Cadillac Beach: A Novel

Serge Storms #6

by Tim Dorsey

Serge Storms, the history-loving, letter-writing, possibly certifiable serial killer, returns for another adventure. This time the one-man crime spree swings through Florida before settling down in Miami Beach to launch his long-overdue offbeat travel service. It's a labour of love as Serge forces customers to confront the underbelly of the American state’s past and present.

All while multi-tasking to battle the Palermo crime family, mystery assassins, local police, the FBI, the CIA, telemarketers . . . and solve a forty-year-old mystery involving the infamous "Murph the Surf" gem heist! In other words, welcome to Tim Dorsey's slice of America – where nobody gets out unscathed and untanned!

What people are saying about Serge “Over-the-top, off-the-wall, too-much-is-never-enough, Florida insanity was never described so authentically and with such enthusiasm.” “Humor really doesn't get better than this. Dorsey has a style all to his own that is simply not replicated anywhere.” “Serge and Coleman are a match made in heaven and I am still laughing … truly a great read and I can't wait to delve into more of Dorsey's work.” “This is Pulp Fiction on steroids with an acid tab chaser. There is insanity on every page and every page is a good time. Twists and turns, and some of the most creative homicidal mayhem I have ever read.” “… for pure pleasure and entertainment you just can't beat the maniacal style of the Serge Storm series.”

Editorial “Hilarious. ... Serge Storms is, hands down, one of the most original and just-plain-captivating characters in modern crime fiction.” Booklist “Entertaining … funny … irreverent and loving at the same time … [Dorsey] leaves the reader gasping for breath.” Washington Post Book World “The characters in Tim Dorsey’s raucous novel would be shot on sight in any other state.” The New York Times Book Review “Excellent … I almost exploded with laughter as I read Dorsey’s novel. It’s manic, hysterical, and puts Dorsey well up there with the cream of comic writers who seem to have made Florida the centre for satirizing America in the 21st century.” Independent “Twisted hilarity … a compelling page-turner … Tim Dorsey is one sick bunny.” Belfast News Letter

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Humor, Crime, Audiobook, Comedy, Mystery Thriller

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 3, 2004

About the author

Tim Dorsey was born in Indiana, moved to Florida at the age of 1, and grew up in a small town about an hour north of Miami called Riviera Beach. He graduated from Auburn University in 1983. While at Auburn, he was editor of the student newspaper, The Plainsman.

From 1983 to 1987, he was a police and courts reporter for The Alabama Journal, the now-defunct evening newspaper in Montgomery. He joined The Tampa Tribune in 1987 as a general assignment reporter. He also worked as a political reporter in the Tribune’s Tallahassee bureau and a copy desk editor. From 1994 to 1999, he was the Tribune’s night metro editor. He left the paper in August 1999 to write full time.

Reviews

[Finnean Projects · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hell's to the yeah.
Tim Dorsey's the kind of writer you want to sit down and have a beer with - so long as you have a shotgun taped under the table. Everyone of his books is a walk through an insanity that can only be experienced in Florida. I won't compare him with another writer - I'll compare him with something comparable:
You know that one thing you'll only eat a few times a year? That sweet that after you taste it the world melts away and you just feel... Sane. Fine. Like the world could hand you lemons and you'd make sun tea better than Arizona's?
Tim Dorsey's that for me (personally). It's candy for the people who've lost their sweet tooth. He's totally, completely, and in all ways incontrovertibly: out of his damn mind.
That's what makes it so much escapist gold. Check it out from the beginning though. Florida Roadkill. There's five million dollars in a suitcase to be had....

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am giving this 3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars. This book makes me think I’ve been on some kind of drug trip. It’s crazy and all over the place. Serge is completely nuts but somehow he gives some deep insight into some problems society has while doing wacky and sometimes horrible things. Whether you like this kind of book or not l, you have to give Dorsey credit for his ability to make us believe that Serge is crazy, brilliant, and humorous. Laughing one minute and horrified the next, I couldn’t stop reading. It was like watching pure carnage and bursting out laughing only to realize that your response was totally inappropriate and maybe, just maybe, you are the crazy person here.

