I'm a big fan of Mr. Hiaasen -- love his sense of (dark) humor, the way he tosses off a sentence, and his subtle (and not-so) pokes at the ridiculous, stupid, and mean. Most of his characters are either incredibly dumb and/or cruel, or are following their moral compass and trying to right some wrong, even if it takes an illegal or completely crazy turn.
"Squeeze Me" is no exception: this tale starts off with a bang as a wealthy, POTUS-supporting widow is swallowed by a python at a charity gala in (of course) Florida. Set in current times with very thinly-veiled references to the current administration (the Winter White House, aka, Casa Bellicosa), the ludicrous and outrageous behavior of those in power is irreverently detailed. Despite the wild ride, there's plenty to contemplate about fake "fake news," immigration, and misuse of authority.

A real pleasure, as always, to see Skink resurface; it's always a better story when the ex-gov shows up, and he never disappoints.

This author is always fun to read. This book is quite the adventure. I loved the main characters and plenty of action.

This is a wonderful romp through the humorous story of a social and political intrigue set in Florida. These could be some of Hiaasen’s best characters: a wildlife capturer, a President and First Lady, Secret Service men and women and an ex Florida Governor. And, add a group of wealth society women who are loyal, fanatical supporters of the President. What a cast of characters to bring together. This book is entertaining and captures many of the absurdities of our time.

With trademark Hiaasen wit and snark, readers are thrown headfirst into a Floridian adventure laced with irony and parody in all the right places. You'll spend equal time laughing hysterically and cringing at the spot on depiction of our current society gone a little mad.

Such a great book to read right now! I hope everyone who is feeling down picks up this book nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen is my least favorite of his books up to date. I almost didn't finish it. Again the book is set in Florida, Palm Springs, FL to be exact. We have a missing socialite, a very large snake and a mixed up cast of characters. My favorite of the bunch is April an "animal relocater". She is hard working, funny, and honest. She's what kept me reading and finishing this one.

You will find the timing of the release of this book understandable after reading it.

I would like to thank Edelweiss and Knopf Doubleday Publishing for providing this arc.

This fast-paced political comedy has just the right amount of humor, drama, and action. The characters are highly imperfect, which makes for a relatable read. The storyline centers on Angie, who is a wildlife animal control expert who finds herself wrapped up in a series of crimes and mishaps. The backdrop involves a fictional president who just might sound a bit familiar, and his political supporters who are every bit as extreme as some of the real ones. Layer in a significant amount of racist commentary with anti-immigration rhetoric and plot line set in Florida, and you have a story that is reflective of modern-day concerns and issues, that has just enough humor to keep the story from bogging down. Overall, a good read!

Wonderful book; another Carl Hiaasen treasure. Like his previous books, Squeeze me pulls from today’s headlines including the pandemic. He mentions a crystal Purell dispenser at the Winter White House in Palm Beach. I was happy The Governor, AKA Clinton Tyree is still eating roadkill and causing trouble. What a great character Mr. Hiaasen created so many years ago. I highly recommend this novel.

Another great Florida based story. This time about pythons. You never expect to go to a million dollar charity party and get eaten by a python. That is exactly what happens at the beginning of this story. Filled with great characters including a thinly disguised President.

Angela Armstrong is my new hero. She runs a wildlife removal service in Florida and has quite the checkered past. In this laugh out loud satire by Carl Hiaasen, you will follow an absurd premise of people-eating pythons and you will willingly play along to see what happens next. The book is quite current in a slightly post Pandemic world and a President nicknamed the Mastodon who owns a large property in Florida known as the Winter White House. He spends too much time tanning and tweeting, much to the detriment of his tanning bed support team and the poor immigrant who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and thus becomes a campaign theme. Featured characters are the little old socialite ladies known as the Potussies (POTUS pussies seemed somehow inappropriate), and Palm Beach is a character in its own right. Follow Angela as she tracks down pythons and other creatures and tries to provide justice in her own manner. If you are not a fan of our current president, you will love this book. If you are a fan of the current president and have a sense of humor, you will love this book. If you are a fan of the current president and don't have a sense of humor, buy 10 copies and give them all away. Don't read it yourself. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

To me Carl Hiaasen's novels sometimes get to tangled up in their own hijinks that they run out of steam before I can finish.

Not so "Squeeze Me," which is clever and nutty, and sustains it's premise through to the end. Of course, it takes place in the Florida of the president known to his Secret Service as Mastodon, and the Flotus known as Magpie (you will believe the stories about her re-negotiating her prenup before moving into the White House after you read this).

Angela Armstrong is a wildlife wrangler called to a society fundraiser to dispose of a huge python stuck in a tree. Since gunshots are discouraged at such events, she dispatches the snake with a machete and hauls it away to turn in to the state on Monday. It's massive enough and has a huge bulge in the middle, having recently eaten a large piece of prey.

There are plenty of fundraisers in that part of south Florida, and Mastodon has a coterie of elderly female supporters who call themselves the POTUSSIES (they were the POTUS Pussies but decided that went a bit far). One of them has disappeared at one of these fundraisers, and Mastodon is calling for justice to be done (her name is Kiki but he calls her "Kikey") and he names an unfortunate Honduran as the probably killer, even though Kiki is not known to be dead, just missing.

There's a subplot about Mastodon's tanning bed at Casa Belicosa, also lots of juicy stories about Angie's job and why she's no longer with the Florida Department of WIldlife. And there are great big snakes all over the place.

"Squeeze Me" is lots of smart fun as long as you don't have a MAGA hat and a fear of snakes. Hiaasen hits a lot of targets straight on with good humor and wit, both of which we can use these days.

Thanks to Knopf and Netgalley for access to this timely romp.

~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader


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Tim Dorsey has found another entertaining story line to bring to light the environmental issues of Florida and the greed that is ruining his state. Couldn't out it down.

What fun! Back with the antics in florida. A missing woman, a huge snake and the adventures begin. I loved the portrayal of the characters especially the big man. It will have you chuckling and cheering for the snakes. Should be required reading for all adult voters as a non fiction title. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this. Totally enjoyable!

On a very black night here in NYC, I laughed. Thank you Carl Hiassen for giving me a reason to smile. Writing a satire is difficult, but Hiassen totally nails it with this satire of Palm Beach and the high society, vacuous denizens.

Amazing, it is a snake that causes chaos, much the same as a snake has caused chaos in our nation. It amazed me that this book was so up to date with referrals to Covid 19. The main character is Angie, an animal wrangler with her own backstory.

Spoiler alert: if you are wearing a MAGA hat, this book probably isn’t a good choice for you. I loved it! Thank you Netgalley for this absolutely delightful novel.