Gator A-Go-Go: A Novel (Serge Storms)

From Publishers Weekly Spring break, from its innocuous beginnings in 1935 to its drunken orgiastic present, provides the theme for bestseller Dorsey's dizzy 12th adventure to feature vigilante serial killer Serge A. Storms (after Nuclear Jellyfish ). When vengeful drug dealers and federal agents go after an innocent college student, Andy McKenna, who's come to enjoy Florida's Panama City Beach, Serge becomes Andy's protector. Along the way, Serge delivers rough justice in inventive and bizarre fashion (death by garage door, by bridge guitar, etc.) to a mugger, a rude driver, and various others guilty of minor infractions. The reality show Girls Gone Haywire offers ample opportunities for scathing satire, as the show's producer becomes another one of Serge's targets. Meanwhile, Coleman, Serge's perennially stoned companion, acts as a guru to the spring breakers. As usual, Dorsey leavens the slapstick humor with intriguing bits of Florida historical lore. (Feb.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Serge Storms, Dorsey’s irrepressible spree killer and scholar-aficionado of all things Floridian, returns determined to make a documentary film about one of the state’s most important contributions to American pop culture: spring break. Dorsey stays faithful to his formula (road trip; drug-cartel assassins on the prowl; Serge’s inventive offings of various Florida miscreants; beautiful, predatory women; and odd bits of Florida trivia—Florida was the first state in the U.S. to ban midget tossing). Of course, it’s all washed down with vast quantities of mind-altering substances. Despite the formula’s familiarity, Gator a-Go-Go feels fresher than Dorsey’s recent books. Serge realizes that Florida’s most twisted lowlifes and criminals may be the only solution to the state’s overdevelopment; eventually, they will scare off tourists, immigrants, and real-estate developers. Along the way, Coleman, Serge’s spectacularly drug-addled pal, is quickly seen by Panama City undergraduate revelers as a guru who generously shares his partying wisdom in impromptu seminars on the beach. It’s a side of Coleman we haven’t seen. Great characters from previous books make welcome reappearances, too. All of Dorsey’s books offer belly laughs, but this one seems a cut above. --Thomas Gaughan That's right: Serge and Coleman do spring break! It's been a long time coming, but they're at the party now—and you'll never look at a Frisbee the same way again. One spring break location obviously isn't enough for Serge, so he must hit them all, traveling through various historic locales, spewing nuggets of history at anyone who won't run away and dispensing his own signature brand of Sunshine State justice. Along the way he and his sidekick, Coleman, attract a growing following of the nation's top college students . . . and a mysterious gang that leaves a trail of young bodies in their wake. Are the kids safer under Serge's protection? Or does being with him put them in more peril? The classroom and the pot brownies never prepared them for this. Which raises more questions: Who's the guy studying satellite photos? Where did the protected witness go? When did Coleman get all those trophies? Why are the Feds hot on everyone's trail? How did the burnt corpse end up by the pool? What's the best way to keep beer cool on the beach? Then there are the coke smugglers gone legit and a pair of the most dangerously sexy bartenders to ever mix a rum runner. Throw in some dirty dancing contests, illicit drugs, rockin' tunes, screamin' sports cars, bungee rides, pawned class rings, and church breakfasts, and you've got a potent concoction that keeps the hotel's concierge up all night stopping people from falling off the balconies. Want even more ? Serge says, "You got it!" After years of quiet, a legendary Miami kingpin from the anything-goes eighties is suddenly back in the news . . . along with one of the state's most psychotic homicidal monsters, every bit as criminally insane as Serge—except without the morals. The mysteries continue to mount: How did Coleman end up with even more disciples than Serge? Can kids successfully climb fences while carrying pizzas? Will Serge survive the carnage, armed with a GPS and a kiddie pool? All will soon be answered—and of course every last moment is caught on tape as Serge creates his most excellent documentary ever, the making of Gator A-Go-Go . Pack the cooler, load the car, and head to where the water is warm for a spring vacation you won't soon forget—no matter how much you might try! Tim Dorsey was a reporter and editor for the Tampa Tribune from 1987 to 1999, and is the author of twenty-four novels: 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. Read more