ever third tale featuring Andrew Yancy, I will pick it up.
While reading this book, with my toes in the sand and the surf pounding, an expected wave soaked me and the book. And it seemed apropos. RAZOR GIRL should have some salt and water stains on its pages.
I did not mind it one bit.
September 23, 2025
An irresistible irreverent journey through the edge of the continent. Hiaasen takes a whole lot of comic situations and combines them. You have a restaurant inspector ex-detective, the rich lawyer and his scandalous fiancé, the redheaded tornado who does bumpy insurance scams with her scanties dangling and a razor in her hand, the goombahs from Jersey and their odd brand of justice, and the guy who hauls sand across the Gulf Stream. Add in a couple of characters with their own reality show about redneck life in the Louisiana swamp and some Ill-placed jokes in a dive bar, and you've got a story.
August 15, 2016
I have not read any of Carl Hiaasen novels for a long time and honestly I don't know why I stopped. His quirky characters and sense of humour make for good reading.
This starts with Merry, a girl who is paid for accidentally rear ending cars while tending to her lady garden.
I really enjoyed this novel and I definitely won't leave it so long this time before I picked up another.
I would like to thank Net Galley, Little Brown Book Group UK and the author Carl Hiaasen for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This starts with Merry, a girl who is paid for accidentally rear ending cars while tending to her lady garden.
I really enjoyed this novel and I definitely won't leave it so long this time before I picked up another.
I would like to thank Net Galley, Little Brown Book Group UK and the author Carl Hiaasen for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 28, 2017
a casual reader may suspect that Carl hiaasen has lost some of his wit after penning so many novels. well with this latest book he hit readers with a fresh hurricane of humour. ex-cop turned food safety inspector makes a welcome return in these pages. he is joined by Mr. hiassen's trademark of colourful characters and there were several times I chuckled out loud reading about their antics. imo what brings life to his characters are their odd quirks Mr. hiassen imbues them with writing them without turning them into cliches or characitures. if you're looking for a gritty realistic procedural this probably isn't for you but if you wish to taste the absurd and fun I would say you may really enjoy this title.
September 17, 2016
The longer I live in South Florida, the less Hiaasen reads like fiction. I love spending time in his crazy universe - and then I look up and realize that I'm LIVING in his crazy universe. This shit is real.
I sleep better at night knowing that as Hiaasen is running around the country on tour for this book, he is undoubtedly scribbling notes for his next book, which is sure to include hilarity about Zika and sea-level rise. I can't wait. Then again - I don't have to. I can just watch the local news. ;)
Also - I'm going to make a concerted effort to incorporate the term F*ckweasel into my daily vocabulary.
I sleep better at night knowing that as Hiaasen is running around the country on tour for this book, he is undoubtedly scribbling notes for his next book, which is sure to include hilarity about Zika and sea-level rise. I can't wait. Then again - I don't have to. I can just watch the local news. ;)
Also - I'm going to make a concerted effort to incorporate the term F*ckweasel into my daily vocabulary.
June 1, 2016
Now if you've haven't picked up a Carl Hiaasen book, you need to! His brand of humorous storytelling, quirky characters, and loosely-based-on-a-true-story concept is just too bizarre and surreal to even fathom the nuttiness of his novels. Once again in his latest Razor Girl, Hiaasen proves he still got it when it comes to combining elements of mystery, adventure, and comedy wrapped into a neat bundle of crazy kookiness that can only happen within the Florida Everglades.
I was lucky to receive this ARC since we're planning to host an author event with him in a few months so you can imagine my inner fanboy squeal as I happily accepted this unedited proof from work. Say what you will about the orange state but the wild, tabloid headlines are just too out there to be believed and even Hiaasen himself admitted that his inspiration does come from all the zany news stories that get covered. Razor Girl is no exception.
In his newest, readers are introduced to a colorful cast of characters who participate in some flim flam scams, a jobless detective, an embittered talent agent going through a difficult divorce, a crazy crime boss, and a bigoted reality star on the run. Connecting them is Razor Girl, another grifter who makes grooming herself part of her M.O. A hate crime, kidnapping, and murder round the storyline out and soon everyone becomes embroiled in one complete storm of insane capers.
With an homage to Duck Dynasty and proud redneck behavior that made Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy famous, it only perpetuates the stereotype that anything crazy can only happen in Florida. So far, there has been very little that dispels that rumor.
I was lucky to receive this ARC since we're planning to host an author event with him in a few months so you can imagine my inner fanboy squeal as I happily accepted this unedited proof from work. Say what you will about the orange state but the wild, tabloid headlines are just too out there to be believed and even Hiaasen himself admitted that his inspiration does come from all the zany news stories that get covered. Razor Girl is no exception.
