Medium Dead

By: Chris Dolley

Narrated by: Noelle Romano

Medium Dead is a fun urban fantasy chronicling the crime fighting adventures of Brenda - a reluctant medium - and Brian - a vigilante demon with an impish sense of humour. Think Stephanie Plum with magic and a dash of Carl Hiaasen.

Brenda Steele is smart, funny and out of her depth. A Vigilante Demon called Brian wants her to find murdered spirits and help him track down their killers. But Brian doesn't just catch criminals, he likes to play with them first, and make the punishment fit the crime. As he tells Brenda, "if all you did was turn up, capture the bad guy then leave - century after century - you'd die of boredom."

He's also reckless - his last partner died during one of his takedowns. Along the way, Brenda discovers that Brian isn't as old, or as powerful, as he led her to believe. He might even be human. Whereas the murderer they're hunting, and the child he's holding prisoner, might not.

©2011 Chris Dolley (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Hilarious ghost talker

I Really was laughing out loud during the beginning of this book. How can two people get in this much trouble?

Great humor tied into the paranormal world..

I stumbled onto this book by chance during a search on Audible. I decided to give it a try and I am very glad I did. A great twist on the paranormal genre as well as a fabulous sense of humor in the characters. I am going to find more soon by this Author. Great job by the Narrator as well.

Psychic and demon=Lucy and Ethel

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

Yes. It's funny, fast paced and a slightly different premise than any other paranormal fiction I've read.

What did you like best about this story?

The FBI hostage negotiation call line with phone tree options including a canary yellow SUV with bank robber on board bumper sticker and almost empty tank for faster get away.

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

Her delivery is perfect for the female character..

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes. I laughed all the way through.

Any additional comments?

This is an unexpected treasure. I'm going to look for more books by this author and this narrator.

Trying for screwball comedy, doesn't work

As another reviewer said, this is a matter of taste, but I find the subject matter at odds with the cheerful banter. Really good fiction draws the reader into the story, so that there is no thought as to how the work could be better. There are stories where the "bad guys" do terrible things and the "good guys" refuse to quit and remain confident, and still manage to be enraged by the terrible things that they are fighting against. Here the cheerful banter overwhelms the idea that children are being kidnapped, and old ladies kicked. We get a nod to isn't this awful, and onto the next joke. The best comedy never winks at the audience, and the characters in this book are constantly winking and noting how cute they are. To repeat, this is a matter of taste. For example I like the way Jim Butcher's Dresden never takes himself seriously, but takes keeping the world safe very seriously. I almost didn't finish this, because I felt insulted by the lame jokes, I just thought it would get past the silly phase and get better. All of which isn't to say that others might find this book funny, but Medium Dead does not fit my sense of humor.

Fun, Light and Entertaining

What did you love best about Medium Dead?

Sometimes I am just in the mood for something light and fun and this book was exactly what I was looking for.

What other book might you compare Medium Dead to and why?

Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen, Dead Medium by Peter John, Dirty Job by Christopher Moore (anything by Christopher Moore actually). All of these are light, fun and entertaining.