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Duckett & Dyer #1
Duckett & Dyer: Dicks For Hire
Michael Duckett is fed up with his life. His job is a drag and his roommate and best friend of fifteen years, Stephanie Dyer, is only making him more anxious with her lazy irresponsibility. Things continue to escalate when they face the threat of imminent eviction from their palatial 5th floor walk-up and find that someone has been plastering ads all over the city for their Detective Agency.
The only problem is: He and Stephanie don't have one of those.
Despite their baffling levels of incompetence, Stephanie eagerly pursues this crazy scheme and drags Michael, kicking and screaming, into the fray only to find that they are way out of their depth. They stumble upon a web of missing people that are curiously linked to a sexually audacious theoretical physicist and his experiments with the fabric of space-time. And unless Michael and Stephanie can put their personal issues aside and fix the multi-verse, the concept of existence itself may, ironically, no longer exist.
The only problem is: He and Stephanie don't have one of those.
Despite their baffling levels of incompetence, Stephanie eagerly pursues this crazy scheme and drags Michael, kicking and screaming, into the fray only to find that they are way out of their depth. They stumble upon a web of missing people that are curiously linked to a sexually audacious theoretical physicist and his experiments with the fabric of space-time. And unless Michael and Stephanie can put their personal issues aside and fix the multi-verse, the concept of existence itself may, ironically, no longer exist.
316 pages, Hardcover
First published March 30, 2019
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815 people want to read
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November 12, 2023That ghost-writer I hired did a pretty good job, but I wish he hadn't been drunk the whole time. Also, I wish he wasn't a real-life ghost.
November 23, 2025
Ever since childhood Michael Duckett and Stephanie Dyer have been two peas in a pod...but even their friendship is beginning to wear a little thin.
Michael's job is a dead-end, he's facing eviction from the apartment he shares with Stephanie and he keeps getting random phone calls about a supposed detective agency he owns (along with Stephanie).
To top it all - people are disappearing, all over in fact, and it seems like the only two people in the city that can handle it are...Duckett and Dyer: Dicks for Hire.
Whew. So. I really, truly do not know where to begin with this review other than damn. this book was good.
The plot itself was absolutely wild and crazy and so much more. I truly had no freaking clue where the author was taking me but at the same time, I LOVED it.
The time travel, dimension hopping, bull-monster cults, wild west showdowns and more - essentially it felt like the author threw a dart at an idea wall and decided to add something else entirely random to the story...and yet...it worked. The complete and utter absurdity worked so freaking well.
And the characters! Oh my gosh. They killed me. The way Michael and Stephanie played off of each other and all of the side-characters in the book was truly fantastic. Their humor was spot on and made the book perfect in my mind.
All in all - I truly cannot recommend this book enough.
Michael's job is a dead-end, he's facing eviction from the apartment he shares with Stephanie and he keeps getting random phone calls about a supposed detective agency he owns (along with Stephanie).
To top it all - people are disappearing, all over in fact, and it seems like the only two people in the city that can handle it are...Duckett and Dyer: Dicks for Hire.
Whew. So. I really, truly do not know where to begin with this review other than damn. this book was good.
The plot itself was absolutely wild and crazy and so much more. I truly had no freaking clue where the author was taking me but at the same time, I LOVED it.
The time travel, dimension hopping, bull-monster cults, wild west showdowns and more - essentially it felt like the author threw a dart at an idea wall and decided to add something else entirely random to the story...and yet...it worked. The complete and utter absurdity worked so freaking well.
And the characters! Oh my gosh. They killed me. The way Michael and Stephanie played off of each other and all of the side-characters in the book was truly fantastic. Their humor was spot on and made the book perfect in my mind.
All in all - I truly cannot recommend this book enough.
April 15, 2019
There is something really unique here that no one is publishing in the genre, a hilarious tale that has heart and science and world-building. Reminiscent of Douglas Adams, definitely a new author with lots of potential!
October 27, 2019
How I read this: book gifted by the author
★★★★✬ 4.5 stars
Duckett and Dyer was the wackiest read ever!! It has funny, it has serious, and it even has a bigger plot coming for the next books. I am excited to read the next ones, I gotta say! If you’re looking for some fun evening reading, you should definitely pick this one up – it’s worth it. Especially if you’re a fan of the scifi comedy novel.
