A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

A Dirty Job

by Christopher Moore

Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy. A little hapless, somewhat neurotic, more of a Beta than an Alpha Male. Charlie's been lucky, though. He owns a building in the heart of San Francisco, and runs a second-hand store with the help of a couple of loyal, if marginally insane, employees. He's married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normality. And she, Rachel, is about to have their first child.
But normal service is about to be interrupted. As Charlie prepares to go home after the birth, he sees a strange man dressed in mint-green at Rachel's hospital bedside - a man who claims that no one should be able to see him. But see him Charlie does, and from here on out, things get really weird. . . .
People start dropping dead around him, giant ravens perch on his building, and it seems that everywhere he goes, a dark presence whispers to him from under the streets. Strange names start appearing on his nightstand notepad, and before he knows it, those people end up dead, too. Yep, it seems that Charlie Asher has been recruited for a new job, an unpleasant but utterly necessary one: Death.

It's a dirty job. But hey, somebody's gotta do it.

Reviewed by thepunktheory on

4 of 5 stars

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This book is simply brilliant. Christopher Moore's dark humor is right down my alley. It's dark, it's weird, it's sarcastic - just the book for me.
What I especially like is that you can tell how much effort Moore must have put into research. His incorporates several theories concerning death and souls from all over the world.
Let me give you an example: Have you ever heard of the Morrigan? That's just one thing Charlie Asher has to put up: three spooky Irish battle chicks that are death! By now I'm completely into Irish mythology and it's super fascinating!
What I enjoyed most about A Dirty Job is the humor. I haven't read a novel this funny in a long time. Believe when I say it had to put my reader down several times because I just couldn't stop laughing!

Summing up I have to say that A Dirty Job simply is a must-read!
By the way, I'm certain that it would make for an awesome movie - I hope there will be an adaptation in the future.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 August, 2016: Finished reading
  • 1 August, 2016: Reviewed