STORMY WEATHER: A Skink Novel

'For their expertise on the most esoteric subjects, I am deeply grateful to my good friends John Kipp (The Finer Points of Skull Collecting), Tim Chapman (The Effects of Canine Shock Collars on Human Volunteers) and John Branham (The Care and Handling of Untamed South American Coatimundis). A masterclass in black humour, the events described are purely imaginary (although the accounts of a hurricane-related tourist boom, monkey infestation and presidential visit are based on real occurrences.) When a ferocious hurricane rips through southern Florida, insurance fraudsters, amateur occultists, and ex-cons waste no time in swarming over the disaster area. Caught in the middle are Max and Bonnie Lamb, honeymooners who abandoned their Disney World plans to witness the terrible devastation. But when Max vanishes, Bonnie, aided by a mysterious young man with a tranquiliser gun and a roomful of human skulls, has to follow her only clue - a runaway monkey. 418pp, paperback.