A proper detective novel grips you from the opening, drags you through the mud and rain-slick streets and makes you want to scream "Who did it? Which of these bastards did it?! What happened to that guy???!!!"
The Obituarist does all that and more. A brilliant piece in voice, structure, wit and mystery, every chapter ends with a punch in the gut moment - literally, in one case. The lead character isn't a detective - he's the titular obituarist, a specialist in cleaning up the online detritus left behind when someone dies - but he has an office in Port Virtue, a scummy little town full of low-lifes; he lives an isolated, hand-to-mouth existence, has a client who walks in the door and turns his life upside down, and a dodgy relationship with the fuzz. He also has a unique voice, an irreverence, worldview and sense of humour that belongs very much in the 21st century, even as he flawlessly evokes a genre with roots eighty years old.
That's another thing about The Obituarist: this book isn't just a gripping detective story, defining a new sub-genre I have coined "Facebook Noir". No: it's also really funny. The situations are serious, but the prose and our protagonist are both whip-smart and funny as hell.
This is different in tone and structure from O'Duffy's other work, like the brilliant
Hotel Flamingo
, but his voice still shines through and leaves you both satisfied and wanting more. I hope he returns to Port Virtue for another dose, 'cos I'm hooked and I'm gonna need another fix.
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![The Obituarist by [Patrick O'Duffy]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31FeQvMoWRL._SY346_.jpg)
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Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2012
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Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2013
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Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2012
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Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2013
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Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2012
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Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
Right good romp
Reviewed in Australia on December 22, 2019Verified Purchase
