Rating: 
Summary: Okay
Review: I enjoyed this book even though I felt some parts were too long winded and that there were too many characters to keep track of. At some points I lost track of the plot and couldn't find the point. Overall though an enjoyable read. I will read others by Dorsey.
Rating: 
Summary: No More Comparing!
Review: I have been a fan of Tim Dorsey ever since I accidentally ran across Flordia Roadkill, the hardcover, being sold for 5 bucks at Media Play.
So, now I have been reading these reviews on Mr. Dorsey, always comparing him to Hiaaisan. In my opinion Dorsey has opened up a whole new way of writing. Hiaaisan, writes controled while Dorsey is writing at such a fast pace it's a wonder his computer doesn't explode!
Tim Dorsey also comes up with unbelievable plots, with outrageuos characters, unlike Hiaaisan with his predictable plots and under-developed characters. In my opinion there should be no comparison here. People should be comparing Hiaaisan to Dorsey!
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious and Very Familiar!
Review: I have lived in Tampa nearly my whole life and this excellent novel brings back memories. Please consider me a combination of Chester "Porkshop" Dole and Serg A. Storms. I work as a security guard and like Serg suffer from OCD.
The description of Tampa International Airport and the bridges over the bay all lit up at night is outstanding. I love to sit atop The Marriott Airport Hotel and watch traffic going over the bridges at night. Its every bit as scenic as described in the book.
I also have been to The Piano Bar in St.Petersburg and enjoyed my first ever glass of Franz Kaner there. I also met a District Attorney there.
This book has some of the finest dialogue ever written. Its funny and fits together.
The book's only downside is the plot. The plot could have been more creative but I still strongly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious and Very Familiar!
Review: I have lived in Tampa nearly my whole life and this excellent novel brings back memories. Please consider me a combination of Chester "Porkshop" Dole and Serg A. Storms. I work as a security guard and like Serg suffer from OCD.
The description of Tampa International Airport and the bridges over the bay all lit up at night is outstanding. I love to sit atop The Marriott Airport Hotel and watch traffic going over the bridges at night. Its every bit as scenic as described in the book.
I also have been to The Piano Bar in St.Petersburg and enjoyed my first ever glass of Franz Kaner there. I also met a District Attorney there.
This book has some of the finest dialogue ever written. Its funny and fits together.
The book's only downside is the plot. The plot could have been more creative but I still strongly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Get Hammered!
Review: I think I liked this even better than Florida Roadkill, and that's going some. The overall level of lunacy remains the same, but as another reader mentioned, it seems Dorsey reined things in a bit during the second half of this one. Pieces fell together tighter than a jigsaw puzzle. If you haven't read Florida Roadkill, I'd recommend it before taking on Hammerhead-although this could definitely stand on its own. And if you haven't seen Key Largo-or don't remember it that well-watching it before reading Hammerhead Ranch will enhance the high.
Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 stars
Review: I truly enjoyed this comedic and at times horrific novel. This was a true pleasure to read. Characters such as Johnny Vegas and his attempts at losing his virginity, too Boris 'the hateful piece of s###', lend an originality I find refreshing. Though most characters are a bit shady, you can't help but feel a little compassion for them. The book had a tendency to jump around a little too much for me, but since I read it in a short period of time, I could hang with it.Highly recommended
Rating:
Summary: Get ready to laugh
Review: I won't give a step by step plot review of the book, suffice it to say it's just crazy and that you should read Florida Roadkill (Mr. Dorsey's first novel) first so that you can put some of the recurring characters in context. Otherwise clear your schedule, fill up a cooler, open yourself up to a bent sense of humor and sit back and enjoy the ride. It's been quite awhile since a book was this fun.