[Chris Gager · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this one up somewhere recently and selected it last night to be my next novel. A little break from the "serious" stuff, and I must say that so far it's doing the job nicely. THIS BOOK IS NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY - FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY! I have been chuckling regularly. The body count so far is not atrocious(2?), which is good as I'm NOT a believer in the combo of red violence and light humor/farce. Reminds one of Carl Hiaasen of course.

Made it almost to the end last night, but for a change felt no urgent need to wrap it up. Better to go to bed. It's basically just a bunch of amusing craziness anyways. I did laugh out loud last night(as opposed to just chuckling) and a scene having to do with "____sucking" and mobsters. Serge IS quite the resourceful card indeed! Notes ...

- How'd Doug get his cell phone back?

- Think "The Hangover" with dead people ...

- The body count is mounting - up to seven I think and likely to go higher. Serge's final solution for a hit man is inventive, if a bit gruesome.

- Gotta love the Deborah Norville reference! What happened to her anyway?

- Oops, a boo-boo - could've used better proofreading/editing.

I polished this one off last night and was pretty well satisfied with my time spent. The chuckles continue to the end, which brought about an easy-to-spot-ahead-of-time twist. More than one, in fact! The final body count was a dozen, give or take, but never fear, they were all bad guys ... or were they??? My only real problem was with the overall length of the thing. Mr. Dorsey is obviously bursting with funny stuff to say(mostly through Serge) but it does drag on a bit after a while and the "plot" can be a challenge to hold on to, particularly if you don't read the whole thing at one sitting.

3.5* rounds down to 3* ...

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally, I would never give a book like this 5 stars, but there is a fake letter in the middle that I think is brilliant and prescient. (You can skip the review and go right to the italics below.) This book is a classic example of how a really good narrator can make a good book truly a wonderful experience. George Wilson reads this and his inflections and characterizations are terrific.

A very funny book that reminds me of Carl Hiaasen. Lots of gags about Miami Beach, e.g., they sell bullet hole decals for cars and use them to cover up real bullet holes. Serge, the miscreant psychotic - he escaped from an institution - keeps post-it notes handy to stick on the steering wheel as he is driving so he can remember the things he has to do: "Develop and market my new line of South Beach energy drinks, complete rehabilitation and release of Loxahtachee marsh mouse, solve mystery of grandfather's death, recover fortune in missing diamonds from America's largest gem heist, cripple the mob in South Florida, embarrass Castro on the global stage, help Chamber of Commerce with image crisis, and restore respect for the brave men and women of the US intelligence community, to name but a few.

Serge seems to be able to talk his way out of anything and his antics are pure gold. I loved the scene where he chased down a sniper (on foot) and when asked how in the world he caught the man, Serge replied, "well, most people think you'll give up after twenty blocks, I got him at 123rd street." {or something like that.) Then he hangs the guy in the bathroom and starts up a John Deere power tool to torture some truth out of him. The others gasp and ask why he got a leaf blower. "There were out of chain saws." Soon the hostages hair is beginning to wave and Serge remarks they are making progress with the leaf blower, "a rash is already beginning to form on his chest." Priceless.

Much of the comedy is serious commentary. Serge's letter to the Wall Street Journal is laugh out loud funny; at the same time a very accurate take on classes and Wall Street shenaniganms. I challenge you to read this and tell me Dorsey isn't prescient:

The Wall Street Journal Wall Street U.S.A.

From: Serge A. Storms

Re: The Coming Revolution

I saw where you ran the Unabomber's Manifesto some time ago, and I had to wonder: Is this how far your paper has fallen? Are you that hard up for good expository writing these days?

I read the whole essay. What a nutbar! I know where he was trying to go, but in the end it just turned into word salad. Didn't anybody edit that thing?

Okay, I'm not one to criticize unless I have solutions, so you can start by publishing my

"Wake-Up Call to the Fat Cats":
How everything has changed. And how quickly. It seemed like only yesterday the sky was the limit for my stock portfolio with heavy positions in midcap techs and George Foreman Grills.

Now, just a few years later, federal cheese lines are back, and the American family is busy piecing together tiny scraps of soap found around the bathroom to make new bars. We are living in riotous times. Remember a little while ago when you corporate types told us, "Oh, you don't need a pension anymore. We'll set you up with a nice 401 (k). You'll be much wealthier. Trust us." And that wealth will be based on?

