Christopher Moore's Dirty Job is set in San Francisco, Calif., much like the vampire novels I have reviewed here and here. This book starts off with Charlie Asher and his wife Rachel, and they are about to have a baby. In one fateful moment, Charlie's world is turned upside down and inside out. His wife dies and he is left to be a single parent to his daughter, Sophie. This doesn't tell you anything the reader won't find out in the first few pages of the book.
***Spoiler Alert***
Charlie looks up to find a 7-foot tall black man standing over his dying wife and he's wearing a sea green leisure suit. Minty Fresh is a death merchant, and that is exactly what Charlie has become by seeing him. His wife dies, leaving him to parent his daughter alone. Charlie wakes up and finds notes on his bedside with people's names on them. These are the souls he must collect within the allotted time frame. Their souls get caught in material objects that only he and the other death merchants can see glowing red. Missing those soul vessels can spell dire trouble for the residents of San Francisco. The trouble that emerges shortly after a series of missteps by Charlie and others in the book. And only the luminatus can save them and the city.
***End Spoiler Alert***
My husband and I listened to this audiobook on our commutes to and from work. It was a riot to listen to, and I had a great time roaring with laughter at 5 A.M. People driving alongside us on the highway must have thought we were crazy.
I just love Moore's dark humor and his witty descriptions of his characters, their actions, the city, and the dark beings that live beneath the city. The Morrigan, the dark beings, play off of one another's weaknesses and bumble around the city trying to steal souls and bring darkness to the city.
Moore's imaginative language, plush with imagery, takes a witty look at death, life, from his 14-inch high squirrel people to the goth-girl turned chef to the Asian bride perusing ex-cop who works in Charlie's Second Hand store.
One scene in particular will make you stand up and say I better get the most out of this life. I must enjoy that wedge of cheese, every little lick, nibble, and swallow. The plot and language had us running through the audiobook and refusing to get out of the car when it came time to get into the office. While the plot was a little predictable, I enjoyed every minute of this book.
Also Reviewed by:
Monniblog
Books & Other Thoughts
No More Grumpy Bookseller
19 comments:
I've heard so much about Christopher Moore and this sounds right up my alley! I'll definitely have to check out some of his books.
I wish I had found his books earlier. They are fantastic. I have get my hands on the others now. LOL They are addictive.
I've always thought this book sounds very unique.
Do you and your husband commute together? It would be so fun to listen to audio books together.
yes, we commute together in the morning. We love listening to these books in the morning.
Hmmm...listening to his books might be the key. I have not been able to get into them by reading.
Great review!
I love listening to them. I've only read one book by him, but I still enjoyed it. I think the audio books are more fun though.
When I had a 45 minute commute to and from work audio books were the best way to make the time pass quickly and still be able to pay attention to the road.
Amber: Audiobooks have saved me and the hubby from arguing about the radio. He wants to listen to the latest hip hop and stuff, and I'd rather have the heavy metal or 80s station on the xm radio. LOL
I definitely want to read more of his other books now!
P.S. thanks for the link!
You are welcome. I'm glad that you stopped by. I am addicted to Moore's books now.
This sounds so good even though I tried to skim with half an eye over your spoiler alerts because I don't want to spoil it for myself.
i try not to give too much away in the spoilers. Most of the stuff I talked about you find out in about 4-5 chapters. :)
Not sure these books are my style, but they sound entertaining. This one sort of sounds like that "Dead Like Me" show that used to be on Showtime when they were all grim reapers.
I've never heard of Christopher Moore but that cover looks awesome!
Natasha: I just recently discovered this author. He is so funny...I enjoyed this book even more than the vampire novels he has put out there. I plan to start Coyote Blue soon, which involves tribal legends of Native Americans...It should be a fun read as well.
I'm glad you enjoyed this so much! It's my very favorite Christopher Moore novel (although there are others I love almost as much). It is so funny! I bullied my husband into taking a break from all those boring nonfiction books he usually reads and had him read it, and he ended up loving it, too. :-)
I reviewed it here
I posted your link!
Thanks! It was one of the first books I reviewed on my blog. Seems like an awful long time ago!
Would you believe I don't even remember what the first book I reviewed is? LOL
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