The Maltese Iguana

September 1, 2022

In his next over-the-top adventure, a fully vaccinated Serge A. Storms is finally ready to set out on a Florida road trip with some revelrous friends. Change of plans: they encounter a man on the run from the CIA, hired by the agency as a local liaison for a revenge mission in Honduras and the only surviving witness when the mission implodes. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 19, 2022
At the start of bestseller Dorsey’s antic 26th novel featuring vigilante serial killer Serge A. Storms (after 2022’s Mermaid Confidential), the Covid lockdown causes panic among the residents of Pelican Bay, a condominium complex in the Florida Keys where Serge and his stoner pal, Coleman, have been taking a break from their wilder shenanigans. This being Florida, life soon gets back to what passes for normal in the Sunshine State. In Honduras, a mishandled CIA operation leads to the death of the wrong man, and an honest police officer, Yandy Falcón, who witnesses the debacle, realizes he must flee the country to save his life. Yandy winds up in South Florida, where he eventually comes under the protective wing of Serge, who has been having fun leading Serge’s Florida Keys Underbelly Spy Tours. At the spectacular climax, Serge drives a tour bus onto an abandoned bridge where an action movie is being filmed, followed by a host of bad guys on Yandy’s trail. As usual, the comic set pieces overshadow the plot, which can be hard to follow at times, but no matter. Dorsey reliably delivers the gonzo goods. Agent: Nat Sobel, Sobel Weber Assoc.

January 1, 2023
It's a match made in heaven: Serge A. Storms, the devoted Florida history buff and cheerful serial killer, and the COVID-19 pandemic. But that's not all: there's also a failed CIA operation in another country, a witness who flees to America, and a showdown in the Florida Keys. As usual, Dorsey's rapid-fire prose is a perfect match for Serge's energetic, scattershot behavior, and Serge continues to be one of contemporary fiction's most unique characters: a killer with a goofy sense of humor, a moralist with a shaky grasp on reality, a guy who believes people can be persuaded to be good (if, that is, they survive the process of his persuading them). This is the twenty-sixth book in the series, and it's as fresh and funny as the first, 1999's Florida Roadkill. Some readers might be a little bothered by Dorsey's use of the recent pandemic in a comedic context, but most will surely enjoy seeing Serge deal with anti-maskers, toilet-paper hoarders, and the like.

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March 1, 2023
Quintessential Florida man Serge Storms rocks the post-Covid world. Where better to ride out the tedium of the pandemic lockdown than a condominium in Islamorada, halfway down the Florida Keys? With assistance from both Alexa and Siri, who compete vigorously for the boys' attention, Serge and his perennial wingman, Coleman, collect enough consumer goods to keep them amused for at least 24 hours of isolation. Once that's over, they go back to what they do best: careening wildly through the streets in Serge's Ford '73 Galaxie, going after scalpers who charge insane amounts for toilet paper. Coleman uses his newly purchased bong, a handsome job embossed with a glass iguana, to teach his condo neighbors how to consume their newly acquired medical marijuana more efficiently, while Serge returns to hosting bus tours of little-known Florida roadside attractions. Meanwhile, a covert operation in Honduras goes disastrously wrong, leaving police officer Yandy Falc�n and reporter Reevis Tome in the lurch. While the two make their separate ways north to Miami, Dorsey bides his time as readers wait eagerly for their inevitable meet-up with Serge. Their collision will be shocking but in no way surprising to seasoned fans of this zany franchise. A global health crisis is just one more day in the life of Dorsey's resilient hero.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 9, 2022

Even wily Florida adventurer Serge A. Storms, and his strung-out pal Coleman had to live through COVID, but after they get vaccinated, they once again turn their condo in the Keys into party central. Serge eventually takes the revelry on the road in a former prison bus. They have company on their final trip. Several honest people were caught up in a botched CIA op in Honduras; a cop named Yandy, Reevis, a reporter, and Debbie, a cowgirl-dressed undercover agent. When they all escape to Miami, they are pursued by cheap military contractors, operatives with cameras, and even fans of a full-sized nightclub bunny hero. Reevis knows the best way for salvation is to turn to Serge for help. Only Serge can turn a bus full of seniors and three fugitives into an explosive spy film on Seven Mile Bridge. VERDICT There's an audience for Dorsey's 26 Serge A. Storms novels, but this one is only for series fans. Coleman and the seniors are high throughout the book, and the combination of Honduras, bunnies, fake militia, and the CIA turn the story into a disorganized caper.--Lesa Holstine

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.