What I loved about this book was how easily it read, how wacky it got and how witty it was! I love G.M. Nair’s talent for putting the serious dialogue into the wacky parts as seamlessly as he did. It had just the right balance of fun and serious. The wackiness got a little confusing for me in parts, and I guess that’s where the half star went, but it may as well have been me as any other thing. I feel a little sad that I chose to read this book during a trip and then came back home as I was only halfway into it. When you come back from a vacation, a lot of hassle tends to manifest, and that’s exactly what happened to me. I didn’t manage to remain in the same frame of mind and had to abandon the book for a while, and coming back to it was tough. So I feel like maybe it’s just really unfortunate circumstances, because if I read it as one block, I would have enjoyed it so much more! (And forgotten less details!) So don’t let my missing half star judge for you. It really is a great story and I keep worrying that maybe I’m just not cutting it slack because of my own personal reasons, completely unrelated to the actual book. Ah, #bookbloggerproblems...
Anyway, the characters are quite interesting! Michael is too serious about life, and Stephanie is his exact opposite. She’s almost like a cartoon character – her behavior is ridiculous to an unrealistic degree. But as different and clashing as they are, they do make a good team… sort of. Because while Stephanie needs to be more responsible and less hyper, Michael also needs to open up his mind a little and ease up on the anxiety. As happy go lucky as Stephanie is, her own character does not prevent her from seeing the world as it is – even when it’s being ridiculously unrealistic. And it’s being way more than ridiculously unrealistic! (Hence the aforementioned ‘wacky’ part.) So at first you question the morality of what Stephanie and Michael are doing, but after a while you just… Stop. Because things are going head over heels and things are just too wild to follow. That’s when you start wondering where it will take you.
This book is a mixture of wacky and serious, sad and just way over the top and out there. It will talk about friendship, responsibility, anxiety and finding your place, but it will also have people with apple heads and giant bunny rabbits as horses. Exploding, for some of them. It’ll have details of the wackiest things, like Dogpile being there instead of Google and a number of other things you would imagine yourself if someone asked you to come up with a weird alternate reality. But they’re all really fun and make for good, dynamic reading.
Read the full blog post here:
I thank the author for gifting me a free copy of the ebook. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
★★★★✬ 4.5 stars
Duckett and Dyer was the wackiest read ever!! It has funny, it has serious, and it even has a bigger plot coming for the next books. I am excited to read the next ones, I gotta say! If you’re looking for some fun evening reading, you should definitely pick this one up – it’s worth it. Especially if you’re a fan of the scifi comedy novel.
What I loved about this book was how easily it read, how wacky it got and how witty it was! I love G.M. Nair’s talent for putting the serious dialogue into the wacky parts as seamlessly as he did. It had just the right balance of fun and serious. The wackiness got a little confusing for me in parts, and I guess that’s where the half star went, but it may as well have been me as any other thing. I feel a little sad that I chose to read this book during a trip and then came back home as I was only halfway into it. When you come back from a vacation, a lot of hassle tends to manifest, and that’s exactly what happened to me. I didn’t manage to remain in the same frame of mind and had to abandon the book for a while, and coming back to it was tough. So I feel like maybe it’s just really unfortunate circumstances, because if I read it as one block, I would have enjoyed it so much more! (And forgotten less details!) So don’t let my missing half star judge for you. It really is a great story and I keep worrying that maybe I’m just not cutting it slack because of my own personal reasons, completely unrelated to the actual book. Ah, #bookbloggerproblems...
Anyway, the characters are quite interesting! Michael is too serious about life, and Stephanie is his exact opposite. She’s almost like a cartoon character – her behavior is ridiculous to an unrealistic degree. But as different and clashing as they are, they do make a good team… sort of. Because while Stephanie needs to be more responsible and less hyper, Michael also needs to open up his mind a little and ease up on the anxiety. As happy go lucky as Stephanie is, her own character does not prevent her from seeing the world as it is – even when it’s being ridiculously unrealistic. And it’s being way more than ridiculously unrealistic! (Hence the aforementioned ‘wacky’ part.) So at first you question the morality of what Stephanie and Michael are doing, but after a while you just… Stop. Because things are going head over heels and things are just too wild to follow. That’s when you start wondering where it will take you.
This book is a mixture of wacky and serious, sad and just way over the top and out there. It will talk about friendship, responsibility, anxiety and finding your place, but it will also have people with apple heads and giant bunny rabbits as horses. Exploding, for some of them. It’ll have details of the wackiest things, like Dogpile being there instead of Google and a number of other things you would imagine yourself if someone asked you to come up with a weird alternate reality. But they’re all really fun and make for good, dynamic reading.
Read the full blog post here:
I thank the author for gifting me a free copy of the ebook. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
September 17, 2022
Full review: https://vueltaspodcast.wordpress.com/...
Interview with GM Nair: https://vueltaspodcast.wordpress.com/...
Score: 5 out of 5 stars
Duckett & Dyer: Dicks for Hire is the initial book in the Duckett & Dyer series by G.M. Nair. And honestly, I don't really know where to start the review, because there are so many things I want to talk about.
