Now, with extra wackiness, bonus mayhem, and a surprise at the end . . . . available for a limited time, this low-priced ebook edition of Tim Dorsey's quintessential Serge Storms story Triggerfish Twist includes a note from Serge himself, an original cocktail recipe, and a sneak peek excerpt into Tim's next novel, Electric Barracuda (on sale January 25, 2011).
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.
Tim Dorsey has written better as there is too much victimization and not enough Serge & Coleman. As a result there are fewer laugh out loud moments. 4 of 10 stars
didn't think Tim Dorsey could top himself..... but he did! This next title in the on-going Serge series is even sillier and crazier than the others.
If you're a first time reader of Tim Dorsey, don't worry about jumping into the series---this one is a prequel. According to the book cover, Tim killed off too many characters with the last books. So he did a prequel.
The book is *wonderful*. Crazy, madcap adventures in Tampa. Though if you've lived in Florida long enough, you'll recognize some of the adventures from past newspaper headlines. We have a saying down here.... "All the nuts roll down to Florida." And it's the truth.
Wow - might make you re-think retiring to Florida! Don't know who came first, Tim Dorsey or Carl Hiasson, but they are right up the same twisted Florida alley . . . or lane! The most average family in the world moves from the Midwest to Tampa and finds out that it is a different planet (maybe in a different galaxy) inhabited by the wackiest cast of characters you could imagine. For the first half of the book, while the characters are being introduced, I wasn't sure if I was listening to a novel or a set of short stories. It eventually becomes clear that the characters are all on a collision course with one another, through a series of comedic events that could be almost believable individually but combine in a crazy, surreal whirlwind to take your breath away. There were a couple of times I wished I was holding a book in my hands instead of listening, so that I could go back and refresh my memory or easily re-read something. The narration was terrific; when the narrator wasn't in "character" he made it sound like a documentary which added to the fun. In character as Serge, he reminded me of Ignatowski from Taxi. Laughed out loud several times, and was so impressed with Serge's commencement address that I googled and found it online. Wacky Florida crime stories are one of my favorite genres, but this was my first Tim Dorsey. Will definitely read more!
”He heard a voice inside his head: I am becoming death, Destroyer of Worlds. He took another sip of chocolate milk.”
This book right here is why Dorsey is one of my favorite authors. He surprises you every time and you’re far from disappointed. Manic mayhem and vindictive hilarity are the things that bring me back.
You’ll definitely need a smoke and a drink after reading this one.
Serge is back-Well, he is introduced along with his co-horts, laugh out loud shenanigans, and the trivial “knowledge” that only Serge could parlay as serious fact. Can not wait to read the rest of the series!
I loved this book! It is so outlandishly well written it totally entertained me for the 11+ hrs I listened to it. I am a character reader. I’d rather have good characters than a good plot. This book has both in a weird, psychedelic fashion. When you finish this book you may well feel you were doing the drugs some of the characters were doing.
It's odd I read Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen and this book back-to-back because they are yin and yang books. Both have unforgettable off beat main characters, so alike yet and at the same time so totally opposite. Hiaasen's Skink is the white hat wearer, well actually orange mac, shower cap, sun glasses wearer. His motives, wanting to right wrongs from his past are pure, his methods, not so pure. Dorsey's Serge A. Storm is the black hat wearer. He too wants to right wrongs, actual and imagined, but in a kind of Dexter serial killer fashion.
I would love for these two off-the-wall characters to meet at a diner and eavesdrop on the conversation! That would be pure magic; of course it could most certainly send the listener into therapy. You don’t get summer reads much better than these two. I’m going to do it again next summer with different titles!
Dorsey hit his stride big time with this Serge installment, creating a book equal in insanity to Christopher Moore’s Lamb. Outstanding.
From an audiobook standpoint George Wilson’s performance is great but the overall production is sloppy at best and in need of judicious editing. Recorded Books should know better.
If you're a fan of Carl Hiaasen, you will enjoy this crazy adventure in a Tampa suburb. I read this on the recommendation of a friend and it didn't disappoint. I only wish I had started at book 1 in the series. If you like oddball humor, this is your kind of book.
