1) Death, the Devil & the Goldfish by Andrew Buckley

The Blurb :

From the Bahamas to Heathrow airport, to the rain soaked streets of London the dead have ceased dying.

This is inconvenient for a number of reasons but what’s the real reason behind the chaos?

In London we find Nigel Reinhardt, a disgraced, confused, and gifted London police constable who owns a prophetic goldfish. In Ireland the Angel of Death questions the value and position of his current employment. At Majestic Technologies Celina McMannis works diligently on a top secret project. At the South Pole there lives a very unhappy penguin.

When the Devil hatches a nefarious plot to take over the world by possessing a cute little kitty and seizing a factory of robotic Christmas elves it’s up to Nigel and his group of unlikely companions to save the world or die trying… or both.

My Thoughts :

I can't remember what made me pick up this book. I am sure the blurb combined with the cover had something to do with it but I have to say I was expecting something different. Was I left disappointed? Far from it! I was surprised and in awe! This book may not of been what I was expecting but it certainly was an amazing read. Maybe not for everyone but it certainly made me happy!

Death, the Devil & the Goldfish is a super title for this book but it fails to also hint at what other delights are inside its pages. There is a penguin who doesn't stay a penguin. Some elves and a Santa. There is also a few non-deaths, god and a very rich man or two. As these characters all come together in some strange and weird ways the reader can only giggle and laugh at what happens to everyone involved and laugh at the absolutely ridiculous but entertaining story.

I could only laugh every time the goldfish discovered his castle again and again. I had a laughing fit when death ended up in the wrong place. The wacky and surreal story was totally far fetched and could never happen but it was funny and amusing. There was no way I could have put this book down and not read it to the end. There was just too much craziness! I had to know how things would end.

Highly entertaining! Think Douglas Adams & Ben Elton then add some supernaturally cool elements. British humour and Monty Python like comedy. This is a writer that I can only hope will continue to write about these mad cap characters. The ending suggests a sequel and I will be looking out for it on a regular basis. I want more of this well written and thought out silliness! So long and thanks for the Goldfish!