The Book

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis

Roach is a demon on the outs with Satan. One day he has simply had enough of not being appreciated and leaves hell to make it on his own and do his own bad deeds. He wants his boss Satan to learn just how lucky he is to have Roach on his team.

Roach’s story intertwines with that of Larry Kavanaugh, a fake attorney who had previously sold his soul to Roach. Working through his newest victim, one Dorothy Walsh, he upturns the lives of everyone in Larry’s life.

All Roach really wants is for Satan to allow a rewrite of Dante’s Inferno so that he can be included in the story. Is that so much to ask?

Review

I really enjoyed reading this book. It’s a very quick read – I finished it within my breaks at work in less than two days.

One of the reasons this book was so fun to read is that most of the characters are absolutely terrible people. From Larry Kavanaugh, a liar and egomaniac, to his wife Kathleen who has zero empathy for people with mental illness, to Dorothy, who wants to make life for Kathleen a living hell – every character is easy to hate, and that makes Roach’s goals of destroying their lives almost exciting. I was practically rooting for Roach to succeed the whole time.

The pacing of the story was good, and I enjoyed Mary M. Schmidt’s writing the story to include the perspectives of many of the main characters. I always like learning why characters are the way they are. The novel has a lot of humorous parts, as when Roach is attacked by a pair of cats named Dante and Virgil.

The one gripe I had with the book is that it felt rushed or disjointed in some places. It just felt like it needed to be polished up a bit. However, I didn’t feel like that was enough of an issue to take away from enjoying the story.

Verdict

5_Star_Rating_System_3_and_a_half_stars

This was a funny, quicky read and would be the perfect book to take on a day trip or a short vacation. Funny horror books are not a genre I was familiar with before this, but I will certainly be seeking them out in the future!

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