A Good Egg: Bad Monkey

Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen

After reading quite a few heavy books recently I was delighted to win a copy of Bad Monkey on Twitter. I definitely needed to read something lighthearted!

Former police detective Andrew Yancy has been demoted to restaurant inspector, a job he despises but tackles with gusto. When a severed arm is found in his old police stomping ground of Florida Keys, Yancy can’t help but try and solve the crime himself in the hope of impressing his former superiors. Little does he realise the task will take him to a remote island in the Bahamas and a hotel complex in the process of being developed. A seductive morgue worker and a disgruntled local Bahamian and his pet monkey from the title turn out to be his unwilling sidekicks in this caper.

First Impressions: I loved the author’s writing style and the amount of detail he was able to squeeze into each sentence. Hiaasen’s characterisation is supurb and Yancy’s character leaps from the page at you.

Highlights: A real interesting mix of characters. I thought it was brilliant how all the various threads of the story (and there are many) are tied together so well. The ending was great. I did wonder if the story may be a bit too zany for my liking but this fear was unfounded. It is believable at all levels in a wild way.

If I was an editor: There’s really not anything I can suggest to improve this novel. I’m not really one for voodoo or animals in stories so I wouldn’t have been upset if some of the voodoo woman and monkey involvement was cut out.

Overall: I didn’t necessarily laugh out loud but found the whole story entertaining and unpredictable. A clever read.

Bad Monkey: 4.5 Stars

Thank you to Little Brown and Co for a copy of the novel!

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