Atomic Lobster by Tim Dorsey

Atomic Lobster by Tim Dorsey

More Florida mayhem with Serge A. Storms, Florida-phile and looney knight errant, and his druggie pal Coleman, who never met an addictive substance he didn’t like.  The boys are short on cash as usual, and need to drum up some fast money.  And what's faster and cheaper than printing your own money?  They have new friend, a stripper named Rachel who literally stumbled into their apartment (she sounds like a reincarnation of Sharon from Florida Roadkill).  Meanwhile, the G-Unit (the four grannies who hit it big in investing) have discovered that it’s cheaper to live on a cruise ship than in senior citizen housing, so they start booking back-to-back cruises – and a lot of other retirees have figured this out, too (free food available 24 hours/day including room service, daily maid service, onboard activities like mini golf and movies, pool and exercise room, nightly live entertainment – all included in the cruise price).  Jim Davenport and his wife are just trying to find a house in a nice quiet neighborhood, Tex McGraw is still trying to kill them, and the Diaz brothers want to get into smuggling big-time.  And Johnny Vegas (the Accidental Virgin) is still trying to get laid.

Another reason I like Serge is that he has a thing for librarians – reference and information is such a turn-on, and what’s better than having sex with a librarian in a storage unit on a door from Jim Morrison’s house?  The audiobook is narrated by Oliver Wyman who does a great job with all the voices.

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.

Gator a Go Go by Tim Dorsey

July 17, 2019

Gator a Go Go by Tim Dorsey

Serge and Coleman go on a marathon spring break road trip – what more do I need to say? 

Book #12 in the zany Serge Storms series has Serge up to his usual bizarre antics.  When he decides that spring break is the perfect subject for his next documentary, naturally Serge can’t go to just one location, but has to go on a road trip to all of the historic Florida spring break hot spots.  At Panama City Beach, their first stop, Serge encounters Andy McKenna, a college student in the witness protection program.  The problem is, the Florida gangsters who years before were after his father are now after HIM.  Characters from previous novels in the series reappear, including the former owner of the Hammerhead Ranch Motel, a pair of hot women called City and Country, and 40 year old perpetual virgin Johnny Vegas (who despite being handsome, sexy and rich, just can’t seem to score).

I’m not sure why I enjoy this series so much.  Serge is a twisted knight errant who has his own code of ethics which he adheres to faithfully:  punishing jerks in creative and appropriate ways, ignoring laws, protecting the innocent and the victimized, and faithful to his friends, while disregarding social conventions.  In his own way, Serge is a classic noir detective, and I do love noir fiction.  Oliver Wyman reads the audio version and does a great job with Serge, Coleman and Mahoney.