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Serge Storms #24
Tropic of Stupid
Read by an Earphones Award–winning narrator who puts in an “outstanding performance” (AudioFile)
Devoted Floridaphile Serge Storms is a lover of history, so he’s decided to investigate his own using one of those DNA services from late-night TV. Excited to construct a family tree, he and Coleman hit the road to meet his kin. Along the way, he plans to introduce Coleman to the Sunshine State’s beautiful parks where he can brush up on his flora, fauna, and wildlife, and more importantly, collect the missing stamps for his park passport book.
But as the old saying goes, the apple doesn’t fall far . . . Serge is thrilled to discover he may be related to a notorious serial killer who’s terrorized the state for twenty years and never been caught. Which one of his newfound relatives will be the one to help him hunt down this deranged maniac? Serge doesn’t know that a dogged investigator from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is also hot on the trail.
Then Serge meets a park ranger who’s also longing to make a family re-connection. But all is not as it appears on the surface, and Serge’s newfound friendship in the mysterious swamps of Florida may lead to deadly results.
Finding his own relatives has made Serge understand the importance of family. Of course he’ll do anything to help . . .
Devoted Floridaphile Serge Storms is a lover of history, so he’s decided to investigate his own using one of those DNA services from late-night TV. Excited to construct a family tree, he and Coleman hit the road to meet his kin. Along the way, he plans to introduce Coleman to the Sunshine State’s beautiful parks where he can brush up on his flora, fauna, and wildlife, and more importantly, collect the missing stamps for his park passport book.
But as the old saying goes, the apple doesn’t fall far . . . Serge is thrilled to discover he may be related to a notorious serial killer who’s terrorized the state for twenty years and never been caught. Which one of his newfound relatives will be the one to help him hunt down this deranged maniac? Serge doesn’t know that a dogged investigator from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is also hot on the trail.
Then Serge meets a park ranger who’s also longing to make a family re-connection. But all is not as it appears on the surface, and Serge’s newfound friendship in the mysterious swamps of Florida may lead to deadly results.
Finding his own relatives has made Serge understand the importance of family. Of course he’ll do anything to help . . .
Audible Audio
First published January 26, 2021
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About the author
Tim Dorsey
36 books1,651 followersTim 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 279 reviews
February 10, 2021
There are better stories in this series as this is less fulfilling. 5 of 10 stars
September 30, 2020
TROPIC OF STUPID is the first book I have read by Tim Dorsey. I point this out because a) this is the twenty-fourth book in the series and b) if you have read the other twenty-three, you are going to read this too and c) for anyone else, it's a question of whether the other twenty-three are worth reading or not. (I do not think that you have to have read any of the other books to enjoy this one.)
Apparently, most of these books feature the same main character, whom I am not going to write about here, or at least not very much. There is a scene in TROPIC OF STUPID where another character (who is, by way of nothing in particular, an actual live person on this planet who you may have heard of) insists on being let out of a car in the middle of nowhere to escape said main character, and I know how he feels.
Generally speaking, when you have a series that revolves around one or two characters, it is very helpful for the reader to like that character, or at least to not be constantly irritated by that character.
Let me explain here what I mean by that. One of my favorite series is the Vorkosigan books by Lois McMaster Bujold, which center around an irrepressible hyperactive motormouth space mercenary. I like these books. I recommend them all the time. I would probably, in real life, go well, well out of my way to avoid that character ("How can you stand me! I can't even stand myself," he blurts out at one key point in the story). But the stories are great, and the character's charisma and determination go a long way.
TROPIC OF STUPID is a perfectly fine book; sort of a junior-varsity Carl Hiaasen; if this is the kind of thing you like (it is the kind of thing I like) then it should be a perfectly reasonable read. But the whole thing centers around this scatterbrain manic (and murderous) Florida-phile, who just pops up all over the place at random, doing random stuff, and... well, I suppose I can see how other people might find this sort of thing appealing, and there is a sort of low-level charisma in his heedless enthusiasms, but I would go a long, long way to avoid spending even a few minutes in his real-life company. Well-written, funny, excellent sense of place, but if you don't mind I am getting out of this car and hitchhiking back in the other direction.
