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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780060556938
ISBN number: 0060556935
Label: HarperTorch
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 400
Printing Date: January 01, 2004
Publishing house: HarperTorch
Release Date: December 30, 2003
Sale Popularity Level: 65350
Studio: HarperTorch
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Product Description:
When serial-killing local Florida historian Serge A. Storms is off his meds, no one is safe -- not Russian hoods, Jamaican mobsters, spoiled frat boys, women's book clubs, drug dealers, bad Vegas-rejected local lounge acts -- especially when $5 million in cash in a bugged suitcase is still racing up and down the Eastern Seaboard. But in the oddball circus known as the Sunshine State, little things like astronomical body counts tend to get lost in the shuffle.
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Rated by buyers 
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Stephen King is the undeniable master of character development. Tim Dorsey has got to be a close second. I am reading his catalogue out of order. Based on Serge's character in Stingray Shuffle, Dorsey has brought Serge a long way in his development.
In Atomic Lobster, Serge is in full dimension, a real life character no matter how unrealistic his character is. The addition of Coleman did a lot for Serge's character as well. I suspect that Serge will materialize as a flesh-and-blood human is he gets any more real.
Stingray Shuffle has a plot that is as twisted as a Motel 6 bedsheet at ten in the morning. It truly does richochet in all directions and is a little hard to follow at times, but I think that is by design. The ending is hilarious and unexpected. The whole story is well planned and actully researched very well. There are some genuine history lessons contained within the pages of this story.
As I continue to read the rest of Dorsey's catalogue, I anticipate further depth and more outlandish stories and characters.
Rock on, Tim!
Rated by buyers -
Tim Dorsey's books are not for everyone -- the fact that the main character would qualify as a (lovable!) serial murderer should be a good litmus test to tell you if you are one of those who would "get" this. That said, if you like off-beat (and extremely dark) humor, then Dorsey delivers.
Multiple plot threads interweave in this, as Serge and friends chase after a briefcase filled with $5 million, along the way crossing paths with inept Russian mobsters, a vindictive woman's book club, a hypnotist who's too good for his own good, and a hack novelist who has been rediscovered for all the wrong reasons. Along the way, we get the usual taste of obscure Floridian history, this time focusing on trains when Serge becomes OCD about them. There's a hilarious parody of a "murder mystery" train, too.
Expect chuckles aplenty and quite a few laugh-out-loud moments -- assuming you like sardonic storytelling. This book might even be 5-star material... highly recommended.
Rated by buyers 
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After "Hammerhead Ranch Motel" Dorsey threw us a curve ball, and went fast forward on "Orange Crush" and then way back on "Triggerfish Twist". In "Orange Crush", we found out that Serge A. Storms, one of the best main characters I have encountered in a long time, had lost his memory, but we had no idea how this happened. Also, there was no further mention of the suitcase with the five million dollars which had captured the attention of all of the characters in the very first two books in the series. In this book, we finally get the answers we were looking for, and what a fun path to discovery it is.
At the beginning of the story we find Paul and Jethro once more. They have the suitcase with the money and they are trying to leave the country without being detected. You remember Paul, right? I find it hard to believe you could forget about the Passive-Aggressive Private Eye! Paul and Jethro feel pretty good about their situation, but that is because they do not know that Serge and Lenny are following them, using the signal from a tracking device included in the suitcase. Once the chase starts all hell breaks lose.
The array of characters in this book is perfect, since it allows the author to show his skill for creating hilarious and unbelievable situations. Of course, very first of all, we have Serge, the psychopath killer who believes he is moral in his ways and usually makes a pretty good case to that effect. He possess an encyclopedic knowledge of Florida's history and I find his lectures and guided tours extremely interesting. Especially because I lived in Miami for a couple of years and now I live in Tampa, so I can picture in my mind a lot of the places Serge visits. There is also Johnny Vegas; the playboy who is never able to go all the way with women due to a whole myriad of outrageous interruptions. City and Country, the two young females from Alabama that are Thelma and Louise wannabes also contribute their fair share to the story. Finally, the author has the ability to introduce a "special" group of people in each book. For example, in the last installment, it was a group of old ladies that were wizards at finance. In this case we find a group of five women who created a book club and who hold a secret that haunts their existence.
In my opinion, Dorsey has mastered what can be done in this niche. He consistently delivers well-balanced novels, that have the appropriate amount of humor, a story that keeps us interested and maintains a good pace, and a whole bunch of esoteric and lovable characters. This one is another winner.
Rated by buyers -
My very first introduction to Tim Dorsey's Florida. As a Native, what a ball to read about all the places we've been and a HOOT to learn that I went to the very same high school as Serge A. Storms! The only glaring annoyance is that he mentioned a "John D. MacDonald".... it's "Mac ARTHUR" ( I know, I worked at his State park!). The Stingray Shuffle started me on an obsession to read about this cast o' characters from the beginning and straight on through. I can hardly wait to read more!
Rated by buyers -
I don't quite get why Publishing house's Weekly compares this to It's a Mad Mad etc World; that movie had far more plot. And why you can't compare Dorsey to Hiassen, I don't understand, either--sure you can; and I don't agree that Dorsey is darker. Hiassen is plenty dark when he gets going, and sometimes the body counts add up, and in equally humourous and bizarre fashions. In fact, the similarities are so clear that I was more than a little disappointed by Dorsey; it didn't help that this is the FIRST Dorsey book I had read, but it refers (or should that be 'reefers"?) repeatedly to other characters and event from previous books. I would certainly not have had to be flipping back and forth to figure out what was going on...maybe 'certainly' isn't quite right, because the drug episodes, psychotic breaks, and flashbacks put the traditional linear narrative structure into a mobius strip and then tie that into knots. But it's a load of fun, and it seems to me that Dorsey identifies pretty closely with his serial killer historian--and has a great affection for Florida. Definitely worth a read, especially if you are in the Sunshine State, relaxing on a beach in need of some light entertainment.
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