A crazy ride with a group of senior citizens on a trip to the Florida Keys to celebrate the end of COVid restrictions.
Whenever Serge A. Storm is listed as the main protagonist, you know you are in for a wild ride. He and Coleman take the senior that live in his complex on a trip around Florida. This celebration gets the attention of the CIA and they are looking for a man who disappeared. Of course, there is a serial killer in the mix. A fun, fun, fun book

Full disclosure – I was provided a copy of this book by the author’s representative; however, I have voluntarily chosen to write a review. All opinions are my own.

Spies in the Sunshine State

Serge Storms and Coleman are back in the 26th installment of the long standing series by author Tim Dorsey. Having waited out Covid as patiently as he could ever have, Serge is eager to hit the road again and he’s taking the residents of Pelican Bay with him. But post pandemic tour planning is not without its hitches and before Serge can even begin to delight and entertain his fellow condo dwellers outside of the weekly game nights, he must deal with pandemic poachers and opportunistic hackers. After dispatching these threats in true Serge fashion, he is ready to treat the retirees to what will most likely be the ride of their lives. Armed with his vast and obscure Florida knowledge they set out on a tour of local must-see destinations that’s NOT the normal Florida kitsch. With interest mounting and the small group growing bigger and bigger with every outing Serge shifts the focus to Florida’s all but forgotten involvement in the spy game over the years. As the group begins to visit little known abandoned spy locales in the Sunshine State, including those real and depicted in movies, they grab the attention of the actual CIA cells that are still very much active in the area. When a reporter friend of Serge’s seeks out his unconventional protection tactics for himself, a high-profile fugitive of both the Honduran gangs and the government and a disavowed CIA operative the spotlight is turned on high. Armed only with an illegal coke machine, a cursed bong, and a busload full of retirees from an Islamorada condominium Serge leads the convoy of sightseers, CIA tails, special ops teams, and others into what can only be described as one of the most explosive endings in Serge’s history.

Tim Dorsey has done it again with this newest Serge A Storms installment and I am proud to say that I have been along for the coffee fueled murder and hilarity since the beginning. Over the years Serge has been all over the state and left a trail of bodies in his wake, but even knowing that Serge is a killer he is still one of my favorite literary characters ever. Possessing an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Florida as well as a scary number of interesting ways to kill people his antics are never the same and always entertaining. Add in a person who can only be described as the polar opposite of our main man with his long time best friend and stoner sidekick and Dorsey have created one of the oddest of odd couples to ever grace the pages of a book. This combination may be strange, but it has worked for 26 novels and counting and I do not see any signs of Serge meeting his end anytime soon. With another successful installment complete, I am seriously looking forward to what threats to Serge’s beloved Sunshine State dare to cross his path in the next title and what interesting Florida factoids I will learn.

If you like madcap comedy and are a fan of other Florida authors such as Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry, Tim Dorsey’s Serge A Storms series is sure to be a delight.

You know what you're going to get with a Tim Dorsey book, and that's a very good thing -- it's like settling in at your favorite beach bar for the afternoon and waiting for the fireworks to begin. In this epic, Serge and Coleman battle their way through the pandemic, dispensing much-needed retribution to the seedy characters we all saw in the summer of 2020. Goes down smooth and easy, like that fourth margarita.

If you’ve heard of the Florida Man, you’ll understand why it’s tempting to pick up books like this one and those written by Dave and Carl. And why, for the life of all things reasonable, we find Florida Man books funny with their crackpot characters and plots so preposterous it’s a waste of good head space to bother suspending disbelief. To better understand the draw, it helps to know that the Florida Man thing is real and he is one who will call 911 multiple times when in need of ice cream and liquor; hide meth in his bellybutton if he has a large enough paunch for it; argue with law enforcement that wind can, indeed, blow bags of cocaine into a moving vehicle’s window; and flee a supermarket while stripping naked with pilfered steaks spilling in his wake. Stripping naked and making a scene of it is a classic FM move, if you were wondering.

