Must Read of the Week: Electric Barracuda

Tim Dorsey is a mad man.  I write that declaration with all the love I can muster.

About a decade-and-a-half ago I snagged a copy of FLORIDA ROADKILL.  The description was just zany enough to capture by voracius reading interests (Florida caper, Hiaasen-esque) that I wasted no moment considering the purchase.  I sat down to read it and after working through the epic prologue I placed the book on the bookshelf and kicked myself firmly in the ass.  Great, I thought, another wasted seven bucks.

Dorsey's career didn't suffer from my lack of interest, though.  Within a year, Hammerhead Ranch popped out.  Another year passed and Orange Crush hit bookstands.  Then it was Triggerfish Twist.  I was on vacation in Florida and kept seeing the man's paperbacks and figured it was time to revisit the series I'd long abandoned. 

This time, I got past the prologue and dove, head-first, into the book...

...and loved every second of it.

See, the thing is, you've got to get used to Dorsey's style.  It's not easy, but once you've  grabbed it, it grabs you and carries you on a wild, topsy-turvy ride filled with obscure Floridian trivia, colorful characters, and amazingly catastrophic events.  Oh, yeah, and there's some creative ways to kill people included (my personal favorite of the series involves forcing a man to swallow bullets and then loading him into an MRI machine).

Electric Barracuda is another amazing chapter in the Serge A. Storms capers.  Personally, I hope Dorsey nevr tires of this guy.  Serge's mania kicks into gear from page three and hits octane on page thirty-nine. From there, it's one thing after another until the end of the book.  Reading time on this one: twenty-six hours.

There has always been a serious need to suspend disbelief when reading about Serge A. Storms.  I mean, it's hard to read about a serial killer (albeit, a knowledgeable savant who has served in politics, thwarted mischievous magicians, instigated hostile mob takeovers) who has seemingly never once come close to having handcuffs slapped on him.  This time the police are on the trail.  And they're there from the beginning.

The book opens, in typical Dorseyian fashion, in the middle of the action.  Serge is indulging in his latest travel idea - the Fugitive Tours of Florida.  This is the latest in his manic, hairried ideas (after consistent travel sites have ordered him to stop posting suggestions, like which hookers you can trust).  The idea behind the Fugitive series apparently came into his thought process while watching Total Recall.  Anyway, at the hideout spot, the SWAT, FBI, fan-favorite Agent Mahoney, and a bounty hunter known as the Doberman are all closing in fast.  Thus, the action is struck.

The cat-and-mouse game is played out with gusto - Serge and Coleman indulge in Floridian oddities (including an old Capone hideaway) while unwittingly averting capture at every bend.  The cops are fools, as is the norm, and Agent Mahoney insists on indulging in payphones rather than cellular technology (a hang-up to his noir-loving persona).

I enjoyed Nuclear Jellyfish and Gator A Go-Go, but both were  subpar in relation to the entire series.  This one strikes the homer.  By far the best in the series since Triggerfish Twist (my opinion, of course).  The most brilliant thing about the series, though, is that Tim Dorsey consistently finds new rocks to turnover, inventive new facts, gonzo-style action, and always keeps it fresh.  If that's the case, I cannot wait to see what awaits Serge in the next foray.

5 out of 5