Book Review: Razzmatazz by Christopher Moore

 

Razzmatazz by Christopher Moore continues the story of Sammy and the Cheese and their friends from Noir. This time there's a lot going on. Sammy has been asked to look into the murders of drag kings by one notorious one named Jimmy. His friend Moo Shoes and his girlfriend are trying to open a driving school. Moo Shoes' Uncle Ho is trying to get Eddy and Sammy to retrieve a powerful relic he had stolen years before. Stilton (the Cheese) is using her welding skills to build something in secret at the moon man's request. And this group of Sammy and friends is trying to get a local Madame and her girls to a Christmas party at a state hospital. Like I said there's a lot going on including a bit of the old razzmatazz, but Christopher Moore manages to pull it off clearly, cleverly, and tie things together.

I really liked the characters in the book generally speaking, especially Sammy "Two Toes" Tiffin. The characters are definitely original. I liked and rooted for the good guys. And I grudgingly tolerated the bad guys since they're needed to advance the story.

The book moves along at a fast clip. There's always something going on, even if it's just a bit of the razzmatazz. 

I really enjoyed the book. I loved the originality of the characters and plot. I found it hard to put down. It could possibly be read as a standalone, but it's so much better if you've read Noir first. And Christopher Moore even managed to sneak in bits of history and period appropriate language.

All in all, I gave Razzmatazz 5 stars. If you enjoyed the first book, you've got to read this one. It's full of original characters and humor.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This didn't influence my opinion.