Florida Roadkill
Encyclopedia
Florida Roadkill is the first book in the unnamed series of books by Tim Dorsey
which were centered on his character Serge Storms
. It was published in 1999 by William Morrow and Company, an imprint of HarperCollins
.
Note that although Triggerfish Twist
was written several years later, the events of Twist take place at some unspecified point in the middle of those in Florida Roadkill (as Dorsey's web site puts it, Tim didn't know what he was doing and killed too many people he later decided he needed).
in which the Florida Marlins
won a stunning upset in Miami
. Intelligent but sociopathic
criminal Serge Storms meets up with heartless stripper Sharon Rhodes and brainless drug addict Seymore "Coleman" Bunsen, who become his travelling companions and partners in crime. Serge hatches a plan to steal an enormous fraudulent insurance settlement from an oversexed dentist
, but the money proves surprisingly elusive. Storms and company pursue the metal briefcase containing the cash until the two companions meet untimely ends; Serge suffocates
Sharon by spraying "Fix-A-Flat" into her lungs, and Coleman is later shot to death.
The book has two meandering subplots which eventually tie in with the main plot. The first involves a pair of longtime buddies who are participating in their annual unsuccessful fishing trip. They spend a great deal of time reminiscing, and their stories lend an odd thoughtfulness to Dorsey's trigger-happy writing style (a thoughtfulness which would later apparently be shelved until Orange Crush
). Without their knowledge, the briefcase of money is hidden in the trunk of their car.
The second, slightly more comic, subplot deals with three bikeless biker
s — Stinky
, Ringworm and Cheese-Dick
— who have been rejected from every biker group they have encountered and are on the down and out. They find an odd sort of niche as hired muscle in a retirement community
, but are ultimately forced out by the community staff who want the seniors as miserable as possible. They spend the rest of the time yacht
ing in a boat on loan from the retirement community's manager until they meet up with a deranged pervert who kills two of them (Cheese-Dick having died when accidentally shot with a flare gun
).
A number of minor characters (such as Bradley Xeno, the boat captain, and McJagger, the retirement community operator) make minor appearances in the following book, Hammerhead Ranch Motel
.
Tim Dorsey
Tim Dorsey is an American novelist. His writing style is frequently compared to those of Dave Barry and Carl Hiaasen . Dorsey's books are crime capers in the Florida style pioneered by John D. MacDonald.-Biography:Dorsey was born in Indiana but moved to Florida at an early age...
which were centered on his character Serge Storms
Serge A. Storms
Serge A. Storms is the main fictional character in most of Tim Dorsey's novels . His name is a pun on storm surge.In most of Dorsey's books, Storms is in his mid-forties in age...
. It was published in 1999 by William Morrow and Company, an imprint of HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
.
Note that although Triggerfish Twist
Triggerfish Twist
Triggerfish Twist is the fourth book in Tim Dorsey's as-yet unnamed series of books which were centered on Serge A. Storms. It was published in 2002. The book takes place in the summer of 1997, somewhere in the midst of the events of Florida Roadkill...
was written several years later, the events of Twist take place at some unspecified point in the middle of those in Florida Roadkill (as Dorsey's web site puts it, Tim didn't know what he was doing and killed too many people he later decided he needed).
Plot summary
Roadkill is set in 1997, against the backdrop of that year's World Series1997 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 18, 1997 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, FloridaThe first World Series game in the state of Florida, Game 1 featured a youngster and a veteran facing each other on the mound...
in which the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
won a stunning upset in Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. Intelligent but sociopathic
Antisocial personality disorder
Antisocial personality disorder is described by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition , as an Axis II personality disorder characterized by "...a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood...
criminal Serge Storms meets up with heartless stripper Sharon Rhodes and brainless drug addict Seymore "Coleman" Bunsen, who become his travelling companions and partners in crime. Serge hatches a plan to steal an enormous fraudulent insurance settlement from an oversexed dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
, but the money proves surprisingly elusive. Storms and company pursue the metal briefcase containing the cash until the two companions meet untimely ends; Serge suffocates
Asphyxia
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body that arises from being unable to breathe normally. An example of asphyxia is choking. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which primarily affects the tissues and organs...
Sharon by spraying "Fix-A-Flat" into her lungs, and Coleman is later shot to death.
The book has two meandering subplots which eventually tie in with the main plot. The first involves a pair of longtime buddies who are participating in their annual unsuccessful fishing trip. They spend a great deal of time reminiscing, and their stories lend an odd thoughtfulness to Dorsey's trigger-happy writing style (a thoughtfulness which would later apparently be shelved until Orange Crush
Orange Crush (novel)
Orange Crush is Tim Dorsey's third novel, and the first not to star Serge A. Storms as the main character. It is a frequently dark spoof of the politics of Florida and the United States' involvement in the Balkans.-Plot summary:...
). Without their knowledge, the briefcase of money is hidden in the trunk of their car.
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s — Stinky
Body odor
Body odor or body odour, sometimes colloquially abbreviated as B.O., is the smell of bacteria growing on the body. The bacteria multiply rapidly in the presence of sweat, but sweat itself is almost completely odorless to humans....
, Ringworm and Cheese-Dick
Smegma
Smegma is a combination of exfoliated epithelial cells, transudated skin oils, and moisture. It occurs in both female and male mammalian genitalia.-Human smegma:Both females and males produce smegma...
— who have been rejected from every biker group they have encountered and are on the down and out. They find an odd sort of niche as hired muscle in a retirement community
Retirement community
A retirement community, or active adult community, is a very broad, generic term that covers many varieties of housing for retirees and seniors - especially designed or geared for people who no longer work, or restricted to those over a certain age . It differs from a retirement home which is a...
, but are ultimately forced out by the community staff who want the seniors as miserable as possible. They spend the rest of the time yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
ing in a boat on loan from the retirement community's manager until they meet up with a deranged pervert who kills two of them (Cheese-Dick having died when accidentally shot with a flare gun
Flare gun
A flare gun is a firearm that launches flares. It is typically used for signalling, as distress signalling, at sea or from the ground to aircraft...
).
A number of minor characters (such as Bradley Xeno, the boat captain, and McJagger, the retirement community operator) make minor appearances in the following book, Hammerhead Ranch Motel
Hammerhead Ranch Motel
Hammerhead Ranch Motel is a novel by Tim Dorsey published in 2000. It continues the story, started in Florida Roadkill, of blithe psychopath Serge A. Storms and his pursuit of five million dollars in cash hidden in the trunk of a car...
.