From Publishers Weekly
In his seventh screwball mystery, Dorsey (Cadillac Beach; Orange Crush) serves up his usual cocktail of tropical mayhem and humor, though the mix is a little slushy this time around. Serge Storms, the nutty serial killer from Dorsey's previous novels, has gotten it into his head to search for Mrs. Right. His quest takes him to the underbelly of the Florida Keys, where he finds unlikely true love the minute he spots mousy librarian Molly. But even marriage can't tame Dorsey's hyperactive antihero, whose extracurricular activities of murder and cult organizing eventually lead to a clash with an Enron-like CEO eager to rebuild the community, and with a mysterious drug lord who is intent on destroying it. Muddying the waters are Coleman, an annoying junkie with the mentality of a fourth grader; Gus DeLand, a deputy whose ex-girlfriend's revelations about his sex life have the whole town laughing; and Anna Sebring, a woman out to avenge her brother's death. A few ingenious plot points entertain, but never credibly intersect; the hectic action fails to add up to a smooth-flowing story. The colorful Keys get Dorsey's trademark treatment, but even irrepressible zaniness isn't enough to keep this leaky vessel afloat. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Denver Rocky Mountain News
"Grade: A. Bust a gut laughing. . . It doesn’t get any better."
Miami Herald
"Explosively funny"
Tampa Tribune
"A raucous good time of a ride"
Florida Today
"Dorsey has another winner on his hands with Torpedo Juice."
Charleston Post & Courier
"Wildly entertaining"
Book Description
The drinks are on us!
Serge A. Storm returns -- and so does Tim Dorsey -- for another hilarious tour of the wacky underside of the Sunshine State. And this time our lovable but maniacal hero is on a mission: Stay off police radar and reinvent himself.
Naturally Serge makes a beeline to the Reinvention Capital of the United States, the Florida Keys, where nobody is who they seem to be and the freaks are the least of your worries.
The perfect place for Serge to blend in!
Unfortunately, some other less likable lunatics have latched on to the same idea, and the sheriff's fax machine keeps jamming because of all the APBs coming in like a storm front about to break ... Lurking beneath paradise are many questions: Who is the mystery driver of the metallic green Trans Am? The brown Plymouth Duster with Ohio plates? What about the white Mercedes with tinted windows?
Who can keep it all straight?
Serge can!
At least when he's not conch blowing, Seven-Mile Bridge running, underwater romancing, operating an all-inclusive twelve-step program, or trying to convince his accidental posse that he's not the messiah.
But the questions only lead to more questions: Why is everyone afraid to set foot on No Name Key? Why are they more afraid of the smuggler left over from the old days, when all the phone booths are covered with drug dealers' numbers? What was Serge thinking when he got married? What was she thinking? Who rises from the dead to wreak havoc on the newlyweds' bliss? Will the Skunk Ape win the scavenger hunt? Who will survive the Key West beach bash from hell? And why is everyone hammered all the time?
Maybe it's something in the Torpedo Juice ...
Torpedo Juice FROM THE PUBLISHER
The drinks are on us!
Serge A. Storm returns -- and so does Tim Dorsey -- for another
hilarious tour of the wacky underside of the Sunshine State. And this
time our lovable but maniacal hero is on a mission: Stay off police
radar and reinvent himself.
Naturally Serge makes a beeline to the Reinvention Capital of the
United States, the Florida Keys, where nobody is who they seem to be
and the freaks are the least of your worries.
The perfect place for Serge to blend in!
Unfortunately, some other less likable lunatics have latched on to the
same idea, and the sheriff's fax machine keeps jamming because of all
the APBs coming in like a storm front about to break ... Lurking
beneath paradise are many questions: Who is the mystery driver of the
metallic green Trans Am? The brown Plymouth Duster with Ohio plates?
What about the white Mercedes with tinted windows?
Who can keep it all straight?
Serge can!
At least when he's not conch blowing, Seven-Mile Bridge running,
underwater romancing, operating an all-inclusive twelve-step program,
or trying to convince his accidental posse that he's not the messiah.
But the questions only lead to more questions: Why is everyone afraid
to set foot on No Name Key? Why are they more afraid of the smuggler
left over from the old days, when all the phone booths are covered
with drug dealers' numbers? What was Serge thinking when he got
married? What was she thinking? Who rises from the dead to wreak havoc
on the newlyweds' bliss? Will the Skunk Ape win the scavenger hunt?
Who will survive the Key West beach bash from hell? And why is
everyone hammered all the time?
Maybe it's something in the Torpedo Juice ...
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
In his seventh screwball mystery, Dorsey (Cadillac Beach; Orange Crush) serves up his usual cocktail of tropical mayhem and humor, though the mix is a little slushy this time around. Serge Storms, the nutty serial killer from Dorsey's previous novels, has gotten it into his head to search for Mrs. Right. His quest takes him to the underbelly of the Florida Keys, where he finds unlikely true love the minute he spots mousy librarian Molly. But even marriage can't tame Dorsey's hyperactive antihero, whose extracurricular activities of murder and cult organizing eventually lead to a clash with an Enron-like CEO eager to rebuild the community, and with a mysterious drug lord who is intent on destroying it. Muddying the waters are Coleman, an annoying junkie with the mentality of a fourth grader; Gus DeLand, a deputy whose ex-girlfriend's revelations about his sex life have the whole town laughing; and Anna Sebring, a woman out to avenge her brother's death. A few ingenious plot points entertain, but never credibly intersect; the hectic action fails to add up to a smooth-flowing story. The colorful Keys get Dorsey's trademark treatment, but even irrepressible zaniness isn't enough to keep this leaky vessel afloat. 7-city author tour. (Feb.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Now that Martha Stewart is in the slammer, the country yearns for guidance in the finer points of social behavior. This makes Dorsey's seventh novel (after Cadillac Beach) all the more timely. Serge A. Storms is in the Florida Keys, acting as the No Name Pub's social director for a mismatched aggregation of barflies and psychopaths and trying his best to steer them back into the human herd. He's a font of wisdom about everything from mixing drinks ("Torpedo Juice" calls for pure grain alcohol and three parts Red Bull) to dispensing advice about the best place for cheap live entertainment (AA meetings). Oh, and he's on the prowl for a woman. Armed with binoculars and his own patented dating kit (a dozen roses in a four-dollar vase, plus a set of pipe wrenches, and an out-of-order sign), he's out to snare librarian Molly. Along the way, Serge deals with a ruthless land developer and a drug smuggler, but Dorsey firmly focuses on Serge's assault on etiquette. Sure to please Carl Hiassen fans, this is a safe bet for public libraries everywhere. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/04.]-Bob Lunn, Kansas City P.L., MO Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
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