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Serge Storms #26
The Maltese Iguana
Serge A. Storms is back on the road in the latest zany Florida caper from the "wickedly funny" (Entertainment Weekly) Tim Dorsey.
After a long and arduous COVID-19 quarantine, Serge A. Storms is fully vaccinated and ready to hit the road. Along with his condo neighbors, he cooks up a wild plan to celebrate in true Serge each week, they rent a shuttle van and head out for funky Florida road trips and some serious revelry.
Meanwhile, a CIA revenge operation down in Honduras goes very, very wrong. The local liaison hired to help with the mission is the only witness to the disaster, and the CIA quickly sets a black ops contractor on his trail to eliminate him.
Forced to flee his home country, the witness lands in Miami with a new identity and passport. But the CIA is still on his tail, pushing him further and further south to the Florida Keys, where he runs into Serge's convoy. With Florida's most lovable serial killer involved, the real party is about to get started...
After a long and arduous COVID-19 quarantine, Serge A. Storms is fully vaccinated and ready to hit the road. Along with his condo neighbors, he cooks up a wild plan to celebrate in true Serge each week, they rent a shuttle van and head out for funky Florida road trips and some serious revelry.
Meanwhile, a CIA revenge operation down in Honduras goes very, very wrong. The local liaison hired to help with the mission is the only witness to the disaster, and the CIA quickly sets a black ops contractor on his trail to eliminate him.
Forced to flee his home country, the witness lands in Miami with a new identity and passport. But the CIA is still on his tail, pushing him further and further south to the Florida Keys, where he runs into Serge's convoy. With Florida's most lovable serial killer involved, the real party is about to get started...
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 28, 2023
282 people are currently reading
2770 people want to read
About the author
Tim Dorsey
36 books1,656 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 178 reviews
March 16, 2023
Love the main characters, the series and bad guys getting Serged. 8 of 10 stars
March 12, 2023
not as fun as earlier ones
November 29, 2023
DNF
Hang it up Dorsey, you are all washed up. This was beyond bad. I’ve read the previous 25 books, but couldn’t get past page 33 in this piece of nonsense!!
11/29/2023
Sorry I wrote such a scathing review of Mr Dorsey’s final book. I really liked all those adventures with Serge. RIP 11/26/2023 🥲
Hang it up Dorsey, you are all washed up. This was beyond bad. I’ve read the previous 25 books, but couldn’t get past page 33 in this piece of nonsense!!
11/29/2023
Sorry I wrote such a scathing review of Mr Dorsey’s final book. I really liked all those adventures with Serge. RIP 11/26/2023 🥲
February 11, 2023
I sometimes feel like Coleman reading these books. I don’t really understand what’s going on but I’m the last 25% the plots and timelines come together. The main characters, Serge and Coleman, are somewhat unlikable. But the the secondary characters are always likable people with a lot of integrity. I love reading these for the random facts about Florida. It’s a great vacation book. Thank you NetGalley for the gifted copy!
March 25, 2023
Way Below Pat
This is far from Dorsey’s best. I don’t know whether he’s just getting bored with Serge or has run out of ideas but this book and its plot is about as flat as cow urine on a hot rock in the sun. Spoiler Alert: Only two bonus rounds and page after page of Coleman teaching how to take a hit off a bong. Coleman? Teaching? I’m going to give Dorsey one more chance, hoping this was an aberration.
This is far from Dorsey’s best. I don’t know whether he’s just getting bored with Serge or has run out of ideas but this book and its plot is about as flat as cow urine on a hot rock in the sun. Spoiler Alert: Only two bonus rounds and page after page of Coleman teaching how to take a hit off a bong. Coleman? Teaching? I’m going to give Dorsey one more chance, hoping this was an aberration.
January 11, 2024
It is fitting that I write this review in January for it is in January that I would meet up with Tim Dorsey at one of his book signings. During the early part of the year he would bounce from book store to library to community halls to hold a reading and book signing. I met him for signings in Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers, Sarasota (at the doomed Borders chain, still remember him asking the manager for permission to sell his photo books from his trunk since they did not carry the title). So, as a result I have 25 signed copies of all of Tim’s novels with the Serge Storms character. All but the last and I have heard rumors that there are some “tip in” signed versions of this one but I was unable to locate any. Sadly, I received word last month that Tim passed away at age 62 in Islamorada in the Florida Keys
The Serge Storms character is “everyone’s favorite serial killer” and as he travels the state of Florida with his sidekick, the perpetually stoned/drunk Coleman he lays down trivia tidbits about the location he is in – history, geography, natural features, etc. along with satirical observations about politics and economics.
