Atomic Lobster

April 28, 2008
Mixing crime and humor is hard: a delicate balance must be maintained between the clever and the cute, between the cheap cackle and the meaningful guffaw. Dorsey is a master of this high-wire act, and reader Oliver Wyman makes a perfect partner. Dorsey's 10th caper about serial killer Serge A. Storms gives Wyman the chance to show off his amazing vocal range. He starts with a snidely funny old woman (”We call Viagra 'granny abuse,' ” she says) recounting for a TV crew what happened when Serge and his mob of Florida misfits took over a cruise ship she was on. A flashback to the planning stage finds Serge (a smart, edgy and somewhat whiny voice) and his dumber colleague Coleman setting up the deal. There's a gorgeous stripper named Rachel, assorted villains and a passel of DEA agents and other cops. Wyman balances them all with ease, giving listeners who like their comedy bloody and bawdy lots of fun. Simultaneous release with the Morrow hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 3).

December 3, 2007
Dorsey's 10th novel to feature Serge A. Storms and Coleman (after 2007's Hurricane Punch
) offers sex, violence, more violence and Three Stooges–like action. After meeting up with Rachael, a stripper and drug addict, Serge and Coleman, bored and broke, take a Florida road trip. Meanwhile, several other characters, destined to converge, start their own treks: killer Tex McGraw, sprung from prison with revenge on his mind; empty-nesters Jim and Martha Davenport, seeking a little excitement; the “G-Unit,” a group of investing grannies who like to cruise; three American drug dealers and three Mexican drug dealers, with a new smuggling operation; and two Davis Islands residents, one a famous ex-football player. Recurring fave Johnny Vegas pops up, too, along with several government agencies. While Dorsey's brand of comedy isn't for the faint of heart, this fast-moving, raucous tale delivers its usual punch while gleefully skewering everyone and everything along the way.