Apparently, most of these books feature the same main character, whom I am not going to write about here, or at least not very much. There is a scene in TROPIC OF STUPID where another character (who is, by way of nothing in particular, an actual live person on this planet who you may have heard of) insists on being let out of a car in the middle of nowhere to escape said main character, and I know how he feels.
Generally speaking, when you have a series that revolves around one or two characters, it is very helpful for the reader to like that character, or at least to not be constantly irritated by that character.
Let me explain here what I mean by that. One of my favorite series is the Vorkosigan books by Lois McMaster Bujold, which center around an irrepressible hyperactive motormouth space mercenary. I like these books. I recommend them all the time. I would probably, in real life, go well, well out of my way to avoid that character ("How can you stand me! I can't even stand myself," he blurts out at one key point in the story). But the stories are great, and the character's charisma and determination go a long way.
TROPIC OF STUPID is a perfectly fine book; sort of a junior-varsity Carl Hiaasen; if this is the kind of thing you like (it is the kind of thing I like) then it should be a perfectly reasonable read. But the whole thing centers around this scatterbrain manic (and murderous) Florida-phile, who just pops up all over the place at random, doing random stuff, and... well, I suppose I can see how other people might find this sort of thing appealing, and there is a sort of low-level charisma in his heedless enthusiasms, but I would go a long, long way to avoid spending even a few minutes in his real-life company. Well-written, funny, excellent sense of place, but if you don't mind I am getting out of this car and hitchhiking back in the other direction.
August 10, 2024
“Life is just a few minutes!” (3.5 stars)
Went on the annual beach trip, and that meant it was time for another installment in Mr. Dorsey’s Serge A. Storm series. These books are usually good for a laugh and a bonkers plot. TROPIC OF STUPID is a great addition to the series.
In this installment Florida history buff and serial killer (of people who deserve it) Serge Storms gets caught up in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount and also on internet ancestry services that use DNA to make family connections for people. It makes for an interesting combination!
The text boasts lots of subplots; a determined woman in law enforcement, a sleezy lawyer who finds redemption, a serial killer (not Serge) on the rampage and they all eventually tie nicely together to create a coherent and fun plotline.
Quotes:
• “Destiny, for better or worse, has stuck me with you as my soul mate. Who decides this shit?”
• “And since the meaning of life isn’t about us, it must be about how we treat others.”
• “Because doing the right thing isn’t always easy or fun, and sometimes it’s downright sacrifice. You have to become the kind of person who wants to do the right thing more than what you personally desire.”
• “Millions of Americans aren’t happy unless they’re unhappy.”
• “One thing I’ve learned is that human behavior will never stop surprising you.”
• “If you don’t make up cool s%#t about your family, nobody else will…”
• “Nudity and gibberish are underrated.”
• “Just talking to myself…I like the company.”
• “He inhaled deeply and happily through his nostrils, taking in the invigorating aroma of coffee and freshly baked Latin bread, trying to inhale life itself.”
I read TROPIC OF STUPID in the pool with palmetto trees blowing in the breeze. That combined with the fact that Serge’s sidekick Coleman was less annoying to me in this installment than in others in the series and that the plotting was tighter than in some of the previous books, made this a quick and really enjoyable outing for me.
Went on the annual beach trip, and that meant it was time for another installment in Mr. Dorsey’s Serge A. Storm series. These books are usually good for a laugh and a bonkers plot. TROPIC OF STUPID is a great addition to the series.
In this installment Florida history buff and serial killer (of people who deserve it) Serge Storms gets caught up in Christ’s Sermon on the Mount and also on internet ancestry services that use DNA to make family connections for people. It makes for an interesting combination!
The text boasts lots of subplots; a determined woman in law enforcement, a sleezy lawyer who finds redemption, a serial killer (not Serge) on the rampage and they all eventually tie nicely together to create a coherent and fun plotline.
Quotes:
• “Destiny, for better or worse, has stuck me with you as my soul mate. Who decides this shit?”
• “And since the meaning of life isn’t about us, it must be about how we treat others.”