"Our profits. " Which will be determined by?

"Our accountants. . . Have a nice retirement."

And now we're sitting around kitchen tables looking at monthly statements like people staring over deck rails at an iceberg and being told they're a bit shy on lifeboats.

But remember the joy? Remember how fun it was to set up your portfolio on the Internet with a cute little program, check it each day, maybe open an Ameritrade account and become like the so-pleased people in those ads? Yes, we have arrived.

Then storm clouds. Everyone out of the pool!

The revelations hit like a series of body blows. Cooked books, bogus oversight, Enron shuffling energy contracts like a three-handed blackjack dealer and the curtain being pulled back on World Com to show two Dixie cups and a string. . . .Let's cut through the fog. This is what happened: Wall Street held an open house for the middle class. "Come on in! You're now one of us. You, too, can play. Everyone is empowered! Doesn't it feel good?"

Then you took all our fucking money!

I turned on the TV. Every channel was talking about all the billions of dollars in investments that have been wiped out. . . . Hold on a sec. "Wiped out"? What the hell are they talking about? No money was "wiped out." It just went in your pockets.

So I have a few thoughts I'd like to share.

First, Wall Street: I'd start carrying guns if I were you.

Your annual reports are worse fiction than the screenplay for Dude, Where's My Car?, which you further inflate by downsizing and laying off the very people whose life savings you're pillaging. How long do you think you can do that to people?

There are consequences. Maybe not today. Or tomorrow. But inevitably. Just ask the Romanovs. They had a nice little setup, too, until that knock at the door.

Second, Congress: We're on to your act.

In the middle of the meltdown, CSPAN showed you pacing the Capitol floor yapping about "under God" staying in the Pledge of Allegiance and attacking the producers of Sesame Street for introducing an HIV-positive Muppet. Then you passed some mealy-mouthed reforms and
crowded to get inside In the middle of the meltdown, CSPAN showed you pacing the Capitol floor yapping about "under God" staying in the Pledge of Allegiance and attacking the producers of Sesame Street
for introducing an HI V-positive Muppet. Then you passed some mealy-mouthed reforms and crowded to get inside the crop marks at the photo op like a frat-house phone-booth stunt.

News flash: We out here in the Heartland care infinitely more about God-and-Country issues because we have internal moral-guidance systems that make you guys look like a squadron of gooney birds landing facedown on an icecap and tumbling ass over kettle. But unlike you, we
have to earn a living and can't just chuck our job responsibilities to march around the office ranting all day that the less-righteous offend us. Jeez, you're like autistic schoolchildren who keep getting up from your desks and wandering to the window to see if there's a new demagoguery jungle gym out on the playground. So sit back down, face forward and pay attention!

In summary, what's the answer?

The reforms laws were so toothless they were like me saying that I passed some laws, and the president and vice president have forgotten more about insider trading than Martha Stewart will ever know.

Yet the powers that be say they're doing everything they can. But they're conveniently forgetting a little constitutional sitcom from the nineties that showed us what the government can really do when it wants to go Starr Chamber. That's with two rs.

Does it make any sense to pursue Wall Street miscreants any less vigorously than Ken Starr sniffed down Clinton's sex life? And remember, a sitting president actually got impeached over that-something incredibly icky but in the end free of charge to taxpayers, except for the $40 million the independent posse
spent dragging citizens into motel rooms and staring at jism through magnifying glasses. But where's that kind of government excess now? Where's a coffee-cranked little prosecutor when you really need him?

I say, bring back the independent counsel. And when we finally nail you stock-market cheats, it's off to a real prison, not the rich guys' jail. Then, in a few years, when the first of you start walking back out the gates with that new look in your eyes, the rest of the herd
will get the message pretty fast.

Have a happy. . .

serge

[Pop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I love Serge and Dorsey. Every so often I have to read one of their adventures just to break the monotony of dullness. Every one could use a little Serge once in awhile.

[Sid Nuncius · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amusing read but not quite as good as the later Serge Storms books, I think.

I came late to this series and have gone back to this earlier stage in Serge’s career. It’s full of utter mayhem and a completely bonkers plot involving stolen diamonds from 1964, the CIA, the FBI, various gangs, Cuban spies and the history of Serge’s grandfather. We also get Serge’s delightful, crazy obsession with the minutiae of Florida’s history and Tim Dorsey’s excellent style.