So I guess we can start with the characters, Michael Duckett and Stephanie Dyer. Probably the best word to describe Stephanie is "disaster", but the kind of disaster you find lovable and the kind of disaster you end up appreciating because she brings the craziness you need in your life. And it also helps us to appreciate more the character of Duckett, a person who is just fed up of life, living with Steph, as she is his closest friend (and even his only one). With these two main characters, we have the perfect ingredients to write an excellent sci-fi comedy. While it is true that we have a second POV, the detective Rex Calhoun, this is probably the only part of the book I feel it's kinda non-necessary, as we could have gotten into it without his POV. Rest is narrated from the POV of Duckett, which also helps for such a chaotic story, as Michael tends to be riddled by anxiety, and by the craziness of Steph.
Let's dive into one of the big selling points of this book, and one of the strengths of G.M. Nair, the humour. It's really difficult to keep the plot flowing while making you laugh all the time, but Nair overdid himself, showing excellent taste, and I can totally agree with another review saying "it could have written a Monthy Python script"; in both senses, we have jokes for all levels, featuring multi-layers kind of jokes, with complexity; and sometimes just going for the easy laugh, helping sometimes to alleviate the tension on the story.
And let's go to the second point where I think Nair's writing, which is the science part of sci-fi. Let's start by stating that writing a coherent story featuring time traveling is not easy, and usually, the twist you need to add to make it work tends to be rather inelegant, here is why I liked so much Nair's solution to it, as it takes on of the modern physic theories and uses it to write at the same time something whose plot is solid, being at the same time hilarious.
These two strengths allow Nair to weave a really engaging story, and that at the same time made me laugh, it developed a plot (especially after the 50% mark) that kept me hooked until the end. Probably it is just me that I think that when we are reading a book, there's a tacit agreement with the author about the content and what we can expect, and I can say D&D totally delivered it.
So, do I recommend this book? Absolutely, it's an amazing read, a solid sci-fi story intertwined in a really great way with comedy, making me laugh nonstop. Obviously, if you are looking for something more serious, probably Duckett & Dyer is not a book for you, but if you are looking for a great read and to have fun, get it, actually, you should have got it yesterday.
Interview with GM Nair: https://vueltaspodcast.wordpress.com/...
Score: 5 out of 5 stars
Duckett & Dyer: Dicks for Hire is the initial book in the Duckett & Dyer series by G.M. Nair. And honestly, I don't really know where to start the review, because there are so many things I want to talk about.
So I guess we can start with the characters, Michael Duckett and Stephanie Dyer. Probably the best word to describe Stephanie is "disaster", but the kind of disaster you find lovable and the kind of disaster you end up appreciating because she brings the craziness you need in your life. And it also helps us to appreciate more the character of Duckett, a person who is just fed up of life, living with Steph, as she is his closest friend (and even his only one). With these two main characters, we have the perfect ingredients to write an excellent sci-fi comedy. While it is true that we have a second POV, the detective Rex Calhoun, this is probably the only part of the book I feel it's kinda non-necessary, as we could have gotten into it without his POV. Rest is narrated from the POV of Duckett, which also helps for such a chaotic story, as Michael tends to be riddled by anxiety, and by the craziness of Steph.
Let's dive into one of the big selling points of this book, and one of the strengths of G.M. Nair, the humour. It's really difficult to keep the plot flowing while making you laugh all the time, but Nair overdid himself, showing excellent taste, and I can totally agree with another review saying "it could have written a Monthy Python script"; in both senses, we have jokes for all levels, featuring multi-layers kind of jokes, with complexity; and sometimes just going for the easy laugh, helping sometimes to alleviate the tension on the story.
And let's go to the second point where I think Nair's writing, which is the science part of sci-fi. Let's start by stating that writing a coherent story featuring time traveling is not easy, and usually, the twist you need to add to make it work tends to be rather inelegant, here is why I liked so much Nair's solution to it, as it takes on of the modern physic theories and uses it to write at the same time something whose plot is solid, being at the same time hilarious.
These two strengths allow Nair to weave a really engaging story, and that at the same time made me laugh, it developed a plot (especially after the 50% mark) that kept me hooked until the end. Probably it is just me that I think that when we are reading a book, there's a tacit agreement with the author about the content and what we can expect, and I can say D&D totally delivered it.
So, do I recommend this book? Absolutely, it's an amazing read, a solid sci-fi story intertwined in a really great way with comedy, making me laugh nonstop. Obviously, if you are looking for something more serious, probably Duckett & Dyer is not a book for you, but if you are looking for a great read and to have fun, get it, actually, you should have got it yesterday.
July 7, 2019
Oh good lord, where do I start?