• “Because doing the right thing isn’t always easy or fun, and sometimes it’s downright sacrifice. You have to become the kind of person who wants to do the right thing more than what you personally desire.”
• “Millions of Americans aren’t happy unless they’re unhappy.”
• “One thing I’ve learned is that human behavior will never stop surprising you.”
• “If you don’t make up cool s%#t about your family, nobody else will…”
• “Nudity and gibberish are underrated.”
• “Just talking to myself…I like the company.”
• “He inhaled deeply and happily through his nostrils, taking in the invigorating aroma of coffee and freshly baked Latin bread, trying to inhale life itself.”
I read TROPIC OF STUPID in the pool with palmetto trees blowing in the breeze. That combined with the fact that Serge’s sidekick Coleman was less annoying to me in this installment than in others in the series and that the plotting was tighter than in some of the previous books, made this a quick and really enjoyable outing for me.
January 31, 2021
I love Serge. I just wish Mr. Dorsey wrote faster.
January 30, 2021
As always on the edge of your seat
Once again Tim Dorsey has put me on the edge of my seat. Serge and Coleman saved the day again.
Once again Tim Dorsey has put me on the edge of my seat. Serge and Coleman saved the day again.
June 13, 2021
I love these books
June 13, 2021
If you like a rollicking story with a great anti-hero(complete with a not so trusty companion) in a wild(by any definition) Florida setting, then this is the book for you.
November 1, 2021
When does it pay to have a serial killer tracking down a serial killer? When the hunter is Florida-obsessed "sequential killer" Serge Storms, novelist Tim Dorsey's protagonist through 24 (I think) wacky crime books.
Serge and his perpetually stoned sidekick Coleman start this adventure off at a convenience store where junkies use the microwave to warm up their phony urine samples, and things just get kookier from there. In one gloriously meta moment, Serge asks Siri who he is, and is told Serge Storms is a fictional character. He passes this info along to Coleman and comments that he had no idea his hame was SO common!
There are at least four parallel stories going here -- Serge sends his DNA sample to one of those Ancestry.com type services, then tries to find his relatives; Heather, an FDLE agent, uses the same method to track down a serial killer; the origin story of a major public injury law firm that advertises on TV; and an impoverished boy who discovers a mentor in a local priest. The stories all converge, of course, by the end.
Along the way, Serge discovers the joys of the Florida State Park passports, which leads him to discover a woman who is obsessed with Florida as he is, leading to a couple of bizarre sexual encounters (at one point, Coleman uncovers his hears only to hear them screaming "Miami Oolite!" and covers them again). This includes one at an abandoned missile silo, where they run around naked and babble in an invented language. The site of this particular encounter struck me as hilarious because I have been to that particular area, as well as Myakka River State Park, which is another important landmark in the story. I can vouch for Dorsey's accuracy.
I dock one star from this book's rating only because, when Serge talks about how "Sea Hunt" always ended with an underwater battle that results in someone cutting a diver's air hose, you just KNOW that's how this particular novel will end. That's a rare case of too much foreshadowing. Usually the Serge Storms books end with a bang -- not with blood in the water and sharks circling.
Serge and his perpetually stoned sidekick Coleman start this adventure off at a convenience store where junkies use the microwave to warm up their phony urine samples, and things just get kookier from there. In one gloriously meta moment, Serge asks Siri who he is, and is told Serge Storms is a fictional character. He passes this info along to Coleman and comments that he had no idea his hame was SO common!
There are at least four parallel stories going here -- Serge sends his DNA sample to one of those Ancestry.com type services, then tries to find his relatives; Heather, an FDLE agent, uses the same method to track down a serial killer; the origin story of a major public injury law firm that advertises on TV; and an impoverished boy who discovers a mentor in a local priest. The stories all converge, of course, by the end.
Along the way, Serge discovers the joys of the Florida State Park passports, which leads him to discover a woman who is obsessed with Florida as he is, leading to a couple of bizarre sexual encounters (at one point, Coleman uncovers his hears only to hear them screaming "Miami Oolite!" and covers them again). This includes one at an abandoned missile silo, where they run around naked and babble in an invented language. The site of this particular encounter struck me as hilarious because I have been to that particular area, as well as Myakka River State Park, which is another important landmark in the story. I can vouch for Dorsey's accuracy.