Imagine a more slapstick version of "Pulp Fiction" and I'd say that about sums it up. There's plenty of sex, drugs, violence and rock'n'roll, plus some genuine laugh-out-loud comedy. I would've given Triggerfish Twist 5 stars based on entertainment value alone, but there were some moments that strained believability to the limit, therefore pushing it back a notch. (I say this after just giving five stars to a book written by a dog.) This is one of those quick, no-strain reads that's perfect when you want something akin to a fast food meal, but still want to be mightily entertained. One of the reviews likened reading this book to an aerobic workout, and I've pretty much got to concur. There are five (or maybe six?) plots and subplots going on, that wrap up nicely in the end, but it's never too much to keep up with, and the characters are fleshed out really nicely. Overall, I've gotta say, I really liked it.
Tim Dorsey takes this story back to pre-Florida Roadkill, this first story in the Serge A. Storms series, which means the return of Coleman and Sharon, Serge's two faithful and hilarious sidekicks! There were many laugh out loud moments during the reading of this story, which adds to the enjoyment of the book. Will be interested to see what Mr Dorsey comes up with once we get back past Florida Roadkill and the loss of two important ancillary characters. What will Serge do next? Can't wait for the next installment in the series . . . 7 out of 10 for me.
I was hoping to find something comparable to Carl Hiassen. Unfortunately, it's not Tim Dorsey. Crazy plots, but not very funny. 1.5 stars would be more accurate.
Thanksgiving is one of the ultimate family rituals that Serge A. Storms is trying to protect. He believes in the value of family and the ultimate neighborhood populated by people who actually know each other. His hero is now Jim Davenport, family man. Jim Davenport and his family have just moved south from Indiana to Tampa, Florida. Davenport is a consultant whose firm is expanding. Jim read an article on how terrific Tampa is, so he loads up the family and moves sight unseen onto Triggerfish Lane.
Almost immediately one of his new neighbors comes to fill him in on the neighborhood which is populated by quite a variety of folk. Across the street is Little League Coach Jack Terrier who has a fetish about keeping his St. Augustine grass perfectly manicured. Down the way is “the rental” full of college kids who could care less what their lawn looks like while they are inventing new ways to get high. The sculptor’s lawn is full of ornamental junk. Then there’s eccentric Ambrose Tarrington, III, who enjoys a high whenever he can borrow a car or check out the mansions for sale.
John Milton enters the story when he is fired from his position as substitute teacher and becomes a bank teller at one of Tampa’s premier institutions in the domed building downtown. John is content to help regular customers like the “E-Team”, a group of elderly ladies whose names all begin with “E” and who spend quite a bit of time in a Buick Regal. When some new VP gets the hair-brained idea to move all the employees around to new positions, John hangs in there. Until this new consulting firm in the person of Jim Davenport comes to determine what has gone wrong at the bank.
Triggerfish Twist is actually a prequel featuring the introduction of Serge A. Storms and his sidekick Coleman. Serge is a wildly intelligent man who just happens to have wild mood swings. If he takes his medication, he does very well, but he doesn’t like how it dopes him up. When he does not take his medication, he just ends up stomping on people … literally. Remember that house on Triggerfish Lane with the sculpture out front? It’s for rent now, and Coleman and Serge move in.
If I were trying to pull this together, I think I’d end up with a huge chart on the wall with lots of pushpins, just like Mahoney, from the Florda Department of Law Enforcement and former buddy of Serge. I did mention that Serge was wanted, didn’t I? And that Jim Davenport just happened to kill a man by mistake? A terrible accident. However, the victim’s brothers get out of prison and are on their way to, you guessed it, Tampa.
Remember that Florida is the state where a few chads determined our last Presidential election. Florida is the state where the “early bird” and the “snow bird” don’t fly, and white sand replaces snow. Tim Dorsey lives here. He used to write for the Tampa Tribune. He’s seen it, lived it, knows it, writes it. This story is demented, frenetic, insane, incredible, zany, wild, whacky, and the best satire of the state I have ever had the treat to read.
All of these events and subplots and people are somehow going to land on Triggerfish Lane. When they do, there is going to be a rocking of the cosmos so overwhelming that Tampa, Florida, as we know it, will never be the same.