In his newest, readers are introduced to a colorful cast of characters who participate in some flim flam scams, a jobless detective, an embittered talent agent going through a difficult divorce, a crazy crime boss, and a bigoted reality star on the run. Connecting them is Razor Girl, another grifter who makes grooming herself part of her M.O. A hate crime, kidnapping, and murder round the storyline out and soon everyone becomes embroiled in one complete storm of insane capers.
With an homage to Duck Dynasty and proud redneck behavior that made Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy famous, it only perpetuates the stereotype that anything crazy can only happen in Florida. So far, there has been very little that dispels that rumor.
May 29, 2023
I've enjoyed Carl Hiaasen's books so much over the years, it pains me to say that this was his worst. I love this genre, which I call "South Florida Absurdist," by Hiaasen, Dave Barry, and Tim Dorsey, and they never fail to entertain the hell out of me. This is the first one that didn't make me laugh out loud even once; and where the plot seemed forced and lazy instead of inspired and madcap.
My dislike started almost immediately, in how the book came to be titled Razor Girl. Merry Mansfield (not her real name, we never learn it) is a beautiful redhead who makes her living by purposely crashing into the cars of men who are in debt to her employer. When they pull over to inspect the damage, the men discover Merry behind the wheel, with her skirt pulled up around her waist, allegedly shaving her lady parts on the fly because she is "late for a date." This is supposed to be such a turn-on that the male victim loses his wits, allowing time for Merry's accomplice to drive up in another car, abduct the poor slob, take him to another location and "convince" him to pay up.
This gimmick was just so stupid and distasteful to me. It turns Merry into a sleazy character, but we're supposed to follow her through the book root for her as she hooks up with Andrew Yancy, the antihero of the novel. This is the second outing for Yancy, a former Key West cop who got into trouble and lost his badge in the far superior Bad Monkey. He is eager to prove his worth and get back on the force, but in the meantime he makes a living as a restaurant inspector, providing lots of opportunity for disgusting scenarios and descriptions that I could have lived without.
And that brings me to another thing that really bothered me about this one - the incongruous, moralizing tone that peaks out amongst all the filth. I didn't notice it so much in his other books that Hiaasen is just another self-righteous idiot incapable of recognizing his own bias and bigotry.
Aside from the plot being unfunny, unnecessarily gross, and all over the place; my other issue with the novel is the characters. In this type of caper, there will always be crazies, drunks, mobsters, and other assorted deviants, but there needs to be at least one or two characters that are likable. In this one, everyone is horrible, including Yancy. For one example, he pulls a stunt involving a cruise ship that was just abhorrent, and speaks to the author's hatred of the cruise industry and its patrons. Yancy's girlfriend Rosa was key to the first novel, but in this one she barely appears and then moves to Norway; although she calls Yancy occasionally. WTF? That was ridiculous and added absolutely nothing to the story.
I could go on and on, but to sum up: I really didn't care for this one and if you are new to Carl Hiaasen I would advise not to choose this as your first.
My dislike started almost immediately, in how the book came to be titled Razor Girl. Merry Mansfield (not her real name, we never learn it) is a beautiful redhead who makes her living by purposely crashing into the cars of men who are in debt to her employer. When they pull over to inspect the damage, the men discover Merry behind the wheel, with her skirt pulled up around her waist, allegedly shaving her lady parts on the fly because she is "late for a date." This is supposed to be such a turn-on that the male victim loses his wits, allowing time for Merry's accomplice to drive up in another car, abduct the poor slob, take him to another location and "convince" him to pay up.
This gimmick was just so stupid and distasteful to me. It turns Merry into a sleazy character, but we're supposed to follow her through the book root for her as she hooks up with Andrew Yancy, the antihero of the novel. This is the second outing for Yancy, a former Key West cop who got into trouble and lost his badge in the far superior Bad Monkey. He is eager to prove his worth and get back on the force, but in the meantime he makes a living as a restaurant inspector, providing lots of opportunity for disgusting scenarios and descriptions that I could have lived without.
And that brings me to another thing that really bothered me about this one - the incongruous, moralizing tone that peaks out amongst all the filth. I didn't notice it so much in his other books that Hiaasen is just another self-righteous idiot incapable of recognizing his own bias and bigotry.
Aside from the plot being unfunny, unnecessarily gross, and all over the place; my other issue with the novel is the characters. In this type of caper, there will always be crazies, drunks, mobsters, and other assorted deviants, but there needs to be at least one or two characters that are likable. In this one, everyone is horrible, including Yancy. For one example, he pulls a stunt involving a cruise ship that was just abhorrent, and speaks to the author's hatred of the cruise industry and its patrons. Yancy's girlfriend Rosa was key to the first novel, but in this one she barely appears and then moves to Norway; although she calls Yancy occasionally. WTF? That was ridiculous and added absolutely nothing to the story.
I could go on and on, but to sum up: I really didn't care for this one and if you are new to Carl Hiaasen I would advise not to choose this as your first.
