I am so on the fence about this, but I feel like the concept alone deserves a star, so 3.5 to 4 it is.On the one hand, I could not get past the often heavy-handed nature of the humour. Anderson goes for the obvious joke at every opportunity, like a corny dad who cannot be stopped. If he'd just let a couple of low-hanging fruit alone, I think I would have laughed more than I rolled my eyes.Some really bugged me. He needed a dumb joke, so apparently rigor mortis doesn't end after 24-36 hours. Seriously, that threw me off so badly that I thought I'd missed something and the main character had actually died much more recently than I'd thought.But on the other hand, it's all so much like a point-and-click adventure game that I can't be too negative in retrospect. It's like someone played Tex Murphy, Gabriel Knight, and Grim Fandango, and then made their own game twenty years later. It doesn't have the same sort of charm or humour. But it all somehow sounds like it's coming from someone who knows that charm and humour firsthand and really wanted to emulate it.Sort of like the Tales of Monkey Island games. You can call it a pale imitation or an aspiring other.Yes, the mysteries are pretty obvious. No, it is not really worthy of others that can claim relation to noir--except maybe a Saturday morning cartoon. Chambeaux's catchphrase, "The cases don't solve themselves," proves that just like a nickname, you can't force a catchphrase, and he sometimes uses it when it makes no dang sense. I came to hate it, myself.But dang it, it's all so good-natured. It's like a dog who drools on EVERYTHING but you just love it and let it sleep on your favourite chair. You don't even know why, you just love that drippy dog. I’m delighted to have discovered this series, which is a mashup of traditional cozy mystery with urban fantasy. Take a little Sam Spade, mix in some Harry Dresden, and add a lot of often laugh out loud humor, and you have Dan Chambeaux, a zombie private detective living in the Undead Quarter of the Big Uneasy. For something like this to work, the author has to be an excellent world-builder, and the world of Dan Chambeaux is detailed and inventive. Vampires are often vain about their hair. Werewolves require industrial strength blow dryers. Mummies want slaves (“Slaves! An army of slaves to build my pyramids!”) … but must settle for interns. The fact that Chambeaux is a working P.I. means that he works several cases at once, providing subplots that add interest and breadth. One case is his own: he must solve the mystery of who murdered him.In addition to great world-building and a great story, “Death Warmed Over” also has natural, unforced, often hilarious humor. That is aided by the excellent narrator of the audio book version, Phil Gigante. I read this using Amazon’s WhisperSync technology that allows you to go back and forth between the Kindle and audio versions, and I’m very glad I did. Gigante handled the large cast of characters superbly and was an often hilarious delight to listen to. If you like cozies, urban fantasies, or humorous mysteries, I think you’ll thoroughly enjoy “Death Warmed Over.” I’m looking forward to exploring the rest of the series.
What do You think about Death Warmed Over (2012)?
This book was mildly entertaining but I have no interest in reading any more of this series.
—shan
This was actually a pretty good book. I enjoyed it, despite now long it took me to read it.
—tsajan
Well executed and fun, this set up a schtick and didn't disappoint.
—Cassie
