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A review by mrfrank
The Riptide Ultra-Glide by Tim Dorsey
3.0
I was VERY close to giving this a 2 star rating. Ultimately it's not quite that bad. But if I were to rate is only among other Serge Storms books, it deffinitly would get a 2 star rating. THE RIPTIDE ULTRA-GLIDE just fell short of delivering the typical non-stop comedic capers of everyone's favorite nefarious Florida tour guide and his perpetually stoned sidekick.
The Serge and Coleman moments were the shining spots in this book. But, the erratic duo just weren't wrapped too tightly in the main plot until close to the end. That made them come off as so much filler and comic relief throughout the rest of the book. Also, there were just certain elements that were missing that we've all come to expect. Very few repeat characters (Lenny shows up for a brief cameo) and not enough tourism madness.
The crime plot is fine but it is also played out with far too much set up. Like I stated already, Serge and Coleman barely figure into the whole scheme until very near the end. Even the double and triplecross at the end didn't really excite me.
In the end, I felt this was a weak offering in the otherwise strong series. Not since Florida Overkill have I been so underwhealmed by a Tim Dorsey book. But hey, they can't all be winners, right? Especially as this is book 16 in the series. If we look at this as a baseball batting average, Dorsey is till batting well over .400! Those are hall of fame number my friends.
The Serge and Coleman moments were the shining spots in this book. But, the erratic duo just weren't wrapped too tightly in the main plot until close to the end. That made them come off as so much filler and comic relief throughout the rest of the book. Also, there were just certain elements that were missing that we've all come to expect. Very few repeat characters (Lenny shows up for a brief cameo) and not enough tourism madness.
The crime plot is fine but it is also played out with far too much set up. Like I stated already, Serge and Coleman barely figure into the whole scheme until very near the end. Even the double and triplecross at the end didn't really excite me.
In the end, I felt this was a weak offering in the otherwise strong series. Not since Florida Overkill have I been so underwhealmed by a Tim Dorsey book. But hey, they can't all be winners, right? Especially as this is book 16 in the series. If we look at this as a baseball batting average, Dorsey is till batting well over .400! Those are hall of fame number my friends.