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| View Larger Image | The Stingray Shuffle
by Tim Dorsey
| | List Price: | $7.99 |  | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours | | | | | Sales Rank: | 73762 | | Studio: | HarperTorch | | | Binding: | Mass Market Paperback | | Number Of Pages: | 400 | | Publication Date: | January 01, 2004 | | Publisher: | HarperTorch |
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
When serial-killing local Florida historian Serge A. Storms is off his meds, no one is safe -- not Russian hoods, Jamaican mobsters, spoiled frat boys, women's book clubs, drug dealers, bad Vegas-rejected local lounge acts -- especially when $5 million in cash in a bugged suitcase is still racing up and down the Eastern Seaboard. But in the oddball circus known as the Sunshine State, little things like astronomical body counts tend to get lost in the shuffle. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 30 reviews)
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"If what I did was wrong, I don't want to be right...!" 
After "Hammerhead Ranch Motel" Dorsey threw us a curve ball, and went fast forward on "Orange Crush" and then way back on "Triggerfish Twist". In "Orange Crush", we found out that Serge A. Storms, one of the best main characters I have encountered in a long time, had lost his memory, but we had no idea how this happened. Also, there was no further mention of the suitcase with the five million dollars which had captured the attention of all of the characters in the first two books in the series. In this book, we finally get the answers we were looking for, and what a fun path to discovery it is.
At the beginning of the story we find Paul and Jethro once more. They have the suitcase with the money and they are trying to leave the country without being detected. You remember Paul, right? I find it hard to believe you could forget about the Passive-Aggressive Private Eye! Paul and Jethro feel pretty good about their situation, but that is because they do not know that Serge and Lenny are following them, using the signal from a tracking device included in the suitcase. Once the chase starts all hell breaks lose.
The array of characters in this book is perfect, since it allows the author to show his skill for creating hilarious and unbelievable situations. Of course, first of all, we have Serge, the psychopath killer who believes he is moral in his ways and usually makes a pretty good case to that effect. He possess an encyclopedic knowledge of Florida's history and I find his lectures and guided tours extremely interesting. Especially because I lived in Miami for a couple of years and now I live in Tampa, so I can picture in my mind a lot of the places Serge visits. There is also Johnny Vegas; the playboy who is never able to go all the way with women due to a whole myriad of outrageous interruptions. City and Country, the two young females from Alabama that are Thelma and Louise wannabes also contribute their fair share to the story. Finally, the author has the ability to introduce a "special" group of people in each book. For example, in the last installment, it was a group of old ladies that were wizards at finance. In this case we find a group of five women who created a book club and who hold a secret that haunts their existence.
In my opinion, Dorsey has mastered what can be done in this niche. He consistently delivers well-balanced novels, that have the appropriate amount of humor, a story that keeps us interested and maintains a good pace, and a whole bunch of esoteric and lovable characters. This one is another winner.
August 13, 2007 | |
Jaw drop and eye pop laughter and incredulity
My first introduction to Tim Dorsey's Florida. As a Native, what a ball to read about all the places we've been and a HOOT to learn that I went to the very same high school as Serge A. Storms! The only glaring annoyance is that he mentioned a "John D. MacDonald".... it's "Mac ARTHUR" ( I know, I worked at his State park!). The Stingray Shuffle started me on an obsession to read about this cast o' characters from the beginning and straight on through. I can hardly wait to read more!
June 04, 2007 | |
hallucinations in sunny florida, on a train 
I don't quite get why Publisher's Weekly compares this to It's a Mad Mad etc World; that movie had far more plot. And why you can't compare Dorsey to Hiassen, I don't understand, either--sure you can; and I don't agree that Dorsey is darker. Hiassen is plenty dark when he gets going, and sometimes the body counts add up, and in equally humourous and bizarre fashions. In fact, the similarities are so clear that I was more than a little disappointed by Dorsey; it didn't help that this is the FIRST Dorsey book I had read, but it refers (or should that be 'reefers"?) repeatedly to other characters and event from previous books. I would certainly not have had to be flipping back and forth to figure out what was going on...maybe 'certainly' isn't quite right, because the drug episodes, psychotic breaks, and flashbacks put the traditional linear narrative structure into a mobius strip and then tie that into knots. But it's a load of fun, and it seems to me that Dorsey identifies pretty closely with his serial killer historian--and has a great affection for Florida. Definitely worth a read, especially if you are in the Sunshine State, relaxing on a beach in need of some light entertainment.
May 01, 2007 | |
sarcastic and very funny
Tim Dorsey is similar to Carl Hiaasen who is more well known about his Florida novels which are satyrical and very funny. But the similarities end there. He has his own style and he does adopt a omre darker and, certainly in this novel, more murderous as there are a number of people killed in different fashions.
The plot is crazy, funny and sometimes sarcastic. Dorsey though researched his surroundings quite well as his descriptions of Florida and New York are quite accurate.
All in all a book that you will enjoy and has an ending that you could not easily figure out.
March 14, 2007 | |
Can't compare...
You can't really compare Dorsey, Hiaalen, Leonard, or any of the other 'wacky' Floridia crime authors. They are similar, but different enough to be enjoyed distinctly.
That being said, I try to judge Dorsey on his own, and enjoy his work. This particular offering was not as good imo to Triggerfish..., but I enjoyed it for wahat it was -- a light summer read.
I plan on reading more of his work.
June 18, 2006 | |
SIMILAR PRODUCTS |
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