Razzmatazz
A Novel
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4.5 • 88 Ratings
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
New York Times Bestseller
“Smart and funny and all sorts of raunchy in the best way.” — San Francisco Chronicle
Repeat New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore returns to the mean streets of San Francisco in this outrageous follow-up to his madcap novel Noir.
San Francisco, 1947. Bartender Sammy “Two Toes” Tiffin and the rest of the Cookie’s Coffee Irregulars—a ragtag bunch of working mugs last seen in Noir—are on the hustle: they’re trying to open a driving school; shanghai an abusive Swedish stevedore; get Mable, the local madam, and her girls to a Christmas party at the State Hospital without alerting the overzealous head of the S.F.P.D. vice squad; all while Sammy’s girlfriend, Stilton (a.k.a. the Cheese), and her “Wendy the Welder” gal pals are using their wartime shipbuilding skills on a secret project that might be attracting the attention of some government Men in Black. And, oh yeah, someone is murdering the city’s drag kings and club owner Jimmy Vasco is sure she’s next on the list and wants Sammy to find the killer.
Meanwhile, Eddie “Moo Shoes” Shu has been summoned by his Uncle Ho to help save his opium den from Squid Kid Tang, a vicious gangster who is determined to retrieve a priceless relic: an ancient statue of the powerful Rain Dragon that Ho stole from one of the fighting tongs forty years earlier. And if Eddie blows it, he just might call down the wrath of that powerful magical creature on all of Fog City.
Strap yourselves in for a bit of the old razzmatazz, ladies and gentlemen. It’s Christopher Moore time.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this humorous romp, bestseller Moore returns to the 1947 San Francisco setting of Noir, where bartender and amateur problem-solver Sammy Tiffin is faced with several requests for assistance. Jimmy Vasco, proprietress of a lesbian bar, asks Sammy to find the killer targeting her community; Eddie Shu wants Sammy to recover a dragon statue for his Uncle Ho; and Mabel, "the preeminent nookie bookie in Fog City," needs help smuggling her girls out of town to a Christmas party. Meanwhile, Sammy's squeeze, Tilly Stilton, uses her considerable welding skills on a mystery project at the telepathic behest of Scooter, the "moonman" from the previous volume. And in flashbacks to 1906, a younger Ho contends with a very real and terrifying dragon. Moore, entirely in his element and with tongue firmly in cheek, has his characters speak in gumshoe-esque vernacular, while warning in an author's note that "the language and attitudes portrayed herein regarding race, culture, and gender are contemporary to that time and, sadly, all too real." Indeed, punctuating all the spoofy amateur sleuthing are more serious depictions of the maltreatment of the Chinese and LGBTQ communities, adding some necessary gravitas. Moore's fans and those who like their noir with a side of slapstick and the supernatural will enjoy.
Customer Reviews
Not Moore’s Best Work
I’m a big Chris Moore fan, but this book read like something meant to satisfy a deadline. Not his best.
More of Moore
I love the slang. It’s a good read that keeps you engaged.
It’s crazy and enjoyable
Both the first book, Noir, and this book are fun to read. The characters are interesting and the style is enjoyable.