Carl Hiaasen books

Carl Hiaasen is a bestselling American novelist and Miami Herald columnist known for darkly comic crime fiction set in Florida, including the Skink series and novels like Strip Tease and Bad Monkey.

Andrew Yancy Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Bad Monkey 2013 Buy
Razor Girl 2016 Buy

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Naked Came the Manatee 1997 Buy
Writers on Writing 2001 Buy
The Best American Mystery Stories 2007 2007 Buy

Black Lizard Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
A Death in China 1984 Buy
Powder Burn 1981 Buy
Trap Line 1982 Buy
The Sinners of San Ramon 1989 Buy

Juvenile Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Hoot 2002 Buy
Flush 2005 Buy
Scat 2009 Buy
Chomp 2012 Buy
Squirm 2018 Buy
Wrecker 2023 Buy

Mick Stranahan Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Hardleers 1989 N/A
Skin Tight 1989 Buy
Skinny Dip 2004 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Team Rodent : How Disney Devours the World 1998 Buy
Kick Ass: Selected Columns of Carl Hiaasen 1999 Buy
Paradise Screwed: Selected Columns of Carl Hiaasen 2001 Buy
The Downhill Lie / Fairway to Hell 2008 Buy
Dance of the Reptiles 2014 Buy
Assume the Worst 2018 Buy

Short Stories/Novellas

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Edible Exile 2013 Buy

Skink Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Double Whammy 1987 Buy
Native Tongue 1991 Buy
Stormy Weather 1995 Buy
Honds 2000 N/A
Sick Puppy 2000 Buy
Skinny Dip 2004 Buy
Star Island 2010 Buy
Skink–No Surrender 2014 Buy
Some sites considerSqueeze Meas part of this series, where Skink plays a very small role. - N/A
Squeeze Me - N/A

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Tourist Season 1986 Buy
Strip Tease 1993 Buy
Lucky You 1997 Buy
Basket Case 2002 Buy
Nature Girl 2006 Buy
Bad Monkey 2013 Buy
Razor Girl 2016 Buy
Squeeze Me 2020 Buy
Fever Beach 2025 Buy

Carl Hiaasen is an American novelist and journalist who has spent his career writing about Florida, both as a Miami Herald columnist and as the author of darkly comic crime novels. Since his first co-written thrillers in the early 1980s, Hiaasen has published extensively across adult fiction, young adult novels, and non-fiction, all united by his obsessive love for Florida and his fury at those who damage it.

His adult novels feature a rotating cast of eccentric characters fighting against developers, corrupt politicians, and environmental criminals. The recurring character Skink, a former Florida governor who lives in the swamps and wages one-man wars against polluters, appears across ten books. Hiaasen has also written six young adult novels beginning with Hoot (2002), which bring his environmental concerns to younger readers. His non-fiction collections gather his newspaper columns, which are as sharp and funny as his fiction.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Carl Hiaasen written?

Carl Hiaasen has written 44 books across nine series.

What was Carl Hiaasen's first book?

Carl Hiaasen’s first book is Powder Burn, published in 1981.

How does Carl Hiaasen's journalism influence his fiction?

Hiaasen has been a columnist for the Miami Herald for decades, and his journalism about Florida’s environmental destruction, political corruption, and rampant development feeds directly into his novels. Many of his fictional villains are based on the kinds of real-life scammers, developers, and politicians he has covered as a reporter.

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