Hurricane Punch

Americans love an anti-hero, and our love affair seems to be more with the anti- every day. From innumerable movie assassins to Michael C. Hall in DEXTER (a serial killer who kills other serial killers) to Niko Bellic in the video game GRAND THEFT AUTO IV, we love the bad boys, and if they have a coherent moral code, no matter how twisted, then we're in their camp. Ladies and gentlemen, if you don't know him already, let me introduce you to Serge A. Storms, the main character of 10 Tim Dorsey novels, including HURRICANE PUNCH. Storms is a middle-aged, fit psychotic, fascinated by local history, and with a mind that bounces from topic to topic, leaving the reader amusedly breathless. He travels with the perpetually stoned Coleman, and their main activity is chasing the big storms — hurricanes — throughout Florida. Four big hurricanes are cutting through the state this season, and Serge and Coleman plan to drive around in each of them. But Serge is upset by the appearance of a serial killer who gets his pretentious letter to the editor published in the newspaper. Serge thinks the guy's an amateur and calls him out. Soon, the two killers engage in an intricate pas de deux around the state and the vicious hurricanes, as each killer attempts to outsmart the other. Dorsey is a farcical writer, with outlandish bursts of sheer fantasy, coupled with the occasional witty phrase (my favorite is "the unsanded personalities of journalists"). He's in the outrageous vein of Floridian mystery fiction of Carl Hiaasen, Paul Levine and about a bajillion other writers. And while that vein is often a lot of fun, Dorsey sometimes goes too far over-the-top. When Serge and his situations are believable, the book reads well and the character becomes more likable, even when he's plotting the demise of some poor sap who seems to have offended Serge's moral code. But when the situations get out of hand, as when Serge's estranged wife shows up with a gun, it becomes a little strained. Still, if you like the humorous style of mystery, the dash of insanity that seems to exemplify the Sunshine State, then Dorsey's body of work is an enjoyable addition to that canon. —Mark Rose Buy it at Amazon. Preview it online.

Related posts:

1. Child 44
2. The Serial Killers Club
3. Twisted
4. Dexter in the Dark
5. Frozen
6. The Chemistry of Death
7. Dark Friday
8. The Devil’s Bones
9. Anatomy of Fear
10. A Killer’s Kiss