A Dirty Job: A Novel - Christopher Moore

A Boston Terrier Named Bummer

This was my second Moore book. The first was Lamb.
San Franciscan Charlie Asher is a Beta Male Widower who has just discovered that he is a death merchant. His daughter Sophie is his life. His lesbian sister won't stay out of his closet and the two people that work for him are an ex-cop with a penchant for Asian Transvestite Internet lovers and a Goth high school girl who doesn't go to school much at all, but instead steals Charlie's "How To" manual for death merchancy. And THAT is just the tip of this iceberg.
The Good: Well, Moore has done it again with his hilarious writing style. I mean, really, its laugh out loud funny and he always reminds me a bit of a supernatural/paranormal/off his rocker Hiaasen. I enjoy his liberal spray of swear words, and that he can take an honest look at the good in people in general. For every character has an endearing quality, even the Morrigan, his antagonists in the book. If you own or are planning to buy the paperback copy, read it in bed at night and you will have a nice surprise when you turn off the lights. There is always something cool about Moore's actual books too. At least, with both Lamb (I bought the gold leaf Bible copy) and the paperback edition of A Dirty Job, the actual book is pretty neat too. Too bad it wasn't red.
The Bad: Well, as another reviewer pointed out, some of the jokes are beaten to death and others do seem to be filler. I cannot recall specifics but there is one part in A Dirty Job that involves bread that seemed a bit of a time waster to me. And I also agree with another reviewer that the Beta Male thing was a bit overdone. Enough already.
All in all, a good, quick, witty read that I would recommend.

Someone has to do it

I've just finished "A Dirty Job" by Christopher Moore. This book was a very interesting book. It caught my attention on the first page. The author uses a few sophisticated words here and there. It's a fiction novel because of the strange occurrences of death. These kinds of novels really catch my attention. Not because of death but because they always have a good story line.

"A Dirty Job" By Christopher Moore is about a man named Charlie Asher. He realizes that people around him keep dying. Also weird people are coming to him, and mail is being sent to his house from people he doesn't know. All of this started when his wife dies giving birth to his daughter. Charlie goes into a heavy depression and is on many drugs. He has his sister Jane there to help him out with taking care of the baby and managing his shop. Also a tall stranger who is a skinny man that is always in the dark keeps coming to look for Charlie at his shop. Another strange occurrence that happened is that Charlie thinks he killed a man. Now he really didn't but he thinks he did because Charlie freaked the guy out into the street and the man got hit by a bus pulling into the sidewalk and the man flew and slammed into a car window and died. After that
Charlie went to get the mans umbrella and a creature of some sort pulled it into the sewer.
Charlie had no idea what that was so he ran back to the shop to tell Jane. She didn't believe him.
She thought that all the drug's he was taking was making him see things. The last weird occurrence was the piece of mail he got the next day. Charlie wasn't home but that after noon a letter came for him. Jane had got the mail that day. She looked at the envelope it came in and opened it. She thought it was a catalogue of some sort. It was a guide of how to be death. Also a letter came saying "This is all you will need to know" signed M.F.

So do you think you might like this book? It really is an interesting book and I suggest reading it. It has a little horror and comedy. I love books like these.

not his best

I usually Love Love Love Christopher Moore.......this one.......not so much. Still worth the read, if you're a Moore fan.

A Riot!

I LOVED this book. It is the first book I have ever read by Christopher Moore and it wont be the last! I couldn't put it down. I don't believe I have ever laughed so much in my life! The characters were unlike any character you will ever meet again - Well thought out, lively and complete lunatics! Christopher's writing draws you right into the story from sentence one and before you know it you're sipping tea with Alice and the Mad Hatter wondering which one of the two is the "Alpha Male".
If you are up for a hilariously roaring good time, you must read this one!

Best book I've read in a long time

I laughed out loud more times than I can count. I had read Lamb and Island of the Sequined Love Nun and enjoyed them both, but A Dirty Job was by far my favorite Christopher Moore. I tried to recommend it to people, but as soon as you try to explain the plot they look at you like you're crazy! Everyone who actually read it after my recommendation raved about it. Well worth the time and money.