Nature Girl

I generally like Carl Hiaason's writing. He's got a breezy style and a sharp wit. His books are good beach and airplane reads. I picked up Nature Girl at Target last month because I was in the mood for something fun to break up all the history I've been reading.

My complaint with this book is the same I have with most of Hiaason's others - there are too many characters.

This book has a good basic story - a slightly loony woman named Honey decides to take revenge on a telemarketer named Boyd who calls her during dinner and then insults her. It's a cause I can get behind, and her plan for Boyd is pretty ingenious. But then Honey's son Fry and her ex-husband Perry get dragged in. As does Boyd's mistress and his wife and the private dective Boyd's wife hires to get proof that Boyd is cheating on her. Then there's a half-Seminole Indian who calls himself Thlocko who's taking refuge in the Everglades because a man died on his airboat tour. And an FSU co-ed who becomes the Seminole's willing hostage. All these folks end up on the same island in the middle of the glades, which is just stretching belief a little too much. Oh wait, there's also Honey's lecherous ex-boss who is stalking her. And a group of religious nuts who think Boyd is the Saviour, born again and delivered from the sea.

I think Hiaason needs a new editor, one who is willing to overlook Hiaason's success and able to get him to trim a bit.

Skinny Dip is still my favorite of all his books, although this one is in the top three.