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Moot
When a beautiful heiress hires Dudley Pasco to find her missing sister, he figures he’s got everything he needs to solve the case. He’s got the fedora, he’s got the gun, he’s got the patter.
The only thing he doesn’t have is a pulse.
Pasco is a moot, his body having decided that death is only a state of mind. Being moot isn’t always a problem for him, but when the trail leads to Greytown, Pasco is forced to face the horror of his own non-existence.
A mixture of hard-boiled detective noir and zombie horror, Moot is proof that dead men do tell tales.
Corey Redekop’s debut novel, Shelf Monkey, won Best Popular Fiction Novel at the 2008 Independent Book Publishers Awards and was declared one of the “Top 40 Novels of the Decade” by CBC Canada Reads. His follow-up novel, Husk, was shortlisted for the 2013 ReLit Award and chosen as one of the top books of the year by the editors of Amazon.ca. It was later released in a French translation (as Mister Funk) and as an audiobook.
His short stories have appeared in anthologies such as The Exile Book of New Canadian Noir, Licence Expired: The Unauthorized James Bond, Superhero Universe: Tesseracts Nineteen, and Those Who Make Us: Creature, Myth, and Monster Stories.
“No one watching such things in Canada doubts his voice or his vision: Corey Redekop has emerged as one of the writers to pay attention to over the coming few years.” — January Magazine
Previously published in The Exile Book of New Canadian Noir, "Moot" is now available as an eBook from Husky Monkey Publications.
The only thing he doesn’t have is a pulse.
Pasco is a moot, his body having decided that death is only a state of mind. Being moot isn’t always a problem for him, but when the trail leads to Greytown, Pasco is forced to face the horror of his own non-existence.
A mixture of hard-boiled detective noir and zombie horror, Moot is proof that dead men do tell tales.
Corey Redekop’s debut novel, Shelf Monkey, won Best Popular Fiction Novel at the 2008 Independent Book Publishers Awards and was declared one of the “Top 40 Novels of the Decade” by CBC Canada Reads. His follow-up novel, Husk, was shortlisted for the 2013 ReLit Award and chosen as one of the top books of the year by the editors of Amazon.ca. It was later released in a French translation (as Mister Funk) and as an audiobook.
His short stories have appeared in anthologies such as The Exile Book of New Canadian Noir, Licence Expired: The Unauthorized James Bond, Superhero Universe: Tesseracts Nineteen, and Those Who Make Us: Creature, Myth, and Monster Stories.
“No one watching such things in Canada doubts his voice or his vision: Corey Redekop has emerged as one of the writers to pay attention to over the coming few years.” — January Magazine
Previously published in The Exile Book of New Canadian Noir, "Moot" is now available as an eBook from Husky Monkey Publications.
- GenresNoir
27 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2016
28 people want to read
About the author
Corey Redekop
11 books180 followersCorey Redekop's debut novel,
Shelf Monkey
— winner, Gold Medal for Popular Fiction, 2008 Independent Book Publisher Awards: a Top 40 Essential Canadian Novel of the Decade, CBC Canada Reads — is either a work of insane genius or an intolerable left-wing screed, depending on which review you read.
Husk
(ECW Press, 2012) was shortlisted for the 2013 ReLit Award and was named a Top Book of 2012 by editors of Amazon.ca. His short stories have found homes in anthologies such as The Exile Book of New Canadian Noir, Licence Expired: The Unauthorized James Bond, Superhero Universe: Tesseracts Nineteen, and Those Who Make Us: Creature, Myth and Monster Stories.
Stunningly handsome, supremely talented, superbly gifted at hyperbole, Corey abides in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
"I’ve often wondered how a novel’s characters might assess the book they’ve been thrust, unwillingly, into - like victims of a kidnapping. Well, now it’s actually happened to me. Yes, Eric McCormack appears as a character in Shelf Monkey. Once I got over the shock of finding myself there and settled in for the long haul, I thought: What a literate, witty, suspenseful, alternate world Corey Redekop’s created. I’m not so sure I want to be rescued from it!"Eric McCormack, author, The Dutch Wife , on Shelf Monkey
"A playful — yet very serious — ode to bibliophilia. Corey Redekop writes with energy and imagination, deft little jabs that go straight to the solar plexus. I laughed, and thought — a great deal — reading Shelf Monkey."Paul Quarrington, author, Galveston, The Ravine, on Shelf Monkey
"I read several promising first novels in 2007, all so different that I am unable to choose a favorite...Corey Redekop provided this year's gonzo fun with his Shelf Monkey, an utterly enjoyable novel about radical bookworms."Jeff Vandermeer, author, City of Saints and Madmen , on Shelf Monkey
"... stylistically playful ... reminiscent of Stephen King's approach in Carrie. That it feels neither redundant nor artificial is a testament to Redekop's control over his material and his ability to push his story effortlessly forward.What is most praiseworthy about Shelf Monkey is its tone, which is blackly comic, and not afraid to get its hands dirty ... bracing and edgy and skirts the line of cruelty without ever quite tripping over it ... Redekop plays with this tension nicely throughout the novel, providing a critique of a literary culture that prizes shallowness and false sentiment over an authentic engagement with difficult texts, while at the same time assuring all of us who love books that, whatever our literary tastes or predilictions, and for better or for worse, we're all in this together."Steven W. Beattie, That Shakespeherian Rag, on Shelf Monkey
Stunningly handsome, supremely talented, superbly gifted at hyperbole, Corey abides in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
"I’ve often wondered how a novel’s characters might assess the book they’ve been thrust, unwillingly, into - like victims of a kidnapping. Well, now it’s actually happened to me. Yes, Eric McCormack appears as a character in Shelf Monkey. Once I got over the shock of finding myself there and settled in for the long haul, I thought: What a literate, witty, suspenseful, alternate world Corey Redekop’s created. I’m not so sure I want to be rescued from it!"Eric McCormack, author, The Dutch Wife , on Shelf Monkey