Rating:
Summary: Top notch
Review: I've read all of Christopher Moore, Carl Hiaasen, Bill Fitzhugh, and John Welter's books, when I encountered Tim Dorsey, and what a delightful surprise it was, as I hadn't really heard or seen much about him before, compared to the above writers. If you're a fan of any of the above, and especially of Hiaasen, then you'll like Dorsey too, especially this book. I rank this novel with the best of Hiaasen, and in fact it's probably the best thing I've read in the genre in some time. I would recommend you read Florida Roadkill first, as some of the same characters appear also in Hammerhead Ranch, especially Serge, who I would also say is the most memorable character to come along since Skink in Hiaasen's books. As another reviewer here said, one can't help but wonder what would have happened if Skink had met Serge. Florida Roadkill is also excellent, but Hammerhead Ranch is even better, but it's still worthwhile reading as it's sort of a prequel to Hammerhead Ranch. Not the least of its merits is that the character, Serge, is introduced in Florida Roadkill, and has a major role in both books. There are many similarities between the two authors, perhaps not surprising since they write for neighboring newspapers in south Florida. If anything, Dorsey's books are even more darkly satirical than Hiaasen's, and I would also say his books are more violent too. There are lots of bad guys in his books, and very few good guys. The bad guys are always scamming, swindling, and otherwise preying on each other, and as there's no honor among thieves, the dead body count in a Dorsey book is pretty impressive by the time you reach the end. To sum up, this is a very funny book, and the book's main idea is really great, so I'll describe it briefly here. Almost every room at the Hammerhead Ranch is occupied by some sort of criminal, ranging from low-life scumbags to more high-powered criminal elements, who are using the Ranch as their base of operations. Several of the residents are trying to find each other so they can steal the money in the briefcase (you'll be hearing plenty about the briefcase) but don't yet know that they're both operating out of the Ranch. Anyway, Dorsey came up with a great idea and makes the most of it to create a very funny book. Definitely worth your time and money.
Rating:
Summary: A Wacky Florida Adventure
Review: If you like Carl Hiaasen's books, you will be delighted to discover author Tim Dorsey and his zany cast of characters. Those of us old enough to remember traveling to Florida with the family for summer vacations in the 1950s and 1960s, before the interstate highways were built, remember the brightly-painted, mom-and-pop motels, complete with shuffleboard courts. Out of this grew Dorsey's second novel, "Hammerhead Ranch Motel." Filled with wacky characters, the Hammerhead Ranch Motel is a sleazy, run-down motel on Florida's west coast. Staying at the motel are the Diaz Boys, a group of cocaine duckpins who survive by sheer luck and their ten thousand stolen zebra-striped beepers; Zargoaz, aka Harvey Fiddlebottom, runs his sweepstakes scam from a motel room; undercover cops running sting operations on other undercover cops. If that's not enough to interest you, Dorsey throws in Serge A. Storms, a guy off his medication and in hiding out from the cops, while watching the silver briefcase containing five million dollars. And if that's still not enough, Dorsey throws in a hurricane! "Hammerhead Ranch Motel" and Dorsey's first novel, "Florida Roadkill" will give you hours of delightful reading and make you think twice when you pass one of the state's few remaining little mom-and-pop motels.
Rating:
Summary: Very Funny
Review: In his sequel to Florida Roadkill, Tim Dorsey kept me up all night turning the pages so fast that I got paper cuts. Serge is back, and with a new and improved Coleman-type character, Hammerhead Ranch Motel quickly recaptures the dark but irresistable humor of the first book. The only complaint I have is that it's harder to follow the characters in this book, but Dorsey manages to get everyone together in the wonderful and unpredictable finale. I'd have to say that as a Florida resident, I love the way this book makes fun of everything corrupt about Florida- very Carl Hiiasen! However, you don't need to be from Florida to appreciate the humor and satire that Dorsey churns out, and everyone will love the eclectic group of characters that spill out of the pages. All the great characters that made it alive throught the last novel are back - Sean and David, Johnny Vegas, and my favorite criminally insane Floridaphile, Serge. Dorsey brings in new characters that are a delight, from bad guys you can't help but love, to the good guys that are, to say the least, a little eccentric. So, buy this book, but don't start reading it unless you have a lot of free time, because you won't be able to put it down.
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