Flush

                  I have finished reading Flush, a book by author Carl Hiaansen. It takes place in Key West, Florida, and the main character is a boy named Noah Underwood, whose father is in jail for sinking casino boat owner Dusty Muleman's casino boat the Coral Queen, after believing he was dumping toilet waste into the ocean, which is very serious, as it can get the people who swim in the beach nearby very sick. Despite being able to get out any time, Noah's father is not willing to, as he sees himself as Nelson Mandela. This causes many problems for the family. For starters, Noah's mother is considering getting a divorce because of the crazy things her husband had done in the past, and things don't go so well with Dusty Muleman's son Jasper Jr. However, Noah is still determined to prove Dusty is guilty, and looks for help from Lice Peeking, a man who used to work on the Coral Queen but was fired after "stealing" Dusty's girlfriend Shelly. In return for proving Dusty's crimes, Lice will get Paine's fishing skiff. Later one night, Noah and his sister Abby go to the marina to see what the Coral Queen is up to, but instead, they are attacked by a large bald man, but luckily escape after Abby bits him on the arm. Throughout the book, this man is later revealed to be named Luno, and proves to be a very large threat. Shortly after their encounter with Luno, Lice has suddenly disappeared, Shelly claiming that Luno had appeared at their door one evening, scaring Lice so much he took all the cash, took Shelly's jeep, and ran off. The jeep was later found with what seems to be bloodstains on the driver's seat, showing that Lice may be dead. So as a result, Shelly will help Noah uncover Dusty Muleman's secrets. The most suspenseful part of the story was when Jasper Jr. and his friend Bull attack Noah and Abby, but then a mysterious old man dressed like a pirate appears out of nowhere, saving the two children. Eventually, the plan comes right into action, but isn't mentioned so much. What I know is that it involves 34 tiny bottles of food coloring, and Noah needs to somehow get on the Coral Queen. Then, Noah's parents go out for dinner and a movie, leaving him and Abby an opportunity to strike. Shelly, who works as a bartender, sneaks Noah (in a crate) aboard the Coral Queen and leaves him in the women's restroom, where he will dump out his share of the food coloring. However, things get very crazy when an elderly woman forces Noah to dash out of the bathroom, off the boat, and into the water. Abby eventually picks him up in Rado (a friend's) rubber dinghy, but are cornered by Luno and Dusty Muleman. The situation starts to look very bad until the same mysterious old man who had saved Noah from Jasper Jr. starts attacking Luno, so the two children manage to escape. Unfortunately, the dinghy breaks down, stranding them in the middle of the ocean. In the morning however, their father comes to rescue them with that old pirate, who turns out to be his long lost father! After that, Noah tells the coast guard of the situation and has them follow a strangely colored trail leading all the way to the Coral Queen, shutting down the operation. Now onto Grandpa Bobby, the reason he had been gone for so long was that he was attempting to track down some men who stole his fishing boat, but came back to Key West after hearing his son was in Jail for sinking the Coral Queen. In the near end of the story, Dusty manages to convince the government to put his gambling boat back on water and hosts a party for its reopening. But crazily, Jasper Jr. and Bull steal one of Dusty's cigarette packs and throw their own little party in the firework compartment, therefore setting the Coral Queen on fire. Finally, that gambling boat has been shut down FOR GOOD. Overall, I really liked this book, it had its twists and turns, and it shows me that some people will do stupid things to nature.