If you think you know where this story is going after 50 pages, you don’t. You just don’t. This is like taking your seemingly innocent brain, smashing it against a frying pan while simultaneously reciting Shakespeare and doing calculus.
It is pants-on-your-head-crazy and works perfectly.
“She turned back to the doorman, and everything fell out of Michael’s hands, “Hello. My name is Jackie Steele,” Stephanie said, clearly having put a lot of thought into a ridiculous alias. She continued, adopting the velvety, sultry voice a woman named Jackie Steele would possess. “And this is my associate . . .” Stephanie paused and looked at Michael. Her wide eyes implied that she had wasted all her time imagining the intricacies of Jackie Steele and hadn’t come up with a suitable name for Michael. Michael crossed his arms, forcing her to grasp for straws to continue this chosen charade “Maurice . . . Sendak.”
Firstly, let’s address the buddy comedy that is the duo of Duckett and Dyer. 30 pages into the story I found myself remarking to Jodie (witty and sarcastic book club) how I knew this girl who was Stephanie down to the dirty feet. She had the same conclusion. I think most people have met a “Stephanie” in their lives. A loveable and complete fuck-up who is just this side of nuts but brings that perfect and endearing crazy into your life. Someone who makes life just that little bit more interesting. It is a great bit of writing on Nair’s part because it allows us, readers, to be able to empathize with Mikester and all the headaches that he has to endure. Mike is a perfect foil to Stephanie’s batshit tendencies. Mike reminds me of a tea kettle. Fine with water in it, occasionally makes a lot of noise but quiets down pretty quickly. Don’t let it overheat though or it bends and twist and is never right again.
Plot-wise, I am giving nothing away because it would take away from the pure titillation of discovery that is this wacky story. But, I can surmise it by saying it is a wacky relative or bastard lovechild of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and something by Terry Pratchett. Weirdness, clever characters, smugness, and the perfect amount of snark.
The setting of the story varies depending on the ‘verse they were traveling through. Although I loved the, albeit brief, romp through the universe with the giant bunny rabbit and humongous man-eating hamburgers bent of Duckett and Dyer’s destruction. That particular scene was pure poetry.
Overall, this is a must-read. It is fun with a capital ‘FU’. Made me laugh, guffaw, and chuckle at the relationship between these two “investigators.”
“Maybe God loves us.” “No, that can’t be it,”
This was a particularly fun book to do as a buddy read with Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub. The ridiculous nature of it lent itself to a lot of guffaws between us. Thank you so much for doing the read with me.
Solid Five Star Read
If you think you know where this story is going after 50 pages, you don’t. You just don’t. This is like taking your seemingly innocent brain, smashing it against a frying pan while simultaneously reciting Shakespeare and doing calculus.
It is pants-on-your-head-crazy and works perfectly.
“She turned back to the doorman, and everything fell out of Michael’s hands, “Hello. My name is Jackie Steele,” Stephanie said, clearly having put a lot of thought into a ridiculous alias. She continued, adopting the velvety, sultry voice a woman named Jackie Steele would possess. “And this is my associate . . .” Stephanie paused and looked at Michael. Her wide eyes implied that she had wasted all her time imagining the intricacies of Jackie Steele and hadn’t come up with a suitable name for Michael. Michael crossed his arms, forcing her to grasp for straws to continue this chosen charade “Maurice . . . Sendak.”
Firstly, let’s address the buddy comedy that is the duo of Duckett and Dyer. 30 pages into the story I found myself remarking to Jodie (witty and sarcastic book club) how I knew this girl who was Stephanie down to the dirty feet. She had the same conclusion. I think most people have met a “Stephanie” in their lives. A loveable and complete fuck-up who is just this side of nuts but brings that perfect and endearing crazy into your life. Someone who makes life just that little bit more interesting. It is a great bit of writing on Nair’s part because it allows us, readers, to be able to empathize with Mikester and all the headaches that he has to endure. Mike is a perfect foil to Stephanie’s batshit tendencies. Mike reminds me of a tea kettle. Fine with water in it, occasionally makes a lot of noise but quiets down pretty quickly. Don’t let it overheat though or it bends and twist and is never right again.
Plot-wise, I am giving nothing away because it would take away from the pure titillation of discovery that is this wacky story. But, I can surmise it by saying it is a wacky relative or bastard lovechild of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and something by Terry Pratchett. Weirdness, clever characters, smugness, and the perfect amount of snark.
The setting of the story varies depending on the ‘verse they were traveling through. Although I loved the, albeit brief, romp through the universe with the giant bunny rabbit and humongous man-eating hamburgers bent of Duckett and Dyer’s destruction. That particular scene was pure poetry.
Overall, this is a must-read. It is fun with a capital ‘FU’. Made me laugh, guffaw, and chuckle at the relationship between these two “investigators.”
