Hurricane Punch

December 11, 2006
Scathing humor strips the pretense off its targets like a hurricane in
\t\t bestseller Dorsey's rapid-fire ninth thriller. Last seen in
\t\t The Big Bamboo (2006), serial killer Serge
\t\t A. Storms, who seems like all of the Marx brothers rolled into one, rumbles
\t\t across Florida in a stolen Hummer with his usually drunk or stoned friend,
\t\t Coleman. Serge follows one hurricane after another, driving in the relatively
\t\t safe eye of the storm, pointing out fascinating bits of Florida history and
\t\t only killing those who truly deserve it. That would include the guy in the car
\t\t next to you blasting his music as well as the person price-gouging hurricane
\t\t victims. The murders are accomplished in appropriately bizarre, if not graphic,
\t\t fashion. As Serge evades law enforcement and perennial nemesis Agent Mahoney,
\t\t his latest road trip allows him to skewer everything from President Bush to
\t\t fast food establishments, with particular emphasis given to the foibles of the
\t\t media (newspapers) for which Dorsey once worked. 13-city author tour.

March 26, 2007
Wyman has a daunting assignment: finding the right voice for Dorsey's larger-than-life antihero, Serge A. Storms, a likable, certifiably insane serial killer who rarely stops talking long enough to breathe. Wyman settles on just the right combination of tones for the screwball sociopath's generally amusing rants against government, the media, marriage and ignorant cops. At first, Storms seems like just another motormouth Florida crime crazy, but Dorsey makes us move past his verbal diarrhea to the oddly honorable, moral, blissfully happy man who just happens to be a raving wacko. Wyman undercuts the character's in-your-face boorish nattering with a redemptive exuberance and a winning joy of life. He also has no trouble delineating supporting characters like a dazed and reluctant newspaper reporter; a dim, dogged federal agent on Storms's trail; a pompous news executive; several neurotic psychologists; and another serial killer in the area. The result may not be a masterwork of suspense—there's never a doubt that Storms will prevail against knife, gun or twister—but you couldn't ask for a funnier guide to the Sunshine State, with or without hurricane. Simultaneous release with the Morrow hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 11).