NAKED CAME THE FLORIDA MAN

Veteran chaos magnet Serge A. Storms (No Sunscreen for the Dead, 2019, etc.) tours the gravesites of famous Floridians from Flipper to Zora Neale Hurston.

Having done all in his power to amuse, confuse, and bamboozle those still living, Serge turns his attentions to the departed, dragging his best pal, Coleman, on a cemetery tour of the Sunshine State starting near mile marker 58 on Grassy Key, the marine life research center where America’s most famous dolphin is laid to rest. As he wends his way northward, Serge faces the usual Florida challenges: A hurricane is bearing down on him, and an assortment of petty grifters keep on preying on the innocent, requiring Serge to stop periodically and mete out ingenious and increasingly gory punishments. Serge’s greatest challenge, however, may come courtesy of pint-sized Chris, one of a squad of urchins who chase the jackrabbits flushed out when cane growers set their fields ablaze to clear the leaves and weeds just before harvest. Bullied by older classmates, scrawny Chris longs to develop enough speed chasing rabbits to join the high school football team and earn a college scholarship. But discovering a gold coin buried near a cane field suggests another option to finance Chris’ dream. Too bad notorious shipwreck salvager Capt. Crack Nasty is also after the gold. As Dorsey weaves back and forth in time between Serge and Chris, patient readers can enjoy a well-anticipated jolt when their paths finally cross. Meantime, there’s a treasure trove of trivia for Florida fans to savor.

Enough mayhem to raise the dead and delight the living.