Wrecker is Carl Hiaasen‘s 27th book. His 7th for younger readers.

You could call it Young Adult.

Though there’s no sex, no profanity — right wing snowflakes in Florida managed to get him banned from some appearances. Good publicity, of course. 😀

Hiaasen is one of the funniest authors working today. But humour is less important in this one.

A longtime journalist with the Miami Herald, Hiaasen simply takes actual stories from the Florida news — and fictionalizes them. 

He mocks American culture and Florida politics, in particular. 

Released on September 26, 2023, Wrecker is set in Key West during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kirkus Reviews called it, “A batten-down-the-hatches thriller anchored by critical real-life themes“.

Fifteen-year-old Valdez Jones VIII calls himself Wrecker, after his ancestors who made a living salvaging shipwrecks. He is thriving thanks to the online schooling during lockdown that allows him the flexibility to be out on his boat. …

This thrilling story featuring wry, witty writing also explores the history of racism in Key West, the environmental impacts of cruise tourism, and the effects of Covid-19 on both people’s lives and criminal activities. Wrecker is a sympathetic character whose intelligence, savvy, and strong moral compass lead to a satisfying finish. 

Kirkus

Intelligent — you won’t be surprised that he hates Trump.

Author James Patterson offered this praise: “Carl Hiaasen remains the undefeated, unscored-upon conscience of Florida, maybe the conscience of the whole country.

Carl’s only brother was Rob Hiaasen, an editor and columnist at The Capital newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, who was killed in the mass shooting at the newspaper’s office on June 28, 2018.