“Maybe God loves us.” “No, that can’t be it,”
This was a particularly fun book to do as a buddy read with Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub. The ridiculous nature of it lent itself to a lot of guffaws between us. Thank you so much for doing the read with me.
Solid Five Star Read
October 1, 2022
Duckett & Dyer: Dicks for Hire 5 stars the end…..
Seriously with a title like that I still need to sell you on the reasons why you should read this book. Okay fine how about this do you like the movie Dumb & Dumber? If so you should go read this book because the comedy reminds me a lot of that movie.
The story has two main characters Michael Duckett and Stephanie Dyer and is told from the POV of Michael. These two have been friends since grade school and little did they know at the time but the very thing that brought them together is going to later on take them across the multiverse on one hell of a ride. As roommates Michael & Stephanie are just living ordinary lives until one day Michael gets cornered by a woman saying she wants to hire him to investigate her fiancé and that she found their P.I. agency via an online ad except they don’t have a P.I. agency or do they? It’s not long after this Michael and Stephanie become aware of people mysteriously going missing throughout their city.
So just who are our sleuths, well let me tell you.
Michael is a bit of an introvert who definitely suffers from social anxiety which is a lot of fun to watch unfold as he tries to pursue his love interest. He is your typical straight edge rule follower who walks around with a stick up his ass most of the time because he’s afraid to do anything that might get him in trouble. On a scale of 1-10 in terms of living life on the edge Michael would probably be a -5 at the start of the story.
On the other hand we have Stephanie who is very much extroverted but also shall we say a bit lazy. Unlike Stephanie is laid back and chill and very much gives you those free spirited hippie type of vibes. However since Stephanie doesn’t take things all that seriously she's also the one who always has a habit of coming up with some sort of hair brained scheme which gets them in trouble. I’m sure you know someone in real life like that, I for one know I do and boy have they got me into some crap over the years. Thankfully nothing as crazy as multiverse time travel but trouble nonetheless.
Lastly we have a side POV which comes in the form of a grump old detective named Rex Calhoun. Rex’s story only briefly intertwines with Michael and Stephanie so I’m not sure if we will see more of him later on in the series but in a nutshell he’s a detective working a missing persons case that from his perspective just keeps getting weird and weird. Little does he know its all tied back to Michael and Stephanie and the fate of the universe is in the hands of the worst duo since Lloyd and Harry from Dumb and Dumber.
Honestly if you made it this far then let me leave you with this Duckett & Dyer: Dicks for Hire is a fun slapstick sci fi comedy from G.M. Nair that if you are more of a Stephanie in real life, will have you busting a gut laughing non stop and well if you're more of a Michael I’m sorry you should probably go make friends with a Stephine so you can spice up your boring life a little.
Seriously with a title like that I still need to sell you on the reasons why you should read this book. Okay fine how about this do you like the movie Dumb & Dumber? If so you should go read this book because the comedy reminds me a lot of that movie.
The story has two main characters Michael Duckett and Stephanie Dyer and is told from the POV of Michael. These two have been friends since grade school and little did they know at the time but the very thing that brought them together is going to later on take them across the multiverse on one hell of a ride. As roommates Michael & Stephanie are just living ordinary lives until one day Michael gets cornered by a woman saying she wants to hire him to investigate her fiancé and that she found their P.I. agency via an online ad except they don’t have a P.I. agency or do they? It’s not long after this Michael and Stephanie become aware of people mysteriously going missing throughout their city.
So just who are our sleuths, well let me tell you.
Michael is a bit of an introvert who definitely suffers from social anxiety which is a lot of fun to watch unfold as he tries to pursue his love interest. He is your typical straight edge rule follower who walks around with a stick up his ass most of the time because he’s afraid to do anything that might get him in trouble. On a scale of 1-10 in terms of living life on the edge Michael would probably be a -5 at the start of the story.
On the other hand we have Stephanie who is very much extroverted but also shall we say a bit lazy. Unlike Stephanie is laid back and chill and very much gives you those free spirited hippie type of vibes. However since Stephanie doesn’t take things all that seriously she's also the one who always has a habit of coming up with some sort of hair brained scheme which gets them in trouble. I’m sure you know someone in real life like that, I for one know I do and boy have they got me into some crap over the years. Thankfully nothing as crazy as multiverse time travel but trouble nonetheless.
Lastly we have a side POV which comes in the form of a grump old detective named Rex Calhoun. Rex’s story only briefly intertwines with Michael and Stephanie so I’m not sure if we will see more of him later on in the series but in a nutshell he’s a detective working a missing persons case that from his perspective just keeps getting weird and weird. Little does he know its all tied back to Michael and Stephanie and the fate of the universe is in the hands of the worst duo since Lloyd and Harry from Dumb and Dumber.
