Scat - Tapa dura

[Scat] has cult appeal. Zany, fast-moving and humourous, Scat is a compelling eco-thriller with crossover appeal. Drawing on and disrupting crime, mystery, comedy and adventure conventions, it has something to suit all tastes (Jacob Hope THE BOOKSELLER)

SCAT, by veteran crime heavyweight Carl Hiaasen is a great choice for the eco-aware... Hiaasen manages to tackle big themes such as conservation and the Iraq war without being patronising. (Laura Kelly BIG ISSUE SCOTLAND)

The third punchy, funny, eco-mystery from Hiaasen focuses on the endangered Florida panther and the strange fate of Nick, Marta and Smoke's terrifying biology teacher, released into the wilds of the black vine swamp. The plot is as thick as the vines (THE BOOKSELLER)

Carl Hiaasen definitely has a knack for adventure. Every story he creates always has some crazy plot that makes you think as well as laugh!... Hiaasen poses the problem of destroying the environment for monetary gain and how it affects the ecosystem in a hilarious manner. He also throws in some other great themes to think about: not judging people by their history/the way they look, believing in yourself and never giving up, learning to live with what you've got, and working as a team. (Teensreadtoo AMAZON.CO.UK)

This is the first Carl Hiaasen that I have read, and I loved it. Extremely good fun with fantastic characters. It is good to know that teachers like Mrs Starch are not all they seem - I didn't think so when I was at school. One of the best reads I have had in a very long time. Enjoy it. (Sue Chambers, Waterstones Harrods WATERSTONES.COM)

Wow! This is a brilliant fast paced adventure which even the most reluctant reader will be unable to put down. Equally suitable for boys or girls it is both humorous and thought provoking. With serious issues like the the emotional impact of the Iraq war on the families involved and the impact on the environment when man becomes too greedy. (R Lee WATERSTONES.COM)

Hooked from the instant a school boy ate his imposing biology teacher's pencil, I romped through this book, hungrily soaking up the twists and turns along the way and falling in love with Carl Hiaasen's witty and swift-paced narrative. I think that Scat would appeal equally to both bays and girls, it is beautifully balanced and carefully written, combining humour and adventure with the more serious messages about man's impact on the environment and the personal fall-out of military action... (Carole Holland WATERSTONES.COM)

this fast paced environmental thriller and its fun, often surprising, with lots of very eccentric teachers and pretty smart kids. You will also learn a lot about biology and panthers along the way. Carl Hiaasen knows his Florida and the Everglades really well and any reader 10 and up will really thrill to this topical adventure. (Sam North HACKWRITERS.COM)

Totally topical, Scat is a brilliant, fast-moving eco-aware thriller set in the swamps of Florida... Behind the great adventure are serious messages and warnings about the despoliation of a very special area. (LOVEREADING4KIDS.CO.UK)

Carl Hiaasen is a supremely entertaining writer whose novels also bear a timely message... all the Hiaasen trademarks are there: wit, partiuclarly in the vituperative repartee... an abiding belief in the power of the individual to alter things, and an instinct for ingenious plotting that never lets him down. (Nicholas Tucker THE INDEPENDENT)