Uncontrollable psycho Serge Storms is in the thick of things, but he's only one of a group of obsessive and mostly unlikable characters playing off each other in the seedier parts of Tampa, FL. Serge is a completely crazy killer but he kills such nasty characters, you don't feel very sorry for them. Serge has an oddly sentimental side as he does what he does in defense of those he deems innocent suburbanites trying to live peacefully in what they want to be a nice quiet neighborhood. Serge takes a liking to several of them and does all he can to defend them to the death--always someone else's.
Told by an 80 year old newly wed and resident of Triggerfish Twist Lane. The story opens with Jim Davenport, a corporate hatchet man in a company specializing in downsizing corporations, moves with his wife, Martha, and their three children to 888 Triggerfish Lane. Just a step ahead of the law, Serge moves in across the street with his drug-fiend cohorts, Coleman and Sharon. A number of zany subplots spin off as Jim accidentally kills the youngest of the notorious McGraw Brothers during a bank robbery. Special agent Mahoney, who has an ongoing vendetta against Serge, is sent to Tampa to investigate a series of murders and robberies believed to have been caused by the McGraws. The chase is on when he comes face to face with Serge and realizes who is responsible for several of the more off beat homicides.
I've been reading Tim Dorsey's books in chronological order; this I believe is his fourth novel. He finally hits his stride with this, "Triggerfish Twist". This one is not much different than his other novels, except he has fewer crazies, and describes the ones there are with much more care so that you have a vested interest in them (good or bad) and root for the good (or perhaps bad) guy. He further fleshes out what is probably going to be his "main character", Serge Storms, a sociopathic career criminal with a heart. Like Dorsey's other works, "Triggerfish Twist" deals with the question "What is Wrong With Florida?" and limns the reasons why using a variety of shady characters. Most of the action revolves around Triggerfish Street, one of thousands of "grid" tract streets criss-crossing Tampa Bay (and Florida), and focuses on one family in particular who move there from Ohio after the father of the family takes a company transfer there. The aforementioned sociopath-to-root-for Serge is one of several colorful neighbors that add to the zaniness of the plot. There's just too much to describe; just read it if you enjoy laughing out loud and don't mind strange, implausable crime stories about Florida (and don't mind rooting for the "bad" guy).
Critics who compared this novel to the movie Pulp Fiction got it right; although Serge was a touch more likable than Samuel L. Jackson, or maybe they were comparing Serge to Bruce Willis' character? Either way, this novel stands on its own with unique characters, plot twists and hilarious confrontations. Serge is perhaps my new hero, in his own sick and twisted way. He has the right idea when it comes to community but boy does he mess it up for the Davenports! His commencement speech is a fabulous model for anyone to aspire to as he reminds us to, "Clean up our tacos!" Dorsey has an uncanny ability to create the most unusual characters who are unlikely to ever cross paths, yet that is exactly what they do! Jim’s night on the town with the security team is the perfect example. Dorsey’s vivid descriptions put the reader directly in the story and I found myself unable to put it down while I was laughing out loud. Overall, a clever story with exciting dramas that unfold rapidly as the story progresses.
Tim Dorsey should be the very definition of the perfect summer read. His book TRIGGERFISH TWIST (Book 4 of the Serge Storms Series) is a perfect example. Dorsey writes with the flair of a serious Florida tourist. He writes laugh out loud prose. For all the whacky antics, the stories are brilliantly constructed.
I have yet to read any of this series in any chronological order. As a matter of fact, I started reading at book 10. There is no problem whatsoever in picking up anywhere along the line. Serge Storms is such a lovably easy character to get to know quickly. In fact all of his characters are lovable to one degree or another despite their importance in the story. Despite their simplicity they are not two dimensional either.
Tim Dorsey is your one stop shop when your searching out a great beach read. With the Florida settings and light hearted plot lines there is no better fair weather alternative. It's a wonder none of these stories has made it to the silver screen yet. Serge Storms begs for box office gold!
