Mermaid Confidential

A Novel (Serge Storms, Book 25)

By: Tim Dorsey

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Serge A. Storms gives condo living a try in this latest acid-splashed Florida crime caper from the “insanely funny” (New York Times Book Review) Tim Dorsey.

Serge A. Storms and his permanently baked sidekick, Coleman, have decided to pump the brakes and live on island time. After years of manic road tripping across their beloved Sunshine State, the irrepressible anti-heroes drop anchor in the Florida Keys. They settle down in Pelican Bay, a thriving condo complex with scenic views and friendly neighbors. But the community is at war with investors who are buying up units and leasing them to young vacationers who party at all hours. With their little slice of heaven on the line, Serge takes it upon himself to convince the tourists to move on and quickly becomes a local favorite.

Meanwhile, the island chain’s long and rich smuggling heritage is causing mayhem—a gang war erupts when a local drug lord passes the family business to his young, enterprising son, and the sun-loving residents are suddenly dodging bullets.

Luckily, Florida’s most lovable serial killer is there to help!

©2022 Tim Dorsey (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Need more

Reading series from start to finish and only 1 left! Guess I'll have to start over. Every book is better than the last! This would make a "killer" #Netflix or #Prime series - just be sure to keep the narrator.

Once again laugh outloud antics

Serge and Coleman are on a hiatus. Slowing down and enjoying life in Florida (as only they can do). And, I loved how the title came about!

outstanding and hilarious

This edition is the most fun Dorsey has been in a while. Just outstanding.

America's Physcpatic Hero Shines Again

Always a great listen. Serge and Coleman aging like fine wine. See you soon!

Another Tim Dorsey Hit

Once againTim Dorsey puts together a Florida tale worthy of the Serge and Coleman characters. Oliver Wyman is the man that brings these characters to life. No other narrator could do justice to the world that Mr. Dorsey creates

A win for the supporting characters

Let me honest from the get-go: I am a longtime fan of Dorsey's books BUT I've always read them. This is my first foray into his audiobooks and, to be brief.......wow. This is not a criticism; I've learned that the adventures of Serge and Coleman reach whole new levels when you have someone narrating them. If you're also no stranger to Dorsey's writing...you need to acquaint yourself with this medium.

Briefly, Serge and Coleman (well Serge anyway) have decided that they are done with the road trips and they've decided to settle down. Taking to the Keys, they purchase a condo so they can live their lives in relative peace....which is never possible with these two. In the meantime, we meet Mercado, a money man in his family's drug cartel, and Julie, a diligent caretaker of her father and of children residing at a local hospice. There is absolutely no reason for these two to speak, let alone ever meet. However, in typical Dorsey fashion, anything is possible. Their story, of all the storylines (Dorsey usually has three going at a time - a feat within itself) fascinated me the most. It's both heartening and heartbreaking but shows that it truly is a small world, no matter how big you get. Finally, we have the breakneck spree of Vix and her crew. After a drug deal gone bad, Vix and company are on the run...which becomes more of a crawl as blunder after blunder hinders their progress. Vix is the ultimate bad girl/femme fatale with the funniest origin story I've ever heard. In a nutshell, Vix is short for Vixen...as in the reindeer. Apparently, her parents had an over-fixation with Christmas and went so far as to name ALL of their kids after Santa's reindeer. Think of those names then think of them with children. So yeah, Vix has some issues. It's hard to feel sympathy for her despite her cheerful name.

Now, imagine that all of these characters are actually able to meet up in one giant moment of retribution and greed. It almost seems impossible based on the different roads the characters take to get to the same point. However, this is not new ground for Dorsey; it's a feature of all of his books and I'm always in awe of his ability to weave his tales together. This book didn't disappoint. It was definitely worth the wait. The only reason I give the story itself a 4 star rather than 5 is that there's a lot of jumping about the timeline and there's a lot of exposition to get through. I recognize that the exposition at least is needed for that ending to come about but the timeline jumping can be confusing if you're not paying attention. I listened to this book while working and I had to rewind several times to follow. In other words, don't do a highly detailed job while listening. You'll need the brain space to appreciate this insane tale.

Finally, I have to comment on the audiobook's narrator, Oliver Wyman. Holy s***. I was floored by his ability to morph into male and female characters at any moment. His portrayal of Serge and Coleman is EXACTLY how I always thought they'd sound - from Serge's manic tenor to Coleman's stoned baritone. Wyman's voice work with even the female characters of Julie and Vix is incredible - you are very aware you're dealing with women even though it's a man doing the voices. There are also several elderly women in various parts of the narrative and these are given the special elements needed to illustrate that age difference. Out of all the audiobooks I've listened to, with narrators from various countries around the world, I have never been so impressed by anyone as I am by Oliver Wyman. He's the main reason I say that Dorsey's books should be listened to rather than read. The hysterical, madcap nature of these stories shine through so much more under Wyman's care.

As I said at the beginning, I was behind on by this one book and read it in preparation of the next one. Though there's not always a big carryover from one story to the next in Dorsey's canon, it does help to have a basic knowledge. After hearing this story, both with Dorsey's writing genius and Wyman's auditory prowess, I honestly haven't looked forward to the next adventure so much. Giving Serge, Coleman, and their chosen company an actual voice beyond the page...well, it's a Floridian miracle.

Dorsey nails Florida again.

This book series should be mandatory listening for anyone considering relocating to Florida.
Florida isn't the shiny, happy postcard crap that gets sent to Sheboygan on a postcard. The seedy underbelly is alive and well and part of what makes this state spectacular. The author is fully aware of this and uses his experience as a Tampa journalist for inspiration. Some of the capers are far-fetched; but in Florida, they're not out of the realm of possibility.

Another banger by Dorsey.

As with all the other Serge Storm books I've read I loved it. I always get the paperbacks and this was my first time listening to one The narrator was good the voices for Serge and Coleman weren't what I have always imagined because for some reason I always read their voices in Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toros characters from the movie fear and Loathing in Las Vegas lol😂. hey it's just how they sounded when I would read them, don't judge me... anyway great book.

Surge comes through again

Another great story by Tom Dorsey. I love the Florida trivia mixed with Surge’s ingenious bonus rounds.
Surge has a soft spot for us senior citizens. I’m waiting for him to discover the Florida model railroad show circuit.

Serge Style

Love Dorsey's characters and world. my family and I have done several Serge mini-tours. looking forward to our next off season trip to the keys....mid week of course.