Razzmatazz audiobook

Thanks to William Morrow/HarperCollins Publishers for this ARC of Razzmatazz by Christopher Moore for an honest review. 📚🤩 🥰 Author Christopher Moore is simply a raucous genius writer. There’s no way to aptly and briefly describe this unbelievably fun and funny tale set in the author’s beloved city of San Francisco, so hook up your breathing devices because you’re never going to catch your breath until the last word, which is…. I’m not telling you but it’s a critter!!! You’re likely going on a vacay this summer—even for a weekend—so go grab your own copy of this book, some diapers (yep, that funny AND you won’t be able to put this down) and the most comfortable chair/lounger you can hog and get to reading. 💕

Just your typical post-war, gum-shoe San Francisco murder mystery with a moon man, a supernatural rain dragon that instilled sentience into Mankind on a Wednesday afternoon because he (the dragon) was bored, and a whorehouse-sponsored Christmas party at the Home for the Disabled. Christopher Moore's imagination is boundless and he is my favorite fiction writer of all time. I ran into an early book of his, "Island of the Sequined Love Nun," many years ago and have read everything of his since then. He has changed genres, in a way, from wacky stories about demon keeping, to a hilarious series of vampire stories, to Middle-Ages jesters, and now, in this book -- and its prequel "Noir" from a couple years back -- he's writing something you might call a gum-shoe murder mystery, but with so many twists and such lovable characters, and so many laughs, that it's simply a step above anything ever written in that vein. I had an email conversation with the author several years ago when he wrote "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff." I had never read anything funnier, even in all his prior books, and I wrote him to tell thim that. He was amazed, he said, that Christians like me were enjoying the book so much. He had expected those readers to be livid, and even wondered if bookstores might be picketed. I told him some people might do that, but that I was going to call the Vatican to see if we could get Lamb added to the Canon. The Vatican, though, hasn't called back.

Christopher Moore another great book. I was reading your book in the waiting room at my doctor's office and I couldn't stop laughing. The more I turned the pages the more I laughed until I had tears in my eyes. I know people were wondering what in the world is she reading. I loved the story and the characters. The characters are iconic and their dialogue is infectious with inappropriate hilarity. I loved Sammy Two-Toes, the Cheese, Lone Jones, and Eddie Moo Shoes. Many elements of the story are based on some historical fact or long-standing myth is equally outrageous and recognizable. You out done yourself again Christopher. Keep up the great writing. I need to laugh like this more often. Highly recommend.

Razzmatazz by Christopher Moore sees a return to post WW2 San Francisco and Sammy Two-Toes Tiffin, Eddie Moo Shoes, The Cheese, and the rest of the gang from Noir, the first book in this series. The laughs continue and we also get to learn about a little discussed time in the history of America when the Chinese were not treated as human beings. The story is out there and hilarious, the characters continue to grow, and when I read the final page, I was already hoping that there would be a third installment. Also, please don't skip the author's note at the end. It's very much worth reading. Thank you to William Morrow, author Christopher Moore, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

So glad I received a free copy of this book! I’m officially a Christopher Moore fan!I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time I was reading this raucous comedy of a book (and I’m still laughing after the ending). On top of being hilarious, it actually had substance and a great mystery plot that never stopped surprising me. Also a beautiful author’s note at the end :)If you don’t mind foul language and corny jokes, definitely pick up this book!

****I was the grateful winner of an advance reader’s edition copy of Razzmatazz on a Goodreads giveaway😄 I love Christopher Moore, his stories are ridiculously funny page-turners with a filthy mouth & a heart of gold. Razzmatazz may be the funniest one yet (I read most of this book in a library & got a lot of dirty looks for my involuntary cackles & snorts). Razzmatazz is the second book in a series about Sammy (2 Toes) Tiffin & his dame Stilton (aka The Cheese), who live in post-war 1947 San Francisco. With a lovable (if somewhat shifty) cast of characters, their love story goes on with hilarious, gin-soaked, extraterrestrial abandon. We learn more about the past of a certain...feline-amorous character from the last book (Uncle Ho), and about the brothel & opium den filled history of San Francisco’s Chinatown during the early 1900s. It was hard to put this one down, the type of book that sucks you into the story immediately, then keeps you up till the wee hours of the morning. Gave this one a 5-Star rating, loved it & hope this isn’t the last time I get to read about Sammy & the Cheese! Christopher Moore is a national treasure, a bright bit of wit in an often dark & serious world, my advice: read this book in a location where you can laugh loudly without getting in trouble😄