Don’t worry too much about the serial killer part, he only does in those who would harm Florida or Floridians, particularly those who target seniors for scams. He always does them in in a fitting fashion relative to their wrong doing and always gives them a “bonus”, a way of escaping their death. But, as they are rarely as creative as Serge, none ever succeeds.
This latest and last book takes place mainly in the Keys (Islamorada, ironically) and ties together the story of Serge launching a tour service and a botched military operation in Honduras run by an Miami based military contractor. The usually assortment of offbeat characters, strange plot twists, Florida tidbits and Keystone Cops style running around. So if you are in the mood for satire and humor grab a copy and settle in for some chuckles.
This is actually a 4 star book but I am giving it 5 in tribute to one who was one of the hardest working folks in the literary world, and a gentlemen whose works provided me with a lot of entertainment over the years.
I tried to include a picture of Tim signing a prior work at Haslam's the legendary bookstore that never re-opened after the pandemic. Miss both Tim and the store but unable to figure out how to include a picture in this review. Head on over to my Amazon review to see the picture if you are interested, no problem posting with the review there.
The Serge Storms character is “everyone’s favorite serial killer” and as he travels the state of Florida with his sidekick, the perpetually stoned/drunk Coleman he lays down trivia tidbits about the location he is in – history, geography, natural features, etc. along with satirical observations about politics and economics.
Don’t worry too much about the serial killer part, he only does in those who would harm Florida or Floridians, particularly those who target seniors for scams. He always does them in in a fitting fashion relative to their wrong doing and always gives them a “bonus”, a way of escaping their death. But, as they are rarely as creative as Serge, none ever succeeds.
This latest and last book takes place mainly in the Keys (Islamorada, ironically) and ties together the story of Serge launching a tour service and a botched military operation in Honduras run by an Miami based military contractor. The usually assortment of offbeat characters, strange plot twists, Florida tidbits and Keystone Cops style running around. So if you are in the mood for satire and humor grab a copy and settle in for some chuckles.
This is actually a 4 star book but I am giving it 5 in tribute to one who was one of the hardest working folks in the literary world, and a gentlemen whose works provided me with a lot of entertainment over the years.
I tried to include a picture of Tim signing a prior work at Haslam's the legendary bookstore that never re-opened after the pandemic. Miss both Tim and the store but unable to figure out how to include a picture in this review. Head on over to my Amazon review to see the picture if you are interested, no problem posting with the review there.
June 3, 2023
My first and last Tim Dorsey book. I stopped reading on page 96. Unreadable!
March 16, 2023
This was A DNF for me. I struggled with it for three days reading 9 chapters before I said “enough is enough” and returned it to the library via Libby.
Boring. An endless droning of Coleman’s antics. No action. No real humor.
No. I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this book to anyone. It’s a shame really. 25 extremely good books in this series Nd then along comes this drivel.
Boring. An endless droning of Coleman’s antics. No action. No real humor.
No. I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this book to anyone. It’s a shame really. 25 extremely good books in this series Nd then along comes this drivel.
February 27, 2023
If you’ve heard of the Florida Man, you’ll understand why it’s tempting to pick up books like this one and those written by Dave and Carl. And why, for the life of all things reasonable, we find Florida Man books funny with their crackpot characters and plots so preposterous it’s a waste of good head space to bother suspending disbelief. To better understand the draw, it helps to know that the Florida Man thing is real and he is one who will call 911 multiple times when in need of ice cream and liquor; hide meth in his bellybutton if he has a large enough paunch for it; argue with law enforcement that wind can, indeed, blow bags of cocaine into a moving vehicle’s window; and flee a supermarket while stripping naked with pilfered steaks spilling in his wake. Stripping naked and making a scene of it is a classic FM move, if you were wondering.
This book has many Florida Man characters led by Serge and his foil Coleman, who are bad versions of Randy Wayne White’s Doc Ford and Tomlinson (to be fair, Doc Ford is somewhat normal if not the fantasy man who is smart, considerate, and good at killing bad guys). Serge and Coleman live in a condo in gorgeous Islamorada, famous for its fishing and water so clear you can chase puffer fish in a kayak if that’s your thing.