I did find the whole thing amusing and an enjoyable read (of course!) but I rather prefer the later books where we get Serge’s more focussed and satisfying revenge on the various scumbags and irritants of modern life. Nonetheless, this is well worth reading and recommended.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I luv Tim Dorsey. This series has become my strange comfort series. Miami, the mob, and flashbacks to the 1960s characterize this installment. As always, things come together in an absurd but very fun way.

[Sandie Herron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serge Storms is manic depressive but hates how he feels on his meds, so he doesn��t take them which leads him to run wild from one fiasco to another, which author Tim Dorsey has carefully recorded.

Occasionally Serge used to get caught by the police and returned to the Chattahoochee mental hospital, but since his escape in 1996 he’s been on the lam. He’s been investigating a diamond theft at the Museum of Natural history in 1964 and his grandfather’s alleged suicide. His search for answers is constantly disrupted by his passion for travel, trouble, and strange traveling companions. Serge is an expert on Florida history and is fascinated, no obsessed, with everything about it.

In Miami Rico Spagliosi the last fence alive from the big job back in ’64, the last living link to the diamonds that never turned up, is being laid to rest. Tony Marsicano, heir apparent to Carmine Palermo, was with Rico during his last moments, so everyone assumes he knows where the diamonds are currently located.

FBI agents Miller and Bixby take loads of photos of the funeral for the boys in Virginia to analyze. Miller is a veteran who has seen it all from the big gem heist back in ’64 and on. Bixby is straight out of the academy, young and enthusiastically stupid. They are surprised when Serge and Lenny show up to attend the funeral, amused when they were thrown out by the bodyguards, but it put them on their radar screen for possible trouble.

Serge starts up Serge and Lenny’s Specialty Travel Tours of Florida by setting up a website. It’s designed to achieve all of Serge’s goals so complex as to be genius. Customers will never look at Miami the same way again. Tour option number 12 will take customers zigzagging all over Miami on the exact route taken in 1964 when the police made a deal to retrieve the diamonds from a Miami fence. Serge offers a cut to any customers on the tour when he recovers the stones.

Tony Marsicano makes a deal with the feds to testify on the Palermo family and enter witness protection. As he steps off his private jet, he is gunny sacked and whisked away by Serge and Lenny’s Florida Tours and the real hilarity begins.

Tim Dorsey has outdone even his previous books featuring Serge Storms. The action is tighter; the swings from one cast of characters to another sleeker; the timeline noted more clearly. But not one part of the ending, not one, was expected. With the mastermind of Serge Storms aka Tim Dorsey at the wheel, who could plan a better tour of bedlam?

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

CADILLAC BEACH stands as a mediocre offering in the Serge Storms pantheon of Florida based insanity. This, a jewel recovery-mystery-whodunnit, is enjoyable enough with a great payoff in the end. It paced slower for me than other Serge Storms books I've read.

This is a rather middle-of-the-road book. Like any other books in this series, it can be read as a stand alone, helps if you know the background of character but not necessary. Either way, its Tim Dorsey and you should make it part of your collection of your Serge Storms library.

[Craig Pittman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing, but not laugh-out-loud funny -- except for one line.

The main character, as in all of Tim Dorsey's books, is cheerful Florida-obsessed psychopath Serge Storms. This time what's driving his mania is his desire to figure out what happened to his grandfather -- allegedly a suicide in 1964 Miami -- and what became of the priceless diamonds he was holding from the famous Murph the Surf robbery. In between he also runs a demented tour business that visits some of the scenes of famous events in recent Miami history, like the hotel room where Goldfinger stayed in the James Bond movie of that name.

Getting to the solution of this long-ago mystery winds up involving the FBI, the CIA, the Mafia, the Cuban government, a New York sportswriter who hates Miami and four condiment salesmen attending a convention, not to mention a couple of loose women named City and Country. There are more than a few plot holes and plenty of people die, although Serge only kills a couple of them this time, and only one with one of his crazily complicated schemes. (Nothing has ever topped the one in his first book, which involved new blue jeans and a full bathtub.)