January 9, 2026
Yay! First book of the year under my belt.
Most, if not all, Carl Hiaasen's books take place in Florida. Though I am from the west coast, I live vicariously through his work, seeing what it is like to be a Floridian (I know its fiction, even better). This is the sequel to Bad Monkey, although it does stand on its own. Bad people doing bad things and a MC, Andrew Yancey, who is looking to get rid of his bad job, and return to his good job. Love Carl Hiaasen. Did I mention it's pretty funny?
Most, if not all, Carl Hiaasen's books take place in Florida. Though I am from the west coast, I live vicariously through his work, seeing what it is like to be a Floridian (I know its fiction, even better). This is the sequel to Bad Monkey, although it does stand on its own. Bad people doing bad things and a MC, Andrew Yancey, who is looking to get rid of his bad job, and return to his good job. Love Carl Hiaasen. Did I mention it's pretty funny?
August 10, 2016
Wait....the "wet wolverine"? What the.....
Soooo…..a reality TV star walks into a local pub & proceeds to crack jokes about the LGBTQ community & motorcycle clubs, unaware he’s in a gay biker bar. What could possibly go wrong?
If you’ve read Hiaasen before you know what will follow…..hilarity, utter mayhem & a cast of loons running amok somewhere in Florida. Oh, and Gambian pouch rats just slightly smaller than a volkswagon.
Let’s see. There’s the eponymous Merry, a young woman who earns her keep “accidentally” rear ending cars while attending to some…uh…personal grooming. You also meet Andrew Yancy, a disgraced former cop currently living the dream on roach patrol as a restaurant inspector. And “Big Noogie” Calzone, a NYC mobster, is in town to buy sand for the disappearing beach in front of his luxury hotel.
It all begins when Merry (literally) runs into an ambitious Hollywood agent whose biggest client is Buck Nance. Buck started out life as Matthew Morgan Romberg (of the Wisconsin Rombergs) but is now the patriarch of a reality show set in the Keys. Think Duck Dynasty but with chickens.
Buck has a couple of problems. Before they were discovered, he & his brothers were members of a leading cover band. Think ZZTop but with accordions. Then Hollywood came knocking & before they knew it, they were all living on a set in Florida with their families. Buck’s biggest challenge used to be keeping his crazy mistress (she of “the wet wolverine” prowess) away from his wife. Now he’s on the run after barely surviving a bar brawl & somehow ticking off the Taliban. Meanwhile his brothers are plotting a coup….
Eventually all characters are involved in a search for the AWOL bearded wonder. Along the way more crazies join the parade in a story that could only come from the slightly disturbed mind of Carl Hiaasen. Nobody is safe as he skewers everyone from politicians & tourists to reality stars & their rabid fans. The laughs just keep on coming as one OTT situation crashes into another in an impossibly convoluted plot. But Hiaasen also uses his stories to draw attention to Florida’s serious environmental issues & the lack of stewardship that results whenever they interfere with tourist dollars.
So if you’re looking for something to fill the void left by Dostoyevsky or Faulkner, walk away. But if you’re in need of a laugh at the end of a long day pick this up. And just as an aside, if you happen to know what the Wet Wolverine is.......
Soooo…..a reality TV star walks into a local pub & proceeds to crack jokes about the LGBTQ community & motorcycle clubs, unaware he’s in a gay biker bar. What could possibly go wrong?
If you’ve read Hiaasen before you know what will follow…..hilarity, utter mayhem & a cast of loons running amok somewhere in Florida. Oh, and Gambian pouch rats just slightly smaller than a volkswagon.
Let’s see. There’s the eponymous Merry, a young woman who earns her keep “accidentally” rear ending cars while attending to some…uh…personal grooming. You also meet Andrew Yancy, a disgraced former cop currently living the dream on roach patrol as a restaurant inspector. And “Big Noogie” Calzone, a NYC mobster, is in town to buy sand for the disappearing beach in front of his luxury hotel.
It all begins when Merry (literally) runs into an ambitious Hollywood agent whose biggest client is Buck Nance. Buck started out life as Matthew Morgan Romberg (of the Wisconsin Rombergs) but is now the patriarch of a reality show set in the Keys. Think Duck Dynasty but with chickens.
Buck has a couple of problems. Before they were discovered, he & his brothers were members of a leading cover band. Think ZZTop but with accordions. Then Hollywood came knocking & before they knew it, they were all living on a set in Florida with their families. Buck’s biggest challenge used to be keeping his crazy mistress (she of “the wet wolverine” prowess) away from his wife. Now he’s on the run after barely surviving a bar brawl & somehow ticking off the Taliban. Meanwhile his brothers are plotting a coup….
