When Elves Attack by Tim Dorsey

December 3, 2019

When Elves Attack by Tim Dorsey

It's time for some holiday reading.  This certainly isn't your average Christmas novel, but work with me here.

Florida-phile and loveable psychopath Serge A. Storms goes off his meds once again, just in time for the holidays.  Christmas will never be the same after Serge and his stoner buddy Coleman, the Robin Hood and Merry Man of Florida, decide to go all out with their celebration.  There will be unforgettable presents, a tree with handmade ornaments, outside lighting decorations, caroling through the neighborhood, and lots (and lots) of eggnog.  Serge and Coleman even dress as elves and visit the mall to bring joy to the shoppers. In the spirit of the season, they make sure that Florida's criminals get just the right presents, while ensuring peace on earth and justice for the good people of Tampa.  Old friends including Jim and Martha Davenport, Country and City, and the G-Unit gather together to make the season bright.

Not a lot of plot but entertaining nonetheless.  I enjoy Dorsey's zany sense of humor.  If you liked the movie Bad Santa (one of my favorite holiday movies - none of that Hallmark crap for me), this will be your kind of Christmas story.

Shark Skin Suite by Tim Dorsey

September 17, 2019

Shark Skin Suite by Tim Dorsey

When Florida-phile Serge A. Storms goes off his meds, anything can happen.  In this adventure, Serge decides that his latest calling is the law.  But never mind law school, Serge is going freelance in the style of the heroes in his favorite movies, writing wrongs and dishing out justice to those who would scam the innocent.  The plot is more complicated than some of Serge’s stories, with plenty of crooked lawyers, planted evidence, and double-crosses.  Characters from past novels appear, including Brooke Campanella, Mahoney, the Four G’s, and Coleman – we even get to meet Coleman’s brother, lawyer Ziggy Blade.  No matter how dire things seem, remember that Serge always wins.

Tim Dorsey’s Serge A. Storm series is sometimes classified as mystery or suspense but I think they fall into the adventure category (wild car chases, a zany knight errant who fights for the innocent, exploration of unfamiliar cultures, the hunt for treasure, a group of misfits who band together).  If you enjoy your mayhem mixed with some sick humor, this series is for you.  I listened to the audio version and the reader, Oliver Wyman, gets Serge’s voice just right.

Tiger Shrimp Tango by Tim Dorsey

August 28, 2019

Tiger Shrimp Tango by Tim Dorsey

After watching "Ace Ventura, Pet Detective," Florida-phile Serge A. Storms and his druggie sidekick Coleman decide to become private investigators.  They team up with Mahoney, a noir-ish P.I. who specializes in assisting victims of Internet scams, because of course, Florida is the capitol of scam-dom.  When one of Mahoney's clients, an innocent woman named Brooke, is robbed by scammers on the day of her father's funeral (who was himself scammed by those people pretending to be from the IRS), Serge swings into action and dishes out his own brand of Serge-justice to scammers in need of learning how to be nice to other people.  All while taking in the myriad sights of Florida.

This isn't the strongest title in the series, but it is still has a lot of humor, as well as some creative and gruesome executions - Serge's knowledge and use of science is pretty awesome.  Many of the characters from previous titles in the series reappear in this one, including Johnny Vegas, the Accidental Virgin.  Serge is a lovable psychopath who lives by his own strange code of ethics like any good detective (although unlike most noir detectives, Serge does score with the ladies and is highly resourceful when in need of some fast money).  Coleman is along for the ride, always high, and sometimes spouts unexpected wisdom.  Mahoney is a riot - he talks like a detective right out of Mickey Spillane or Raymond Chandler using tough-guy slang that is largely unintelligible, and he refers to himself in the third person.  Tim Dorsey's series is a refreshing change of pace, like mental sorbet when you've been reading too much literary or historical fiction.  Oliver Wyman reads the audio version and does a great job.