The Pope of Palm Beach

November 27, 2017
A killer opening sentence sets the tone for bestseller Dorsey’s 21st comic novel featuring eccentric murderer Serge Storms (after 2017’s Clownfish Blues): “The sun was going down behind the Big Burger when the alligator came flying in the drive-through window.” Starting in the Florida Keys, Serge and his childhood friend, Coleman, embark on a literary tour of the state. Along the way, they make detours so Serge can mete out his own brand of justice to various bad guys, beginning with Sterling Hanover, a pharmaceutical company’s callous president. Hanover acquired the patent to a drug that originally cost $12 a pill and raised the price to $700 after learning it was the only treatment for a protozoa infection that’s fatal to infants. Serge devises a diabolic punishment to fit the crime. He later seeks revenge on a gangster he holds responsible for the death of the legendary surfer known as the Pope. Flashbacks to Serge’s youth aren’t that interesting, and the storytelling is less amusing than usual, but fans of wacky crime fiction will have plenty of fun. Eight-city author tour. Agent: Nat Sobel, Sobel Weber.

Author Tim Dorsey and narrator Oliver Wyman are a delightful combination for humorous fiction. Wyman's ability to portray unique characters will have listeners checking to see if this audiobook has a full cast. Serge and his friend, Coleman, are on a literary road trip throughout Florida, meeting authors and stumbling into hilarious situations. They unwittingly find themselves in the company of an author who is in grave danger from nefarious thugs. Will Serge be able to outwit the villains? Flashbacks to Serge and Coleman's childhood are woven throughout the story. It's amusing to hear the madcap and macabre adventures of these two. Wyman's breathing is somewhat distracting, but his performance is excellent. L.M.A. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

September 1, 2017

Serge A. Storms and buddy Coleman are heading to their hometown, Riviera Beach, FL, to track down legends from their youth: genius surfer/mentor Darby and a crazy hermit rumored to have lived far up the misty Loxahatchee River. But digging up the past can get the wrong people riled--with bloody consequences. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2018
Dorsey (Clownfish Blues, 2017) returns with his twenty-first entry in Serge Storms' lifelong road trip celebrating the glories of his native Florida. This time it's Serge's manic homage to the state's literary tradition. First stop is the Keys and Hemingway. Serge, who always finds time during his travels for a little vigilante murder, with bad guys always the victims, takes time from honoring Papa to imaginatively dispatch a character who sounds very much like Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli. Reviewers and legions of fans give Dorsey a pass on plotting. This time he actually has a plot, but it doesn't reveal itself until Serge and his running buddy, Coleman, reach Riviera Beach, which happens to be the beloved hometown of Serge, Coleman, and Dorsey. The author's paean to his modest hometown, which sits just a handful of miles from Mar-a-Lago, is voiced in narrative as well as Serge's reminiscences, and it's filled with laughs, bizarre and delightful facts, and a dweeby accountant who teaches drug smugglers how to diversify into new and lucrative crimes. Along the way, Florida's writers largely get forgotten, but Dorsey's audience will still enjoy the ride.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)