I dock one star from this book's rating only because, when Serge talks about how "Sea Hunt" always ended with an underwater battle that results in someone cutting a diver's air hose, you just KNOW that's how this particular novel will end. That's a rare case of too much foreshadowing. Usually the Serge Storms books end with a bang -- not with blood in the water and sharks circling.
March 23, 2021
The book opens near the site of a major screw-up on my part. I was doing a night dive at Looe Key, seven miles offshore of Ramrod Key, about 25 miles from Key West. While my wife and I are experienced divers, the couple we were with were relative newbies and this was a warm-up for an upcoming trip to Bonaire. I turned around to check on everyone's location and the lady appeared on the verge of panic. Her partner quickly materialized but she began giving the signals for "get me back to the boat!" which we did. It turned out her partner was so mesmerized by the gorgeous underwater world that he turned off his dive light so see if he could see the phosphorescent sea life and she turned around and saw nothing but darkness and lost it. My bad, her first night dive and I, as the most experienced in the group should have been hovering near her the whole time. I just forgot how frightening an experience a first night dive can be.
That, for me is one of the powers of the Serge Storms series holds over me. He trips all over Florida, dispensing historical tidbits of sites I know and love - the lighthouse on Key Biscayne, the interesting eateries along Card Sound (basically the back door to the Keys where we have had many a great sailing moment),the great nearby state park at Myakka with all the gators and birds and deer, etc.
Serge is basically a serial killer, but no fear, he only kills those who would harm Florida or vulnerable Floridians like the scammer who rips off seniors by copying ads and websites for legitimate rentals only to have them arrive and find that the place is already occupied and the 6 months prepaid rental (via Western Union, natch) is long gone and untraceable. Serge, though, always gives the offender a "bonus round" that may permit him to escape a grisly death if he is lucky and clever. Guess what, this type of person is rarely lucky and their cleverness tends to be scam related.
This is the 24th novel by Tim Dorsey, former columnist for the Tampa Tribune and over the years I have encountered him at bookstores in Sarasota, Fort Myers, Naples, Fort Lauderdale to get my signed annual release. (Hard worker, this lad!) This year I had to order from his website since author travel is greatly diminished by pandemic concerns but he was kind enough to personalize it for me. I hope he has many more tales of Serge and his wacky sidekick Coleman (alcoholic and drug addled) as they bounce around the state in pin ball fashion, pulling off Keystone Cop type adventures.
Another winner by Tim Dorsey!
That, for me is one of the powers of the Serge Storms series holds over me. He trips all over Florida, dispensing historical tidbits of sites I know and love - the lighthouse on Key Biscayne, the interesting eateries along Card Sound (basically the back door to the Keys where we have had many a great sailing moment),the great nearby state park at Myakka with all the gators and birds and deer, etc.
Serge is basically a serial killer, but no fear, he only kills those who would harm Florida or vulnerable Floridians like the scammer who rips off seniors by copying ads and websites for legitimate rentals only to have them arrive and find that the place is already occupied and the 6 months prepaid rental (via Western Union, natch) is long gone and untraceable. Serge, though, always gives the offender a "bonus round" that may permit him to escape a grisly death if he is lucky and clever. Guess what, this type of person is rarely lucky and their cleverness tends to be scam related.
This is the 24th novel by Tim Dorsey, former columnist for the Tampa Tribune and over the years I have encountered him at bookstores in Sarasota, Fort Myers, Naples, Fort Lauderdale to get my signed annual release. (Hard worker, this lad!) This year I had to order from his website since author travel is greatly diminished by pandemic concerns but he was kind enough to personalize it for me. I hope he has many more tales of Serge and his wacky sidekick Coleman (alcoholic and drug addled) as they bounce around the state in pin ball fashion, pulling off Keystone Cop type adventures.
Another winner by Tim Dorsey!
June 16, 2021
A solid read but does feel like it drags on from time to time. Dorsey does a great job with visualization, especially when describing the tropical diving reefs. As a diver, I could picture myself in the Florida keys looking over the reefs. Would be interested in reading another book in this series.
