Triggerfish Twist

By: Tim Dorsey

Narrated by: George K. Wilson

Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

Ensconced in a lovely tropical villa on idyllic Triggerfish Lane, Jim Davenport anticipates the good life to come. But this isn't living -- it's Florida, and the neighborhood is not quite what it seems. It's got overly aggressive Little League parents, drug-free Rastafarians, homicidal hookers, unnatural sex and casual violence. Oh, yes, and there's a psychopathic serial killer-cum-Sunshine-State folklorist named Serge A. Storms living directly across the street. So it's only a matter of time before Jim up and actually kills somebody...

©2002 Tim Dorsey (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

Excellent Serge--captures Tampa perfectly!

As a former resident of Tampa, and aware of all the crime, reputation, boundary "wars", and perverse reputation for strip clubs and citizen-funded stadiums, this book had me hooting! At best, Tampa is weird with a history of corrupt politics and bizarre planning. At worst, it was a haven for car-jackings, real estate scams, and home invasions. All this was coupled with the pseudo society perched on Bayshore Blvd., which did, indeed flood at the slightest rain. The car dealers are accurately portrayed, as would be the impossible plight of a transplanted mid-westerner. Perfect!

But fortunately there is the well-versed Serge, with his own strict and twisted code of honor. It is impossible not to learn a lot of Florida's checkered history when reading one of these books--a truly fascinating aspect to the read.

Dorsey is a Tampa resident who has an incredibly deft and humorous way of depicting the city's foibles, and those of its often misguided residents. This is one of the more hilarious of the Serge books, as it seems a bit closer to reality--bizarre as it seems. (The editor does need to make sure the narrator (not my favorite) knows the pronunciations of landmarks. The Don Caesar Hotel is a historical tradition, and not pronounced like "Caesar" in "Julius Caesar", but always pronounced "say-zar", with the emphasis on the "zar".)

Hilarious book for anyone!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

revenge with a whoopie cushion.

If you like your humorous revenge psychopathic, this is the story for you. Before there was Dexter, there was Serge, and he isn't fooling anybody. He's your (vastly hyper and annoying) friend for life... unless you're a jerk... then you're dead! In some elaborate and hilarious way. I love the way Dorsey weaves together disparate strands into his typical explosive climaxes. He is a careful plotter and a very clever writer. Love it.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Serge to the rescue!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Oh, yes, for sure. What to listen to a book that will make you laugh out loud? This will do it!

What did you like best about this story?

Serge, the anti-hero, villain, hero, whatever you want to call him.....and the funny thing, I KNOW people like him!

Which character – as performed by George K. Wilson – was your favorite?

Serge

If you could rename Triggerfish Twist, what would you call it?

no change, this was perfect

Any additional comments?

What a great read, or listen as the case may be!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Serge Lite

If you could sum up Triggerfish Twist in three words, what would they be?

Serge Goes Straight -- he talks about it anyway, but his idea of going straight includes a kidnap for ransom to finance going straight, so...

What was one of the most memorable moments of Triggerfish Twist?

The most memorable moments of any Serge Storms book is when Serge goes on one of his semi-coherent, super-coherent rants. In Triggerfish, he gives the commencement address at a local Tampa college, even though he is not on the faculty (which doesn't stop him from holding a popular lecture class on Florida history and culture). His advice to the graduates is, of course, priceless.

What does George K. Wilson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The way George Wilson reads Serge, especially when he riffs on this and that, simply cannot be replicated in reading the print version. It requires this kind of performance. And after yay many Serge Storms books, he has it down pat. At this point, I've read two of Tim Dorsey's first five Serge Storms books in print and listened to two others on audio, and audio is hands down the winning format -- the fifth of those first five is cued up in Audible for a listen in the near future.

If you could rename Triggerfish Twist, what would you call it?

I wouldn't even try. Tim Dorsey's books are the entire package, from the cover art to the titles, not to mention the contents and characters. It would be a fool's errand to try to one-up him.

Any additional comments?

These questions are highly specific. Beyond that, Triggerfish Twist stands out in two ways:

1. Although it was Dorsey's third Serge Storms novel, it either predates or is concurrent with the first, Florida Roadkill, in its timeline. Dorsey explained that it was the only way to write about characters who were killed off in earlier books that fell later in the timeline (although somehow Coleman comes back from the dead in later books after apparently dying in Roadkill). You can see why Dorsey wanted to resurrect Coleman in Triggerfish -- his character really comes to life, and is hilarious.

2. This book is laugh out loud funny. Not quite as over the top as other Serge Storms books -- Serge only arranges two Rube Goldberg murders, and much of the remainder of the book is about very eccentric but mostly ordinary people, with a relatively low body count. So all in all, a bit on the light side, but still hilarious.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Like TV shows "My Name is Earl" & "Seinfeld"

Any additional comments?

This is my first Serge Storms book. Although this is the fourth book in a series, I felt that the book could stand alone.

The book takes the best parts of the TV shows like "My Name is Earl" and "Seinfeld." In Serge Storms, you have an anti-hero (in this case a sociopath/petty theft) with a cast of zany characters inhabiting a neighborhood in Tampa. Poor decisions are made and unfortunate events occur. These missteps unwittingly become magnified by Serge, his violent, coked-out girlfriend, Sharon, and stoner buddy, Coleman until all chaos breaks out.

