Native Tongue by Carl Hiaasen (unabridged audiobook read by George Wilson; 15.75 hrs on 13 discs): When a couple of endangered voles are stolen, a disgruntled PR guy at a cut-rate Disneyland-wannabe discovers a sinister secret. Meanwhile, you have an ex-politician hobo, a gun-toting octogenarian ecoterrorist, a couple of bumbling thieves, a phone sex worker turned serious poet, and the mafia, all getting in each other’s ways. This book tries to be light-hearted and silly, and indeed most of the characters are pretty ridiculous, but it rubbed me the wrong way all the same. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of humor, but it didn’t hide the sometimes obnoxious preaching. This is only my second Hiaasen book, but the story is very similar: well-meaning environmentalists versus corrupt developers. The thing is, most developers are completely legit. It’s like, we’re against all this development and destruction of native lands, and oh hey, they just happen to be doing something illegal. How convenient. How contrived.

Also posted on BookCrossing.