February 16, 2021
Always a fun time!
December 3, 2021
I love this series-- the rating is relative as this book was really good, just not my favorite Serge Storms.
September 30, 2021
Well, now finished my 8th book of 24 with Tim Dorsey, Serge & Coleman. The newest and the greatest so far. What fun again and again with Serge tracing family, a serial killer, and love in scuba gear, plus doing in more grifters and endless ways to understand Florida, it's history, and the effects of Sea Hunt (I had to go to you tube to see that they have the complete 121 episodes online).
The writing, combination of character studies and they eventual meetings towards the end of the book is getting better and mesmerising. I must say that this is the first book I have read cover to cover in under 24 hrs. The suspense builds and builds until I thought there would be a sequel, but instead a wonderful ending to a great story line. Thanks agin Mr. Dorsey for your imagination and studies of mankind in the grifter state of Florida.
The writing, combination of character studies and they eventual meetings towards the end of the book is getting better and mesmerising. I must say that this is the first book I have read cover to cover in under 24 hrs. The suspense builds and builds until I thought there would be a sequel, but instead a wonderful ending to a great story line. Thanks agin Mr. Dorsey for your imagination and studies of mankind in the grifter state of Florida.
August 15, 2021
Having never read Dorsey before, I actually laughed at certain parts. Will defiantly will be reading more of his off the wall books.
October 19, 2021
Serge does it again with another thrilling adventure in the Florida keys!! Coleman doesn't have much of a presence in this one, but Serge is "right on" with his detective work.
Another winner!
Another winner!
January 30, 2022
The master of madcap is at it again! Tim Dorsey know all the rules but refuses to follow'em. I am so here for that.
February 28, 2021
This is another terrific read from Tim Dorsey. We know what to expect by now: Serge is manic, obsessive, murderous, very funny and strangely loveable – at least partially because his inventively homicidal attacks are all aimed at vicious, exploitative scumbags. He is also an inexhaustible and delighted fund of arcane Florida facts and history, which I find genuinely fascinating, especially when presented so wittily.
As if it matters, this time Serge has become obsessed with his own ancestry. His researches intersect with a police investigation into a serial killer with predictable mayhem. Coleman is on very good, drugged-up form and Tim Dorsey’s research and character insights are as remarkable as ever.
In a long series like this some books aren’t going to be quite up to peak standard, but I thought this one very definitely was. It’s a cracking, exciting and hugely entertaining read which I can recommend very warmly indeed.
(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)
As if it matters, this time Serge has become obsessed with his own ancestry. His researches intersect with a police investigation into a serial killer with predictable mayhem. Coleman is on very good, drugged-up form and Tim Dorsey’s research and character insights are as remarkable as ever.
In a long series like this some books aren’t going to be quite up to peak standard, but I thought this one very definitely was. It’s a cracking, exciting and hugely entertaining read which I can recommend very warmly indeed.
(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)
May 24, 2021
I checked this book out just based on the title. I had never read any Serge Storms books before or even heard of them. My experience was mixed. There were some moments that felt like the book was just a Florida visitor guide. But then Serge would basically become The Punisher. And the parallel story that was going on around Serge was fascinating. Now that I have finished it I find that I want to read more, for many reasons. I actually did enjoy the history of Florida and its hidden gems. And Serge was a very unique character, doing some somewhat contemptible things in a very satisfying way. And the parallel story was excellent. I assume that the other 20-something Serge books are similar and, if so, should be quirky distractions that also inform. I’ll keep ya posted.
February 18, 2021
I worry that with Serge getting older by the year, that he will no longer be the hoot that he has been for over 20 years. Happily, not the case! Enjoyed the plot and esp enjoyed the sentimental side of Serge when he shows it off, which he does here. Solid book!
January 31, 2021
Pandemic disruptions within the publishing industry (and every other industry) notwithstanding, Serge A. Storms (or should I say his creator, Tim Dorsey?) is like the Duke of Earl: Nothing can stop his annual appearance at the start of each year. TROPIC OF STUPID is 2021’s entry and the 24th installment. As the series approaches its silver volume, Dorsey and his literary offspring show absolutely no signs of slowing down.