This is book is hysterical and had me replaying chapters to re-listen to the funniest parts. The author has a wickedly funny perspective on American culture and the city of Tampa, in particular.

The narrator effectively uses different inflections and tones to distinguish the characters. I could tell who was speaking from the narration voice. He uses a nasal voice for most characters, especially the law-abiding characters naive to the plots of various rouges. This may detract for some readers, but I found it a communicated the innocence of the characters.

The book involves sexual matter and murder. If you are easily offended, you probably should pass on this book.

For myself, I will be returning to Tim Dorsey's Tampa again to read the first book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Where it starts to be a series, imho

I say this, even though the events in this book obviously take place during the time frame of Florida Roadkill--sometime between when Serge and Coleman meet Sharon, and when they go to the World Series. Actually, the chronology is a bit dodgy in all the books and, at least once, Serge mentions that sort of thing as one of his pet peeves, so you know it's intentional. (My researches tell me that the author intends the books to be read in the order published.)

Serge is in all of the books, including the first three, although some people apparently had trouble recognizing him in Orange Crush. (They must not have been paying attention. Admittedly, that one is different, though.) One of the later audiobooks includes an interview with Tim Dorsey and he says that when he wrote Florida Roadkill, he didn't have it in mind to make a Serge series, but then things just sort of headed in that direction. Now that I've read all 16 books and am starting through them again, I feel like this is the one where the "Serge Storms Series" really hits its stride. (But I recommend reading them all.)

Just FYI: My mental image of Serge is a sort of morphing of Mike Myers/Jimmy Fallon/Johnny Depp, but I definitely think Depp should play him in the movies.

We find out more about his past, and his "professional" rivalry with a police officer named Mahoney. His obsessive passion for Florida history is well established. After this, you can just go ahead and start laughing whenever someone says something along the lines of, "Nothing can possibly go wrong now." Most importantly, from here on, we begin to know which events will likely cause Serge to get out the duct tape and head for Home Depot. (That thumping you hear from the trunk of his car will be one of his new "friends.")

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Might Make You Re-Think Retiring to Florida

Wow! Don't know who came first, Tim Dorsey or Carl Hiasson, but they are right up the same twisted Florida alley . . . or lane! The most average family in the world moves from the Midwest to Tampa and finds out that it is a different planet (maybe in a different galaxy) inhabited by the wackiest cast of characters you could imagine. For the first half of the book, while the characters are being introduced, I wasn't sure if I was listening to a novel or a set of short stories. It eventually becomes clear that the characters are all on a collision course with one another, through a series of comedic events that could be almost believable individually but combine in a crazy, surreal whirlwind to take your breath away. There were a couple of times I wished I was holding a book in my hands instead of listening, so that I could go back and refresh my memory or easily re-read something. The narration was terrific; when the narrator wasn't in "character" he made it sound like a documentary which added to the fun. In character as Serge, he reminded me of Ignatowski from Taxi. Laughed out loud several times, and was so impressed with Serge's commencement address that I googled and found it online. Wacky Florida crime stories are one of my favorite genres, but this was my first Tim Dorsey. Will definitely read more!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I must have missed something

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

This seemed like a bad joke, but then I am not familiar with this style of book. I expected it to be a mystery by the description, and I honestly don't know what it is. There is absolutely nothing that would have improved the experience. First time in years I've considered ditching a book halfway (actually much sooner) through.

Has Triggerfish Twist turned you off from other books in this genre?

It has made me very wary of descriptions, as I do not consider this a serious mystery.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

It wasn't the narrator's fault--the story is so badly written and so incoherent.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Irritation. I feel like I was sold a bad joke. Had I paid full price for the book, I would have probably complained as the description did nothing to warn me.

Any additional comments?

Descriptions should be more accurate, and I wish reviewers would not assume that those considering books have read other work by the same author. Obviously I wouldn't have bought this one if I'd ever had the misfortune of reading another of this type, but I came into it cold and would have liked to know it was nonsensical (and not in a good way).

4 of 6 people found this review helpful

Poor Narrator

love Tim Dorsey books, but the narrator is hard to listen to and there are very little differences between characters, making it hard to follow. wish there was another narrator option for the earlier Serge books.

Perhaps the best and most twisted of the series!

A hysterically funny little tale fortified with twisted craziness that exemplifies the trailer park spectacle that is Florida!

All streets should have a Serge Storms

This is a fun book. It is a fantastical romp and if you are looking for a realistic book then probably not for you.

Serge Storms moves into a family street which has been targeted by an unpleasant property developer for redevelopment and with Dorsey's usual cast of oddballs, plenty of chaos, misunderstandings and murders follow. Sure, there is plenty of death, creatively meted out, but none of it is disturbing or frightening. Without any doubt the reader is rooting for Serge and his attempt to fit-in with an 'apple-pie' vision of small-town family life.

George Wilson's narration is fine. Others could have probably done better justice to the book. Nevertheless he produces a creditable workmanlike delivery.

This book won't give you brain strain. It is an easy, upbeat listen and will probably brighten your day.

Triggered my giggle bones

Yet another master piece of writing, It such fun and Serge should be president of the US

I love this series Keep them comming Tim