Accompanying Serge in his search for the Truth is a pothead buddy named Lenny who's a little vague on things like how many airports Miami has. The one line that had me doubled over has Lenny asking Serge why he loves Florida so much, and Serge replies, "I need constant stimulation, and living here is like being in the permanent studio audience for "Cops." ' "

[Craig Leimkuehler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sixth book in the series and finally Tim Dorsey is hitting his stride. He’s still calling Coleman Lenny and what’s with City and Country? They’re like the paper umbrella on a Sundae, totally unnecessary.
The plot deals with Serge finding out who wacked his grandfather and what happened to some missing diamonds.
As always the book is chock full of facts about the great state of Florida. These books would be a great resource for anyone doing a report on the state of Florida.

[Dollie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serge is a hustler, and his constant companion, Lenny, is a stoner. Serge has an idea on how they can make some money, so he has some magnetic signs made for Serge & Lenny’s Florida Experience, an off-beat tour service. They’re now in business and mayhem ensues. And because Serge has Mob connections, this book involves a lot of people shooting other people. This is book five in a series of twenty or so books. I’m in my late sixties, so I remember watching Jackie Gleason with my parents and watching the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan show with my siblings, so I got the historic vibe of this tale, but I’m not sure a younger audience would. I got a few chuckles from it and laughed out loud at Serge’s rendition of Paul Simon’s song; You Can Call Me Al.

[Genie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again Psychopathic Serge Storms and Lenny, his marijuana smoking sidekick, are back again in another of Dorsey's screwball crime-spree novels. This time they are on the trail of a stash of gems missing since 1964. Serge has escaped from the state psychiatric hospital in Chattahoochee, Florida's and hits the road to Miami. He is obsessed with the idea of clearing up the mystery surrounding his grandfather's alleged suicide as well as finding the legendary dozen diamonds missing since the Murph the Surf's 1964 jewel heist from the Museum of Natural History.
Serge's crusade gets off to a bad start when an altercation with a mob boss stirs the renewed interest of both the mob and the Feds in the 1964 jewel heist. As a means toward finding the jewels and generating much needed funds, Serge starts a specialty Miami tour service. His first booking is a group of drunken salesmen who, out to play a practical joke on a colleague, mistakenly kidnap a mobster. This sets off a series of hair-raising adventures as well as several murders at the hands of other mobsters. Flashbacks from Miami Beach in the 1960s are inserted in between events in the present as Serge tracks his grandfather's movements at the time of the infamous gem heist.

[Paul Pessolano · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Pope of Palm Beach” by Tim Dorsey, published by William Morrow.

Category – Mystery/Comedy Publication Date – January 30, 2018.

Tim Dorsey again is off and running with Serge A. Storm and Coleman. Serge, being the unofficial historian of everything Florida and Coleman always high on one thing or another are off on another trip through Florida history.

In this book Serge takes us through a literary trip of the great Florida writers, he does bypass Tim Dorsey and Carl Hiaasen. This trip takes both he and Coleman back to their early days at Riviera Beach.

Darby Pope may be the best surfer in Florida and his friend Kenny, a want to be writer. It is inevitable that these two find themselves entangled in crime and needing the Serge to bail them out.

The book is full of the things that make these stories irresistible. Of course, you have Serge telling the little known facts of Florida history and dropping names like Jackie Gleason and the Beatles and Coleman totally out of it but essential to the story.

If one likes comedy with a mystery that includes total mayhem these books are for you. The facts about Florida just add flavor to the books, especially when the facts are true.

[Tom Croom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be my favorite Serge A. Storms book.

I am in love with Florida: the beach, the history and the lifestyle. I've call this place home for over twenty years and the longer I stay, the more interesting I find this place to be. Among all the great attributes of the Sunshine State, one of my favorite things about Florida is it's colorful past.

Which leads me back to Serge.

Cadillac Beach is a tale told by jumping back and forth between present day the sixties (with various stops in the nineties and the early 1900s.) Tim Dorsey is so obviously in love with Florida, too, that he paints the place as a character in every one of Serge's murdering adventures. In this one, he (Serge) is trying to solve a decades old mystery regarding his his grandfather's suicide which is somehow tied to a famous jewel heist from yesteryear.

Zaniness ensues.

