I’ve read a few other books by Christopher Moore and this looked fun. So. In this story, Charlie Asher, a secondhand shop owner with a kid on the way suddenly finds that he’s moonlighting as Death. Which sort of casts a pall on the evening. (Sorry, obscure Python reference there). Anyway, in Moore’s typical light-hearted style, bad things may happen but quirky characters make the best of the situation – a situation that only keeps getting stranger. Quick, non-taxing, mostly fun read, nothing super great though. One plot point that the reader sees a mile off catches Charlie by surprise. I hate that. Still, this guy writes an entertaining story. ( )

Moore will probably never be able to top Lamb, but I liked this one as much as I liked Fluke and better than The Stupidest Angel. He's just funny, that's all there is to it. ( )

A friend sent me Moore's "Death Merchant" book to take to the hospital for something light and funny to read. In A Dirty Job, second-hand dealer Charlie finds himself experiencing several life-changes after the birth of his daughter and subsequent death of his wife. He has unexpectedly become a Death Merchant, and is responsible for collecting the souls of the recently departed so they can be passed on to the soul-less - and if he fails there will be hell to pay.

What I found most amusing about Moore's novel were his descriptions of newborns/children and parenting. He captures the complete cluelessness of new parents perfectly, and presents a modern and eclectic style of parenting that is at once charmingly awkward and oddly realistic.

The novel as a whole is enjoyable, if painfully obvious. His presentation of the superstition is the most unimaginative part of the novel, and I found myself glossing over passages about the Morrigan to get back to his modern characters.

A Dirty Job is good for a light read and a chuckle. ( )

It relies too much on a type of humor that won't tickle everyone. The first section, 100 pages or so were almost exclusively this, without much plot. While initially funny, I almost got tired enough of it to put it down, but there was just enough hope to keep me going. I'm glad I did. After that, the plot developed nicely & it was a fun read. It's a neat world that Moore created with a fun mythology about Death & he takes an insider look at San Francisco that will tickle any native, I think. I'd guess someone who lived there would give it at least another star. ( )

This is a FABULOUS book that is alternately hilarious, heart-warming, profane, fun and beautiful. ( )

Only Christopher Moore can make death hysterically funny, sad, insightful and sweet all at the same time.

Charlie Asher, dealing with a terrible loss, discovers he is a chosen one. He has the dirty job of being the newest member of the Death Merchants whose primary job is to gather soul and help the departed move on. How he deals with this revelation and the chaos that surrounds him is a very funny story.

This story had me actually laughing out loud with tears in my eyes. This is an instant favorite. ( )

I listened to the audiobook, read by Fisher Stevens. Very funny story and great performance by Stevens. ( )

Well done, but not as well as Fool. This book overlaps with Bloodsucking Fiends and You Suck. I thought is was good comedy, but it doesn't compare with Fool. I put it on par with Lamb. ( )

Hilarious and fun. The first Christopher Moore book I've read and it won't be the last. ( )

This book was GREAT! This is the second Moore book I've read and was NOT disappointed!

This one wasn’t as full of cracks as Lamb was. Every other sentence held a joke on top of another joke in Lamb, but A Dirty Job wasn‘t as outrageous. I liked that he toned it down a bit for this one because it allowed for a more interesting book, aside from the humor. I was surprised that not only was I held in suspense and in fits of laughter, but I was also touched by the story. This book had soul (forgive the pun). It’s still hilarious, of course, but it’s more situational humor- like Moore describing the world in the funny, insane way only he can.

The plot was unique, exciting and interesting. The writing was superb and I scarfed down this book like a birthday cake!

Don't pass this one up! ( )

An easy read. I finished it in an afternoon. The book was funny at times. It had quite a colorful cast of characters and it held my interest.Still, I doubt I'll be reading anymore books by this author. I don't like actual monsters as characters and that seems to be his modus operandi. ( )

I have seen Moore's name splashed all over the covers of books that look like something that I would want to read. So I finally pick up one of his books and hope that I am not disappointed, because everyone knows that you can't judge a book by it's cover.

Wonderful, funny and urbane. A great read that is enjoyable and smart. I can't wait to get my hands on his other books! ( )

Overall, one of the most amazing books I have ever read! Moore kills me with his sick and twisted humor. Charlie Asher is a character you will definitely route for, and his daughter Sophie is a character you just fall in love with. This book threw me for a loop in every chapter, I had no idea what to expect. Even at the end (don't worry I am not going to spoil it) but believe me at the end of the book there is a Epilogue PLEASE READ IT when you are done. If you love fantasy this book is jam packed with it, in a funny way. I especially loved Minty Fresh one of the Death Merchants he was a very interesting character. Charlies sister Jane was histarical, overall the character were phenominal. The plot was so suspensful I could not put the book down. This book was definitly a new twist on death, and boy was it amazing! ( )

I listened to Fisher Stevens read this on CD and he did an excellent job bringing Moore's characters to life. Charlie Asher finds himself a soul merchant. Sort of along the lines of the popular TV show, Dead Like Me, only he doesn't actually escort the souls to their next destination. He finds the people's souls in treasured items and must collect these before they fall into the wrong, dark hands. Once he has these souls, he only gives them up when the right person comes along who needs a soul.

Of course, evil entities are trying to get these souls to strengthen themselves so they can take over the world, and there are so many twists and turns and squirrel people with chicken feet, hell hounds, Jews, Buddhists, lesbians, The Emperor of San Francisco--it's just crazy!

