Title: The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss
Author: Max Wirestone
Publication Date: October 20, 2015
Format: Electronic Advanced Reading Copy
Rating: 4 stars
For fans of The Guild, New Girl, Scott Pilgrim, Big Bang Theory, Veronica Mars, or anyone who has ever geeked out about something.
The odds of Dahlia successfully navigating adulthood are 3,720 to 1. But never tell her the odds.
Meet Dahlia Moss, the reigning queen of unfortunate decision-making in the St. Louis area. Unemployed broke, and on her last bowl of ramen, she’s not living her best life. But that’s all about to change.
Before Dahlia can make her life any messier on her own she’s offered a job. A job that she’s woefully under-qualified for. A job that will lead her to a murder, an MMORPG, and possibly a fella (or two?).
Turns out unfortunate decisions abound, and she’s just the girl to deal with them. (Goodreads)
If you combine the tropes of hardboiled detective novels with nerdy popculture and add a lot of humor, you get The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss. I knew nothing about this book until Netgalley sent me an email about it, and I thought it looked like it might be a fun read. I’m so glad I gave it a chance because it was fun, quirky, nerdy and just a great light read.
Dahlia Moss is a nerd hired to discover a thief within the online gaming community of Zoth – a MMORPG much like World of Warcraft. Before she gets very far in her investigation, however, her client is murdered and suddenly Dahlia finds herself over her head and investigating a theft as well as a murder.
Some of the characters in this novel are completely over-the-top – particularly Dahlia’s roommate and her enthusiasm for the investigation – but it works in this context. The story is hilarious and though I am not into video games, I felt like I could really identify with Dahlia and her haphazard methods of investigation. This would really be me if I found myself in the middle of two different, but linked, investigations.
Overall this was a fun read. It certainly won’t meet the standards of really hardcore mystery fans, but if you’re looking for something light, fun and completely nerdy (and don’t mind occasional forays into ridiculousness) then this is a great choice.
Disclaimer: I received an eARC from Redhook and Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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