This book has many Florida Man characters led by Serge and his foil Coleman, who are bad versions of Randy Wayne White’s Doc Ford and Tomlinson (to be fair, Doc Ford is somewhat normal if not the fantasy man who is smart, considerate, and good at killing bad guys). Serge and Coleman live in a condo in gorgeous Islamorada, famous for its fishing and water so clear you can chase puffer fish in a kayak if that’s your thing.

The story opens with the pandemic and panic shopping, which would have been funnier a few years ago. Serge is the paranoid one who buys a space suit for protection. Coleman copes by being himself, chugging, smoking, and popping more substances in a day than would kill a manatee in a minute. He’s a bad influence in the building, teaching the white-haired neighbors how to use a bong. This will get them a scolding from the police.

This book has the expected Central American drug angle with the US concocting some way to interfere without interfering. There is a reporter who, after being fired from every reputable outlet, is working for one of the ad-bloated free rags. He convinces his boss to allow him to chase the Honduran story. Then he gets assigned to report on a bunny bouncer at an Ocean Drive club who beat up a drunk. Meanwhile in Islamorada, Serge is entertaining the condo residences with local sightseeing tours. All of this “eye-crossing brainlessness” that the genre is known for will come together for a spectacular, fireworks of an ending. You have been warned!

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this eARC.

I sometimes feel like Coleman reading these books. I don’t really understand what’s going on but I’m the last 25% the plots and timelines come together. The main characters, Serge and Coleman, are somewhat unlikable. But the the secondary characters are always likable people with a lot of integrity. I love reading these for the random facts about Florida. It’s a great vacation book.

Yes I love Tim Dorsey because he writes about Fla. Yes I love Tim Dorsey because Serge Storm is his character. Mostly I love Tim Dorsey because he writes very good novels that make me laugh out loud.

Reading a new Tim Dorsey romp through Florida always brightens my year. The Maltese Iguana is no exception. Dorsey's wild protagonist, Serge A Storms and his constantly buzzed buddy Coleman are enjoying condo life in the Florida Keys. Serge is always helping his neighbors rid the world of ransomware meanies while throwing together Florida Underbelly guided tours.
Elsewhere, trouble is brewing in Honduras when an honest policeman tangles with one of the local drug cartels. A group of mercenaries led by their incompetent Colonel massacre a nearby village. A Miami reporter breaks the story in his local Nickel gazette and the chase is on.
At a Miami nightclub, a man in a bunny suit goes viral when he breaks up a fight
So how do all these subplots tie in to Serge and crew while they play Monopoly and get high from a bong called The Maltese Iguana?
Hold on to your beach sandals as Serge, Coleman, a million ping pong balls and several condo residents swing into action on the Seven Mile Bridge for a finale worthy of an Oscar.
I've been reading Tim Dorsey for over 20 years and he's never written a dull book. Hop on The Maltese Iguana and enjoy the funniest read of the year.

After being sequestered during COVID-19 quarantine, Serge A. Storms is antsy to get out and moving. He comes up with an idea to treat his elderly condo neighbors to an adventure so Serge and Coleman rent a shuttle van and hit the road. There are plenty of Dorsey commentaries about the weird stuff going on in Florida and circling a grocery story parking lot waiting for an open spot will have readers nodding in agreement. As usual in Dorsey’s tales there’s a side story, this time about a CIA black ops situation that lands a witness in Miami who is on a collision course with Serge’s merry pranksters. Serge of course takes his revenge on wrongdoers but the scenes incorporate science rather than straightforward executions. The wild joyride zooms down to the Florida Keys with a thrilling climatic scene on one of the many bridges that connect the Keys. Great hilarious fun.

That was the most messed up Serge A. Storms novel that I've read. CIA, fake CIA cells, Honduras, an honest cop, a reporter, and of course Serge and Coleman. Coleman was more stoned than usual & he and the condo residents in the Keys were high or smoking weed in the entire book. The story was sort of wrapped up in the last few chapters, but we never actually learned what happened to the honest cop. Serge defined the entire book with the sentence, "Just a few seconds where you have no direction or any direction." The entire book had no direction.