Not my favorite Moore, but definitely entertaining enough to spend one's time on. Funny guy and a quirky writer. ( )

I loved this book. ( )

I was looking for a whimsical book to accompany me on a business trip, and this was the book I chose. It turned out that it was a good choice. Nobody will be writing any lengthy dissertations about this book, and a review any longer than a paragraph would treat the material with more seriousness than it demands of its readers. Moore brings a sardonic phrasing to the task of telling this story, and I found myself laughing out loud a few times. In this case, one can judge a book by its cover (a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek illustration by William Staehle). A reviewer criticized Moore’s later works (of which this is one) as not having gone through enough of an editorial process, but this book seems as if it was redacted from the original manuscript a bit too much, perhaps as much as 40 pages. I will not give anything away by observing that a significant character shows up toward the end of the book, who should have been present throughout the story. Moore introduces her to us with a very awkward narrative tool, by which the character explains what she’s been doing since she was a child, until that very moment, which violates the “show, don’t tell” rule of writing. Nevertheless, an amusing read. ( )

A fun, leisure read. This is very humorous. Good for late high school level students.

My first Moore. I will definitely be reading more. This book was so heartbreaking at the beginning that I didn't want to read the rest of it, but, thankfully, I have a rule that I must finish every book I start. And this sort of thing is the reason why. It was hysterical, bizarre, and completely different from most things I've ever read. Despite the light, popular comedy tone that Moore uses through most of the book, he's clearly capable of more poetic turns of phrase, which gave the book a deeper wealth of feeling. It wasn't just light comedy, it was a great meditation on death. I'm glad I read it. ( )

A genuinely funny "in your face" look at death and its subculture. Set in contemporary San Francisco, Moore's use of time and place couldn't have been better for the bizzare cast of characters he created. Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 50 years I found myself feeling like I was visiting my old haunts one more time which was an added bonus for me. Aside from the walk down memory lane, the story itself is both imaginative and insiteful. Imaginative in his use of a bizzare fantasy world, and insiteful as he delves into a subject most of us find emotionally painful and thus avoid. Despite his liberal use of profanity I found the book to be an emotionally satisfying read. ( )

A laugh out loud novel that is truly amazing to read. I fell in love with Christopher Moore through this novel and I love his satire! A Dirty Job: A Novel is about a man who becomes a soul merchant... finding peoples' souls that are trapped in their most believed material possessions and then gives them to the people whose body lacks a soul. At the same time, dark creatures are attempting to steal the souls to replenish themselves in order to take over the world and plunge it into darkness. Who will be the big D?
Wonderful novel that any person should read, unless that person is of course a short- sighted old crone who believes that shagging and and such should be left for closed doors, lol ( )

Opening Sentence: '...Charlie Asher walked the earth like an ant walks on the surface of water, as if the slightest misstep might send him plummeting through the surface to be sucked into the depths below...'

Charlie Asher is an average man leading an average life. He is married to a beautiful woman who loves him for being himself. The story opens in tragedy, the wife dies shortly after giving birth to their daughter and Charlie sees a man dressed in green beside her bed who seems to be very upset that Charlie can see him.

Shortly after this people start dropping dead around Charlie, he has somehow become a death merchant - or death helper. He has to track down people who have just died or are about to die and collect their soul vessel (which conveniently glows red) so it can be passed on to somebody else who really needs it. Simple enough, or so it seems until the Morrigan show up. The Morrigan are large black bird-like creatures who live in the storm sewers of San Francisco. Somehow the Death has disappeared and the death helpers are all who stand between the Morrigan safe in the underworld and them causing havoc in our world. Charlie has to figure out how to do his job quickly in order to save the world from everlasting darkness.

Moore has some really interesting characters - the daughter Sophie who has some very strange pets - a pair of hellhounds - and some very strange talents. Another death merchant, a 7 foot American negro called Minty Fresh - yes he was the man in green. Charlie's lesbian sister who pinches clothes from his closet. Charlie's two employees - an ex-cop, with a penchant for Asian Transvestite Internet lovers, who thinks Charlie is a serial killer, and a Goth high school girl who doesn't go to school much at all, but instead steals Charlie's "How To" manual for being a death helper before Charlie even knows there are instructions.

Being a death helper is a dirty job. But, hey! Somebody's gotta do it. Like most of Moore's novels, there is a lot of messy plots. But they are a wonderful mess - it had me consistently laughing out loud while offering some very serious moments to balance. ( )

Verdaderamente divertido! ( )

First Christopher Moore book that I have read. Story was different, imaginative, and I enjoyed it. Especially the humor. ( )

I love Christopher Moore but for some reason I remember very little of his books after I read them. I couldn't really remember any of the recurring characters, but it didn't matter. It was a great book, fun read. Moore has a fantastic sense of imagination. ( )

I have noticed that as writers get more popular, their books become more rushed, the plot less thought out, the characters not as fully developed, the hand of an editor noticeably absent. I guess this should come as no surprise. The publisher knows the title will sell, so why take the extra time?

Unfortunately, Moore is an author who suffers from this malady. Ever since Lamb, which I think was his high point, his books have been—while still entertaining—lacking the sparkle that made his earlier novels so much fun.

In A Dirty Job, Moore explores how Death works—and by Death, I mean the guy with the black robe and scythe. Except Death turns out to be several rather innocuous guys and gals, most of them shopkeepers, who suddenly find themselves charged with picking up and reselling objects containing the souls of the recently deceased. How this whole process works—and why it works that way—is not adequately explained. Questions come to mind: What is the difference between a person with a soul and a person without one? Why does someone reach middle age or even old age without a soul? When the soul passes on to another person, does the soul’s personality take over the former personality of the new owner, like demonic possession?

But never mind all that, because the plot is about horrific wraith creatures that live in the sewers and are trying to take over the surface world, and the return of something called the Luminatus, which is actually the capital-D Death (or so the book implies). Nothing ever comes together very well, and the end is an unexplained letdown, but the story is still fun and, in many parts, funny. ( )