Skink No Surrender: Carl Haasen

This was an adventure book for young adults. Richard is 14 and meeting his cousin on the beach, but she never shows up. While waiting he finds a plastic straw in the sand and starts messing with it. A man comes exploding out of the sand, he was using the straw to breathe while waiting to catch a man illegally collecting turtles. The man, Skink, then helps Richard find his cousin, who was lured into meeting a man she met in a chat room. They go on a wild adventure including saving animals from getting hit on the road, to learning how to drive, to a run in with an alligator, and a fight on a sinking houseboat. Richard does find and safely bring home his cousin. Skink disappears after his hard work, and the kidnapper gets away.