Hurricane Punch

By: Tim Dorsey

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 10 hrs

Publisher's Summary

Welcome to another typical summer in Florida, the season of the storms. Serge Storms.

Serial killer Serge A. Storms, that loveable, under-under-medicated dispenser of truth, justice, and trivia is back with a vengeance. And not a weirdness-laced moment too soon.

His cherished home state is about to take a beating, and from far more than the way-too-routine conga line of hurricanes bearing down on the peninsula. Corpses have begun turning up at a disturbing rate, even for Florida, and it looks like a brutal serial killer is on the loose. Serge vows to stop at nothing in his campaign to make All Things Right - unless if he gets bored or distracted by a cool souvenir or a whatever.

But his path won't be obstacle free.

Agent Mahoney has picked up the scent. The obsessive criminal profiler is convinced there is no second killer. Then there's Coleman, whose triathlete approach to the sport of polyabuse binging just might derail the mission more than the entire police community put together. The pace picks up. Winds howl, TV reporters fly around the beach, and questions mount: Who's stalking Tampa Bay's most sensitive journalist? Do multiple orgasms improve storm tracking? Why is the feeding-tube guy so quiet? All of which ultimately leads to the most pressing question on everyone's new-millennium lips: What would Serge do?

Listen to the sequel, Atomic Lobster.

©2007 by Tim Dorsey (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic Reviews

"As Serge evades law enforcement and perennial nemesis Agent Mahoney, his latest road trip allows him to skewer everything from President Bush to fast food establishments, with particular emphasis given to the foibles of the media (newspapers) for which Dorsey once worked." (Publishers Weekly)

Self-immolation. Death by Narrator

'Narrated By Oliver Wyman' should never have occurred.
Unless George K. Wilson is dead, Dorsey made a thunderous error in judgement or been raped by his publisher before changing narrators.
I am utterly enamored of audio books, consuming hundreds a year. When I find an author I enjoy, I read all his/her work chronologically, where I usually witness a slow but steady disintegration of creative prowess. But some go the distance.
Dorsey, considering his constant rehashing of certain bottomless Florida-esque themes, is somehow able to maintain the ‘fear and loathing’ mayhem quite nicely.
Until he ruined it with the ‘nails-on-a-chalkboard’ whine of Oliver Wyman. All the characters sound the same and Serge is not Serge unless delivered by George K. Wilson. I made it about three minutes into Hurricane Punch and threw it back.
How could you have made such a mindless, pusillanimous call? Is Coleman based on your own substance abuse behavior?
Shame on you, Tim Dorsey. Well, your shameless self-promotion via idiotic tee-shirts and baboonish hats is likely a clue.
Dorsey is beyond shame.

Narrater was a bad choice

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I listened to the book because Serge Storms is a train wreck that you just have to see. This is book 9 of the Serge Sorms series that I've listened to and it is destroyed by the new narrator. Who the f*** decided that George Wilson shouldn't finish the series? I hope he didn't die because I appreciate his other work. Was he to expensive for the corporate weinies. Who ever is responsible for this travisty can go to an apartment with Serge.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Oliver Wyman?

The original Geoge Wilson. What the hell are you people thinking? Did anybody listen to the the great performance by George Wilson before have that screeching sorry excuse for a narrator replace him. He tris different voices but Serge and Coleman sound the same. Serge always comes off as mad but those who listen to the series know that is bulls....

Any additional comments?

BRING BACK GEORGE WILSON. I WOULD PAY FOR THE BOOKS ALL OVER AGAIN TO HERE IT FROM THE MASTER.

Little things

I listened to this one for the second time on a recent trip and was surprised at how many little things I had missed the first time. It was amazingly fresh and funny all over again. I am planning to wait another year or so and try again.

I love Serge

Maybe it is because I am a psychiatric nurse but I love Serge. I am a now a devoted fan of Tim Dorsey. I hope some of his earlier works come out in Audible. I wrote him an email and he answered me and also hopes he has more audible books.

Get used to a new Serge Storms

Where does Hurricane Punch rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It took me the whole book to get used to the new voice of Serge Storms after the first 6 or 7 books read by another performer. The story was great but I'm still working on the mental picture of Serge from the new (new in 2007) voice.

Love the Series Do not like the new reader

I love all of Tim Dorsey's Serge Storms books, i have been listening to them in order of coming out on Audible. I loved the reader up until they changed the reader starting with
Hurricane Punch. The new reader is no Serge Storms.
The original reader made all the character voices different. This new readers voice sounds the same for too many (not all ) of the characters. His voice does not sound like the Serge we know and love.

I was almost going to stop listening to the series because of this new reader. But the books are still funny.

Audible, please have the original reader brought back.
The new one may be good for other books but NOT for Serge Storms

Bring back George Wilson

If you could sum up Hurricane Punch in three words, what would they be?

Bring back George Wilson. The story and humor is excellent but the reader is terrible.

Ruined by Narrator

If you first listened to "Torpedo Juice" narrated by George Wilson, as I did, then you, too, probably looked forward to Dorsey's other funnies. Unfortunately, Wyman takes the silly, but amusing, author's work over the top and into insufferable cartoonish juvenile fiction. His screaming and animations do not compensate for vocal and pacing limitations. Many times one cannot tell when he switches from one to another character and has only a few voices in his entire repertoire.

George Wilson, bringing a relaxed, almost deadpan, reader to the superior (original?) author of this genre, Carl Hiaasen, has us rolling on the floor.

Sadly, the loss of George Wilson and use of Wyman has us searching elsewhere for our Hiaasenish audio book fix. Any suggestions? In the meantime, I'll read Dorsey in print.

Oliver Wyman

really really.bad narration

loved the guy did the previous.books. this kid is way too young. bring back Wilson!!!

good solid Dorsey story, wrong narrator for Serge

What did you like best about Hurricane Punch? What did you like least?

Mahoney re-enters Serge's world - fun stuff

the narrator is not right for this series

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

it was the usual solid interesting character driven piece that you end up admiring

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Serge goes from sounding like an interesting, introspective, 40 year old Floridian who just happens to be crazy and doesn't mind killing people who totally deserve it, to an out of control 20 something year old who grew up in New York - Coleman never sounds stoned.

You shouldn't change out narrators like this in the middle of a series.

Not for the prudish or faint hearted

Dorsey has done it again. Anarchic fun, not for the prudish or faint hearted. I recommend listening to the series. It does not matter which order, they are individual stories.

I want to go to Florida with Serge as my guide.