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Torpedo Juice: A Novel

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Overview

The drinks are on us! Serge A. Storm returns -- and so does Tim Dorsey -- for another hilarious tour of the wacky underside of the Sunshine State. And this time our lovable but maniacal hero is on a mission: Stay off police radar and reinvent himself. Naturally Serge makes a beeline to the Reinvention Capital of the United States, the Florida Keys, where nobody is who they seem to be and the freaks are the least of your worries. The perfect place for Serge to blend in! Unfortunately, some other less likable lunatics have latched on to the same idea, and the sheriff's fax machine keeps jamming because of all the APBs coming in like a storm front about to break ... Lurking beneath paradise are many questions: Who is the mystery driver of the metallic green Trans Am The brown Plymouth Duster with Ohio plates What about the white Mercedes with tinted windows Who can keep it all straight Serge can! At least when he's not conch blowing, Seven-Mile Bridge running, underwater romancing, operating an all-inclusive twelve-step program, or trying to convince his accidental posse that he's not the messiah.

Editorial Reviews

In his seventh screwball mystery, Dorsey (Cadillac Beach; Orange Crush) serves up his usual cocktail of tropical mayhem and humor, though the mix is a little slushy this time around. Serge Storms, the nutty serial killer from Dorsey's previous novels, has gotten it into his head to search for Mrs. Right. His quest takes him to the underbelly of the Florida Keys, where he finds unlikely true love the minute he spots mousy librarian Molly. But even marriage can't tame Dorsey's hyperactive antihero, whose extracurricular activities of murder and cult organizing eventually lead to a clash with an Enron-like CEO eager to rebuild the community, and with a mysterious drug lord who is intent on destroying it. Muddying the waters are Coleman, an annoying junkie with the mentality of a fourth grader; Gus DeLand, a deputy whose ex-girlfriend's revelations about his sex life have the whole town laughing; and Anna Sebring, a woman out to avenge her brother's death. A few ingenious plot points entertain, but never credibly intersect; the hectic action fails to add up to a smooth-flowing story. The colorful Keys get Dorsey's trademark treatment, but even irrepressible zaniness isn't enough to keep this leaky vessel afloat. 7-city author tour. (Feb.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.

Author Information

Bio of Tim Dorsey

Tim Dorsey was a reporter and editor for the Tampa Tribune from 1987 to 1999 and is the author of seven previous novels, Florida Roadkill, Hammerhead Ranch Motel, Orange Crush, Triggerfish Twist, The Stingray Shuffle, Cadillac Beach and Torpedo Juice. He lives in Tampa.

Customer Reviews

  • 5 stars out of 5Laugh out loud funny!

    Posted December 25, 2008 by Debby, West Vancouver BC

    I couldn't put this book down.......thus lost a lot of sleep. Kept me up laughing and I had to purchase the full collection. Can hardly wait until Serge's newest adventure available in January.

  • 5 stars out of 5What a great Dorsey ride.

    Posted May 05, 2009 by Greg, Hollywood, FL

    As usual Tim Dorsey takes you for the literary ride of a lifetime. Twisted, humor, drugs, alcohol, murder, insatiable women....all the things I love about the Florida Keys! Read It!

Additional Info

Imprint

HarperCollins

Filesize

949.87 KB

Number of Pages

400

eBook ISBN

9780061172328

Awards

  • Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Book Awards

Excerpt from: Torpedo Juice by Tim Dorsey

Chapter One
It was another typically beautiful morning in the middle of the Florida Keys. People were drunk and people were screaming.

Patrons from the roadside bars heard the commotion and carried drinks outside to watch the routine mess on U.S. 1, the Nation's Highway, 2,209 miles from Fort Kent, Maine, on the Canadian border, to the tip of Key West.

The road was snarled to the horizon in both directions. Standard procedure: midmorning congestion, then the chain reaction of rear-enders from inattention. Now a parking lot.

Drivers honked, shouted obscenities, turned off their engines and popped beers. A Mercury overheated and the hood went up. Ninety-nine degrees.

Two sheriff's deputies stood at the window of their airconditioned substation on Cudjoe Key. Veterans Gus DeLand and Walter St. Cloud. Drinking coffee. It was the beginning of the shift, the part where they were supposed to review the latest bulletins on all the serial killers and mass murderers heading their way.

Gus looked out the window with his hands on his hips. "We've got to do something about that road."

"I've never seen a crucifixion before," said Walter, holding a ceramic cup covered with swimsuit models. "Check out this new mug. I got it in Vegas. When you pour a hot beverage in it, like coffee, the bathing suits disappear. I don't know how it works."

The fax activated. Gus headed toward it.

He came back reading the all-points bulletin. ". . . Brown Plymouth Duster, brown Plymouth Duster, brown Plymouth . . ."

"What are you doing?" asked Walter, holding a coffee mug ateye level.

"Mnemonic device. Possible serial killer heading this way. . . .brown Plymouth Duster, brown . . ."

The fax started again.

Gus came back with another piece of paper. ". . . Metallic green Trans Am, metallic green Trans Am, metallic green . . ."