Eventually all characters are involved in a search for the AWOL bearded wonder. Along the way more crazies join the parade in a story that could only come from the slightly disturbed mind of Carl Hiaasen. Nobody is safe as he skewers everyone from politicians & tourists to reality stars & their rabid fans. The laughs just keep on coming as one OTT situation crashes into another in an impossibly convoluted plot. But Hiaasen also uses his stories to draw attention to Florida’s serious environmental issues & the lack of stewardship that results whenever they interfere with tourist dollars.
So if you’re looking for something to fill the void left by Dostoyevsky or Faulkner, walk away. But if you’re in need of a laugh at the end of a long day pick this up. And just as an aside, if you happen to know what the Wet Wolverine is.......
June 10, 2018
This novel is rollicking fun, filled with kooky characters and ridiculous situations, all set in the bizarre world of the Florida Keys.
Our hero is Andrew Yancy, a former police detective who gets caught up in the schemes of "Razor Girl" Merry Mansfield. The laugh-out-loud story also involves a reality TV star, a corrupt lawyer, a sleazy Hollywood agent, a redneck psycho, a mafioso and a missing diamond ring.
I listened to this on audio, fantastically performed by John Rubinstein, and the novel was such a weird delight I raced through it, eager to see how all the story strands came together. If you enjoy novels with eccentric characters and goofy scenarios, you'll get a kick out this.
Opening Passage
Our hero is Andrew Yancy, a former police detective who gets caught up in the schemes of "Razor Girl" Merry Mansfield. The laugh-out-loud story also involves a reality TV star, a corrupt lawyer, a sleazy Hollywood agent, a redneck psycho, a mafioso and a missing diamond ring.
I listened to this on audio, fantastically performed by John Rubinstein, and the novel was such a weird delight I raced through it, eager to see how all the story strands came together. If you enjoy novels with eccentric characters and goofy scenarios, you'll get a kick out this.
Opening Passage
On the first day of February, sunny but cold as a frog's balls, a man named Lane Coolman stepped off a flight at Miami International, rented a mainstream Buick and headed south to meet a man in Key West. He nearly made it.
Twenty-seven miles from Coolman's destination, an old green Firebird bashed his car from behind. The impact failed to trigger the Buick's airbags, but Coolman heard the rear bumper dragging. He steered off the highway and dialed 911. In the mirror he saw the Firebird, its grille crimped and steaming, pull onto the shoulder. Ahead stood a sign that read: "Ramrod Key."
Coolman went to check on the other driver, a woman in her mid-thirties with red hair.
"Super-duper sorry," she said.
"What the hell happened?"
"Just a nick. Barely bleeding." She held her phone in one hand and a disposable razor in the other.
"Are you out of your mind?" said Coolman.
The driver's jeans and panties were bunched around her knees. She'd been shaving herself when she smashed Coolman's rental car.
February 10, 2017
3, maybe 3.5 stars. Another zany adventure by Carl Hiaasen, not to be missed by his fans, with his usual hearty mix of miscreants. I liked Merry Mansfield (Razor Girl) very much, whose scam is rear ending cars while using a straight razor in her nether regions. She is quite a character, but good hearted, taking pity on Andrew Yancy and his continuing misfortunes in employment and relationships. Hiaasen does his usual job of creating comedy around "current" societal issues: reality TV, overdevelopment in Florida, stereotypes, violence, etc.
March 26, 2021
A lot of kids read kids books by a popular author, then try to move on to his/her adult works.
So listen up, you parents whose kids love Flush,Hoot, and other great kids books by Hiaasen: I know that your kids are doubtlessly very bright and (winces) "advanced" readers, and you like to push them along.
But unless you want them reading books that start off with a man having a car accident involving a woman who apparently was distracted because she was shaving an intimate part of her body while driving, move past this one, parents.
For adults who love good raunchy fun, especially those of us who aren't fans of "Duck Dynasty."
So listen up, you parents whose kids love Flush,Hoot, and other great kids books by Hiaasen: I know that your kids are doubtlessly very bright and (winces) "advanced" readers, and you like to push them along.
But unless you want them reading books that start off with a man having a car accident involving a woman who apparently was distracted because she was shaving an intimate part of her body while driving, move past this one, parents.
For adults who love good raunchy fun, especially those of us who aren't fans of "Duck Dynasty."
November 14, 2023
I used to read all of Carl Hiaasen's novels in the 1980s. For some reason I stopped reading them in the late 1990s, an occasional foray aside, despite always having always enjoyed his work. When Razor Girl came up as an Audible deal of the day I was in like Flynn.
All the familiar ingredients were present and correct: a rich vein of dark humour, hapless and egotistical men, clever women, and some cynical comments on the local politics of Florida. All held together by the travails of the loveable Andrew Yancy who is variously trying to stop a neighbour building on land adjacent to his house, convincing his estranged love to come home, dealing with Merry Mansfield - a female con artist, trying to get his old job back (as a Monroe County Sheriff's detective), and plenty more besides.
