I don't know who came up with the quirky, Florida crazy man character first, Tim Dorsey or Carl Hiaasen but at this point I think Hiaasen does a better job. Granted this is the first of Dorsey's "Serge Storm" books I've tried but I don't find the character to be one I'm sympathetic to whereas Hiaasen's "Skink" is someone I would happy to know. That being said, this book is an homage to excess. There is excess killing, at least one too many kidnappings, Serge's sidekick smokes way too much dope, Serge writes too many weird letters to politician's and public figures, the authorities (police, FBI, and CIA) are horribly inept, and even the mobsters are uninteresting. Granted, Serge is mentally ill, delusional, and has been repeatedly committed to an institution that he easily escapes. Unfortunately, the crux of the story, Serge searching for the truth of his grandfather's death, gets lost in all the mayhem. There are laugh-out-loud funny moments but they don't save this car wreck (there are too many of those also) of a novel. I almost wonder if Dorsey read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas a few too many times.
No comments:
Post a Comment