Orange Crush
Tim Dorsey
Serge Storms 3
Harper Torch 384 pages
Orange Crush by Tim Dorsey is the third book in the Serge Storms comic mystery series. This time around Dorsey has fun with politics. This comic mystery is set in the middle of a race for who will be Governor of Florida. Inventive, manic, and serial killer Serge Storms is along for the ride but it would be a spoiler to reveal how. Kindle version: Orange Crush (Serge Storms)
You are immediately made aware of Serge Storms’ presence in Orange Roadkill when Tim Dorsey opens his novel with a quote from a paper” 2 Heads Explode in Separate Incidents”. The next comic moment is when the campaign manager Todd Vanderbilt introduces accidental war hero and candidate Marlon Conrad to Big Tobacco, Big Oil, Big Sugar, and Big Rental Car as they are on their way to a party thrown by lobbyist Periwinkle Belvedere.
As in any Serge Storms mystery, the body count is high and the methods used to do the killings are quite original, This time around though Serge Storms may not be responsible for these deaths, no matter how creative the dispatching is.
Tim Dorsey is in extraordinary form here. Orange Crush includes a woman who does ventriquolism with her vajayjay, the hapless Florida Felons professional football team, and a winner-take-all wrestling match between the candidates. Most interesting is the tug-of war between Conrad’s two advisors, press secretary Muntjack “Jack” Pimento and Gottfried Escrow. Orange Crush refers to a van promoting the product that Pimento decides is perfect for driving a future governor around Florida.
If you are looking for a funny, rollicking mystery novel that entertains while poking fun at politics and the snakes that inhabit that world, Orange Crush is a sure bet. It is even prescient with a candidate who does not read anything and wants every news item in three words or less.
The third Serge Storms comic mystery compares most favorably with the funniest mysteries by Carl Hiaasen. If you like Tim Dorsey, you will most probably enjoy Laurence Shames.
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