Naked Came the Manatee

by Carl Hiaasen

First published 1998

A famous human head sits frozen in a cryonic container somewhere in South Florida. This isn't just any head. It belongs to someone who could change history if brought back to life. The race is on as desperate characters converge from every corner of the state. Big Joey G., a rotund gangster, sees dollar signs. A 102-year-old environmentalist has his own agenda. Hard-boiled Miami reporter Britt Montero smells the story of a lifetime. Lawyer Jake Lassiter gets pulled into the legal mess. A would-be dictator in exile plots his return to power. Even former president Jimmy Carter gets involved. Bodies start piling up as each player makes their move. Meanwhile, a gentle manatee named Booger swims through the chaos, somehow connected to it all. In this wild collaborative novel, Florida's top writers take turns steering the story into increasingly dangerous territory. Nobody knows what the next chapter will bring.

Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, action

Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, whimsical

Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family

Setting: Florida, Miami

Period: 21st-century

208 pages · Paperback · Ballantine Books

Content warnings: violence

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