Honestly if you made it this far then let me leave you with this Duckett & Dyer: Dicks for Hire is a fun slapstick sci fi comedy from G.M. Nair that if you are more of a Stephanie in real life, will have you busting a gut laughing non stop and well if you're more of a Michael I’m sorry you should probably go make friends with a Stephine so you can spice up your boring life a little.
October 20, 2022
Adventure, time travel, slapstick, multiverse mystery—a laugh-out-loud trip through parallel universes with a couple of VERY unlikely protagonists whom you’ll love. (She’s smarter and braver than you think!)
May 21, 2020
"Stephanie leapt headfirst into the roiling tides of the space-time continuum, letting the blue energies wash over her body."
Have you ever read something where you loved the end so much you wished THAT was the whole book? That’s how I felt reading this.
"It may have been the end, but at least it was a pretty badass way to go."
Michael Duckett works a dead-end-job, lives with his childhood best friend Stephanie Dyer, and has finally scored a date with the girl from the laundrette. But there’s a problem. Well, a few problems. His date has gone missing. He’s being stalked by someone who thinks he runs a detective agency and he’s about to be thrown out of his apartment. Oh, and then there’s some interdimensional, parallel-world time travel to save the multi-verse? He might just throw up.
"Tessellations of orange clouds and violet-red sky extended overhead until it met the jagged, patterned horizon. Around him lone trees dotted the topaz desert wastelands, their foliage a smattering of fractals that infinitely repeated in on themselves.”
This was a quick-read; a Sci-Fi detective adventure inspired by Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, and, towards the end, gave me real Jessica Jones vibes. It’s told from Michael’s perspective, who is frankly, a little dull, as he navigates strange new worlds to get back to his own. Stephanie steals the show, and I would have loved to see more of her and her unexplored backstory. Their platonic friendship was refreshing, although, Stephanie's half of it was seriously understated.
It's a decent origin-story. The cliff-hanger was fantastic but I wish there was more of... what happens at the end... throughout this book.
Thank you to the author for a complimentary copy to review via Voracious Readers Only!
Have you ever read something where you loved the end so much you wished THAT was the whole book? That’s how I felt reading this.
"It may have been the end, but at least it was a pretty badass way to go."
Michael Duckett works a dead-end-job, lives with his childhood best friend Stephanie Dyer, and has finally scored a date with the girl from the laundrette. But there’s a problem. Well, a few problems. His date has gone missing. He’s being stalked by someone who thinks he runs a detective agency and he’s about to be thrown out of his apartment. Oh, and then there’s some interdimensional, parallel-world time travel to save the multi-verse? He might just throw up.
"Tessellations of orange clouds and violet-red sky extended overhead until it met the jagged, patterned horizon. Around him lone trees dotted the topaz desert wastelands, their foliage a smattering of fractals that infinitely repeated in on themselves.”
This was a quick-read; a Sci-Fi detective adventure inspired by Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, and, towards the end, gave me real Jessica Jones vibes. It’s told from Michael’s perspective, who is frankly, a little dull, as he navigates strange new worlds to get back to his own. Stephanie steals the show, and I would have loved to see more of her and her unexplored backstory. Their platonic friendship was refreshing, although, Stephanie's half of it was seriously understated.
It's a decent origin-story. The cliff-hanger was fantastic but I wish there was more of... what happens at the end... throughout this book.
Thank you to the author for a complimentary copy to review via Voracious Readers Only!
February 9, 2020
It was just dumb. I wanted to like this one too but a cool mystery with ridiculous universe hopping and ridiculous versions of people AND JUST BEING TOTALLY FINE WITH EXPLODING PEOPLE????? Ugh
EDIT (feb 2020): okay some people are liking this so i guess i should put in a little more effort into the review?
first of all it's weird that the author liked it. don't like that.
second: i THOUGHT i'd get a supernatural comedy/noir where solving the mystery of why there was a bunch of flyers and info about these unlikeable assholes running a detective agency would be, like...idk, a fun ride!
instead of got frankly kind of try-hard cringey humor, characters who have no redeeming qualities and no satisfying arcs, and logic? don't know her. looking at my notes/progress updates:
25% of the way through: steph was grating on me because i get it, we're all disaster bis, but she's taken SO far in burnout territory that it's like a caricature. does she have ANY interests or hobbies other than refusing to be vulnerable with her best friend and refusing to pay rent or take one (1) responsibility in her life? and because she's so awful, i ended up hating michael because SPINES? DON'T KNOW HER
48%: idk did it take like halfway thru the book for a plot to magically appear? seems so! but also michael's utter refusal to stop complaining about everything sucking for him and CHANGE things--whether that included kicking steph out on her ass or not--made him just literally insufferable. and the plot convenience is RIDICULOUS. a woman breaks into this asshole's apartment and instead of immediately calling the cops to report her for a breaking and entering or even CONSIDERING doing that shit, he's like WELP i have no other fuckin option than to solve the mystery of your missing husband/boyfriend/whatever i GUESS.
