Atomic Lobster

Kindle (LFPL)

I've read a bunch of these "Serge Storms" novels by Dorsey, and they never fail to entertain. I am in awe of a mind that can come up with so many threads of absurd lunacy, keep them all straight, and tie them together at the end. I won't even try to summarize the plot, but this one involves a cruise ship, smuggling, mistaken identity, covert ops and of course, murder and mayhem as Serge and his sidekick invade an upscale Florida community posing as house sitters.

My only quibble is that Serge, a cheerful serial killer, murders someone who he was close to. (His usual MO is to kill deserving low-lifes in creative and gruesome ways.) That shocked me and kind of threw off the generally giddy vibe of the book, and this character, for me. ( )

This is my first Tim Dorsey novel, but I liked it enough to seek out more of his books. At first glance it reminded me of Carl Hiassen's novels, which I enjoy. There is a cast of wacky characters, good guys, bad guys and some in-between. Takes place in Florida.
When I first started reading, it was a little confusing. As each group of characters was introduced, the timeline jumped around and it was hard to keep everything straight. But after a few chapters, it turned into a regular, linear story and I started to enjoy it. I really liked the character Serge. He was funny and had a thirst for knowledge. I especially liked his interactions with Jim. I would like to read more about the two of them. I look forward to reading more from this author and will definitely put him on my list of books to read.
I received this book for free from the goodreads first-reads program. ( )

I knew nothing about this book, series, or author when I began reading. Dorsey got me with the free Kindle edition offer and I'm glad I downloaded the book. This was just the kind of thing I enjoy reading, a wild romp full of wacky characters, all of them likable in their own ways. I'll be looking for more of Serge (and hopefully the G-Unit!) soon. ( )

Normally, I'm a big fan of antic humor. I'm also a mystery fan, so if you promise me a schlubby, non-assertive guy forced to deal with serial killers who hate the rude, a free-basing, paranoid ex-NFL star, incompetant drug smugglers, burnt out government killers, rule-breaking grannies, and a Clowns vs. Mimes version of Fight Club, well, how could I not be amused? Except that I wasn't, really.

It's my own fault. This is the first Dorsey I've read, and it's clearly a sequel, bringing in charcters from many other Dorsey books. I just never connected with the characters, which might not have been a problem had I read the other books.

So Atomic Lobster gets a low rating, but I reserve the right to adjust if reading the earlier books does make a difference. ( )