A Dirty Job

By: Christopher Moore

Narrated by: Fisher Stevens

Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy. A little hapless, somewhat neurotic, sort of a hypochondriac. He's what's known as a Beta Male: the kind of fellow who makes his way through life by being careful and constant, you know, the one who's always there to pick up the pieces when the girl gets dumped by the bigger/taller/stronger Alpha Male.

But Charlie's been lucky. He owns a building in the heart of San Francisco, and runs a secondhand 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 normalcy. And she, Rachel, is about to have their first child.

Yes, Charlie's doing okay for a Beta. That is, until the day his daughter, Sophie, is born. Just as Charlie, exhausted from the birth, turns to go home, he sees a strange man in mint-green golf wear 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. Yup, 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.

©2006 Christopher Moore (P)2006 HarperCollinsPublishers

Critic reviews

• 2006 Quill Award Nominee

"Moore's enthusiasm and skill make it convincing, and his affection for the cast of weirdos gives the book an unexpected poignancy." (Publishers Weekly)

Death Has Never Been Funnier

Rarely, have I ever laughed so hard as I did while reading this novel. Christopher Moore is rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors. His off-beat humor makes his books such fun reads. This novel is funny, heartwarming and a fairly fast-paced read. Charlie's encounters with the sewer harpies have to be my favorite.

I thought Lamb was good, but I think this one has to move up to the No. 1 spot my favorite Moore book.

Fisher Stevens is a terrific narrator. I love his portrayal of Charlie - you can't help loving the guy and feeling sorry for him.

Also neat, is that you see a scene in this book that is also in Moore's "Bite Me." It was cool seeing it from another character's perspective.

This book is a winner!

my new favorite

I finished listening to this in 4 days. Fisher Stevens is hands down, the BEST narrator I've heard. I was never confused as to who the characters were and they had a lot of life to them. The story will have you in stitches but it has a satisfying arc that carries over till the great ending. Buy this audiobook.

Laugh out Loud!

If you like the unique writing of Christopher Moore, this is a great one! I had to stop listening to parts of it while I was driving because I laughed so hard. Death, portrayed in this story, is great! I loved the inclusion of some of the old favorites, like the Emperor. I enjoyed all of the new characters, would have liked some more info on some of the myths/legends, but missing that allowed Charlie to be "bumbling" around. Christopher Moore can take the whackiest of ideas and turn them into something plausible for a story, come on...the squirrel people! Even the most absurb has a place in his tales.

I hated the several musical interludes between sections, what is the purpose of that? Especially a 70's kind of elevator stuff... Other than the music, the audio and narrator were excellent. This is a whacky way to spend some quality time, stress free and light. Sometimes you just want to read for fun!

One of my favorite audio books!

The story is hilarious, unlike anything else you've ever read or listened to, and the narrator is FANTASTIC -- his different voices for different characters really brings personality to the book. It's been a few weeks since I finished this one up and I find myself thinking back to different parts of it and recommending the book to others. A book about death probably shouldn't be so life changing... but it's just such a funny and charming story you can't help but root for the protagonist.

This was such a fun irreverent romp!

I loved the way this story took me away from life for a little while. Any listen that makes me laugh out loud gets my vote.

Really really funny

This book is impossible to describe, but take my word for it, listen to this is a place where you will not embarrass yourself.

Hilarious

If you're a college girl majoring in feminine studies, have never worked a day in your life, and spend your time on Tumblr and Twitter being an SJW, your sensitivities will be offended.

If you're not that, then you'll laugh your ass off.

loved this!

this was so funny and so well written. highly recommended. not many books like this come along.

a smile a minute.

this book was a joy to listen to, the plot was engaging to the point of distraction. i obsessively listened to and thinished this book in two days. you will not regret this.

Masterpiece

Amazing beautiful happy excellent funny smart genius READ ALL OF HIS STUFF! ❤️🌈💚

Thanks Chris 😉