Talk about a fun read! This is one clever hoot -- unpredictable, wacky, with more characters than you can possibly shake a stick at, but all memorable for their quirky traits and unique insights into life. From the outrageous Serge to the naive but genuine Jim Davenport, Mr. Dorsey shoves his characters into an amusement park roller coaster ride through the streets of Tampa and then manages to derail the individual cars in such a calamitous way, you cannot possibly take any of this seriously. The comedy lines are fast and furious, and even though there are drugs, sex, and murderers galore, and even characters you know deserve a good slap in the chops, it's not about judging the truly bad behavior. This story is all about having a good laugh at someone else's expense and it definitely fails to get a grip on reality. The stuffy, the stubborn, and the idiotic get theirs in very unpredictable ways. It's like a MAD Magazine spoof rolled into the 1963 "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". Funny place to visit, but I sure wouldn't want to live there!
I picked this book up because one of my coworkers had read it and said I would enjoy it because it has absurd characters, and he was correct.
This is the only one of the series I have read or probably will read because the plot is easy to figure out. However, the characters are wonderful and the humor is pretty good. The premise of the story is as follows: Jim Davenport reads in a magazine that Florida is a great place to raise a family. So, he moves his family to Triggerfish Lane and anticipates the good life. Unfortunately, it doesn't turn out to be as idyllic as it seemed and a lot of bizarre things begin to happen.
Not the most memorable book I have ever read, but a great read for when you need to give your brain a break, and just want to read something for fun.
Summary from Wikipedia: Jim Davenport is transferred to his company's branch in Tampa, Florida. Though initially excited by the move, the job quickly proves to be disappointing, Jim's neighbors are a strange bunch of eccentrics and crime is much worse than he had thought. Serge Storms, Sharon Rhodes and Coleman move in down the street. Serge seems pleasant enough, but there is definitely something odd about him. Sharon is a spiteful coke-headed hooker. Coleman is a brain-dead stoner who is constantly under the influence of something, from alcohol to illegal drugs. The story becomes surreal from that point onward.
Five stars might seem generous, however this book just gripped me immediately from the very first page, with an iron fist cloaked in a velvet glove. The cover art face of the Triggerfish mailbox is hysterical and engaged my humorous side. I've lived in Florida, I've seen my share of mailbox fish but none quite as expressive. "Don't judge a book by it's cover", I did, the artwork was enough for me to grab it at the library book sale and complete it in two days
Sergi is a great protagonist and the action never stops moving. Mr. Dorsey writes in a continuously exciting manner with vivid words and sentences that made me a fan.
Dorsey, the master of the "Florida Man Headlines" madcap farce, gives us a prequel to the Serge Storm series...Though this is the 4th in the series, it sets up the Serge Storm into in "Florida Roadkill"...After moving to Triggerfish Lane, Serge develops an admiration for his neighbor's heroic efforts of family normalcy and attaches himself to Tampa suburban life...All of our associative characters, odd Florida history are here as our strange anti-hero tries to align the Universe...Our head-shaking laughter commences!!!
I'm currently in the process of reading this series in chronological order rather than the way it was published and I found the humor in this very unique. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series that is available and following Serge on more of his adventures. I don't usually like 'slap stick' humor that much but this felt like such a different twist on that, it kept me engaged as I kept laughing out loud and having my jaw drop repeatedly at many of the absurd situations.
Sometimes.. one just has to read a book that is full of ironic twists and turns that leave you flippin' the pages faster and faster to see how it ends. The plot is so bizarre.. that the reader has absolutely no way of knowing or guessing what will happen next.. The character of Serge just cracked me up! He's a bad boy.. that deep down wants to be the good guy in his own neighborhood. What's a little murder and kidnapping between the guy next door?
Well, that was fun. How have I gone this long without discovering Tim Dorsey? As a huge Hiaasen fan, I can't believe I don't know this guy. The good news is, I've got all these delightfully funny treats to look forward to (yeah, I know, I ended a sentence with a preposition). Florida Roadkill is awaiting me at the library. Can't wait for more Serge!
What the heck was that? If it were a 1.5-hour movie from my Netflix list, I might not even comment. Instead, even listening at almost 2x speed, this was way longer and even more confusing. If the Tasmanian Devil met Cheech & Chong and had a baby in an amusement park, you still couldn't touch this.
Absolutely HILARIOUS and so entertaining! Some things that happened in this book were truly shocking and wildly outrageous- and EXACTLY what I needed! My favorite character was Coleman- his comments were so straight forward and his lack of awareness always cracked me up!!