4 stars for a hilarious book recommended by my s-i-l Judie. I have read 11 books by Carl Hiaasen and enjoyed every one. This one is book 8 in the Skink series. Skink is the former Florida Governor who walked off the job in an earlier book. He was and is an environmentalist, given to outrageous acts of sabotage against companies or people who damage the environment. He does not appear in this book until the second half. The 1st half is about the interchange of incidents between Angela, "Angie" Armstrong, ex Florida Wildlife Officer, Jerry Crosby, Palm Beach Police Chief, a now ex President, along with his wife, and various Secret Service Agents and employees at Casa Bellicosa, aka Winter White House. The President and his wife are never mentioned by name, but the descriptions are so vivid that it is impossible not to know who is who. The second half brings Skink and Jim Tile, a Skink friend into contact with everyone. Some elements in the book: Burmese Pythons--an invasive species thriving in the Everglades Pruitt, a poacher from Angela's past POTUS Pussies--Wealthy widows who adore the President Three quotes: "Angie had been summoned to Casa Bellicosa to unfasten a screech owl from the presidential pompadour, which the low swooping raptor had mistaken for a road-kill fox." "The President's Secret Service's code name was "Mastotodon." He loved it. " "On only his second day in the Whit House, the President had ordered his chief of staff to arrange a trip to the National Zoo for a close-up look at a real mastodon." This was a library ebook through the Libby app.

I read A Fierce Radiance. I really enjoyed reading about the espionage. I would recommend this book for anyone that enjoys a mystery.

We loved this as a family read aloud. We liked the pictures throughout the book. The characters were very funny and made us laugh!

The Billie B Brown series is one of our favorites...they're perfect for quick family read alouds or assisted beginner reads. We loved that this one highlighted Billie's baby brother since we have a baby in our family too. We laughed quite a bit in this one.

Fascinating read about a girl with premonitions. Taking place during a European war. Being of a wealthy family certain expectations are made for her. Yet, her quirks make it hard for her to fit that mold. Explores the idea of making your own destiny.

Can't get enough of this series. Very good plot. loved the Country music line.

The images are breath taking. The story is enticing. Next read is the original text to get the full complexity of the characters. But the graphic novel is excellently done.

We LOVE Billie B Brown...Perfect for quick family read alouds, or assisted beginner reads. We like guessing what the 'B' stands for in each book. In this one, we were proud of Billie for making the right decision to protect Jack's feelings & make a new friend in the process!

I rate this book a solid 4 stars. The cover classes it as a thriller, but I thought it was more of a mystery than a thriller. A woman named Mima is killed one night on Whalsay Island, part of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. At first it is thought to be an accident, because a neighbor was out shooting rabbits at midnight in fog and accidentally shot her. But DI Jimmie Perez suspects that there is more to this and keeps digging. A second person is found dead, possibly suicide. Perez does solve the case,but the killer is not revealed until near the end, and the author left enough false clues, that I wasn't sure of the who or why until it all came together at the end. Anne Cleeves writes descriptive books. This series, set in the Shetlands, is best read in order, as I have been doing. Perez is identified as a "Black Shetlander,"i.e. descended form a shipwrecked Spanish Armada sailor in 1588. Some quotes: Mima's house: "Her house was tucked into the hill and you came on it very suddenly." Evelyn Wilson, describing university students working on an archaeological dig: "The two lasses from the university were there. What nice wee girls they are, although I think that Hattie could do with a bit of feeding up.. She's a skinny little thing. All eyes and bone." Perez thinking about his boss, the Procurator Fiscal: "He found it hard to explain the role of the Fiscal to English colleagues. Even Fran couldn't grasp it. 'But what does she do?' Perez always said that she was a cross between a magistrate and a prosecuting lawyer, but Fran didn't even get that." Jimmie is in a relationship with Fran, an English woman. I read this library book in 4 days.

The author captures emotion so well! I loved this book and would definitely recommend it. I wish there was a sequel.