Skink: No Surrender is a young adult novel by Carl Hiaasen in which fourteen year-old Richard travels across Florida with the elusive environmentalist, Skink. They are on a mission to find Richard’s fourteen year-old cousin, Malley, who has run away with an older man. When the novel begins, Richard is waiting at the beach for Malley. The two are supposed to watch over sea turtle nests to help protect them from poachers, but Malley never shows up. Instead, Richard encounters a man named Clint Tyree who goes by the name of “Skink.” Skink, a former governor of Florida-turned-environmentalist, has long been presumed dead since a retried state trooper named Jim Tile reported finding Skink’s body in the swamps.

Malley soon calls Richard, tells him she is okay, and tells him not to tell their parents that she has run off with an older man named Talbo Chock. She threatens to tell Richard’s mom about the crime he committed on a trip to Saint Augustine if he calls her parents. Richard relates his concerns that Malley has run off with an older man to Skink, who urges Richard to tell his family regardless of Malley’s threat. Richard tells his parents and Malley’s parents what has happened. They notify the police.

Skink uses his old friend and contact, Jim Tile, to learn more about Talbo Chock. Skink learns that the name is stolen from a dead U.S. Marine named Earl Talbo Chock. At the same time, Skink has a violent encounter with a poacher, which brings Skink unwanted attention. He decides to track down Malley to get away from public scrutiny. Richard decides to join him. The two travel across the state of Florida, following what limited clues Richard can glean from Malley in her occasional phone calls. They are able to track down Malley to the Choctawhatchee River near Panama City. There, Richard receives another call from Malley. He is able to get her to tell him that she is being held against her will and that she needs help. Richard and Skink set off downriver and come across the houseboat where Malley is being kept. In a confrontation with Talbo, Talbo admits his name is actually Tommy Chalmers. He lies when he says that Talbo was a good friend of his, one whose death he could not get over.

In a wide-ranging struggle against Tommy, Skink, Richard, and Malley are ultimately successful. Tommy, who tries to escape, is ripped apart by an alligator. It is later learned that Tommy was not even his real name. His real identity was Terwin Crossley, a twenty-six year-old thug from Mississippi. Malley explains she ran away with him because he sounded different when she met him online. Also, she did not want to go away to boarding school in New Hampshire. The ordeal keeps Malley from going to school in New Hampshire. Skink makes a massive donation to begin a scholarship fund in the real Talbo Chock’s name at a nearby college. At Skink’s urging, Richard travels to Saint Augustine to make up for his crime by paying a store owner back for a stolen skateboard deck. The store owner, who had been friends with Richard’s dead father, explains he always knew Richard would do the right thing. As the novel ends, Richard hopes that he will see Skink again someday. In the meantime, he enjoys watching over sea turtle nests with Malley.