Location : Cleveland, OH
Slowly, I am working my way through Florida, following in the trail that Tim Dorsey has blazed.
The third book by Tim Dorsey, Orange Crush, takes on the Florida political machine. Marlon Conrad is the Lieutenant Governor of Florida, more at home in front of video games than actually working for the State of Florida. When the current Governor dies in office (remember, this is Dorsey, the death is . . . well . . . memorable) Marlon finds himself the incumbent in the upcoming election. Except that a background check of his credentials finds that he never registered for the Selective Service. He signs up for the National Guard, expecting to do his time in Florida and then carry on with his life. Except that his unit gets called into battle in Bosnia. While serving, he has a life altering moment and returns to Florida a changed man. When it comes time to campaign for Governor, he takes to the road in an RV. Packed into the hotel-on-wheels, is his Chief of Staff, his closest advisor and speechwriter (who, it turns out is Serge Storms with a severe identity crisis), a wayward girl, and his campaign manager. Following in the wake of the RV is a serial killer, a crazed NFL owner, a maniac in a Ferrari, and the governor's challengers. Well, that an a lot of assorted characters. This is Dorsey, after all.
This was, by far, the best Dorsey novel I have read. Florida politics gets the heavy handed treatment, culminating in a knock down, drag out, no holds barred cage match between the two candidates for governor during a live WWE event in Tampa. Yes, there is wrestling in this campaign. We get to visit more historical sites, thanks to the road trip and Serge's expert guidance. There is the new NFL team owner, bent on getting his $30 Million of state money for his stadium (I loved the fan reactions to his pitiful football team, the Florida Felons). Are there one, or two, serial killers following the RV? Which one is the copycat? And if you are looking for a send up of campaigns, this is the satire for you. None of the major contributors are specifically named, but rather referred to as Big Oil, Big Sugar, and Big Pharmaceutical. When the contributions start rolling in, you get a play-by-play of the money from Marlon's Chief of Staff. With disdain, he announces $100 contributions.
I think that Dorsey really hit his stride with this novel. Sure, it is over-the-top, but it is a very entertaining read. For a good part of the novel, I was wondering "Where is Serge?" All the while, he is hiding in plain site. The RV, the stops in backwater Florida, the sub plots concerning campaign contributions, wives and mistresses, all adding to the excellent story. And you have to stay for the description of the typeface used in the book. I have never found a discussion of old typesetters so funny.
Highly recommended.
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