Carl Hiaasen was born and raised in a bizarre place called Florida, where he still lives. His books have been described as “savagely funny,” “riotous,” and “cathartic.” Oddly, they are beloved even by readers who’ve never set foot in the Sunshine State.

A graduate of the University of Florida, Hiaasen joined the Miami Herald at age 23 as a city-desk reporter and went on to work for the newspaper’s weekly magazine and prize-winning investigations team. From 1985 to 2021 he wrote an opinion column, which at one time or another thrashed just about every major politician in the state … and occasionally his own bosses.

Hiaasen began writing novels in the early 1980s with his good friend and fellow journalist, the late William D. Montalbano. Hiaasen has published several national bestsellers, including Strip Tease, Stormy Weather, Lucky You, Sick Puppy, Basket Case, Skinny Dip, Nature Girl, Star Island, Bad Monkey, Razor Girl, and Squeeze Me. All the novels are set in Florida, where they are read more as documentary than fiction.