The richly inventive plot delivers plenty of action, humour, local politics, observations on modern America and celebrity culture, and life in Key West, Florida. It was all supremely enjoyable.
I’m now keen to read those books I've missed out on since losing touch with Carl Hiaasen about 15-20 years ago.
4/5
A lovable con woman and a disgraced detective team up to find a redneck reality TV star in this raucous and razor-sharp new novel from Carl Hiaasen, the bestselling author of Bad Monkey.
Merry Mansfield, the eponymous Razor Girl, specializes in kidnapping for the mob. Her preferred method is rear-ending her targets and asking them for a ride. Her latest mark is Martin Trebeaux, owner of a private beach renourishment company who has delivered substandard sand to a mob hotel. But there's just one problem: Razor Girl hits the wrong guy. Instead, she ends up with Lane Coolman, talent manager for Buck Nance, the star of a reality TV show about a family of Cajun rooster farmers. Buck Nance, left to perform standup at a Key West bar without his handler, makes enough off-color jokes to incite a brawl, then flees for his life and vanishes.
Now a routine promotional appearance has become a missing persons case. And Andrew Yancy, disgraced detective-turned-health inspector, is on the job. That the Razor Girl may be the key to Yancy's future will be as surprising to him as anything else he encounters along the way--including the giant Gambian pouched rats that are haunting his restaurant inspections.
All the familiar ingredients were present and correct: a rich vein of dark humour, hapless and egotistical men, clever women, and some cynical comments on the local politics of Florida. All held together by the travails of the loveable Andrew Yancy who is variously trying to stop a neighbour building on land adjacent to his house, convincing his estranged love to come home, dealing with Merry Mansfield - a female con artist, trying to get his old job back (as a Monroe County Sheriff's detective), and plenty more besides.
The richly inventive plot delivers plenty of action, humour, local politics, observations on modern America and celebrity culture, and life in Key West, Florida. It was all supremely enjoyable.
I’m now keen to read those books I've missed out on since losing touch with Carl Hiaasen about 15-20 years ago.
4/5
A lovable con woman and a disgraced detective team up to find a redneck reality TV star in this raucous and razor-sharp new novel from Carl Hiaasen, the bestselling author of Bad Monkey.
Merry Mansfield, the eponymous Razor Girl, specializes in kidnapping for the mob. Her preferred method is rear-ending her targets and asking them for a ride. Her latest mark is Martin Trebeaux, owner of a private beach renourishment company who has delivered substandard sand to a mob hotel. But there's just one problem: Razor Girl hits the wrong guy. Instead, she ends up with Lane Coolman, talent manager for Buck Nance, the star of a reality TV show about a family of Cajun rooster farmers. Buck Nance, left to perform standup at a Key West bar without his handler, makes enough off-color jokes to incite a brawl, then flees for his life and vanishes.
Now a routine promotional appearance has become a missing persons case. And Andrew Yancy, disgraced detective-turned-health inspector, is on the job. That the Razor Girl may be the key to Yancy's future will be as surprising to him as anything else he encounters along the way--including the giant Gambian pouched rats that are haunting his restaurant inspections.
September 7, 2016
Welcome back Yancy, first encountered in Hiaasen's Bad Monkey a few years ago -- unusual for Hiaasen since he usually writes standalones. Yancy still hasn't gotten his badge back, is still on roach patrol duty, and still loving his sunset views from his deck, finding ways of preventing any construction on the adjacent lot. Laugh out loud funny with reality tv stars (think Duck Dynasty), gorgeous smart women, and hijinx. The only thing wrong with reading his books so fast is that now I know I will have to wait about 3 years for another.
December 5, 2016
My only problem with Hiaasen is that he doesn't publish enough. However, I recognize that to write a well and crazy as he does take time and a certain weirdness that may have to wait its turn. Meet Merry Mansfield, the Razor Girl. You have to read the book to know why she has that name. How can Hiaasen create such bizarre characters, make you love them and wonder why. Couple that with folks right out of Duck Dynasty...and then you remember...this is Florida. I read my first Carl Hiaasen just before spending the month in the Panhandle of Florida on a beach house. Yup! I met some of those folks. Would like to get Skink to come and be the governor of Kansas. Hiaasen, Randy Wayne White--for mystery, and more strange stuff from Dave Barry and I'm good to go.
September 16, 2016
(2). I really don't know why, but Hiaasen's schtick just didn't go down that well in this one. Yes, there is plenty of the funny, over the top stuff but somehow it doesn't dominate they way it usually does. A couple of good side stories, some great minor characters but something is missing here. But with a long time favorite author, I will certainly look forward to giving him many second chances.
