Sunshine State trivia buff Serge A. Storms loves eliminating jerks and pests. His drug-addled partner Coleman loves cartoons. Hot stripper Sharon Rhodes loves cocaine, especially when purchased with rich dead men's money.

On the other hand, there's Sean and David, who love fishing and are kind to animals -- and who are about to cross paths with a suitcase filled with $5 million in stolen insurance money. Serge wants the suitcase. Sharon wants the suitcase. Coleman wants more drugs . . . and the suitcase. In the meantime, there's murder by gun, Space Shuttle, Barbie doll, and Levi's 501s.

In other words, welcome to Tim Dorsey's Florida -- where nobody gets out unscathed and untanned!

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 90 reviews)

Over the top

Living in Florida, I was excited when I found this book and was looking forward to reading it. However, I found the story over the top. I realize that it is a work of fiction, but even works of fiction can be believable. This was not. When I started reading, I was hoping for a few typically Floridian stories and some funny lines, but I couldn't laugh at all. The book is just filled with characters who are consuming drugs to the excess and senseless violence. Not what I expected.
December 03, 2008

Just plain nasty and vile

A nasty and vile attempt to be a cool, hip comic mystery turns out to be just plain nasty and vile.
September 03, 2008

It took a while...

...for me to finally get into this story. Having read only one Hiaasen book which was too miserable to remember I had sworn off the Florida Fiction genre forever. Then I discovered Laurence Shames. His tales, while somewhat over the top at least provided a cast of characters that one could relate to. When I came across Dorsey after completing the Shames catalog, I figured why not? The prologue; a number of disjointed scenes without explanation was a great way to lure the reader in, fast paced, all action. Why were these characters thrown into such outlandish situations? What was the common thread that joined them together? Obviously the answers would come in the chapters ahead. The unfortunate part for me was that most of these characters were more like caricatures. Everything about them was so bizzarely ridiculous, yet shortly after the halfway point everything suddenly fell into place, starting with four latin thugs holding a corporate office hostage in search of the CEO who has indirectly absconded with a hefty sum of their money. Rather than quaking in fear, the hostages assault them with questions.

>> One of the employees raised his hand.
"This isn't school! We don't take questions."
"How do you smuggle cocaine?"
"I saw it in the papers that they call you the Keystone Cartel"
"Do you Hide it in your underwear?"
"Do you swallow balloons with tiny strings that come up your throat and are tied to your back teeth?"
"You should get a running start and run right up to the border and throw it really hard."
The leader raised his arms to get the room's attention.
"OK we gotta leave now. Nobody move...and count to ten thousand. What's that state you say to count slow?"
"Mississippi," One of them answered.
"Mississippi, that's it. Let me hear all of you."
The staff: "One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi"
The Mierda cartel sprinted for the elevators.

It was here when I realized this story echoed one of my favorite movies of all time; "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," the tale of a bunch of unlikely characters all in search of a fortune that doesn't belong to them. Florida Roadkill primarily revovlves around Serge A. Storms; a psychopathic killer who has stopped his medication. His obsession with Florida history is both heartwarming and captivating. Dorsey has a way of intertwining what I assume are real historical facts that are fascinating while letting this yarn spin completely out of control. By the end of the book, you're out of breath both from the chase and laughing so hard, you can't wait to get to the next installment. Stick with it. The payoff(?) is well worth it.
August 01, 2008

A Guilty Pleasure

Mr. Dorsey covers much the same terrain as Carl Hiaasen's stories but with an even more sadistic nature. He creates numerous oddball scenarios in which morally-challenged slimeballs meet their doom. I found myself repeatedly laughing despite the profusion of repugnant situations and mounting body count. A fast-paced adventure that left me continually wondering how it was going to end and who would be left standing. Mr. Dorsey's macabre lunacy is somewhat similar to Mr. Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard's works and just as enjoyable. This was the first book I have read of his, but it certainly won't be the last.
July 18, 2008

Early Dorsey

This is an early Tim Dorsey book. Not anywhere close to his later standard. The two main characters (Serge and Coleman) are there, but almost unrecognizable from the later books: Coleman is still in an alcohol/chemical fog, but Serge is more murderous and far less likeable and enjoyable. Dorsey, in this book, does explain that "Coleman" is not his real name, but a nickname from an incident from childhood involving his drunken father. It explains a lot, in that respect. I'm almost finished with this book, and I'm glad for it. Ready to get on with Dorsey's later, greater stuff.
June 27, 2008

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