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Hurricane Punch: A Novel
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List Price: $24.95
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Your Save: $ 16.87 ( 68% )
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Manufacturer: William Morrow
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
Format: Bargain Price
Label: William Morrow
Manufacturer: William Morrow
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 384
Publication Date: 2007-02-01
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: 2007-01-23
Studio: William Morrow
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Editorial Reviews:
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That lovable, under-undermedicated dispenser of truth, justice, and trivia is back with a vengeance—just as his cherished home state is about to take a beating from a conga line of hurricanes bearing down on the peninsula. But as Serge and his burnout buddy Coleman go storm-chasing, bodies begin turning up at a disturbing rate, even by Florida standards. It looks like a serial killer is on the loose—another serial killer—which highly offends Serge's moral sensibilities. And he vows he'll stop at nothing to unmask his thrill-killing rival and make All Things Right—though Coleman's triathlete approach to the sport of polyabuse binging threatens to derail the mission more completely than the entire combined Sunshine State police community could ever hope to.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: A lesser entry, but still solid fun
Comment: Serge and Coleman spontaneously road-trip through Florida via staying in the eyes of hurricanes. Serge is in denial about having a mid-life crisis, and is all-the-while plotting his "comeback" serial killing spree. Unfortunately, he has copycat competition who is stealing his thunder...
Yep, that about sums up the plot threads... this is one of those books where the storyline is incidental to the characters and "Florida flavor" that are the series high points.
Dorsey seemed to be going for a hard-boiled noir-esque vibe in this (emphasized by recurring cop/nemesis Mahoney's dementia fixation with the medium) which is fine by itself, but unfortunately it backfired with allowing at least one minor and one major glaring plot hole/inconsistency to slip through -- I won't mention them here as they're spoilers. It's probably a forgivable error for most fans, though it was a speed bump for me as I like to try to guess the twists in mysteries and said plot holes threw off my rhythm. I'll get over it, of course, and I think most readers will, too.
Despite that, this is still a fun book, replete with staples like dark humor, obscure history/pop culture references, and Serge's trademark: new and unusual ways to kill people who annoy him. Obviously you have to like that sort of thing -- and I do, which is why I keep coming back to this author for more -- but of course it's not for everyone, especially "mainstream" readers who can't grasp the "fun" of an anti-hero.
Although this is a comparatively weak offering in the Dorsey canon, fans of the books are still encouraged to check it out. If you're new to Dorsey, though, start elsewhere (such as 'Triggerfish Twist' or 'Cadillac Beach') to see better examples of the author's output before backtracking to this one.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A fun book in a fun series.
Comment: I think "fun" is a good way to characterize this book and all in the series.
Please look for my review of Florida Roadkill, dated December 23, 2008, for a review of the whole series.
Note that the author recommends reading these in order of publication. If you are new to the Dorsey books, you should start with Florida Roadkill which is the first of the series.
If you are an old hand at the Dorsey books all I can say that you don't already know is that this one did not disappoint.
PLOT REMINDER: Serge the storm chaser is chasing the Eye of the Storm.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Imagine Dexter meets SNL
Comment: This book was absolutely hilarious. The storyline despite being totally tongue in cheek manages to still be compelling and unpredictable. The author makes excellent use of the more annoying aspects of pop culture and stereotypes such as the "hip hop redneck" to send the protagonist Serge off the deep end. I dont condone violence but it certainly is satisfying in this book.
If you enjoy dark off beat humor, this book will make you laugh out loud as you follow the antics of Serge and Coleman as they spread good natured mayhem across the state of Florida while being tracked by an equally eccentric FBI profiler named Mahoney.
Customer Rating:
Summary: watch the reader
Comment: These books are an excellent example of how the reader can influence the story. When Serge goes on a manic rant, George Wilson's interpretation makes you want to sell your house buy a six pack and get in the car with him. When Oliver Wyman reads the same monologs you want to stop the car and throw the irritating little motor mouth out on the street and leave him there. Wilson's Serge comes off as a big eccentric genius who you want to listen to and learn from. Wayman's Serge is an irritating nut case Joe Pesci character who just won't shut up.
When he started my wife said "That's not Serge, that's a little New Jersey guy named Vinnie." Coincidently, a little guy from New Jersey named Vinnie shows up later in the story and when they start talking it gets very confusing because you can't tell which voice is which.
I loved these stories, but I will always look closely at the readers name and I won't by anything else read by Wayman.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Easy to Appreciate Dorsey
Comment: The feeding tube guy is very quiet. Coleman is perpetually stoned. A second killer is on the loose and making trouble for Serge. The manic pair travel through the eyes of hurricanes during hurricane season to execute justice of their own brand.
They "kidnap" a newspaper reporter to resuce him from the second killer, the self proclaimed "Eye of the Storm", also travelling through the eyes killing Floridians. Eye of the Storm writes the newspapers claiming that Serge is the copycat killer and is inadequete. Mahoney is convinced that Serge's personality has finally split and he is both killers. Serge is beside himself with rage and goes in search of the Eye of the Storm.
The story twists and turns all over the state of Florida during hurricane season in 2006, although it is a fictional season. Serge scores chicks. Coleman scores pot. The plot scores with a wonderful surprise ending.
Two things are slightly different in Hurricane Punch form the other Dorsey books I've read. First, the language is cleaned up a bit; nearly to the point of being PG-13. That's fine and good, but a slight change from his usual style. Second, the imaginative killing is missing. Usually Serge offs a menace to society in a most creative and outlandish way. There is a murder near the end that is typical Serge, but lacks the oomph that Dorsey gives him.
That being said, Hurricane Punch is five stars with a wonderfully woven plot, reduced cast of wacko's and a great ending you could never guess.
Rock on, Serge.
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