The Stingray Shuffle

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious
Review: 'The Stingray Shuffle' by Tim Dorsey is really more of a series of comedy skits than a novel. The so-called plot involves a madcap chase of briefcase containing $5 million in cash. While there are a few gratuitous murders this is hardly be called a crime story. Yet like Carl Hiaasen novels 'The Stingray Shuffle' contains plenty of Florida-isms; locals like me will love the historical references to Henry Flagler, the pioneering railroads of a century ago, etc. Too bad Tim Dorsey doesn't seem to have the satiric wit of Hiaasen. His humour is very childish in comparison.

Bottom line: a very silly yet often funny book. Passable.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book!
Review: I don't plan to write a long, drawn out review about this book. It's too psycho for a plot description. But this book is an extremely entertaining, random and hilarious story of a group of people in search of a briefcase filled with 5 million dollars. This book is so far over the top that it can't see the bottom. Some of the storyline is rediculous, and some of the jokes make you look around to see who you've offended just by reading the words. In some ways, this book is like reading South Park or Something about Mary.

A good story.... Not so much. But it is a wildly entertaining and easy read that it worth checking out.

Rating:
Summary: Dull at worst, thrilling at best...
Review: I love mysteries and thrillers with a little wit and humor (alla Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar series) so when I saw Stingray Shuffle, I was really excited. Upon starting the book, that excitement quickly faded. The book goes back and forth, switching focus between almost 10 characters, most with subplots of their own. Although this book is supposed to be a beach read, something you can pick up and put down any time, it turned out that unless you took notes, you would most likely be easily confused. The writing was indeed humorous but sometimes over the top.

My opinion on this book began to change about 3/4 into it, as I finally began to catch the drift and I was able to get more into the plot. Dorsey is a talented guy and there is no taking that away from him. The ending was awesome and really fun to read, however it took about 200+ pages of pain to get to that. I haven't ruled Dorsey out completly and would read another one of his books, however I would try to find one with a little more of a solid plot and about half of the amount of characters, as most of them are ridiculously one dimensional anyways. Dorsey should try writing a book with a believable plot but with funny characters who shine with wit and stupidity.

Rating:
Summary: Another funny book from Dorsey
Review: More terminally wacky zaniness from Dorsey. Like Hiaasen during his early years (and beyond), Dorsey just seems to get better with each passing book. Dorsey is a lot like Hiaasen, only with a significantly more violent twist. People are always getting bumped off, often in very creative ways. Since most of the characters seem to be criminals or other socially undesirable types who are always scamming or otherwise preying on each other (there being no honor among thieves), the body count at the end of his books is probably the highest of any of the authors in the genre. :-)

This book might be Dorsey's best yet, and it's at least as good as Triggerfish Twist. Serge and Coleman, Dorsey's two signature and perversely funny characters, are also in this book, so fans of the irrespressible and ethically addled duo won't be disappointed there. In fact, Serge give perhaps his most inspired monolog yet on some arcane Florida history in a courtroom after being brought up on charges of vandalism. The book is replete with other wacky plot elements, ranging from the missing satchel of five million dollars from a previous novel to immigrant crime cartel expatriates trying to buy a Russian nuclear submarine on the black market. Overall it's another fun-filled and wickedly funny romp from Dorsey.

Rating:
Summary: Help, need advice
Review: OK, anyone know of another author who comes close to Tim Dorsey in writing books that are as "laugh out loud" funny as Stingray Shuffle? I have read them all, and I will reread them. I was laughing just reading the reviews. Do not read this book for the plot, just get swept up in the wierd world of Serge Storms.

Rating:
Summary: Another Hilarious Serge Storms Adventure
Review: Picking up plotlines from each of Dorsey's previous books, the Stingray Shuffle follows the continuing adventures of Serge A. Storms and his pursuit of five million dollars he originally conned from a crooked insurance company in the first book of the series several years ago, Florida Roadkill. Tim Dorsey writes Serge A. Storms as a likeable pyschopathic serial killer. Charming one minute, insane killer the next. His main obession in the new book are trains, and the reader will learn a lot of archaic information about the topic while Storms pontificates every once in a while about the topic.

The Stingray Shuffle brings back several of the whacky characters from earlier books, such as Johnny Vegas, provides an explanation for Serge's amnesia in the third novel Orange Crush, while continuing the plotline from the ending of the Hammerhead Ranch Motel book. The new book features many new characters who drop in and out of the plot, including more than a few who die a tragic, but funny, death. Dorsey folds the book into itself by including a subplot about a book called "The Stingray Shuffle" with a similar plot as the real book itself. It becomes hard to know when you are reading about something in the "real" book as opposed to the "ficticious" book, both with the same name. As the plot moves from Florida to New York City, and back to Florida, most of the living characters collide on an Amtrak train ride where several of the loosely connected plotlines reach their climax.

Anyone interested in spending a few hours reading and laughing out loud should grab this book.

Rating:
Summary: What an awesome author!
Review: This guy Dorsey is really funny! His hero, Serge, despite being an obsessive compulsive, drug-addled serial killer, is someone who is truly likable. Although I haven't read Dorsey's earlier works that lead into The STINGRAY SHUFFLE, this book stands just fine on its own. Hollywood needs to grab this one!

Rating:
Summary: A Must Buy
Review: This whole series of books by Tim Dorsey can be described as a twisted and funny study on the dark side in all of human beings. Tim Dorsey manages to take everyday situations and make them incredibly funny. Based in Florida, the series follows the twisted life of Serge Storms (one of the best characters ever created) and all his sick, violent and disturbed adventures. Of course, along the way you will get to meet every kind of character you can imagine.

The interesting thing about this series is that behind all the funny stories, there are tons of social and political criticisms. I have read all the books in the series, and each one keeps getting better. If you are a fan of Quentin Tarantino movies, or South Park cartoons, you will love these books. A must buy.