62%: if a person from a foreign universe touches a person inside their native universe, the native universe human will explode and they'll be erased from all of history. AND STEPH AND MICHAEL JUST KEEP EXPLODING PEOPLE VIOLENTLY AND NOT REACTING TO IT AS IF THIS IS TOTALLY NORMAL AND NOT AT ALL HORRIFYING, ACTUALLY. it's not even done in an amusing casual way, they're just straight up murdering people. they don't know until after a few murders that they have to keep doing it to get home, but jesus.
like if i wanted rick and morty i'd have watched that, but i skimmed so much of the ending because i hated the characters so much, i hated the concept, and i hated the mystery. it was just so undermined by its own weird blend of pretentiousness and childishness that i finished it out of sheer spite. that's the only reason it got 2 stars: i didn't hate it so much that i had to ragequit. literally the only positive i have for it
EDIT (feb 2020): okay some people are liking this so i guess i should put in a little more effort into the review?
first of all it's weird that the author liked it. don't like that.
second: i THOUGHT i'd get a supernatural comedy/noir where solving the mystery of why there was a bunch of flyers and info about these unlikeable assholes running a detective agency would be, like...idk, a fun ride!
instead of got frankly kind of try-hard cringey humor, characters who have no redeeming qualities and no satisfying arcs, and logic? don't know her. looking at my notes/progress updates:
25% of the way through: steph was grating on me because i get it, we're all disaster bis, but she's taken SO far in burnout territory that it's like a caricature. does she have ANY interests or hobbies other than refusing to be vulnerable with her best friend and refusing to pay rent or take one (1) responsibility in her life? and because she's so awful, i ended up hating michael because SPINES? DON'T KNOW HER
48%: idk did it take like halfway thru the book for a plot to magically appear? seems so! but also michael's utter refusal to stop complaining about everything sucking for him and CHANGE things--whether that included kicking steph out on her ass or not--made him just literally insufferable. and the plot convenience is RIDICULOUS. a woman breaks into this asshole's apartment and instead of immediately calling the cops to report her for a breaking and entering or even CONSIDERING doing that shit, he's like WELP i have no other fuckin option than to solve the mystery of your missing husband/boyfriend/whatever i GUESS.
62%: if a person from a foreign universe touches a person inside their native universe, the native universe human will explode and they'll be erased from all of history. AND STEPH AND MICHAEL JUST KEEP EXPLODING PEOPLE VIOLENTLY AND NOT REACTING TO IT AS IF THIS IS TOTALLY NORMAL AND NOT AT ALL HORRIFYING, ACTUALLY. it's not even done in an amusing casual way, they're just straight up murdering people. they don't know until after a few murders that they have to keep doing it to get home, but jesus.
like if i wanted rick and morty i'd have watched that, but i skimmed so much of the ending because i hated the characters so much, i hated the concept, and i hated the mystery. it was just so undermined by its own weird blend of pretentiousness and childishness that i finished it out of sheer spite. that's the only reason it got 2 stars: i didn't hate it so much that i had to ragequit. literally the only positive i have for it
June 28, 2019
This book fits right into a genre I love which I'm not sure exactly what to call but that I describe to myself as snarky sci-fi with a mushy heart. Love books with smart humor, adventure, speculative science, mystery, and flawed but lovable characters that we actually care about, and this one ticks all those boxes for me. Michael and Stephanie are best friends who aren't always on the same page. When they get dropped into a time-traveling conundrum that threatens the very existence of the universe, their bickering and bumbling attempts to set things right is a wonder to behold. The at times over-the-top humor may not be for everyone, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Nair is a talented writer and pulls off the balance of sarcasm to sincerity just right for my tastes, and the science behind the time-travel is plausible enough without the author belaboring the point. The ending satisfactorily ties up the immediate crisis while setting the stage for further adventures by our misfit detectives. Fun start to an offbeat mystery series.
April 14, 2019
Funny and Thrilling
Very easy read, full of laughs, suspense, and everything needed for a invigorating sci fi mystery story. Could not stop reading.
Very easy read, full of laughs, suspense, and everything needed for a invigorating sci fi mystery story. Could not stop reading.
July 7, 2019
Thank you to Ganesh Nair for providing me with a copy of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion. All guffaws are my own.
When Ganesh Nair emailed me, he assured me that Duckett and Dyer: Dicks for Hire was witty, sarcastic, AND a book. He was correct on all counts. He did, however, fail to mention the choking hazard from laughing too hard. I could have died. I feel like there’s a law suit in there somewhere.
