I’m always a bit leery of a book with cover art like this that makes it seem like it will just be a string of bad jokes. Luckily, I gave this a try, and enjoyed the first book enough to purchase the second, then the third, all the way up to the tenth (so far) plus all three Deadman spinoffs. They just keep getting better and better, and that is not hyperbole. The characters start off a bit thin in book one, but over the following volumes they all develop into lovable members of the team you can’t imagine being without. This is definitely absurdist humor, but with a surprising amount of heart. There are quite a few times I laugh out loud listening to these.
The overarching plot between books gets better and more developed as the series continues, with recurring characters, and more and more serious themes treated with good humor and heartwarming sincerity.
I’d like to make special note of Phil Thron’s abilities as narrator. He does a great job with all the different voices, and each character is distinctly and vividly different, and instantly recognizable. You can tell it takes the first book or so for him to really come to grips with the different characters and how they should sound, but he quickly develops a feel for each of them. I can honestly say I wouldn’t have enjoyed these nearly so much if they had a different and less able narrator; Mr. Thron really makes them come alive in my minds eye.
Please try these books. If you enjoy a good chuckle, or just being entertained, I doubt you will dislike them or begrudge the time and money spent on the audiobook.