Tourist Season

By: Carl Hiaasen

Narrated by: George K. Wilson

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Carl Hiaasen's best-selling novels are funny and sardonic. Hilarious postcards of south Florida, they also decry the lurid commercialism that is draining and paving the tropical landscape.

Tourist season is swinging into high gear in Miami. So are the activities of a bizarre terrorist group determined to keep the hapless "snowbirds" away. Armed with bombs, weed, and jumbled credos, they move toward their grand target, the Orange Bowl Parade, with plans to bring Miami and its tourist trade to a halt.

The cast, which includes a deranged journalist, a visionary ex-jock, and a lovesick detective, is just the kind of company Carl Hiaasen's fans love to keep. Narrator George Wilson's performance lures each quirky character out into the full light of the Florida sun. With over half a million copies in print, this is one of Hiaasen's most popular works.

©1986 Carl Hiaasen (P)1998 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Reading a Hiaasen book is always a high-speed boat ride where laughter can turn to horror and disaster at any moment. Hearing the story aloud adds a dose of realism and sensation....Wilson's narration is perfectly timed, laid-back, and salty." (AudioFile)

He has written better

Tourist Season was a disappoinment after reading Skinny Dip, which was wonderfully funny and constantantly suspenseful. Carl Hiassen's sense of humor is terrific! George Wilson, as the narrator, was also disappointing. There are a lot of chuckles in this book, but not "laugh-out-loud" ones (as in Skinny Dip).

Love This Author

Carl Hiaasen just can't write a bad book...he's hilarious...his stories have just enough mystery to keep them interesting and his humor is dark and edgy. I wish he'd write more! I'd "read" them all!

An Offbeat Story of Florida

With his dry humor, Carl Hiaasen reminds us of how overdeveloped Florida has become. He uses his usual offbeat characters to tell his story. It’s funny and sad at the same time. Having been there many times I have to agree with his frustration. Definitely worth a listen.

Like Only Hiaasen Can

Tourist Season is another fun Hiaasen tale. Not as funny as the ‘Skink’ series but it has some great characters in ridiculous positions and his always present fight for the environment. Well written with a plot that is part serious, part thriller and part humor the way only he can. If you’re looking for something to take you to sunny Florida and fight the good fight pick this and fight the good fight pick this up!

Florida Eco-thriller

Although dated in impolitic use of colloquial racist slurs in dialogue, the novel accurately reflects language used & attitudes held by more than a few people during a bygone era. This applies particularly to developers; who even now destroy mangrove & coral reefs for profit. For monetary gain these shortsighted zombies would build continuously, with little thought to the wreckage.