A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

When I first heard about Christopher Moore's latest book, I thought, "shades of Terry Pratchett's DEATH books", but there is only a passing resemblance here. Both writers are humorous, but Moore's book has its own cosmology and, of course, doesn't take place on Discworld.

A Dirty Job is the story of a man (Charlie Asher), who loses his beloved wife when she dies giving birth to daughter Sophie. Charlie sees a death merchant (whom we later come to know as Minty Fresh--a 6'7" black man who always dresses in mint green suits) collecting Rachel's soul, which signals that he is about to become a death merchant. (There is a passing resemblence in the plot to the Showtime series, "Dead Like Me". ) At first, Charlie resists his new role, but he learns to accept it, after he finds out what happens when he doesn't collect souls.

In any case, a battle ensues (over the course of several years) between the various death merchants of San Francisco and the demons of the underworld. A quirky cast of characters makes the journey pleasurable, as does Moore's witty writing.

Recommended.