Like the other Tim Dorsey books I've reviewed, I recommend this one as a great audio book... especially if you find yourself regularly on the road in Florida.

[Snotchocheez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I've had an opportunity to read Dorsey's novels from oldest to newest. While all of the books thus far center on strange shenanigans, career criminals and bumbling buffoons in Florida, this one is probably the best of the bunch that I've read thus far. He gives his principal character, Serge Storms, a back story which explains (sort of) why Serge is the wacked-out dude that he is. The story this time is much deeper, involving several diamonds that go missing and his grandfather, Sergio, who is a member of the mob in Florida. The ending is ludicrous, but so is most of the rest of the book. Deep thought-provoking, it's not, but I can't think of too many books that will make me laugh from cover to cover; this one is certainly one of them.

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serge is as crazy as ever and in this book he, along with his stoner friend Lenny, start their own tourist service and try to solve the mystery of Serge's grandfather's death back in 1965. Lots of bodies, Florida history, and chaos ensue but all according to the Master Plan. I listened to the audio version read by one of my favorites George Wilson.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serge Storms is hilarious! Many laugh out loud moments reading this book. A bit slow at times, but the ending has a couple of shock factors which raise the rating from "It Was OK" to "Liked It"! 6 out of 10 (and looking forward to Serge's next adventure!!)

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Cadillac Beach" is the 6th in Tim Dorsey's continuing tales of our Florida savant and serial murderer, Serge Storms...In this typical "Florida Man" farcical romp, we bring together mobsters, the FBI, CIA, Cuban spies, Cuban Exiles, the "Murph the Surf" diamond heist, more Florida pop culture history and some of innocent tourists on a Serge-run Florida tour...Bust-a-gut, laughs on every page read!

[Blaine Mooneyham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freakin loved this one! It goes back and forth between present time and 1964 with Serge’s granddad being involved in a jewelry heist. He’s basically the spitting image of Serge. Hopefully he brings his character back.

[Carole Hardinge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great escape from reality. Florida’s not really like that, is it?

[Rob Jacobs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serge and Lenny got out of the limo wearing panty hose over their heads - the same pair.

[Peg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another zany comedy in the Serge Storms series. I laugh so much at all of these stories!

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hysterically funny! Tim Dorsey must be off his meds. That has to be how he comes up with the hilarious plots in the Serge Storms books. All the while he takes on Cuban mobsters, the mob, you get to enjoy historical trivia, this time around Miami and a 1964 jewel heist. Crazy!

[Sheldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed to laugh and Serge Storm’s psychotic rambling, touring and mayhem was the perfect antidote for my attitude. How I missed the joy of Dorsey’s writing for so long needs to be remedied. And I look forward to 20 more volumes of warped humor.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it, especially how to deal with telemarketers!!

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Tim Dorsey novels every summer when I go to the beach, and I have to say that "Cadillac Beach" is the best of Dorsey's first seven books. I loved it. Great fun is had all around. In "Cadillac Beach" Dorsey brings back all of the usual characters (with the exception of Coleman, who if I remember correctly was dispatched in the previous book) and we get the usual humorous results.
Early in the novel Dorsey sets a highly comedic tone when Serge offers physic readings for drivers stopped at an intersection. They are a laugh out loud highlight of the book. Serge's rant about what "makes him angry" on page 19 of the text is nothing short of genius. It is a rant against the continual decline of American brains and brawn, and it is a spot on indictment of contemporary American culture.
In a different take on the character of Serge, "Cadillac Beach" features much less killing from Serge than in previous novels. Much less. In fact, most of the violence in the text is perpetrated by other characters, and overall the violent content of the book is rather subdued for Dorsey. Another feature of the story that I enjoyed is how wonderfully tolerant the character of Serge is. I really love this quality about him, and his views on homophobes (page 320) are priceless.
Oddly enough, for a book like this, I kept annotating some wonderful gems of writing scattered throughout the novel. Numerous times Serge says something that is brilliant advice, even when taken out of context. I won't quote examples here, but one such great example is found on page 211 of the book.
The plot of "Cadillac Beach" is convoluted and all over the place, and spans 40 years, but Dorsey does a great job pulling the disparate storylines together in a much tighter and cleaner manner than he has in some of his previous novels. The book features a ridiculous denouement, but Dorsey's skill makes it play as believable.
I was very satisfied with this read. You will be too.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is hilarious, and Cadillac Beach is one of the best so far (the first book is still tops for me). The books are outrageous and chaotic, and to add even more insanity to the mix author Tim Dorsey alternates between the present and 1964, where our hero, the escaped mental patient, occasional murderer and expert on Florida history Serge Storms is "Little Serge," hanging around with his grandfather Sergio and a pack of mafioso types and Cuban exiles. Dorsey manages to keep everything on the rails, amidst the typical mayhem that follows Serge and his cohort Lenny the way that cloud of dust always hovered over Pigpen in the Peanuts cartoon. It's gonzo storytelling but well done, loaded with Florida history, a few dead bodies, Miami cops, the CIA, FBI, mob bosses, Cuban exiles, Ohio salesmen (in Orlando for the national food condiment convention), a jaded travel writer from NYC, a pair of dim-witted bimbos, and a cast of supporting characters that defies description.

