Carl Hiaasen’s 11th novel, Skinny Dip, may provide pleasant diversion from unpleasant holiday houseguests who threaten to stir up ancient intrafamilial conflicts. We meet Chaz Perrone, a priapic marine biologist whose primary interest lies in scamming federal environmental agencies. Chaz takes bogus water samples in the endangered Florida Everglades and finds them surprisingly pollutant-free, in exchange for which he receives handsome payoffs from a thoroughly corrupt (and over-the-top) entrepreneur. Chaz is not troubled by pangs of conscience about his sullying of nature, however, because he just can’t understand all the fuss about the Everglades. Why would anyone care about a breeding ground for vermin ranging from the pesky (mosquitoes) to the dangerous (alligators and water moccasins).