Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsWelcome Back Chemo and Skink!
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2010
Cheryl Bunterman, the `artist' now known as Cherry Pye (who wants to begin calling herself `Cherish') is about to embark on a tour to promote her new cd. However, Cherry's tastes for drugs, booze, men and other substances take her in and out of scrapes and in and out of rehab, so that her estranged parents (united in their desire to profit from her music) have secured an actress named Ann DeLusia to function as Cherry's stunt double. When Ann is kidnapped by a club-cruising paparazzo, Cherry's parents attempt to effect her rescue while keeping her identity and function a secret from Cherry and Cherry's fans.
Both Chemo (functioning here as a bodyguard) and Skink (functioning here as an admirer of Ann) return from previous Hiaasen novels and generally add texture, mayhem, humor and twists and turns to the plot.
This is not a conventional crime or mystery novel, but rather a fast-paced comic romp with criminal elements. Hiaasen's satiric target is the world of the drug-addled, birdbrain pop starlet. In light of such individuals' recurring exploits the satire verges on journalistic realism with just a touch of exaggeration.
There are lots of laughs and smiles, but little of the convulsive laughter that Hiaasen is capable of evoking. The characters are nicely drawn and suitably zany. The return of Tyree/Skink is always welcome and living-legend Chemo is a classic creation. The South Beach scene (with clubs such as `Pubes') is pilloried definitively.
Highly recommended.