The plot centers around Serge's mission to solve a legendary 1964 jewel heist and the alleged suicide of his grandfather. For money. Serge and Lenny start a specialty tour bus experience, highlighting the cultural history of Miami in Serge's imitable style and attention to detail. Their first customers are the aforementioned condiment salesmen, and in a fateful practical joke on a fellow conventioneer they mistakenly kidnap a mob boss at the airport. The boss happens to be one Serge offended at the grave site of another mobster supposedly linked to the 1964 jewel heist. And we're off and running.....

Highly recommended series, but read them in this order: 4-1-2-5-3-6. It will help just a little bit with the insanity.

[Alpha · Rating 4 out of 5]

"An awesome novel that even goes as far as the roots and beginnings of our favorite psychopathic Floridaphile serial killer, Serge A. Storms. This is the hook for this novel for this novel takes place back in 1996, one year before the events of Florida Roadkill and Triggerfish Twist. This novel starts out with Serge being caught and in a psychiatric ward explaining his side of the story. He grows impatient and escapes and tries to find out the truth behind the story of his grandfather Sergio who like his grandson is pretty much alike.

With Serge loose on the state again, people are going after him so to make a cover, he along with his dead-beat friend Lenny hide by making a Florida touring company that shows the lesser known side of Florida called ""Serge & Lenny's Florida Experience"". Through the process of hiding one of the salesmen who they are touring around accidentally kills a mob boss so Serge and Lenny have to protect him at any cost. With now the FBI and the mob after him along with the fact Serge always seems to really humiliate the Castro Regime of Cuba, everyone is after the most dangerous and entertaining killer around.

This plot makes this book very popular with so many people since it is a different change from the pace of chasing five million dollars. Also, this is a true prequel to the events in 1997 thus making it a fresh read. What I liked is the history of Serge put into this novel and found his beginnings quite entertaining to read. A excellent installment in the series that Dorsey built around Serge A. Storms."

[Ensiform · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certifiable nutcase Serge Storms and Lenny, his spacey marijuana-addicted sidekick, are back again in his sixth screwball crime-spree novel. This time on the trail of a stash of missing gems. Serge is now obsessed with the idea of clearing up the mystery surrounding his grandfather's alleged suicide, which is tied to the legendary dozen diamonds still missing after Murph the Surf's infamous (historical) 1964 jewel heist from the Museum of Natural History. Serge's ambitious crusade gets off to an ill-omened start when he awakens the interest of both the mob and the Feds after getting into a graveside altercation with Tony Marsicano, the mob boss who was alone at the deathbed of Rico Spagliosi, a deceased fence reputed to have a part in the jewel heist. In a typical display of off-the-wall buffoonery, Serge starts a specialty Miami tour service, and his first booking is a group of drunken salesmen who, out to play a practical joke on a colleague, mistakenly kidnap Tony, with dire results. Sporadically moving back and forth between time present and nostalgic flashbacks to Miami Beach in the 1960s, the novel shows Serge hot on the heels of the past – but with at least one assassin on his own heels. Studded with the usual psychosocial observations and dopey gags, this latest episode has a much smaller body count (Dorsey’s learning he should save his characters for reuse) but is as much of a thrill, even if not quite as dark, as the previous books.