October 28, 2021
I have been waiting for more Andrew Yancy and Carl Hiaasen did not disappoint. The plot is crazy funny and the characters are all likable even the bad guys. I don't know how he does it. It's a fun read that keeps you well entertained to the end.
September 12, 2016
Typically incisive Hiassen satire, with the usual cast of colorful characters. So what's not to love?
Simply put, Hiassen's weak point is writing female characters...for the most part, their main role seem to be to give the male characters someone to sleep with. In this book, we have:
- The title character, a Manic Pixie Dream Girl who's hot for the protagonist
- Deb, the fiancée of Yancy's nemesis, also ready to hop in bed with the protagonist
- Rachel, a slutty ex-wife
- Juveline, a slutty mod girlfriend
- Rosa, Yancy's flame from a previous book - she's a well-rounded professional, so Hiassen gives her an existential crisis and writes her out.
See the pattern? I don't mean to be overly politically correct about this, but this is really getting to be a disturbing shtick with Hiassen's book. (He can write decent female characters, which makes me wonder why he doesn't do it more often).
Simply put, Hiassen's weak point is writing female characters...for the most part, their main role seem to be to give the male characters someone to sleep with. In this book, we have:
- The title character, a Manic Pixie Dream Girl who's hot for the protagonist
- Deb, the fiancée of Yancy's nemesis, also ready to hop in bed with the protagonist
- Rachel, a slutty ex-wife
- Juveline, a slutty mod girlfriend
- Rosa, Yancy's flame from a previous book - she's a well-rounded professional, so Hiassen gives her an existential crisis and writes her out.
See the pattern? I don't mean to be overly politically correct about this, but this is really getting to be a disturbing shtick with Hiassen's book. (He can write decent female characters, which makes me wonder why he doesn't do it more often).
July 28, 2018
I received a copy of Razor Girl from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Razor Girl is my first book by Carl Hiaasen. I was intrigued by the Florida Keys setting as well as the numerous reviews that mention the humor in Hiaasen’s books. Unfortunately, it never grabbed my attention. I found there were too many characters - I groaned each time a new one was introduced. I also found it unnecessarily crude and only occasionally amusing. Overall, neither the characters nor the plot managed to capture or retain my interest.
Looking at reviews by readers who are fans of Hiaasen, I noticed a lot comment that this is not their favorite book of his. With that in mind, I’m thinking there are better books to start with if you have an interest in delving into Hiaasen’s works.
Razor Girl is my first book by Carl Hiaasen. I was intrigued by the Florida Keys setting as well as the numerous reviews that mention the humor in Hiaasen’s books. Unfortunately, it never grabbed my attention. I found there were too many characters - I groaned each time a new one was introduced. I also found it unnecessarily crude and only occasionally amusing. Overall, neither the characters nor the plot managed to capture or retain my interest.
Looking at reviews by readers who are fans of Hiaasen, I noticed a lot comment that this is not their favorite book of his. With that in mind, I’m thinking there are better books to start with if you have an interest in delving into Hiaasen’s works.
February 16, 2018
A humorous and irreverent read chock full of quirky characters inhabiting colorful Key West. It would've been a four star read but, rather like over zealous guests, it started to wear out its welcome by the end.
April 6, 2017
Carl Hiassen hit it out of the park with this one, the twentieth of his novels for adults. Razor Girl is one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time. I could hardly stop laughing.
Imagine this: a beautiful young redheaded woman crashes into the back of a luxurious rental car driven by a high-flying Hollywood talent agent. The agent, Lane Coolman, has distinguished himself by assembling the cast of a spectacularly successful reality TV show that bears a suspicious resemblance to Duck Dynasty. The redhead, Merry Mansfield (“like the movie star”), is the Razor Girl of the title. Her skirt is hiked up, her panties lowered, and she is holding a razor after having used it in the obvious way. Naturally, since this is a Carl Hiassen novel, she has engineered the crash so an accomplice can kidnap Coolman. Thus begins another of Carl Hiassen’s wildly improbable and hilarious tales of crime in Florida.
Razor Girl is set in the Florida Keys, where Hiassen’s favorite protagonist, former police Detective Andrew Yancy, is now an investigator on the roach patrol. He checks out reports of vermin in local restaurants and very rarely, if his boss allows him, orders them shut down. Yancy has two overarching goals in life: to prevent anyone from building a large house on the lot adjoining his home and thus spoiling his view, and to regain his job as a detective in the Sheriff’s Department. You won’t be surprised to learn that he reaches one goal but not the other.
And it’s no surprise that Yancy will become entangled with Merry Mansfield, along with a wider cast of some of the most astonishing characters ever to appear in works of fiction (perhaps other than in the novels of Charles Dickens). Merely to describe these creatures would spoil the story. It’s enough to say that Hiassen can take a stereotype and spin it 180 degrees into a parody of itself. Crime in Florida, and every species of criminal, human and animal, will never be the same again. Nor will reality TV, which Hiassen lampoons with delicious wit.
