What do you think?
Rate this book
Dead Detective Mountain
A fantastic new Frank Burly adventure, by the author of "The Time Machine Did It" and fifty nine episodes of The Simpsons.
76 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2023
9 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
John Swartzwelder
18 books322 followersJohn Joseph Swartzwelder Jr. is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series The Simpsons. Born in Seattle, Washington, Swartzwelder began his career working in advertising. He was later hired to work on comedy series Saturday Night Live in the mid-1980s as a writer. He later contributed to fellow writer George Meyer's short-lived Army Man magazine, which led him to join the original writing team of The Simpsons, beginning in 1989.
He worked on The Simpsons as a writer and producer until 2003, and later contributed to The Simpsons Movie. He wrote the largest number of Simpsons episodes (59 full episodes, with contributions to several others) by a large margin. After his retirement from the show, he began a career as a writer of self-published absurdist novels. He has written more than a dozen novels, the most recent of which, The Spy with No Pants, was published in December 2020.
Swartzwelder is revered among comedy fans and his colleagues. He is known for his reclusiveness, and gave his first-ever interview in 2021, in The New Yorker. Per Mike Sacks, "Swartzwelder’s specialty on The Simpsons was conjuring dark characters from a strange, old America: banjo-playing hobos, cigarette-smoking ventriloquist dummies, nineteenth-century baseball players, rat-tailed carnival children, and pantsless, singing old-timers."
He worked on The Simpsons as a writer and producer until 2003, and later contributed to The Simpsons Movie. He wrote the largest number of Simpsons episodes (59 full episodes, with contributions to several others) by a large margin. After his retirement from the show, he began a career as a writer of self-published absurdist novels. He has written more than a dozen novels, the most recent of which, The Spy with No Pants, was published in December 2020.
Swartzwelder is revered among comedy fans and his colleagues. He is known for his reclusiveness, and gave his first-ever interview in 2021, in The New Yorker. Per Mike Sacks, "Swartzwelder’s specialty on The Simpsons was conjuring dark characters from a strange, old America: banjo-playing hobos, cigarette-smoking ventriloquist dummies, nineteenth-century baseball players, rat-tailed carnival children, and pantsless, singing old-timers."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 14, 2023
Previous books by Swartzwelder have spoilt me, I think. This one didn't have as many laugh out loud jokes as previous ones, so I would rank it alongside Double Wonderful.
It's still funny, though, and contains much more introspection from the author than previous Frank Burly novels. There are times when Burly addresses the reader directly, which is interesting. This puts the book in the same ilk as The Long Goodbye and some books by Mickey Spillane.
(I wonder what John Barth would make of it, but I don't wonder too long.)
It's still funny, though, and contains much more introspection from the author than previous Frank Burly novels. There are times when Burly addresses the reader directly, which is interesting. This puts the book in the same ilk as The Long Goodbye and some books by Mickey Spillane.
(I wonder what John Barth would make of it, but I don't wonder too long.)
January 12, 2025
The moment I start to think we’ve seen the last of Frank Burly, John comes out with another book and all is right with the world. In this installment Frank is hired by the former ruler of the universe to get his throne, and crown, back.
Strangely enough, I thought the premise of Dead Detective Mountain was better than most Burly books. The problem I had was it was simply too short; the shortest of the series I think. A lot more could’ve happened without adding any new characters. Also, though I smiled a lot while reading I only laughed out loud a couple times; well below my average.
It was nice to be in the presence of the world’s greatest detective again, it would’ve been better if John brought his A game. Cheers
Strangely enough, I thought the premise of Dead Detective Mountain was better than most Burly books. The problem I had was it was simply too short; the shortest of the series I think. A lot more could’ve happened without adding any new characters. Also, though I smiled a lot while reading I only laughed out loud a couple times; well below my average.
It was nice to be in the presence of the world’s greatest detective again, it would’ve been better if John brought his A game. Cheers
December 14, 2023
Another home run for Swartzwelder, as he returns to Frank Burly, the loveable oaf detective. This time Burly takes on fantasy creatures, and it doesn’t disappoint. Could have been longer, and it’s not as amazing as the earlier Burly novels, but this is still awesome and I laughed pretty much every page.
December 20, 2023
Yep, it's another fun Frank Burly book! And again, it's neither the "best nor worst" but I think on the better side, and plenty funny. I like the mix of '50s sci-fi and fantasy tackled here. Could have been longer but why wear out your welcome. I used these as little interludes between bigger books, and who knows if there'll be any more, but I always liked 'em.
December 9, 2023
good book
September 17, 2024
Funny!! Found moments where I truly did smile and huff with joy. It was a pleasure to read. Recommended by a friend of mine who enjoys exploring comedy.
August 3, 2024
Just great. Like all of the Frank Burly series. But this in particular also had a great and funny conducting story.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews