Customer Reviews

Cadillac Beach

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There must be something about the air in Florida..at least as to how it affects some of those who chose to write about the life there, i.e. Carl Hiassen and Tim Dorsey. In this book it is Dorsey's turn and he doesn't miss a zany beat with the return of Serge A. Storms, a one man crime wave. All I can say is, if you want to enjoy yourself, pour a cool one and put on your safety belt before taking off on this adventure. It is non-stop zaniness and the writing is first rate.

I swear, Serge A. Storms has to be the funniest character I have ever read. As I was reading this book my wife kept kept asking me what I was laughing so hard about. Obviously, the bounds of reality are stretched a bit as this sociopath careens around Florida on the search for lost gems while dodging the mob, the police, and an unknown assassin. But Serge's sharp insights into the human condition are like a slap in the face coming from a total psycho. In the end, the unlikely Master Plan comes together in a very clever conclusion. A breezy summer read for January!

I love this writer...I love the characters...and I love the devine lunacy behind each and every one of Dorsey's books!
The Sting Ray Shuffle is, in my humble opinion, the BEST of the best [of Dorsey's books]...I laughed my butt off! But I do agree that ALL of Dorsey's books are hilarious. The twists and turns and the flow of the story, the romps through the Sunshine state from the Atlantic coast to the Gulf coast to the Panhandle...its all fast paced and funnier than you can imagine!
If these stories don't crack you up you might want to consider therapy!

The hyperactive Serge Storms, the homicidal lunatic whose antics have propelled Tim Dorsey's five previous novels is back, and he's got one hell of a to-do list. It reads, verbatim:

"Develop and market my new line of South Beach energy drinks, complete rehabilitation and release of Loxahtachee marsh mouse, solve mystery of grandfather's death, recover fortune in missing diamonds from America's largest gem heist, cripple the mob in South Florida, embarrass Castro on the global stage, help Chamber of Commerce with image crisis, restore respect for the brave men and women of the US intelligence community, lure the Today Show to Miami for local pride/economic boost, participate in my times like Robert Kennedy (depending on the weather), and accomplish it all through the launch of my new-economy, clean-burning, earth friendly venture capital business that involves spiritual growth, historical appreciation, and the Internet."

Of course, Serge notes, the list is "subject to change without notice."

Serge tackles the items on his Master List with gusto; Dorsey chronicles his adventures in grand style. Doing so, he takes readers on a frenetic literary ride, repeatedly cutting in time from 1964 to 2004 and back, never once dropping any of the myriad balls he so fearlessly tosses into the air. Long time fans of the series won't be disappointed (this reviewer particularly enjoyed the cameos by Agent Mahoney, who Serge drove into an institution). Those new to the continuing and varied Serge saga will quickly adapt to the chaos. You might be a little winded upon finishing, but this book's worth the fatigue.

...is mostly a good thing--Dorsey has brought back almost all of the characters in the Serge universe and also has included a paralled plot in the book that fills us in on Serge's origins--the book also ends with a better coda that was in the last Serge story--for those of you that haven't read any of Dorsey's books, they are in the mold of Carl Hiaasen humourous Florida crime novels but with some Hunter S. Thomspon/P.J. O'Roarke craziness mixed in--this one is mainly about a legendary jewel heist and how it affects Serge personally--I have to admit I didn't laugh as much as the previous books in the series, there was even one gag that I had seen previously on Saturday Night Live! But all in all, this is one series that I will always read mainly as EVERYONE in the book is messed up: women, men, cops, robbers; and you also learn about Florida history in a painless way--as Serge's sidekick Lenny would say: HIGH-ly recommended!

Launch a business, solve grandfather mystery, embarrass Castro, restore CIA pride, decimate mob, help Chamber of Commerce, find gems, and get the Today Show to Miami. While Serge attempts to complete this to-do list, you're in for an incredibly fun ride.

You'll have a rip-roaring good time reading this one. There is very few authors (I mean very, very few) that can make me laugh out loud while reading. One of the most entertaining and hilarious books I've read.

Highly, Highly recommended.

Over the last couple of days, I finished Cadillac Beach by Tim Dorsey. And if you've read (and enjoyed) any of Dorsey's prior novels, you'll also like this one. It's great stuff...

For those of you who haven't read this series, it's hard to explain. It's a Florida crime spree novel, with an abundance of humor and accurate observations on Florida life and culture. The main character, Serge Storms, is an escapee from a mental institution who has a rap sheet a mile long and a very unique view of life. The *very* basic plot in this book is that Serge is trying to track down the missing diamonds from the 1964 NYC Museum Of Natural History heist, along with proving that his grandfather didn't commit suicide (but was murdered). And trust me, they are related. Interspered throughout, you have mob kidnappings and killings, guided tours of Miami's seedy underbelly, invasions of Cuba, FBI and CIA involvement, The Beetles, Flipper, and various other random items that actually make sense in the story.

Think Carl Hiaasen without limits, and you'll start to get a feel for where Dorsey goes with his writing. Great fun!

Tim Dorsey is to fiction what smashing watermelons with a sledgehammer is to comedy. And that's not a bad thing, but it could get old if it were the only dimension to Dorsey's routine. But what makes Dorsey's writing not only entertaining - but strangely addictive - is that infused within the frenetic pace of his offbeat humor and madcap characters lies an exceptional grasp of pop culture. Dorsey, living vicariously through "Cadillac Beach's" Serge Storm, is clearly an ardent student of 20th century American history and a passionate defender of Florida's heritage. Though well camouflaged behind his over-the-top brand of humor, Dorsey's biting social satire rivals that of Tom Wolfe or Carl Hiaasen. As with Hiaasen, Dorsey relentlessly targets Florida's lunacy from all possible fronts, but from a more playful, less cynical, and certainly more bizarre - if less believable - perspective.

"Cadillac Beach" is typical of Dorsey's fare - another loosely plotted light-speed paced chronicle of Serge's latest adventure. Serge, that rare lovable but certifiably-insane-serial-killing-protagonist, has started a specialty travel service that treats customer to the link between Miami's past and present. Dorsey weaves into this nutty tail interesting tidbits and trivia of Miami's past - Lucy, the Beatles, Cassius Clay and Sonny Liston, Goldfinger, and, most importantly, the infamous "Murf the Surf'" jewel heist of the Museum of Natural History in '64. Throw in the Miami mob, the CIA, FBI, hookers, thugs, bums and dopers and you pretty much get the idea. True to theme, "Cadillac" flashes back to Miami 1964-65, reliving the misadventures of Serge's grandfather Sergio and his misfit mob, as Serge tries to unravel the mystery of granddad's death. Bullets, babes, drugs, and cops - the usual Dorsey stuff - and as always, it isn't the destination that matters, but the fun along the way.

I had occasion several years ago to talk with a blues singer, a man of genteel demeanor whose congenital blindness was to a small extent balanced by an uncanny ability to play complex guitar lines and a singing voice that rang with rough joy and inevitable sorrow. He claimed to be 89 years old at the time that I met him, and he looked every day of it. The man told of playing rough juke joints, where a slow night was defined by a low homicide count. Often, he said, he would hear bodies being knocked over, chairs hitting solid objects and occasional gunfire. When that occurred, he would stand up and, guided by air currents, head for what he hoped was an open door, calling out, "Please, nobody hurt this poor ol' blind man" as if it was a litany. Somehow it worked.

I think of this conversation every time I encounter Serge Storms. Storms is the unconventional protagonist who has sprung from the muse of Tim Dorsey, and who is back among us in CADILLAC BEACH. As with his other books, CADILLAC BEACH functions as a vehicle for Dorsey's biting satirical commentary on south Florida and the folks who call it home. As with his other novels, nothing in this one is true, but all of it is accurate.

Storms is most likely afflicted with a mental illness, though I doubt it could be properly diagnosed. It would probably be best classified under affective disorders, characterized by hyperactivity, looseness of association and delusions. His main contribution to society is to keep things stirred up, and he does an admirable job of this here. Like the blues singer I described, he somehow manages to walk unscathed through the cataclysm that swirls around him.

CADILLAC BEACH centers on an actual event, a 1964 jewel heist that involved a nationally known surfing champion, amongst other lesser lights. Storms's grandfather was apparently somewhat tenuously involved in the aftermath of the heist, and Storms believes that he was murdered as a result. He begins a search for his grandfather's old friends, all of whom advise him to leave well enough alone. Storms, of course, cannot do this, as readers who have encountered him before well know. Naturally Storms's method of searching is somewhat convoluted, involving, among other things, a gonzo touring agency, the abduction of a Federally protected witness and an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro once and for all.

Dorsey's hyperkinetic style of writing is an acquired taste; he frequently paints himself into absurd corners and then moves walls to get out --- and at the conclusion of his work, including this one, there is a feeling that the ending is the result of a "time to wrap this up" impulse rather than a natural denouement. What cannot be denied, however, is that Dorsey's writing is truly funny, laced with subtle irony and frequent belly laugh-inducing pratfalls. The juxtaposition of Miami between 1964 and the present is first-rate, and Storms's tour spiel is fascinating as he points out landmarks of note while bemoaning the loss of others.

CADILLAC BEACH, in effect, contains the genesis of a tour book that will never be written, and that is a pity. Along the way Storms functions as a bit of a court jester --- his comments about Miami and South Florida are, more often than not, right on the mark, and always funny; his plan for the liberation of Cuba, and the revenge of the Cuban exiles upon Castro, is absolutely perfect. If the symmetry that marks the conclusion of the novel is a bit of a stretch, it's just Dorsey reminding the reader that this is, indeed, a work of fiction. Not that we need any such reminders.

Dorsey is rapidly becoming the hyperkinetic king of Florida alternative historians, and CADILLAC BEACH is the latest reason why. Don't read it without fastening your mental seat belt, however. You're going to need it.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

This book was too funny: chuckles aplenty and even lots of laugh-out-loud moments... assuming of course you have a twisted sense of humor. The plot bounces around both time and location, deftly weaving several subplots together in a surreal stitchwork.

Think of Hunter Thompson giving a tour of Miami's cultural highs and lows, with you strapped to the passenger seat, and you begin to get an idea of what's in store (especially since our favorite serial-killing anti-hero has decided to open a TRAVEL AGENCY for "Serge's Florida Experience".)

Fans of Dorsey will certainly love this, and newcomers will either be entranced or repulsed by the author's over-the-top, in-your-face approach. This is great stuff, for the "right" kind of people.