Hurricane Punch

Wyman has a daunting assignment: finding the right voice for Dorsey's larger-than-life antihero, Serge A. Storms, a likable, certifiably insane serial killer who rarely stops talking long enough to breathe. Wyman settles on just the right combination of tones for the screwball sociopath's generally amusing rants against government, the media, marriage and ignorant cops. At first, Storms seems like just another motormouth Florida crime crazy, but Dorsey makes us move past his verbal diarrhea to the oddly honorable, moral, blissfully happy man who just happens to be a raving wacko. Wyman undercuts the character's in-your-face boorish nattering with a redemptive exuberance and a winning joy of life. He also has no trouble delineating supporting characters like a dazed and reluctant newspaper reporter; a dim, dogged federal agent on Storms's trail; a pompous news executive; several neurotic psychologists; and another serial killer in the area. The result may not be a masterwork of suspense—there's never a doubt that Storms will prevail against knife, gun or twister—but you couldn't ask for a funnier guide to the Sunshine State, with or without hurricane. Simultaneous release with the Morrow hardcover (Reviews, Dec. 11). (Feb.)