The Pope of Palm Beach

A Novel

By: Tim Dorsey

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

From Florida's "compulsively irreverent and shockingly funny" (Boston Globe) king of mayhem, the New York Times best-selling author Tim Dorsey, comes a diabolically madcap adventure featuring the indomitable Serge A. Storms.

No one worships the Sunshine State as much as Serge A. Storms. Perpetually hunting Floridian arcana and lore, he and his permanently baked sidekick, Coleman, are on the road again. This time they're on a frenzied literary pilgrimage that leads them back to Riviera Beach, the cozy seaside town where the boys spent their formative years.

Growing up, Serge was enthralled by the Legend of Riviera Beach, aka Darby, a welder at the port who surfed the local waves long before the hot spots were hot. A god on the water, the big-hearted surfer was a friend to everyone - the younger surfers, cops, politicians, wealthy businessmen, and ordinary Joes - a generosity of spirit that earned him the admiration of all. Meanwhile, there was a much murkier legend that made the rounds of the schoolyards from Serge's youth - that of the crazy hermit living in a makeshift jungle compound farther up the mysterious Loxahatchee River than anyone dared to venture.

Then Serge moved away. But never forgot.

Now he's back, with those legends looming larger than ever in the rearview mirror of his memory. As his literary odyssey moves north from Key West, closer and closer to his old stomping grounds, Serge digs into the past as only Serge can. Along the way, he unintentionally disturbs some long-forgotten ground, attracting the attention of a cast of villains that only Florida can produce.

As the body count grows, so does the list of questions:

Why are the guys in the hard hats worried about the monkeys? When do you hack a motel air-conditioner? How does Coleman get high with cat toys? Who is expecting the dildo? And will book tours ever be the same after Serge decides to check one out?

Told in alternating flashbacks between Serge and Coleman's childhoods and the present day, The Pope of Palm Beach is a witty and deliciously violent delight from the twisted imagination of Tim Dorsey.

©2018 Tim Dorsey (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

5 Stars well earned:)

This is a fantastic title. Looking forward to downloading the next adventure of Serge and Coleman. Oliver Wyman is a master narrator. Of all the Audible books I’ve listened to, he is now my absolute favorite.

Dang it, Dorsey! 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.

Great character development

Loved the mix of familiar and new characters, especially Darby Pope. One of the better books in the series.

Very entertaining

Serge storm is an excellent character that will keep you entertained for hours Not to mention all the other characters are perfect fit

More of Serge and Coleman!

I have every book already, and now I'll have every audiobook as well. Excellent stuff.

Excitedly Hilarious!

Loved every word, and the following words couldn't be read fast enough. Another great one by Tim.

The Write Stuff

What do a drawbridge, lithium ion battery, catnip, and silly string have in common with wild boars, pythons, bobcats, and egg-laying turtles? If you're a Serge Storms reader, you can probably guess in one try. If you haven't read any of the two dozen books starring Tim Dorsey's manic protagonist, do yourself a favor and figure it out by listening to this or any book in the series.

In this one, Serge's endless pursuit of Florida lore takes him and his faithful siekick Coleman on a tour of the haunts of the state's best known authors (of which there are many, well beyond Key West's Hemingway hangouts, as Serge notes early on). Along the way, Serge regales Coleman (and whoever else crosses his path) with his wealth of local knowledge, and acts in his own unique way against transgressions that violate his unique moral compass.

The last stop on the odyssey is Riviera Beach, childhood home of Serge and Coleman, and home of a fictional novelist who disappeared decades earlier shortly after the death of his mentor, the legendary surfer known as The Pope of Palm Beach. Serge then goes on a book tour in the guise of the author, with side-splitting results. I've read nearly half of these books and I haven't grown the least bit tired of them yet.

My only quibble is Oliver Wyman's voicing of Serge at the start. Wyman had already narrated a dozen Serge titles before this one, so Serge's voice should have been the same as always for the master of voices. But for the first hour, it was weird -- not a good weird -- before going back to normal. Threw me off -- would have been a showstopper if it had continued on. Not sure what accounts for this anomaly.

Tim Dorsey is in fine form

Though I've read (or listened) to every book in the Serge Storm series and enjoyed them all, it's occasionally felt like, in some recent installments, author Dorsey's heart wasn't entirely in it. Serge and his supporting cast have gone through their usual hijinks without quite the maniacal energy and wild sense of literary rule breaking (Deadpool has nothing on Serge at his best) that made his best books such a cover-to-cover delight. Well, as of this book, SOMETHING has changed. Dorsey seems to have a second wind, and the tone seem to have slightly shifted. Serge and Coleman are still tons of fun, but this book seems deeper and more grounded than several of the recent works. This book works as both comic novel and a solid crime story, and I really like it. In fact, I'm still debating if I should have given it five stars across the board. Probably, but I think Dorsey still has it in him to knock things up another notch, so he gets graded on a curve this time. I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing what he can do next.

Oh, and Oliver Wyman's narration is just perfect, capturing the voices of Dorsey's characters, and the timing that makes his comedy pay off to maximum effect. Excellent.

Another Serge and Coleman escapade...

Tim Dorsey is an amazingly talented writer. I just can't wait for the next installment to be released knowing full well Tim's pace is annual, never the less can not wait!! Pedal to the metal Tim.

These books are fantastic entertainment with a real strong travel guide for the state of Florida. If you want to learn about things Florida this is a most entertaining way to acquire that knowledge. Tim does amazing level of detail and facts in every volume (which probably is the reason for the annual release timeframe).

Oh and Oliver Wyman is fantastic too.

Thanks Tim from a neighbor and fan and keep em coming... via Brooksville, FL

Mostly great!

Loved the story, had a hard time with parts of the narration, but that’s merely a personal preference. The Serge in my head did not sound like that and it caused a little distraction from the overall experience but, again, that’s only my opinion.