Review by Booklist Review
Serge A. Storms, Florida's most lovable history buff and serial killer, is trying to settle down. No, he's not getting married. But he and his sidekick, Coleman, Florida's most lovable drug-and-booze-addicted slacker, have acquired themselves a condominium, and Serge is looking forward to putting his manic phase behind him and adopting a slower-paced lifestyle. Unfortunately, Serge and Coleman have landed right in the middle of a dispute between condo owners and part-time renters (that and a little gang war). If you know Serge, you know two things: he absolutely cannot remain a passive observer, and somebody's going to get what's coming to them. Dorsey, a former newspaperman, began the Storms series in 1999, with Florida Roadkill, and has published more than a book a year ever since. It remains a wonderful series. Serge is a psychopath whose idiosyncratic sense of justice leads him to commit some truly bizarre crimes; by all rights, he should be a villain, but here he's the hero, a fellow with an absolute sense of right and wrong in a world that lacks absolutes (plus, he's just so damned lovable). Although there are 25 books in the series, Dorsey and Serge show no signs of slowing down, condo or no condo.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In bestseller Dorsey's delightfully madcap 25th crime novel featuring Serge A. Storms (after 2021's Tropic of Stupid), vigilante serial killer Serge and his stoner pal, Coleman, take a break from road trips and criminal pursuits to become responsible tenants at Pelican Bay, a bustling condominium complex in the Florida Keys. But, alas, the condo's fun-loving community spirit has given way to petty squabbles, drunk and disorderly behavior, gun violence, and malicious prank calls to police, with boisterous, disruptive renters causing havoc within the complex. Finding themselves in the thick of things, Serge and Coleman are encouraged to take suitable action against troublesome occupants on behalf of their friendly neighbors. Meanwhile, a blast across from Pelican Bay on a neighboring key, which injures dozens, including members of the infamous Millan cartel, heralds the onset of a turf war between the cartel and the Benzappa family, and a gang of murderous drug smugglers with a treasure map head for the Keys to unearth a hoard of buried cash. The suspenseful, seemingly unconnected subplots imaginatively intertwine as Dorsey brings everything to a suitably vicious and explosive finale. This fiendishly funny adventure is irresistible. Agent: Nat Sobel, Sobel Weber Assoc. (Jan.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Serge Storms, Florida's serial killer with a heart of gold, moves to Key West to try condo living with Coleman, his friend whose brain is permanently damaged from drug use. The Keys are the appropriate habitat for the wacky duo who enjoy their neighbors except for a vacationer who takes up permanent residence. Serge's methods work to temporarily evict the man, until he takes revenge by calling the SWAT team on the neighborhood's spaghetti and game nights. Serge also meets Julie Cootehill, a children's hospice volunteer who lives in a mansion owned by a crime family and takes care of her own aged father and the crime family's ailing kingpin. A gang war is about to break out in Key West, and a carload of bad actors is heading straight down Highway 1, with a map pointing to Julie's father's house. Serge's new mission was to slow down and relax, but since his new friend Julie and her hospice charges have been targeted by an international gang, Serge can't yet kick back into the Key West lifestyle. VERDICT Fans of the lovable Serge will enjoy his latest zany Florida adventures in Dorsey's 25th series installment, following Tropic of Stupid.--Lesa Holstine
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