This is the third Christopher Moore book that I have read and he is in top form. His writing is not for all, but I enjoy his dark yet humorous take on life and his infusion of supernatural elements into the most mundane settings. For a book that starts off with a heart wrenching death, "A Dirty Job" is a quick and funny read. While hellhounds, minions of the underworld and quirky citizens of San Francisco are highly visible, this story boils down to a husband's love for his wife and a father's love for his child, even if it does play out under less than normal, suburban standards. The characters are all well developed; while they may seem at first to be somewhat stereotypical (the suspicious cop, the goth teenager, the overprotective father) the book eventually shows them all to be much deeper and vulnerable than initially judged.

The background material woven in regarding Eastern theories of the soul was enlightening and helped to make the implausible story seem somewhat more likely. I can't say that I was surprised by the ending; I had suspicions about midway through the book that ended up being true. Even so, when I closed the book I did feel satisfied. I will be checking out our local squirrel's feet more closely from now on.