This is the first novel I've read that contains a trigger warning. Of course it's a Christopher Moore novel. I'm not saying that Moore is politically incorrect, but I wouldn't be surprised in the least to read in the Washington Post that a mob of woke p.c. villagers carrying pitchforks,torches, and placards were camped outside his office shouting slogans and burning stuff(his books?). This had everything I like in a book, a huge cast of characters, history, sparkling dialogue, outrageous puns, mystery, buddhism, and fabulous redheads. Of note, was the Afterward and Author's Note. The history was as interesting as the book itself. Anytime I can laugh my fool head off and learn something at the same time it's a win. On a serious note(maybe), I may never drink almond milk again.

I won this advanced copy in a GoodReads giveawayI have read all of Christopher Moore's books and have enjoyed all of them. This one is no different. A combination of Film Noir and comedy. Highly recommended

Is it just me or does Razzmatazz come off as some kind of drunken challenge that Moore took on from one of his buddies? Just read the synopsis, I count six plotlines going on in there. How in the hell is an author supposed to put all of that together and still write a coherent story that flows, makes perfect sense, and comes to a logical conclusion? Well, I guess the answer is that you have to be Christopher Moore.Moore has allowed me to reconnect with an old friend, Sammy “Two Toes” Tiffin. I first met Sammy in Noir, on the mean streets of 1940s San Francisco. It was great to spend some time with Sammy and his gang: Eddie “Moo Shoes” Shue, Thelonious, Stilton “The Cheese,” and that annoying kid who lives in his building, among many others. I laughed, I chuckled, it was better than Cats.There are many things that Moore does incredibly well. He creates great characters, and he knows how to use them. The entire cast of Razzmatazz has something special about them, it is like they’ve all been brewing in his mind for decades just waiting for an opportunity for him to inflict them upon the world. Each character plays such an integral role in Razzmatazz that it would be missing something without each and every single one of them.Beyond all else, Moore is an expert at tying everything together (and I don’t mean in some kind of kinky razzmatazz kind of way); with so much going on, I often wondered how all of this was going to come together in the end. I needn’t have worried, Moore had all of this well under control.I went with the Audible for this story and it was fantastic. Johnny Heller was perfect, he seemed like he had been transported directly from the 1940s. The attitude was dripping from his voice.I had a great time with Razzmatazz. You call fully enjoy it without having read (or listened to) Noir, but why would you want to?

This review is courtesy of an advanced copy provided by Net Galley. Christopher Moore’s sequel to Noir is Razzmatazz, a return to post-war San Francisco with returning characters Sammy Two-Toes, the Cheese, Lone Jones, and Eddie Moo Shoes. The book is hilarious and seems completely random until Moore cleverly pulls all threads together for a satisfying conclusion. The characters are iconic and their dialogue is infectious. Don’t be surprised if you start using 40s slang in your everyday life as you read. For all its zaniness, the fact that many elements of the story are based in some historical fact or long-standing myth is equally outrageous and recognizable. Altogether another fun Christopher Moore book that will have you laughing out loud while desperately flipping the pages to see what happens next.

Ah, Mr. Moore. His usual chains-off humor hits the mark yet again. Lamb and Sacre Bleu remain my favorites but this is a fabulous entry into his ongoing canon of work.

