Review: The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone

Published October 20, 2015
by Redhook

In the beginning of The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone, Dahlia suffers from long-time unemployment, lack of funds, and is living on her roommate's largesse trying not to rock the boat. So, when Charise introduces her to Jonah, she goes along with it. Jonah has a surprise for her. He wants to hire her as a private detective to retrieve a spear that was stolen from him in an online multi-player role playing game. That's something she is definitely not qualified for, but she can't pass up the money. Things take off from there with Jonah being found dead the next day. Not every decision is as terrible perhaps, but there is a real doozy near the end of the book. Not saying what, because spoilers.

I liked Dahlia. She was a well-rounded character. Her roommate Charise is kinda flaky at times and helpful at other times. Dahlia makes her own mistakes. Some of the mistakes she tries to hide mostly unsuccessfully.  She has to deal with other people's bad decisions as well.

The story works well told from the first person perspective of Dahlia. We get to see some of what is going on in her head as she recounts the tale of her search for the spear and ultimately Jonah's murderer. So, mostly this is an interesting mystery dealing with some geeky things. The book seemed to move along at a steady pace, but it did get faster right towards the end.

There appeared to be some question whether this book is YA or Adult. There is no sex in it and limited swearing. I would probably let an older teen read it. Younger ones might not enjoy it as much. It definitely has its appeal for adults.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I found it overall interesting and funny in some parts. Dahlia does seem to attract a bit of the absurd.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.