The story opens with the pandemic and panic shopping, which would have been funnier a few years ago. Serge is the paranoid one who buys a space suit for protection. Coleman copes by being himself, chugging, smoking, and popping more substances in a day than would kill a manatee in a minute. He’s a bad influence in the building, teaching the white-haired neighbors how to use a bong. This will get them a scolding from the police.
This book has the expected Central American drug angle with the US concocting some way to interfere without interfering. There is a reporter who, after being fired from every reputable outlet, is working for one of the ad-bloated free rags. He convinces his boss to allow him to chase the Honduran story. Then he gets assigned to report on a bunny bouncer at an Ocean Drive club who beat up a drunk. Meanwhile in Islamorada, Serge is entertaining the condo residences with local sightseeing tours. All of this “eye-crossing brainlessness” that the genre is known for will come together for a spectacular, fireworks of an ending. You have been warned!
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this eARC.
This book has many Florida Man characters led by Serge and his foil Coleman, who are bad versions of Randy Wayne White’s Doc Ford and Tomlinson (to be fair, Doc Ford is somewhat normal if not the fantasy man who is smart, considerate, and good at killing bad guys). Serge and Coleman live in a condo in gorgeous Islamorada, famous for its fishing and water so clear you can chase puffer fish in a kayak if that’s your thing.
The story opens with the pandemic and panic shopping, which would have been funnier a few years ago. Serge is the paranoid one who buys a space suit for protection. Coleman copes by being himself, chugging, smoking, and popping more substances in a day than would kill a manatee in a minute. He’s a bad influence in the building, teaching the white-haired neighbors how to use a bong. This will get them a scolding from the police.
This book has the expected Central American drug angle with the US concocting some way to interfere without interfering. There is a reporter who, after being fired from every reputable outlet, is working for one of the ad-bloated free rags. He convinces his boss to allow him to chase the Honduran story. Then he gets assigned to report on a bunny bouncer at an Ocean Drive club who beat up a drunk. Meanwhile in Islamorada, Serge is entertaining the condo residences with local sightseeing tours. All of this “eye-crossing brainlessness” that the genre is known for will come together for a spectacular, fireworks of an ending. You have been warned!
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this eARC.
February 2, 2024
Serge Storms is at his best, entertaining the senior citizens in his building with road trips highlighting even more famous, and infamous, Florida locations. Unfortunately, there will be no more adventures across the cities, swamps and seashores, as the author died a couple months before the release of his final book.
I hope that Tim meets up with Serge in his Ford Galaxy on the Tamiami and they continue to cruise all the backroads of the state forever.
I hope that Tim meets up with Serge in his Ford Galaxy on the Tamiami and they continue to cruise all the backroads of the state forever.
March 20, 2023
Some of us have a higher propensity for enjoying "over the top" than others. As far as Carolyn and I are concerned, the wackier the better. Dorsey's protagonist, the hyper-active (and mouthed) Serge Storm and his sidekick, the perpetually fried Coleman (the man smokes a lot of dope) are as unlikely heroes as you'll ever find. In this one, Serge has appointed himself the tour guide of Florida's legacy of spy craft. He leads the residents of his condo complex on bus tours of the touchstones of American spookdom. Coleman, meanwhile keeps the bong fired up and does dumb (but loveable) stuff. Serge also acts as an avenging angel against people who prey on the innocent, dreaming up unique (and wacky, did I mention how much we like wacky?) punishments that fit the crimes.
This book is another in a series of yeehaw funny adventures. And if you're one of those people who feel compelled to say "get the hell out of here, that could never happen!" Keep on fact in mind. It is Florida, the national capital of "over the top."
This book is another in a series of yeehaw funny adventures. And if you're one of those people who feel compelled to say "get the hell out of here, that could never happen!" Keep on fact in mind. It is Florida, the national capital of "over the top."
May 7, 2023
Dorsey is one of my favorites. I own all of his books. I'm not sure what has happened the book before this was sub par. And this book was, well, I could not even finish. Covid Humor would have been funny 2 years ago. Really misses the mark. He's getting a bit political. I just want to read and not think about the nonsense going on in the world.
