Death Warmed Over

By: Kevin J. Anderson

Narrated by: Phil Gigante

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's Summary

Ever since the Big Uneasy unleashed vampires, werewolves, and other undead denizens on the world, it’s been hell being a detective — especially for zombie P.I. Dan Chambeaux. Taking on the creepiest of cases in the Unnatural Quarter with a human lawyer for a partner and a ghost for a girlfriend, Chambeaux redefines “dead on arrival".

But just because he was murdered doesn’t mean he’d leave his clients in the lurch. Besides, zombies are so good at lurching. Now he’s back from the dead and back in business — with a caseload that’s downright unnatural. A resurrected mummy is suing the museum that put him on display. Two witches, victims of a curse gone terribly wrong, seek restitution from a publisher for not using “spell check” on its magical tomes. And he’s got to figure out a very personal question — Who killed him?

For Dan Chambeaux, it’s all in a day’s work. (Still, does everybody have to call him “Shamble”?) Funny, fresh, and irresistible, this cadaverous caper puts the P.I. in R.I.P…. with a vengeance.

©2012 Kevin J. Anderson (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Wickedly funny, deviously twisted and enormously satisfying. This is a big juicy bite of zombie goodness. Two decaying thumbs up!” (Jonathan Maberry)

"The Dan Shamble books are great fun." (Simon R. Green)

Meh

"Meh" sums it up. Not bad, not great. Narrator's female characterizations were annoying. Not much of a mystery, villain is pretty obvious, as was the ending. Overall, it was ok but I can't recommend it.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

What goes ha ha plop?

A zombie laughing his head off. Do ghouls eat popcorn with their fingers? No they eat their fingers separate. (spoiler alert) Those were the two best jokes in the entire book.

This is cute and sometimes silly. You will often crack a smile, but you will not LOL. I thought it was ok, just not real good. I am always routing for Anderson. He has written over forty novels, and most people don't know who he is. His problem to me is that he is always writing in other peoples' universes. His Seven Suns saga which I like is probably his best work. I have read the first five novels in that saga and plan on reading them all. Even though this was ok, I will not continue the series. With great writers like Jim Butcher, Dean Koontz and Christopher Moore, why waste my time with a pretender.

My advice to Anderson is to return to Science Fiction and come up with something original.

Narrator was pretty good.

13 of 16 people found this review helpful

Not sure where to start

I've listened to a number of books, but I've never quit one in the middle. This time I did. All the silly monster cliches were there, but made sillier. Plus the ridiculous PC-ness of the whole thing. White (living) males are the clear bad/immoral/icky people. The monsters, all ethnicities but caucasian, and anyone dead hold the moral high ground. Can you be preachier?
Save yourself and your monthly credit. Skip this one.

5 of 8 people found this review helpful

An interesting idea, just not well written.

What would have made Death Warmed Over better?

The story needed a lot of punching up. This seemed like something written by a high school student. The concept is cool but the execution is weak at best.

Has Death Warmed Over turned you off from other books in this genre?

Thre really is no other genre quite like this. The idea of a zombie PI in New Orleans seems like a can't miss, but it does. I'd still read a similar novel as the concept is great.

What three words best describe Phil Gigante’s voice?

Fun, average, tight. I have heard other books narrarated by Mr. Gigante and he is excellent. He just didn't have much to work with on this novel.

What character would you cut from Death Warmed Over?

Most of the characters are not particularly memorable, so I couldn't say.

Any additional comments?

I hope the author works on his technical skills as he has a great concept here. I'd pass on this one and save your credits for another book.

4 of 7 people found this review helpful

Imaginative and enjoyable

What made the experience of listening to Death Warmed Over the most enjoyable?

The acting brought the words to life.

What other book might you compare Death Warmed Over to and why?

The only other series that comes to mind is the one "One Foot in the Grave", again a comedy and mystery with a supernatural character.

What does Phil Gigante bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His vocal changes and accents put you right in the South and the story.

4 of 7 people found this review helpful

Zombie fun!

Any additional comments?

4 Stars!

I did not expect to enjoy this book nearly as much as I did in the end. This book is incredibly original with enough humor that I found myself chucking every once in a while. I have a slightly weird sense of humor and something about this book just clicked for me. I tend to listen to audiobooks just a little bit at a time and I found that worked well with this book.

I think that oftentimes books with any paranormal element take themselves too seriously. Not this book. This book jumps in and doesn't really take anything seriously. The main character Dan Chambeaux's name is even open for jokes - Did you notice that this is the Dan Shamble, Zombie PI series? I love just thinking about a world where if you come back as a zombie or ghost, you simply brush yourself off and go back to your life. In this case, Dan goes back to work as a Private Investigator and works to solve not only his own murder but that of his ghostly girlfriend.

I did solve the big mystery before the big reveal but I had a lot of fun during the journey. This book actually had several different smaller mysteries as Dan worked on his caseload. Each of these cases brought new and colorful characters into the mix. In this book, the author was able to create a completely likeable zombie. That shouldn't even be possible but I really liked Dan. The other characters in the book were really just as much fun.

The narrator did a remarkable job with this story. In fact, I don't think that this story would have be quite as enjoyable without his narration. I am amazed at how well he did various voices and I never had any difficulty in keeping all of the characters straight in my head. I really think that this is a case where a narrator was able to take a good story and make it great. This is the first audiobook with Phil Gigante as the narrator that I have listened to but I will definitely look for him in the future.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a dose of laughs with their light paranormal reads. This story is quick, easy, and a whole lot of fun. I would highly recommend the audiobook version of this story if at all possible because I really think that is the best way to experience this story. I hope to listen to the next one in the series in the near future.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Antoher Great Title

I feel in love with Phil Gigante during my listening of The Stainless Steel Rat series and was desperately waiting for another good series to come around that would combine a good book with a good narrator.

Imagine my pleasure when I found Kevin Anderson's Dan Shamble series.

I look forward to many more books to come in the series. Already anxiously awaiting the next books release.

2 of 4 people found this review helpful

Clever word play does not make something funny

Very clever wording. Each line stands alone but they don't mesh together. Overall this is a formula book, nothing special.

3 of 6 people found this review helpful

I Loved This Book

What made the experience of listening to Death Warmed Over the most enjoyable?

I gave this book a chance and i loved it. The story was fun for any zombie lover looking for something a little different. I really cant with for the next one.

3 of 6 people found this review helpful

My husband and I LOVED this!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

YES, I would recommend this for a great laugh! By far the funniest Zombie book ever! Sure, it is not Romero-esque BUT true fans of the zombie genre love all zombie books...the historial, the hysterical and the in-between!

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Pharoah! Talk about a superiority complex! Hilarious!

What about Phil Gigante’s performance did you like?

The voices and his timing. I almost forgot he was narrating!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES! I only stopped to text my husband "Did you get to the part where..."

Any additional comments?

It was a great read and so excited to get book 2! Keep them coming!

3 of 6 people found this review helpful