A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

A Dirty Job
by Christopher Moore
$13.99
Paperback: 405 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (March 27, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0425150984
ISBN-13: 978-0060590284

Annotation/Flashtalk: "Congratulations, you've been chosen to act as Death. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it."

Summary:
The birth of your first child is supposed to be one of the highlights of your life; however, for Charlie Ascher, a mild-mannered beta-male, and second-hand store owner the day turns out to be so much more.  Charlie's wife Rachel dies shortly after childbirth, and Charlie sees a tall black man in a mint green suit by her bedside -- but no one else sees him.  The man turns out to be Minty Fresh, a soul-collector, or as Minty like to say - "death merchants." 

Charlie is coping with his grief and raising his daughter, Sophie, with the help of his sister and his neighbors, when strange things start to happen to him.  People start to die and objects near them begin to glow red.  Sophie begins to exhibit some unusual traits -- killing people by uttering the word "Kitty", and a very unlucky streak with pets, that is until she finds herself protected by two (big, like bear) hell hounds.  Minty steps in to help Charlie understand his new responsibility. 

In his new role, Charlie is tasked with collecting soul vessels of those people who passed, and then keeping them in his shop (which is the perfect cover for a death merchant) until the new owner comes in to buy it. He must strictly adhere to the names and dates that start showing up in his death datebook; for if he doesn't the underworld can take over.  As the story unfolds, the demons of the underworld, or in this case the San Francisco's sewers, start to get restless. Charlie and Minty, with the help of a police detective and Charlie's employee Lily work to keep the balance in order.

Genre/Subgenre: Absurdist Fiction/Paranormal

Evaluation: 3-stars

Blameless by Gail Carriger (The Parasol Protectorate #3)

Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate #3)
by Gail Carriger $7.99
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Orbit; Original edition (September 1, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0316074152
ISBN-13: 978-0316074155
Annotation/Flashtalk: A preternatural pregnant by a werewolf? Unheard of! Alexia unfaithful to the gorgeous Lord Maccon? No way! But why won't anyone believe her?

Summary:
At the onset of book three of the Parasol Protectorate, we find our heroine Alexia  pregnant, ousted from Woolesy Manner, a social pariah, removed from her post on the Shadow Council,and thoroughly in need of some tea.  She takes off on a journey with Floote and Madame Lefoux to Italy to find the Templars, the only people who might be able to explain her "infant inconvenience." Throughout their journey they are being stalked and attacked by vampires, only to be saved by an oddly-familiar dog, and on another occasion a hooded man.

Back in London, Professor Lyall is doing his best to maintain BURR business, and keep the Woolsey Pack together in the face of his inebriated Alpha, Lord Maccon, who has been drinking the formaldehyde, one of the few elixirs that can actually intoxicate a werewolf, out of Professor Lyall's specimens.  Lord Akeldama has left town, and his drones are also suspiciously missing.  Buffy, his best drone, has been taken captive and is being held underwater.  Once sober, Lord Maccon and Professor Lyall devise a plan to rescue Buffy, and in the post-rescue scuffle Buffy is shot.  The only way to save him is to turn him into a werewolf -- poaching a drone is going to cause some trouble, even if it was the only way to save his life. 

Coming to his senses and armed with new information, Lord Maccon reunites with Alexia as they wonder about the future of their offspring.

Genre/Subgenre: Fantasy/Romance/Humor/Steampunk

Evaluation: 4-stars

Soulless by Gail Carriger

Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate)
by Gail Carriger $7.99
Paperback: 310 pages
Publisher: Orbit; Original edition (October 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0316056634
ISBN-13: 978-0316056632
Part of a Series

Annotation/Flashtalk:
Armed with her intelligence, her silver-tipped parasol, and her special ability to neutralize the supernatural, can Alexis Tarabotti get to the bottom of the missing vampires and werewolves of London?

Summary:
Meet Alexia Tarabotti, a soulless one, or what the supernatural crowd living in this alternate version of 18th century London would call a preternatural. While her family doesn’t think her to be totally normal (Alexia is a bluestocking, forthright, and her curiosity often gets this unmarried spinster into some tight situations), they know nothing of her special abilities. Her special powers are only known to those of the supernatural set.

After her accidental killing of a rove vampire, Alexia finds herself in the middle of a curious mystery; the lone vampires and werewolves of London and the surrounds seem to be disappearing. Alexia receives an interesting invitation to meet with the hive queen of London’s most prestigious vampire family; upon leaving the hive house, Alexia is attacked. Enter Lord Maccon (handsome, ravenous, and did I mention Alpha werewolf of the most prestigious werewolf families in London?) to the rescue.

Despite Lord Macoon’s stated dislike for Alexia, and hers for him, they are somewhat forced to work together to solve the mystery of the disappearing werewolves and vampires, as we soon discover Alexia is on the kidnapper’s list as well.

Genre/Subgenre: Fantasy/Romance/Humor/Steampunk

Evaluation: 4-stars

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Heart-shaped Box: A Novel
by Joe Hill
$14.99
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; 1 Reprint edition (December 22, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0061944890
ISBN-13: 978-0061944895

Annotation/Flashtalk:

Sometimes your past comes back to haunt you; sometimes thier stepfather do. And, sometimes, the best way to hurt you, is to hurt the ones you love instead. Find out who is tormenting Judas Coyne and why in "Heart-shaped Box" by Joe Hill.

Summary:

Judas Coyne is an aging rocker; aside from music, his two favorite passions are groupies and collecting the macabre. His collection of the macabre includes drawings by John Wayne Gacy, a 16th century skull, a three-hundred-year-old signed witch’s confession, Alistair Crowley’s chessboard, and a real snuff film (which even makes him uncomfortable, but he cannot, for some reason get rid of).

He collects groupies too, never making a real connection. No sense in bothering to learn their names; he simply called them by the state where he picked them up, “Georgia” and “Florida” were his latest. When the relationship gets to a point where they want too much from him, Judas sends them packing.

One day Judas receives an invitation to bid on something so special, even he can’t pass it up:

"Buy my stepfather’s ghost…Do not think this is a stunt or a practical joke…The winning bidder will have something solid to show for their investment. I will send you his Sunday suit. I believe if his spirit is attached to anything, it has to be that."

When the UPS man delivers the suit in the heart-shaped box…a suit was not all that came; indeed, the ghost of Craddock McDermott had come along too. However, it wasn’t until Judas was up late one night that he realized that he got all he purchased and more. There, in his Shaker rocking chair, sat the ghost of McDermott wearing the Sunday suit and in place of his eyes were dark black scribbles.

Judas sets off on a trip with Georgia and his two dogs Angus and Bon to find the suit’s owner and get her to take back the ghost and the suit.

Genre/Subgenre: Horror/Paranormal

Evaluation: 3-stars.