June 8, 2023
I will never get that time back....This should have been a DNF
Unfortunately, I did finish this book. It did not keep my attention, and felt juvenile.
I listened to the audiobook, and a few of the characters sounded cartoonish. The regular narration was fine, then some characters were so fast paced it was hard to comprehend what they were saying.
I do love a good book about FL, and even enjoy a Florida man story. This missed the mark on both accounts.
Unfortunately, I did finish this book. It did not keep my attention, and felt juvenile.
I listened to the audiobook, and a few of the characters sounded cartoonish. The regular narration was fine, then some characters were so fast paced it was hard to comprehend what they were saying.
I do love a good book about FL, and even enjoy a Florida man story. This missed the mark on both accounts.
April 26, 2023
Another classic Serge Storm by Tim Dorsey. Again, political satire, Florida history, Florida Keys travel guide and social commentary. Dorsey unmercifully targets the CIA. Two story lines of a botched CIA special ops in Honduras and Serge and Coleman running an Islamorado tour bus for condo owners collide in a hilarious final.
May 22, 2023
I don't even defend my love of this series. The humor is juvenile, the story structure hardly ever changes from book to book, there's a lot of outrageousness, bad guys who get the Serge vigilante treatment, and a whole lot of Florida trivia. But, it's exactly what I look forward to every year, which Tim Dorsey publishes without fail. Keep em coming!
October 19, 2023
I’ve learned with each book to appreciate Serge and Coleman more and more. So much so, that I’m considering going back to the beginning and starting over, rereading them all, knowing what I know now 😍. Should be fun…
April 11, 2023
Not as good as previous books
May 29, 2023
The 26th book in the Serge A. Storms series. Serge loves history, trivia, and the state of Florida. He's also a psychopath. Action-packed and wild adventure. Fun and entertaining.
November 24, 2023
All I can say is Serge and Coleman crack me up!
January 25, 2025
A fun read. I like the way he ties several story line together and spins a tale that is outlandish, yet just real enough to be believable.
Oh, and it’s funny too!
Oh, and it’s funny too!
March 4, 2024
The World's most righteous serial killer, Serge Storms, and his forever stoned side kick, Coleman, again romp through more, little known, Florida culture and history...Our walking, talking "Florida Man," continues to even the score against those predators who prey upon the many unwary lambs among Florida's residents...Basically, the same fun formula that just tickles my funny bone...Our tidbits in "The Maltese Iguana," deal with the centering of American Cold War espionage infrastructure throughout South Florida...Absolutely just ate this up!
April 14, 2023
I listened to this book narrated by Oliver Wyman. Although set in the pandemic, Dorsey didn’t belabor the point. Of course, Serge Storms on lockdown leads to some interesting fun. Mix in an honest cop in Honduras, the CIA in Miami, some private security forces, and Coleman giving a lecture on smoking weed—what can go wrong? Love how it all came together for a bang-up finale.
December 21, 2024
Well it was the last book in a 25 book series, and sadly the last book the author wrote before passing away.
It is definitely not up to the standards of the first 10 or so books in the series, but it was still entertaining. Goodbye Serge and Colman.
R.I.P Tim Dorsey thank you for such an entertaining series.
It is definitely not up to the standards of the first 10 or so books in the series, but it was still entertaining. Goodbye Serge and Colman.
R.I.P Tim Dorsey thank you for such an entertaining series.
March 13, 2023
Another zany Serge and Coleman adventure! I love this series, only took 4 days to read this one!
Living in quarantine because of covid and Serge's response to scalpers is pure Serge!
Living in quarantine because of covid and Serge's response to scalpers is pure Serge!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2024
Well, that's a wrap (the author died after this one). Do not regret the time spent on the series, it was all commute time.
November 28, 2024
Couldn’t bother reading any more after a couple of chapters, pure garbage !
January 16, 2026
A little more episodic than most, but still fun.
November 11, 2023
I love love love Serge and Coleman. Another crazy ride thru Florida terrorizing the bad guys and entertaining the senior citizens. Rock on Guys!!!
March 16, 2023
Another great adventure and Florida history lesson with Serge & Colman!
April 27, 2023
Dreadful! I read a little over a hundred pages and couldn’t manage to go on. Silly, stupid drivel!
One of this author’s poorest attempts at humor.
NOT recommended!
One of this author’s poorest attempts at humor.
NOT recommended!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews