SKINNY DIP

Chaz Perrone is as slimy as they come. Not only does his position as a marine biologist mask his real job (faking data about water pollution for the guy who wants to sacrifice the Everglades to his vast agribusiness empire), but he tries to murder his wife by tossing her off a cruise ship when she shows signs of knowing too much. And that''s his big mistake. Joey, his wife, survives, and, determined to bring Chaz and his boss down, teams up with an eccentric cop named Mick Stranahan, her unlikely rescuer. Carl Hiaasen''s wacky satire lines up all the pigeons and then, in his usual over-the-top way, shoots them down. But under the laughs is some very serious indignation, as Hiaasen deplores what''s being done to his beloved home state of Florida.