"A playful — yet very serious — ode to bibliophilia. Corey Redekop writes with energy and imagination, deft little jabs that go straight to the solar plexus. I laughed, and thought — a great deal — reading Shelf Monkey."Paul Quarrington, author, Galveston, The Ravine, on Shelf Monkey
"I read several promising first novels in 2007, all so different that I am unable to choose a favorite...Corey Redekop provided this year's gonzo fun with his Shelf Monkey, an utterly enjoyable novel about radical bookworms."Jeff Vandermeer, author, City of Saints and Madmen , on Shelf Monkey
"... stylistically playful ... reminiscent of Stephen King's approach in Carrie. That it feels neither redundant nor artificial is a testament to Redekop's control over his material and his ability to push his story effortlessly forward.What is most praiseworthy about Shelf Monkey is its tone, which is blackly comic, and not afraid to get its hands dirty ... bracing and edgy and skirts the line of cruelty without ever quite tripping over it ... Redekop plays with this tension nicely throughout the novel, providing a critique of a literary culture that prizes shallowness and false sentiment over an authentic engagement with difficult texts, while at the same time assuring all of us who love books that, whatever our literary tastes or predilictions, and for better or for worse, we're all in this together."Steven W. Beattie, That Shakespeherian Rag, on Shelf Monkey
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 22, 2024
Stop me if you've heard this one. A tough-talking private dick catches the case of a rich broad's missing kid sister. Only instead of having a drinking problem or a haunted past, this PI has been dead for a few years.
"You look..." She struggled for the word. "...real. Alive, I mean."
Oh, yeah - it's a crazy, mixed up world where the undead, all in fifty shades of gray skin, and in various states of disrepair, mingle with the breathers. There's none of that nasty, flesh-eating stuff going on, so you'd everyone would just get along, wouldn't you?
You would be wrong.
It takes but a few heartbeats (be glad you still have them) of your time to read this terrific tale that features crackly dialogue, curvy femme fatales, and zombies.
It's a great mix of noir and horror.
"You look..." She struggled for the word. "...real. Alive, I mean."
Oh, yeah - it's a crazy, mixed up world where the undead, all in fifty shades of gray skin, and in various states of disrepair, mingle with the breathers. There's none of that nasty, flesh-eating stuff going on, so you'd everyone would just get along, wouldn't you?
You would be wrong.
It takes but a few heartbeats (be glad you still have them) of your time to read this terrific tale that features crackly dialogue, curvy femme fatales, and zombies.
It's a great mix of noir and horror.
March 7, 2018
Dead men tell no tales . . . or do they? Follow PI Dudley Pasco as he works the case of a missing girl, and you may be shocked at what you discover.
This tale reads like a classic noir detective story with a twist. It’s a perfect little slice of horror noir, penned with a panache that mimics the greats in the genre, with quick-witted characters and snappy dialog, all the while presenting a clever new take on the undead.
The worldbuilding and character development were quite remarkable for a short story clocking in at a mere 27 pages.
I wasn’t planning on reviewing this—it’s been a while since I read it—but then I happened across the book page and was disappointed to see only 16 ratings and 5 reviews. And that’s a shame for such a well-crafted story. So I implore all of you hardboiled noir fans to seek this one out. You won’t regret it.
I’d love to see the dead fleshed out with another installment or even a full-length novel. Trust me, this corpse is ripe for the picking.
This tale reads like a classic noir detective story with a twist. It’s a perfect little slice of horror noir, penned with a panache that mimics the greats in the genre, with quick-witted characters and snappy dialog, all the while presenting a clever new take on the undead.
The worldbuilding and character development were quite remarkable for a short story clocking in at a mere 27 pages.
I wasn’t planning on reviewing this—it’s been a while since I read it—but then I happened across the book page and was disappointed to see only 16 ratings and 5 reviews. And that’s a shame for such a well-crafted story. So I implore all of you hardboiled noir fans to seek this one out. You won’t regret it.
I’d love to see the dead fleshed out with another installment or even a full-length novel. Trust me, this corpse is ripe for the picking.
July 29, 2016
I think I got this as a freebie from Amazon, so didn't expect much. I was very pleasantly surprised by the tight writing & unique world. Zombies have been done to death & yet this was a new take on them set in a noir mystery. Great characters & an excellent mystery that ended surprisingly. Great length, too. It told the story without any repetition & ended when it needed to. I couldn't ask for more!
This is a new author I will definitely continue to watch.
This is a new author I will definitely continue to watch.
July 7, 2016
Very impressive!
In this short story, when people die they don't always die.
They walk amongst the living trying to maintain their kicks and small joys as best they can or as long as their bodies stay fresh.
Doctors with perverted notions on preservation keep them supplied with numerous cosmetic surgeries when necessary.
The lead character is a hardboiled detective who happens to be a Moot.
He takes on a missing person case.
Wild, unusual and well written.
Recommended!
(thanks to the author for the free download as offered through Goodreads)
October 12, 2016
An interesting take on the zombie genre with fun twists and a creepy world.
June 28, 2016
I loved this short story. Corey Redekop delivers, once again, a highly entertaining and, I find, hilariously enlightening vision into the life and mind of someone who is not me. I just wish it could have continued longer. :)
July 14, 2018
Author has quite an imagination, just not my type of book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews