Crack cocaine apparently gives an instantaneous rush into a blissful state of well-being. Obviously it’s addictive. Carl Hiaasen is my crack cocaine as it transports me from suburban London to the whacky world of Florida.

Hiaasen has a magnificent tapestry of characters. Squeeze Me refers to 200,000 Burmese pythons that live in Florida’s swamplands. Criminals and the country-house charity ball set is entirely populated by MAGA Trump republicans. The great man’s wife (in thin disguise) is having a love affair with a bodyguard. Low life criminals, hapless police, a wonderful vermin killer (female), the wild man of the swamps Skink, (who’s appeared in many Hiaasen novels) and MAGA fund raising create a non-stop satire.

Florida being Florida has to include illegal immigrants and the ‘injustice’ system. That sub-plot is pretty telling and unfortunately very familiar to British readers.

Dark winters nights………………. Read Hiaasen.