Full disclosure: I’m in the bag for Christopher Moore.From the first time I read one of his books – my entry point was, as it was for so many others, the exquisite 2002 novel “Lamb” – I knew that this was an author who would resonate with me. Wildly funny, incredibly smart and unapologetically crass, Moore’s work clicked with me in a way that few authors ever had or ever would.Seriously – think about how rare it is for a book to make you genuinely laugh out loud multiple times in the course of reading it. Moore does that for me EVERY TIME. His work is funny and weird with an at-times shockingly sharp satiric edge.The tradition continues with “Razzmatazz,” a sequel to 2018’s “Noir.” These books both celebrate and deconstruct the trope of the hard-boiled detective, starring a gentleman who consistently finds himself stumbling into situations that are both far beyond his ken and yet somehow suited to his particular set of skills.It’s a madcap romp through post-WWII San Francisco, a comedic adventure wherein Moore explores the fundamental absurdities of the human condition. The real(ish) and surreal are practically interchangeable here, with ridiculous characters dealing with both the actions of their fellow man and influences that are far beyond mere humanity.It gets weird, is what I’m saying.Oh, and mixed in with all the lunacy is a surprising depth of detail regarding that particular time and place. Moore takes plenty of liberties, but the fundamental truth is there. They say you have to learn the rules to break them; well, Moore learned the landscape so he could alter it.Sammy Teffin is living his typically chaotic life. He’s still tending bar at Sal’s and he’s still madly in love with his girlfriend Stilton, whom he calls “the Cheese” to everyone except her. He’s still hanging out with his motley crew of buddies at the local all-night diner – soft-hearted bouncer Thelonius “Lone” Jones, cabbie who won’t drive Milo, second-generation Chinese-American hustler Jimmy “Moo Shoes” Shu – and generally trying to improve his lot.But it’s never easy for Sammy.Before long, our hero is swept up into multiple scenarios where he, for reasons even he doesn’t fully understand, is expected to solve some problems. Milo and Doris from the diner are in love, even though she’s married to an ill-tempered stevedore. Jimmy’s Uncle Ho wants Sammy to recover some sort of ancient dragon statue in order to regain control of his various illegal rackets. A high-powered lawyer thinks Sammy can track down the guy’s daughter. Brothel owner Mabel believes Sammy can help her avoid the law in order to throw a Christmas party at a surprising location. And there’s someone out there murdering people for the “crime” of dressing like the opposite sex and the SFPD doesn’t seem to care.Oh, and Stilton is putting her wartime Rosie Riveter skills to work on a secret project that might wind up being the weirdest part of all – particularly when we find out just who all is involved.All Sammy wants to do is tend bar, hang out with his pals and engage in some of the old razzmatazz with his stunning ladyfriend. Instead, he is being pulled in a dozen different directions, drawn into situations whose stakes are far too high to be entrusted to a lug like him. But here’s the thing – Sammy might be a lug, but he’s a lug who has proven surprisingly adept at helping those closest to him … no matter how bizarre the help required might be.“Razzmatazz” is marked with the same sort of coarse charm that permeates all of Moore’s books. Sammy and his cohort are colorfully foul-mouthed and cheerfully unsavory; the circles they run in are the ones that your mother warned you about (or at least, she would’ve if you had been born yet). Reluctant heroism doesn’t always click, but when said hero is someone like Sammy Two-Toes, well … it clicks.Now, I’ve made multiple mentions of how funny this book is, but it bears repeating. I don’t know that I’ve ever read anyone who is equally capable of crafting situational humor and dialogue-driven humor as Christopher Moore. Writing a good comic novel is incredibly difficult, and here’s Moore doing it over and over again, maintaining a consistent spirit of irreverence even as his subjects and settings careen all over the map.(Those wild shifts take place even within the pages of “Razzmatazz” itself, with an internally-relayed story about Uncle Ho’s arrival in America in the early 20th century – one that is both hilarious and rather insightful about the context of the Chinese immigrant experience at that time.)It should be noted here that this book is a sequel, and as such, the reader will definitely benefit from reading “Noir” first. I don’t believe it is strictly necessary – “Razzmatazz” largely stands alone, in my opinion – but there are some references and allusions and assumed familiarities that will make more sense within the context of the first book.“Razzmatazz” is typical Moore, packed with humor and heart, all of it reflected through genre deconstruction and a fierce affection for its setting. There’s a chaos at play throughout – there’s a LOT going on – yet Moore handles it deftly, resulting in a book whose myriad fractured storylines ultimately come together in a delightfully droll denouement.