[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Tor Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
Summary
Charlie Fitzar has been in a bit of a rough patch. Laid off from his job as a journalist, divorced, his dad has died, and his half siblings are trying to sell his family house out from under him. He’s trying to survive on money from substitute teaching – enough said.
Then word arrives that his estranged uncle, Jack – a billionaire who ran a company building parking garages – has died. And one of his last requests was for Charlie to host his memorial service.
When someone tries to stab his uncle’s body – in the coffin – to be extra sure he’s really dead, Charlie starts to think there was more to Uncle Jack than he previously knew.
Review
This was absolutely amazing! Everything I hoped it would be – smart, sassy, funny, captivating. I was completely drawn into the story. Charlie is a fantastic point of view character – completely out of his depth but still a “good” guy at his core, even as he finds himself in this Bond-esque world of villains.
I laughed out loud all the way through this. My family only had to sit through 5 or 6 passages read aloud before my husband just pre-ordered a print copy for us. I would absolutely read this again! This is my favorite sort of science fiction – something I’ve come to expect from John Scalzi. As my husband often says, we’ve yet to be disappointed by a Scalzi book.
While I could see how a sequel could be carved out of how this story ends (and I’d read a sequel immediately), I don’t feel like that’s necessarily the plan for Charlie and his friends. This stands completely on its own. And I highly recommend it! If you’ve never tried a Scalzi book, and you like funny books and science fiction, I think you should give this a try. If you are already a fan of the author, do NOT miss this one. Audiobook fans should check this out as well as Wil Wheaton narrates. (Language, violence)
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*
*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!