Tiger Shrimp Tango (Serge Storms Series #17)

by Tim Dorsey

Overview

Determined to save a damsel in distress, the Sunshine State’s favorite serial killer and encyclopedia of Florida lore Serge Storms dances a tango of death and mayhem in this funny and dementedly entertaining crime caper from Tim Dorsey, author of the New York Times bestseller The Riptide, Ultra-Glide.

Thanks to the Internet, America has become a playground for ruthless scam artists out to make an easy buck. And where do these models of entrepreneurship hail from? Why, the Sunshine State of course!

No one loves Florida more, or can keep it safe from invasive criminal species better than self-appointed Sunshine Sheriff Serge Storms. When a particular scam leads to the death of a few innocents and a young woman's disappearance, Serge and his perpetually self-bent sidekick Coleman—aided by his new pal, latter-day noir private eye Mahoney—load up the car for a riotous road trip to do right. Packed with seafood, mayhem, blood, Coleman’s deep thoughts, Floridian lore, and more, Tiger Shrimp Tango is a hilarious treat from the incomparable Tim Dorsey.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062092830
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/28/2014
Series:	Serge Storms Series , #17
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	130,951
File size:	699 KB

About the Author

Tim Dorsey was a reporter and editor for the Tampa Tribune from 1987 to 1999, and is the author of twenty-five other novels: Mermaid Confidential, Tropic of Stupid, Naked Came the Florida Man, No Sunscreen for the Dead, Pope of Palm Beach, Clownfish Blues, Coconut Cowboy, Shark Skin Suite, Tiger Shrimp Tango, The Riptide Ultra-Glide, When Elves Attack, Pineapple Grenade, Electric Barracuda, Gator A-Go-Go, Nuclear Jellyfish, Atomic Lobster, Hurricane Punch, The Big Bamboo, Torpedo Juice, Cadillac Beach, The Stingray Shuffle, Triggerfish Twist, Orange Crush, Hammerhead Ranch Motel, and Florida Roadkill. He lives in Florida.

Editorial Reviews

05/12/2014
Bestseller Dorsey delivers another joyously funny Florida vacation with his madcap 17th adventure featuring manic serial killer and Florida trivia expert Serge Storms (after 2013's The Riptide Ultra-Glide). Serge is feeling the need to recharge his "idea reservoir for unique ways to dispatch” the deserving scalawags that make Florida the "scam capital of the nation.” Accompanied by his inveterate companion, the always stoned Coleman, and assisted by private eye Mahoney, whose patter is a terrible send-up of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Serge out scams the scammers. Serge bounces around the state visiting such landmarks as the home of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Legoland, and the Tupperware Museum, offering up his own commentary but never forgetting about the transgressors. Among them are dating bandits, a burglary crew, and hole-in-one insurance operators. Vengeance is delivered in outrageously inventive ways, as innocent materials (e.g., Mentos) are converted into deadly devices. Dorsey's rapid-style delivery and vicious lampoons lance varied targets such as Sarah Palin, the Tea Party, the Occupiers, and trendy restaurants, all within just a few pages. Agent: Nat Sobel, Sobel Weber. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

One would have to be unbalanced to write this book, afflicted to read it, and delusional to understand it. Naturally, I loved almost every word of it.” — Bookreporter.com

“Tim Dorsey balances the right blend of crime, mystery, humor and zaniness to a very special and engaging effect.” — ReviewingTheEvidence.com

“Another quirky plot that will make you laugh out loud... All of Tim Dorsey’s books have been a delight, but I think this one is at the head of the pack.” — BookLoons.com

“Wild; lovingly violent; and very, very clever.” — MyrtleBeachOnline.com

A fun book to read. The workings of Serge’s mind is a wondrous thing. — The Oklahoman

From the Publisher

One would have to be unbalanced to write this book, afflicted to read it, and delusional to understand it. Naturally, I loved almost every word of it.

Bookreporter.com

Wild; lovingly violent; and very, very clever.

MyrtleBeachOnline.com

A fun book to read. The workings of Serge’s mind is a wondrous thing.

The Oklahoman

Another quirky plot that will make you laugh out loud... All of Tim Dorsey’s books have been a delight, but I think this one is at the head of the pack.

BookLoons.com

Tim Dorsey balances the right blend of crime, mystery, humor and zaniness to a very special and engaging effect.

ReviewingTheEvidence.com

09/15/2013
Florida booster and serial killer Serge Storms goes on an outrageous road trip to rescue a young woman who has disappeared after a particularly noxious scam. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

Library Journal

2014-02-06
A rare burst of focus sets Serge Storms (Riptide Ultra-Glide, 2013, etc.) straight on the path of a band of South Florida scam artists. With its fertile fields of kitschy history, South Florida is a grifter's dream. In a land that boasts roadside attractions like Gatorland and the Tupperware Confidence Center, nothing seems beyond belief. Still, Florida native South Philly Sal likes to start small. First it's Gustave and Sasha, his gigolo and gigolette, decoying suckers into trendy bistros that serve molecular cuisine while Sal's operatives burgle their bungalows. Then there's Uncle Cid, who sells the same Corvette over and over, only to steal it back from under the noses of the poor schlubs who just signed the papers. Sal's henchman, Omar, and his diminutive henchwoman, Piper, fleece thousands posing as a cancer-afflicted boy and a father who can't afford his son's treatment. And Sal mixes larceny with a little old-fashioned mischief, phoning hotel patrons en masse with fake poison-gas threats and rifling their room as they stream naked onto the street covered in fire-extinguisher foam. Naturally, these hijinks irk the vigilante in Serge, who goes after the perpetrators with the help of his stoned-out pal, Coleman, and an assortment of homebrewed chemical combinations Mr. Wizard never told you about. Dorsey's 17th is as antic as ever, but his straight-arrow plotting deprives readers of the fun of figuring out just what the hell is going on.

Kirkus Reviews