Imagine this: a beautiful young redheaded woman crashes into the back of a luxurious rental car driven by a high-flying Hollywood talent agent. The agent, Lane Coolman, has distinguished himself by assembling the cast of a spectacularly successful reality TV show that bears a suspicious resemblance to Duck Dynasty. The redhead, Merry Mansfield (“like the movie star”), is the Razor Girl of the title. Her skirt is hiked up, her panties lowered, and she is holding a razor after having used it in the obvious way. Naturally, since this is a Carl Hiassen novel, she has engineered the crash so an accomplice can kidnap Coolman. Thus begins another of Carl Hiassen’s wildly improbable and hilarious tales of crime in Florida.
Razor Girl is set in the Florida Keys, where Hiassen’s favorite protagonist, former police Detective Andrew Yancy, is now an investigator on the roach patrol. He checks out reports of vermin in local restaurants and very rarely, if his boss allows him, orders them shut down. Yancy has two overarching goals in life: to prevent anyone from building a large house on the lot adjoining his home and thus spoiling his view, and to regain his job as a detective in the Sheriff’s Department. You won’t be surprised to learn that he reaches one goal but not the other.
And it’s no surprise that Yancy will become entangled with Merry Mansfield, along with a wider cast of some of the most astonishing characters ever to appear in works of fiction (perhaps other than in the novels of Charles Dickens). Merely to describe these creatures would spoil the story. It’s enough to say that Hiassen can take a stereotype and spin it 180 degrees into a parody of itself. Crime in Florida, and every species of criminal, human and animal, will never be the same again. Nor will reality TV, which Hiassen lampoons with delicious wit.
February 24, 2018
Against my better judgment I read most of this book, though skimming much of the more unsavory material whenever possible. Maybe this was like plugging your nose in order to swallow something others are encouraging you to try but you just know it is not going down without help.
If the star system is based on simply whether I liked the book I would give it one star.
The trouble is, Carl Hiaasen does know how to write.
I have to give it 3 stars because it is hilarious, it is outrageous, but it definitely goes too far with each scenario. I don't need to try any of the other Andrew Yancy yarns.
I am an older woman who lives quietly. I don't think I was the intended audience, but then I can't sit through a full comedy show. I laugh at the first few good jokes, and then I've had it.
When things finally calm down and the lost are found and the agent is closing a deal for the reality show dude Buck, "Blister was the first to pull the trigger, with inconclusive results. The slug entered Prawney's open mouth and exited his left cheek before demolishing the phone in Coolman's hand. Prawney's long-neglected Glock misfired twice, so he employed it as a mallet on Blister's midsection, replicating the same compact stroke he had mastered pounding beef for the Thai salad at Morton's."
"Yancy widened his stance and braced for a bullet. The prospect of being killed in such a public place was depressing--all these goddamn tourists, posting snapshots and videos. What a lousy way to go viral...the gun didn't jam. It fired one last shot, which missed its target and lodged in a clown-themed SnoCone truck across the street."
So there you have it. Lots of action like that mixed with porn-style females doing their part.
If the star system is based on simply whether I liked the book I would give it one star.
The trouble is, Carl Hiaasen does know how to write.
I have to give it 3 stars because it is hilarious, it is outrageous, but it definitely goes too far with each scenario. I don't need to try any of the other Andrew Yancy yarns.
I am an older woman who lives quietly. I don't think I was the intended audience, but then I can't sit through a full comedy show. I laugh at the first few good jokes, and then I've had it.
When things finally calm down and the lost are found and the agent is closing a deal for the reality show dude Buck, "Blister was the first to pull the trigger, with inconclusive results. The slug entered Prawney's open mouth and exited his left cheek before demolishing the phone in Coolman's hand. Prawney's long-neglected Glock misfired twice, so he employed it as a mallet on Blister's midsection, replicating the same compact stroke he had mastered pounding beef for the Thai salad at Morton's."
"Yancy widened his stance and braced for a bullet. The prospect of being killed in such a public place was depressing--all these goddamn tourists, posting snapshots and videos. What a lousy way to go viral...the gun didn't jam. It fired one last shot, which missed its target and lodged in a clown-themed SnoCone truck across the street."
So there you have it. Lots of action like that mixed with porn-style females doing their part.
June 17, 2020
Absolutely outstanding. If you’re looking for a page-turner with plenty of tongue-in-cheek, then stop a while here.
The cop who isn’t a cop makes an eventful and superbly written return with smiles ind winces on every page.
Simply wonderful!
The cop who isn’t a cop makes an eventful and superbly written return with smiles ind winces on every page.
Simply wonderful!