TROPIC OF STUPID is a gonzo travelogue wrapped in an interesting crime story shot through from stem to stern with deranged humor. Serge and his well-toasted buddy, Coleman, traverse Florida while Serge conducts what is practically a non-stop verbal tour of whatever corner or crevice of the state they might happen to be traveling through. The purpose of their wanderings is actually two-fold.
Prompted by a late-night television commercial, Serge submitted his DNA to one of those ancestry tracing sites. Armed with a plethora of information about his murky gene pool, he is hellbent on locating his distant relatives. Serge also has acquired a state park passport and is happily --- one might say obsessively --- having each page stamped by the appropriate personnel as the duo visits different Florida state parks. This results in some hilarious interactions with park visitors and rangers, including one employee who has a heck of a vocational backstory and who, with an assist from Serge, rights a wrong that occurred a couple of decades ago.
What the ranger and few other people realize is that, in addition to being a fount of information about all things Florida, Serge is a serial killer who (mostly) confines his circle of victims to those who are discourteous or who prey upon the disadvantaged. His targets in TROPIC OF STUPID include purse and wallet snatchers who victimize the elderly at convenience stores, as well as online con artists who bilk the ill and infirm by setting them up in fraudulent rental properties.
Serge never seems to run out of new and inventive ways to ensure that justice is done in such a manner that prospective repeat offenders...don’t. Even the most peaceful among us might be forgiven if we chortle a bit (or a lot) at the manner in which Serge administers an appropriate punishment to such bullies. No one should feel guilty by wishing or hoping that someone like Serge truly exists. It is but one of the many strengths in a series whose familiarity, book after book, is such a joy.
Given that Dorsey remains at the top of his game, I am anticipating major events to accompany the publication of Serge’s adventures in 2022. Be ready. There is TROPIC OF STUPID and a wonderful backlist to read in the meantime.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
TROPIC OF STUPID is a gonzo travelogue wrapped in an interesting crime story shot through from stem to stern with deranged humor. Serge and his well-toasted buddy, Coleman, traverse Florida while Serge conducts what is practically a non-stop verbal tour of whatever corner or crevice of the state they might happen to be traveling through. The purpose of their wanderings is actually two-fold.
Prompted by a late-night television commercial, Serge submitted his DNA to one of those ancestry tracing sites. Armed with a plethora of information about his murky gene pool, he is hellbent on locating his distant relatives. Serge also has acquired a state park passport and is happily --- one might say obsessively --- having each page stamped by the appropriate personnel as the duo visits different Florida state parks. This results in some hilarious interactions with park visitors and rangers, including one employee who has a heck of a vocational backstory and who, with an assist from Serge, rights a wrong that occurred a couple of decades ago.
What the ranger and few other people realize is that, in addition to being a fount of information about all things Florida, Serge is a serial killer who (mostly) confines his circle of victims to those who are discourteous or who prey upon the disadvantaged. His targets in TROPIC OF STUPID include purse and wallet snatchers who victimize the elderly at convenience stores, as well as online con artists who bilk the ill and infirm by setting them up in fraudulent rental properties.
Serge never seems to run out of new and inventive ways to ensure that justice is done in such a manner that prospective repeat offenders...don’t. Even the most peaceful among us might be forgiven if we chortle a bit (or a lot) at the manner in which Serge administers an appropriate punishment to such bullies. No one should feel guilty by wishing or hoping that someone like Serge truly exists. It is but one of the many strengths in a series whose familiarity, book after book, is such a joy.
Given that Dorsey remains at the top of his game, I am anticipating major events to accompany the publication of Serge’s adventures in 2022. Be ready. There is TROPIC OF STUPID and a wonderful backlist to read in the meantime.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
July 1, 2022
Almost caught up in the series and noticed the more recent ones have been more trivia and less story. I love Florida history, but this book felt rushed and filled with factoids, which took away from a good funny story, and the jokes have slowly became redundant. Definitely my least favorite Serge book to date. There really wasn’t even much of a plot to this one. But if you’re a Serge fan, how can you not read it?
