Death Warmed Over (Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I.) [Paperback]

Kevin J. Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 28, 2012 | Series: Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I.

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. “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

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kevin J. Anderson is the author of the Star Wars: Jedi Academy trilogy, the Star Wars novel, Darksaber, and the comic series The Sith War for Dark Horse comics and the science fiction novel Blindfold. He has edited several Star Wars anthologies, including Tales From The Mos Eisley Cantina. He is a New York Times bestselling author and lives in California with his wife, Rebecca Moesta.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Kensington; First Edition edition (August 28, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780758277343
• ISBN-13: 978-0758277343
• ASIN: 0758277342
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #210,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kevin J. Anderson has written 50 national bestsellers and has over 23 million books in print worldwide in thirty languages. He has been nominated for the Nebula Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the SFX Readers' Choice Award; in 2012 at San Diego Comic Con he received the Faust Grand Master Award for Lifetime Achievement. He has written numerous bestselling and critically acclaimed novels in the Dune universe with Brian Herbert, as well as Star Wars and X-Files novels. In his original work, he is best known for his Saga of Seven Suns series, the Terra Incognita trilogy, the Dan Shamble Zombie PI series, and Clockwork Angels: The Novel with Neil Peart. Find out more about Kevin J. Anderson at www.wordfire.com.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#52 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

#80 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Science Fiction

#98 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure

#52 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction

#80 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Science Fiction

#98 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as Dark as Other Zombie PI Novels August 30, 2012

By SciFiChick TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Chambeaux, or "Shamble" as his friends like to call him, is a smart investigator with a big heart. Unfortunately, both he and his lady love are both dead. And that she's a ghost means that they can't even touch, so their relationship is mainly based on their past memories. While he tries to investigate both of their murders, it has to take a backseat to his client's problems.

Unlike most urban fantasies, this PI doesn't just follow one case. Chambeaux, together with his lawyer partner, has a handful of clients that keep them extremely busy. From a frightened vampire scared for his undead life to a rich werewolf trying to fight a prenup while divorcing her sleazy husband - Chambeaux is kept busy with stakeouts and searching for clues. Because of the abundance of character, the jumping around cases was a bit confusing at times. But several of them were great comedy relief and others dramatic and tense.

Tim Waggoner's Matt Richter zombie PI series is the first zombie series I read (though not the only), though Waggoner has more world-building and is a darker urban fantasy series with more horror and darker comedy. Anderson's new series is a bit more light-hearted and based here in the real world, after the "Big Uneasy" is unleashed, creating all kinds of monsters and undead. Fast-paced and full of fun characters, adventure, suspense, mystery, and humor - Death Warmed Over is the first in a promising new series. Urban fantasy fans should check out this unpredictable and complex story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Read September 9, 2012

By Skuldren

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

There are a lot of different types of stories out there, but Death Warmed Over is hard to top. Kevin J. Anderson takes the classic detective noir story and populates it with zombies, vampires, werewolves, mummies and every other sort of ghoul and goblin. The end result is a fun story full of surprises.

Heading into this book, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I knew it starred a zombie PI in a world filled with monsters including werewolf hitmen. However the cover struck me as a little cartoonish and comical, so it was a bit of a surprise when I came across some of the adult oriented content in the novel. Amid comical characters like vampire interior decorators and a pair of witch sisters, one of which who was accidentally turned into a sow, you almost get the feeling that this could be a kid's story. However there are some more mature elements like vampire porn, ZILF, zombie cougars, and BBV (big breasted vampires) that certainly let the reader know that this is not a kid's book. There's also some violence as people are sometimes torn limb from limb due to unfortunate encounters with the book's monsters. In fact, at one point a troll nearly deep fried a kid as a tasty snack. It's an odd combination but Kevin J. Anderson makes it work. By taking light hearted material and blending it with some darker stuff, he creates a believable mix that imitates the real world.

The bizarre setting for the story is based on an event called The Big Uneasy. About ten years ago an event occurred that caused the dead to rise, spirits to linger, and vampires, werewolves and the like to pop up. The book doesn't dwell very long on the details but instead focuses on the characters. Dan Chambeaux aka Dan Shamble is the main character.... He's a zombie private investigator and a partner in Chambeaux and Deyer Investigations. Since his death, he's accumulated a healthy pile of unsolved cases. Through the story, readers will get to dive into that pile as they're introduced to a wide variety of monsters and their peculiar circumstances. From persecuted undead clients to messy divorces where the spouse claims the person they married no longer exists now that they're a werewolf. There's a bit of mystery as the reader is left to wonder who killed Dan and how it might be related to his other cases. Plus each case also has it's own questions which layers on an additional mystery factor. Yet the ultimate driving factor is the characters themselves. As much as I wanted to know who killed Dan, what I really wanted to know was what was going to happen to him? Was he going to survive? Was he going to catch his murderer(s)? And most importantly, would his friends survive as well?

All in all it's a colorful combination of entertaining elements. Part Chinatown, part horror comedy, Death Warmed Over is entirely fun. The characters are enjoyable. The story is well paced and decently balanced between humor, drama, and action. Yet at the heart, it's a detective story so most of it is centered on dialog and plot progression as cases are solved, created, and linked together. I enjoyed it enough to give it a solid four out of five metal bikinis and recommend it to anyone who wants to shake up their normal reading diet with something a bit different. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A New PI is Reborn December 19, 2012

By Robert Junker

Format:Paperback

Dan Chambeaux is new on the literary scene, but he's already made a name for himself in my book.
His cases are light and fun. Something that few other Urban Fantasy series can say.
The book was a fun read and mostly well paced. It seemed things from other cases were being thrown at him a little too often. Although, with some of the cases that were just mentioned, I wouldn't mind knowing more about them in other books.
A very fun read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book December 3, 2012

By Steve

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I will absolutely keep buying these books. Kevin J. Anderson just joined my "Just Buy All His Books" list.

Somebody lit off a spell in New Orleans, and now we have lots of undead. Undead who still aren't sure about what's going on.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Temperature Is Just Right November 24, 2012

By Sean Smith

Format:Paperback

Death Warmed Over (Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I.) is a fantastic new book by critically acclaimed author Kevin J. Anderson. Anderson, who's most likely best known for his works in the Dune or Star Wars series, comes at his audience now with a fresh take on the world of the undead legal system.

Dan Shamble (real name Chambeaux) is the main man. We can describe him as a likable yet intelligent goof with a heart of gold. As a Zombie Private Investigator, I expected this book to really focus on one big case, and maybe dive in a bit of his personal back story. This wasn't the case for the most part. In fact, Shamble takes on a lot of cases at once! Including a quite hilarious wear wolf prenuptial disaster! These cases fill up a lot of time, while Shamble attempts to solve his biggest case. Who killed him?

His wife is a ghost, so they have a needless to say, different kind of relationship. But all the while Shamble attempts to help his never ending amount of clients, he is on the case to find out why he was murdered, and just who was the culprit.

The book was overall a fun, and very enjoyable read. Unlike other Zombie P.I. novels I read, this universe was slightly less dark and brooding, and used a comic relief system to make the unbelievable, believable. The humor in this book is cheesy, and sometimes predictable but it creates an atmosphere that after reading, makes me know that's what needed to be there.

If you're looking for a fun zombie read, this is the book for you. Kevin J. Anderson delivers fast paced action, with great back and forth dialog. Never a dull moment, and if you're anything like me, a very "can't-put-down" kind of book.