March 26, 2018
Some of the animals featured in Razor girl are
An Irish setter named John who is wears an orange fake support dog vest
A mongoose named Clee Roy who also sports a vest but it is maroon and purely a style choice
and the pièce de résistance an infestation of South African Gambian pouched rats
They average in this story at 4 to 6 lbs and they are glorious and nightmarish all at the same time.
Razor Girl is the second Andrew Yancy story, the first being Bad Monkey which I loved. Andrew is still in detective exile which for him is being a health inspector for Key West's restaurants, something that seems to kill his soul each infraction at a time.
So many characters in this but you are never overwhelmed by them, they range from Razor girl Merry, mobster Big Noogie, a sand man (he sells sand through his company "Sedimental Memories") and a lost $200,000.00 diamond engagement ring (which is a character in my mind)
It's a bit off the wall but
It's zany, hilarious and I didn't want to put it down
An Irish setter named John who is wears an orange fake support dog vest
A mongoose named Clee Roy who also sports a vest but it is maroon and purely a style choice
and the pièce de résistance an infestation of South African Gambian pouched rats
They average in this story at 4 to 6 lbs and they are glorious and nightmarish all at the same time.
Razor Girl is the second Andrew Yancy story, the first being Bad Monkey which I loved. Andrew is still in detective exile which for him is being a health inspector for Key West's restaurants, something that seems to kill his soul each infraction at a time.
So many characters in this but you are never overwhelmed by them, they range from Razor girl Merry, mobster Big Noogie, a sand man (he sells sand through his company "Sedimental Memories") and a lost $200,000.00 diamond engagement ring (which is a character in my mind)
It's a bit off the wall but
It's zany, hilarious and I didn't want to put it down
January 30, 2019
The beady eyes and naked tail belie Clippy's assurances to his dining patrons. A descendant of Hemingway's 6-toed cats, he brazenly declares. Unbelievably, Clippy is merely one of the least reprehensible characters in this vintage Hiaasen tale set in the Florida Keys.
Former detective Andrew Yates, the main character in BAD MONKEY reappears in this book. He is still protecting the gullible tourists from the worst of Key West's colorful eateries. Unconventional and attention-grabbing methods instigated his career shift. He hopes for reinstatement. However, he can't seem to stay out of trouble. When a sleazy lawyer plans to build an unsightly and view-blocking Mcmansion on the neighboring lot Yancy literally fires the first shot across the bow when he spots the lawyer and the builder on the property. He pulls out his 12-gauge and uses his empty beer bottles for target practice. The builder and the lawyer flee.
Yancy's encounters with the lawyer are only the beginning of his entanglement with a long line of sketchy characters that include a mafia kingpin named “Big Noogie,” a fake reality TV star named Buck Nance who is so lacking in self-awareness he must be monitored by his agent at any public appearances, and a beach landscaping con-man named Martin Trebeaux. Trebeaux digs up sand from beaches and transfers it to properties denuded by erosion. Numerous environmental groups are trying to stop this kind of damaging activity. However, in the mean time, Trebeaux's enterprise is flourishing. The eponymous “Razor Girl” connects Yates to this venal crew.
I enjoyed BAD MONKEY. Unfortunately, this book never held my attention the way BAD MONKEY did. Perhaps it was the complicated plot which required extensive exposition to connect the pieces. RAZOR GIRL felt slow-moving by comparison. Although the expansive array of cartoonish and monumentally stupid characters was fun, the book felt to me like it lacked focus.
Former detective Andrew Yates, the main character in BAD MONKEY reappears in this book. He is still protecting the gullible tourists from the worst of Key West's colorful eateries. Unconventional and attention-grabbing methods instigated his career shift. He hopes for reinstatement. However, he can't seem to stay out of trouble. When a sleazy lawyer plans to build an unsightly and view-blocking Mcmansion on the neighboring lot Yancy literally fires the first shot across the bow when he spots the lawyer and the builder on the property. He pulls out his 12-gauge and uses his empty beer bottles for target practice. The builder and the lawyer flee.
Yancy's encounters with the lawyer are only the beginning of his entanglement with a long line of sketchy characters that include a mafia kingpin named “Big Noogie,” a fake reality TV star named Buck Nance who is so lacking in self-awareness he must be monitored by his agent at any public appearances, and a beach landscaping con-man named Martin Trebeaux. Trebeaux digs up sand from beaches and transfers it to properties denuded by erosion. Numerous environmental groups are trying to stop this kind of damaging activity. However, in the mean time, Trebeaux's enterprise is flourishing. The eponymous “Razor Girl” connects Yates to this venal crew.
I enjoyed BAD MONKEY. Unfortunately, this book never held my attention the way BAD MONKEY did. Perhaps it was the complicated plot which required extensive exposition to connect the pieces. RAZOR GIRL felt slow-moving by comparison. Although the expansive array of cartoonish and monumentally stupid characters was fun, the book felt to me like it lacked focus.
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