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The Wrong Dead Guy

Book 2 in the series:Another Coop Heist

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The Wrong Dead Guy by Richard Kadrey is a wild and wacky heist story featuring Coop, a thief turned legitimate working for the Department of Paranormal Science (DOPS). Tasked with stealing a mummy named Harkhuf, Coop's assignment takes a chaotic turn when the mummy comes back to life with ancient magic and aims to conquer the world with an undead army. The book is described as quirky, chaotic, and funny, filled with zany situations, including an eclectic mix of characters like a magical elephant, a third-rate museum guard, and an animal rights group, all contributing to a fast-paced and humorous narrative.

Kadrey's writing style in The Wrong Dead Guy is characterized by snarkiness, humor, and a blend of fantasy and comedy elements. The story is a blend of manic comedy and fantasy genre, with the author's creative genius shining through in creating bizarre and entertaining scenarios. The book is noted for its witty dialogue, creative imagery, and the ability to unite strange situations into a cohesive and entertaining narrative.

Characters:

The characters are quirky and humorous, with Coop as the central figure, but often blend together in their snarkiness.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by witty humor, complex imagery, and manic comedy, creating a uniquely chaotic narrative.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot centers around a wild heist involving a cursed mummy and Coop's attempts to save the world once again.

Setting:

Set in a quirky environment involving a secretive government agency and supernatural threats, juxtaposed with quirky earthly locations.

Pacing:

The pacing is brisk, filled with nonstop action, though some plot threads may feel distracting.
The sixth floor of the Department of Peculiar Science looked exactly like an ordinary office in an ordinary office building and not the slightest bit like the home of a highly secret government agency...

Notes:

The main character, Coop, has left his thieving days behind to work for the Department of Peculiar Science (DOPS).
Coop's new mission involves stealing a mummy, but he ends up being cursed by it.
The story features humor and sarcasm throughout, making it a fun read.
There's a range of quirky characters, including a robotic octopus that belongs to a deceased Egyptologist.
Coop's nemesis from the first book, Nelson, is causing trouble in the office by stealing supplies.
The book can be read as a standalone, though it's a sequel to The Everything Box.
The plot is packed with non-stop action and zany situations.
A significant subplot involves Harkhuf, a mummy aiming to resurrect his warrior queen and conquer the world with an undead army.
Readers noted that the dialogue and humor sometimes make it hard to differentiate between characters.
The story mixes elements of heist and supernatural fiction, with comparisons to both Oceans 11 and Supernatural.
Some readers felt the humor was overdone, leading to a lack of depth in character development.
The faster pacing and comedic chaos create a sense that the story might go off the rails at any moment.
Despite mixed reviews, many readers found it enjoyable and entertaining, praising Kadrey's unique writing style.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The book contains themes of violence and supernatural chaos, but these are treated in an absurd and comedic manner.

From The Publisher:

In this fast paced sequel to The Everything Box-the second entry in New York Times bestselling author Richard Kadrey's comedic supernatural series-chaos ensues when Coop and the team at DOPS steal a not-quite-dead and very lovesick ancient Egyptian mummy wielding some terrifying magic.

Coop, a master thief sort of gone legit, saved the world from an ancient doomsday device-heroism that earned him a gig working for the Department of Peculiar Science, a fearsome top secret government agency that polices the odd and strange. Now Woolrich, Coop's boss at the DOPS, has Coop breaking into a traveling antiquities show to steal a sarcophagus containing the mummy of a powerful Egyptian wizard named Harkhuf. With the help of his pals Morty, Giselle, and a professor that's half-cat, half-robotic octopus, Coop pulls off the heist without a hitch.

It's not Coop's fault that when DOPS opened the sarcophagus they didn't find the mummy they were expecting. Well, it was the right mummy, but it wasn't exactly dead-and now it's escaped, using a type of magic the organization hasn't encountered before. Being a boss, Woolrich blames his underling for the screw up and wants Coop to find the missing Harkhuf and make it right, pronto.

Digging into Harkhuf's history, Coop thinks the mummy is hunting for an ancient magical manuscript that will help him bring his old lover back to life.

Which wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't a warrior sorceress hell-bent on conquering the world with her undead armies.

Coop would very much like to run from the oncoming chaos. It's one thing to steal a mummy, but another to have to deal with head-hunting bureaucrats, down-on-their luck fortune tellers, undead mailroom clerks, and a rather unimpressed elephant. Unfortunately, there's nowhere to run. If he wants the madness to stop, he's going to have to suck it up and play hero one more time. But if Coop manages to save the world AGAIN, he's definitely going to want a lot of answers. And a raise.

About the Author:

Richard Kadrey is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sandman Slim supernatural noir books. Sandman Slim was included in Amazon's "100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime," and is in development as a feature film. Some of his other books include The Wrong Dead Guy, The Everything Box, Metrophage, and Butcher Bird. He also writes the Vertigo comic Lucifer.

 
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