Book Review - Torpedo Juice by Tim Dorsey
Category Book Reviews
My recreational reading while at a software conference last week was the newest Tim Dorsey novel titled Torpedo Juice. Like all that come before them, the book is hard to explain, but so much fun to read...
Serge Storms, the main character in many of Dorsey's other works, is now convinced he needs to settle down and get married. He just needs a wife, and what better way to find one than to start doing reconnaissance at local venues (complete with binoculars and tails). He passes up an obvious choice for a librarian who seems to be completely and totally closed off socially. But one thing leads to another, and they *do* get married, and Serge now learns that communication between husband and wife is a difficult thing. Meanwhile, the other plotlines of the book are swirling around at tornado pace. Anna is trying to escape a band of killers who murdered almost everyone she knows, and she's next. The bartender at the No Name isn't quite what he seems to be. The mystery drug kingpin who lives on No Name Key may not be either. Will Coleman get laid, and will the lucky lady ever be the same? Who's trying to kill Serge? And what are all the Key West deer doing roaming around the book?
There's no good way to describe a Dorsey novel. I tend to think of him as Carl Hiaasen on speed. Storms is a wacky killer who longs for the Florida that's rapidly disappearing, and he's doing everything he can to preserve it. You'll see every stereotype of Florida natives during the story, and if you're from there you might even see yourself. If you're looking for a measured, well-paced story with logical progressions, keep moving... there's nothing to see here. But if you want slapstick comedy with twists coming out of *deep* left field, this book will be perfect.
My recreational reading while at a software conference last week was the newest Tim Dorsey novel titled Torpedo Juice. Like all that come before them, the book is hard to explain, but so much fun to read...
Serge Storms, the main character in many of Dorsey's other works, is now convinced he needs to settle down and get married. He just needs a wife, and what better way to find one than to start doing reconnaissance at local venues (complete with binoculars and tails). He passes up an obvious choice for a librarian who seems to be completely and totally closed off socially. But one thing leads to another, and they *do* get married, and Serge now learns that communication between husband and wife is a difficult thing. Meanwhile, the other plotlines of the book are swirling around at tornado pace. Anna is trying to escape a band of killers who murdered almost everyone she knows, and she's next. The bartender at the No Name isn't quite what he seems to be. The mystery drug kingpin who lives on No Name Key may not be either. Will Coleman get laid, and will the lucky lady ever be the same? Who's trying to kill Serge? And what are all the Key West deer doing roaming around the book?
There's no good way to describe a Dorsey novel. I tend to think of him as Carl Hiaasen on speed. Storms is a wacky killer who longs for the Florida that's rapidly disappearing, and he's doing everything he can to preserve it. You'll see every stereotype of Florida natives during the story, and if you're from there you might even see yourself. If you're looking for a measured, well-paced story with logical progressions, keep moving... there's nothing to see here. But if you want slapstick comedy with twists coming out of *deep* left field, this book will be perfect.
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