Review of "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

This is one of Carl Hiaasen's middle-grade books. Like the author's adult novels, it tells an amusing story while addressing the topic of environmentalism and conservation in south Florida.🌴🌺🐠

*****

Eleven-year-old Noah Underwood's dad, Paine Underwood, is an environmentalist who's very protective of the Florida Keys - where the family lives.



So when Paine learns that Dusty Muleman - crooked owner of the casino-boat Coral Queen - regularly (and illegally) dumps the ship's toilet waste into the ocean.....



….. Paine sinks the ship. This lands Paine in jail but doesn't do much to stop Dusty, who resurrects the boat and goes on with his business.



Unfortunately, Paine can't prove his charges against Dusty, since the shipowner flushes the waste at night, when no one is around. Moreover, Paine refuses to be bailed out of jail until something's done about the poop pollution, which causes financial problems for the Underwood family.....and aggravates Noah's mom. So Noah and his younger sister Abbey decide they'll expose Dusty's filthy deeds. 😫



At his father's suggestion, Noah tries to enlist the help of Lice Peeking, who used to work on the Coral Queen. Lice, a skeevy guy who hates to bathe, knows about the illegal dumping - and agrees to help for a steep price.



But Lice is an untrustworthy drinker who's scared of Dusty, and he doesn't come through.

Hence Abbey - in a true 'don't try this at home' maneuver - sneaks out of her bedroom window after midnight, video camera in hand. Abbey gets a good vantage point and films Dusty's unlawful dumping, but the video is blurry and can't be used as evidence.



As Noah and Abbey try to hatch a better plan, they score an ally. Lice Peeking's girlfriend Shelly, a brassy blonde with a heart of gold, agrees to help take Dusty down. So Shelly takes a bartender job on the Coral Queen, to scope out the boat's layout.....



…..and the three conspirators come up with a genius plan to expose Dusty's wrongdoing. (I can't describe the plan because of spoilers, but it's a good one!)😊

While all this going on, Noah is repeatedly harassed by Dusty's son Jasper Jr. and his cohort Bull - who knock Noah off his bike, hit him, spit on him, and so on.



Noah and Abbey are also in the sights of Dusty's strongman Luno, who might even stoop to killing children. Luckily, a swashbuckling stranger appears out of nowhere to help the siblings. Who is that masked man? (Just joking.....he doesn't wear a mask.)😎



In the end, the accomplices carry out their scheme, which is more dangerous than they anticipated.

The story is clever and fun, but also makes a serious point about preserving the ecosystem. I think many readers of all ages would enjoy this book.

Rating: 3.5 stars