February 24, 2021
Did serge do it again or did serge do it again? Yes, he did it again.
December 23, 2021
As always a fun read. Serge never disappoints.
November 12, 2023
⭐️⭐️
The title fits this book, I found it very…stupid. I hate to say that, but it was true for me. I guess the type of humor just didn’t resonate with me and I also found myself confused basically the entire time. It’s a shame because the synopsis of the book made it sound really good and I was looking forward to this book. I can’t say I personally recommend this one..
The title fits this book, I found it very…stupid. I hate to say that, but it was true for me. I guess the type of humor just didn’t resonate with me and I also found myself confused basically the entire time. It’s a shame because the synopsis of the book made it sound really good and I was looking forward to this book. I can’t say I personally recommend this one..
May 21, 2021
So I got onto Goodreads to write up a little review about this book and am super surprised by the high rating it has received. Evidently I have totally missed something good about this book. Perhaps, since this is my first book to read in this series I just need to establish a relationship with Serge Storms. No, thank you. He is not a character that I want to get to know any better. Plus, it annoys me in a book when a few favors are called in by the "hero" and the computer geek does his magic off-camera and gives the hero all of the answers so that, abracadabra, the mystery is solved.
I gave this book 2 stars because I started reading it when I happened to be on a road trip through Florida, including Miami and the Everglades. A few of the places were familiar and I enjoyed that. Also, I must say that some of the methods of murder are quite clever and imaginative.
I gave this book 2 stars because I started reading it when I happened to be on a road trip through Florida, including Miami and the Everglades. A few of the places were familiar and I enjoyed that. Also, I must say that some of the methods of murder are quite clever and imaginative.
January 27, 2021
Dorsey Does it Again
Once again, my favorite serial killer is at it again. Multiple story lines lead to excitement, heartbreak, peg boards and Coleman. An excellent read from cover to cover.
Once again, my favorite serial killer is at it again. Multiple story lines lead to excitement, heartbreak, peg boards and Coleman. An excellent read from cover to cover.
January 24, 2022
I just love Everything Tim Dorsey writes
September 18, 2021
So, how to you reel in a kite with glass-laced string? Serge is on a mission to check off every Florida State Park in the guidebook and is visiting the parks below Miami. His favorite park is also a scuba diving place, a beautiful coral reef. He's Mr. First In Last Out. He's also tracking his newly discovered relatives who show up in the DNA report he got from a late night TV ad. The police are looking at cold case murders and trying to find a serial psychopath with DNA. Serge has borrowed a blue and white Ford Cobra to tour the parks in and others following him have other cars including a sunbaked Challenger. There are always side trips to the best places to eat, either for their historical fame or for the excellent food on offer. Coleman seems to be able to exist on Schiltz and cracklins. Serge hears a park ranger's story of the famous Father Al, gets the latest news about Florida stupidity from Coleman reading newspaper headlines to him and falls in love with a woman who engages him with botanical names of native plants. Lots of baseball history (Florida is for Spring Training). More scams to rip off tourists exposed (the internet is the newest scam medium). Where does Serge get the money to pay for dive motel rooms?
March 31, 2021
Serge Storms and his sidekick Coleman are checking out their distant relatives on Ancestry.com. Coming from the same direction is the FBI checking a cold cases serial killer. Serge is a modern day Robinhood of the over the top kind. He is a man for family and the underdog but his solutions are permanent. You will laugh yourself silly as Serge and Coleman go through life sorting problems in an unusual and inventive way. Just dive in and accept this character with all his dark humour, heart of gold and outrageous friend. I promise you you’ll never get bored with this character.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
March 5, 2021
(3 1/2). Tim Dorsey has to be one of the most creative humans on the planet. How he can write book after book that are completely different at the same time as being completely the same is astounding. His research into Florida history rivals that of a Dan Brown novel and the shenanigans of Serge Storms are unmatched. This book also takes us on another side story that is very interesting, but that has been the case in the last book or two and has kept us from serious Serge overload. Mr. Dorsey, keep ‘em coming! Good stuff.
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