Torpedo Juice (Serge Storms, 7)

First, read the series in the sequence recommended by the author on his web site. Come to love occassional (not serial) killer Serge Storms. Don't worry about plot, multitude of characters. They all come together eventually but it just does not matter. As Serge recommends, if you need to, just read the ending and then go back where you were and enjoy the characters and descriptions and observations on all things life/Florida/history/insanity. Serge gets married? His observations on the minutiae as seen by a male are priceless and an accurate caricature.

Kudos To Tim Dorsey for another rip-roaring, laugh out loud story. He provides excellent entertainment well worth the price. The way he puts a story together with its little subplots is impressive. He is, without a doubt, one of the funniest writers out there. Tim Dorsey will always be on my 'must read' list. Highly recommended for anyone who likes to laugh.

If you're looking for highbrow, Pulitzer Prize-type material in a book, don't look here. But if you're looking for a book that will entertain you with some good laughs, which is my kind of book, then Tim Dorsey's your man. It's not every writer that could make a serial killer into a character than you can identify with and root for, but Dorsey does it. He is easily one of my favorite writers. As for Torpedo Juice, this book marks the return of that lovable loser Coleman. The circumstances by which Dorsey brings him back are somewhat iffy, but who cares, we're reading this book for fun not for realism. Serge also gets married in this book, and learns some of the hard lessons that all men who have gone before him have to face sooner or later (i.e. that logic has no meaning where wives are concerned). The rest of the plot for Torpedo Juice was a little weak though, I thought. Usually Dorsey has about 4-5 plotlines all running simultaneously that come crashing together at the end, but TJ didn't really have that whiz-bang feeling to it. In my opinion Dorsey has fallen into a pattern where his even-numbered books (Hammerhead, Triggerfish, Cadillac) are terrific, and the odd-numbered books (Roadkill, Orange, Stingray, Torpedo) less so, though still quite good. Triggerfish Twist is quite possibly THE funniest book I've ever read; I can't recommend it highly enough. Torpedo Juice isn't Dorsey's best effort, but I still enjoyed every minute of it and can't wait for the next adventure of Serge A. Storms. Plus maybe we'll get Coleman and Lenny together in the same book; that should be interesting.

My recreational reading while at a software conference last week was the newest Tim Dorsey novel titled Torpedo Juice. Like all that come before them, the book is hard to explain, but so much fun to read... Serge Storms, the main character in many of Dorsey's other works, is now convinced he needs to settle down and get married. He just needs a wife, and what better way to find one than to start doing reconnaissance at local venues (complete with binoculars and tails). He passes up an obvious choice for a librarian who seems to be completely and totally closed off socially. But one thing leads to another, and they *do* get married, and Serge now learns that communication between husband and wife is a difficult thing. Meanwhile, the other plotlines of the book are swirling around at tornado pace. Anna is trying to escape a band of killers who murdered almost everyone she knows, and she's next. The bartender at the No Name isn't quite what he seems to be. The mystery drug kingpin who lives on No Name Key may not be either. Will Coleman get laid, and will the lucky lady ever be the same? Who's trying to kill Serge? And what are all the Key West deer doing roaming around the book? There's no good way to describe a Dorsey novel. I tend to think of him as Carl Hiaasen on speed. Storms is a wacky killer who longs for the Florida that's rapidly disappearing, and he's doing everything he can to preserve it. You'll see every stereotype of Florida natives during the story, and if you're from there you might even see yourself. If you're looking for a measured, well-paced story with logical progressions, keep moving... there's nothing to see here. But if you want slapstick comedy with twists coming out of *deep* left field, this book will be perfect.

In Florida, serial killer Serge Storms decides he needs to settle down with a wife. However, Serge has a few things to take care of before tying the knot. For instance, where will they live? However before he can get married and they can select their home, Serge he must find the right woman. Thus the quest for the ultimate female for Mr. Storms begins. In the No Name Keys, a place where losers, lowlifes, and similar ilk are considered high society, Serge meets the woman of his dreams, mousy librarian Molly. However, as he writes in his Serge log, marriage is not quite what he expected as Mighty Mouse is driving Serge crazy with her needs. Still, murders aside, Serge somehow becomes a cult's Messiah though he denies it, which leads to High Noon with an oily CEO trying to overturn the anti-social order of the No Name Keys. Finally there are the drug lord looking to invade the Keys and Anna Sebring seeking to murder the serial killer who executed her brother with her revenge radar targeting Serge. TORPEDO JUICE is the typical wacky wild Tim Dorsey irreverent Florida thriller. The key to this tale is Serge's efforts to turn domestic when the world spirals through him in zany insane circles. This series of circular subplots lead to an amusing offbeat madcap tale, but also is difficult to follow as the keys never fully interact even with Serge as the foci. Still Mr. Dorsey provides his typical insane yet brilliant, extremely funny yet satirical wild South Florida tour. Harriet Klausner