In a continuation of the unheroic, highly illegal antics of Serge Storms, Tim Dorsey writes all about his fabled anti-hero in another installment Serge's saga of violence, drug use, and all around mayhem in the Sunshine State.
Serge Storms is no doubt the foremost expert on everything that is Florida. In "Hurricane Punch" Serge along with his trusty, drug induced sidekick, Coleman, decides that it is hight time that he explores up and down various landmarks of Florida during hurricane season to see just how they hold up during the big storms. Serge trots up and down Florida, trying to spread his joy and enthusiasm for Florida, and of course executing any person who seems reluctant to follow Serge's code of ethics.
Meanwhile, bodies are piling up. Nothing new in the world of Serge Storms, except that these are bodies that Serge cannot explain.
The Storm in and Out of Serge
While hurricanes are simultaneously ravaging the state Florida, Serge is suffering, for the first time, from inner demons. Early in the story it is brought to the attention of the reader that Serge is in a funk. Something about his normal antics just aren't giving him the same burst of excitement that they used to. It is posed that Serge may be going through a mid-life crisis. Though this question is brought up and examined Serge is adamant in pointing out that he is not, he is just in a funk. To combat this, Serge goes out murdering and fornicating harder than ever in a way that somehow Tim Dorsey manages to make comical.
The Duality of a Psychopath
More than any other book before this one, Tim Dorsey dives deep into the psychology of his characters in "Hurricane Punch." Like other Dorsey novels, Serge's character is typically matched with two or three other characters to take the load off of the entire plot. In "Hurricane Punch" Serge shares the story with a washed up detective who is determined to be the man to arrest Serge Storms. There is also a young reporter working the cop beat (like the author, Tim Dorsey); and then there is a fourth character who remains ambiguous throughout the story. All that we know is that he is the other killer and that he may be one of the characters.
Comedy Equals Tragedy Plus...?
In an insane world the sane man appears insane. This is the world of Tim Dorsey and "Hurricane Punch." Don't be embarrassed if you laugh out loud at some of the more inappropriate scenes, and go ahead and enjoy the antics of Serge Storms. This book is certainly worth reading through to the end, with a conclusion that will shock, awe, and crack you up all at the same time.
 |