I’m so excited to be doing my first buddy read post with Beth from Before We Go. We had a blast talking about this brilliant book! I’m pretty sure Mr. Nair must have recorded conversations between Beth, myself, and our respective spouses before writing his book. I know my hubby has mentioned adding a door to a cubicle on at least three occasions.
This book follows Duckett, your run of the mill average Joe, who works his butt off with very little to show for it, although some of that is due to his roommate, Stephanie Dyer. Stephanie is the sort to enjoy the fruits of everyone else’s labor- she does add a certain something, though. I’m thinking the certain something is trouble.
Duckett finds himself fielding cases for the detective agency he runs with Dyer. The problem is, they don’t run a detective agency. Things quickly go sideways, and they find themselves hopping through multiple universes, trying to solve a mystery, or- in Duckett’s case- get back to the status quo.
As Beth mentions in her post, we’ve both had a Stephanie in our lives. We also found ourselves trading stories about our horrible first apartments. If you replace Duckett’s missing apartment brick with a front door that would randomly trap me inside, you’ve got my first apartment.
Quippy, and completely bonkers, this book was an epic mash-up between comedy-noir and the weirdest sci-fi you’ll ever read . I loved every wacky moment of it. I only have one complaint: the sequel isn’t out yet.
When Ganesh Nair emailed me, he assured me that Duckett and Dyer: Dicks for Hire was witty, sarcastic, AND a book. He was correct on all counts. He did, however, fail to mention the choking hazard from laughing too hard. I could have died. I feel like there’s a law suit in there somewhere.
I’m so excited to be doing my first buddy read post with Beth from Before We Go. We had a blast talking about this brilliant book! I’m pretty sure Mr. Nair must have recorded conversations between Beth, myself, and our respective spouses before writing his book. I know my hubby has mentioned adding a door to a cubicle on at least three occasions.
This book follows Duckett, your run of the mill average Joe, who works his butt off with very little to show for it, although some of that is due to his roommate, Stephanie Dyer. Stephanie is the sort to enjoy the fruits of everyone else’s labor- she does add a certain something, though. I’m thinking the certain something is trouble.
Duckett finds himself fielding cases for the detective agency he runs with Dyer. The problem is, they don’t run a detective agency. Things quickly go sideways, and they find themselves hopping through multiple universes, trying to solve a mystery, or- in Duckett’s case- get back to the status quo.
As Beth mentions in her post, we’ve both had a Stephanie in our lives. We also found ourselves trading stories about our horrible first apartments. If you replace Duckett’s missing apartment brick with a front door that would randomly trap me inside, you’ve got my first apartment.
Quippy, and completely bonkers, this book was an epic mash-up between comedy-noir and the weirdest sci-fi you’ll ever read . I loved every wacky moment of it. I only have one complaint: the sequel isn’t out yet.
April 13, 2019
I picked this gem of a book as part of Indie April and boy, I'm so glad I did.
The plot is endearing and hilarious. The protagonists Stephanie and 'Mike-ster' are wonderfully written and they'll stay with you after the book is done.
The author has a confident voice and his writing is impeccable which doesn't make the book read quite like it's a debut novel. Would definitely recommend for lovers of humour and science fiction.
The plot is endearing and hilarious. The protagonists Stephanie and 'Mike-ster' are wonderfully written and they'll stay with you after the book is done.
The author has a confident voice and his writing is impeccable which doesn't make the book read quite like it's a debut novel. Would definitely recommend for lovers of humour and science fiction.
May 5, 2022
DUCKETT AND DYER: DICKS FOR HIRE is a manic madcap time-travel/dimension hopping adventure that reminds me of a less cynical version of JOHN DIES AT THE END. It also heavily reminds me of THE GOOD PLACE as poor Duckett has a lot of Chidi in him while Dyer is more Eleanor on coffee (or speed). Duckett is the responsible one in their relationship and Dyer is the manic crazy one but she's not his pixie dream girl (much to his disappointment).
To describe the plotline is almost an exercise in futility but basically, Duckett and Dyer find a number of people who INSIST they are private detectives. This despite the fact they manifestly are not. Missing multiple months of rent, Duckett and Dyer decide to take on some unlicensed private eye cases (except they are licensed--somehow). From there, things go utterly insane and there's cannibalistic hamburgers and Cow High Priests.
Buy this book, buy this book now.
To describe the plotline is almost an exercise in futility but basically, Duckett and Dyer find a number of people who INSIST they are private detectives. This despite the fact they manifestly are not. Missing multiple months of rent, Duckett and Dyer decide to take on some unlicensed private eye cases (except they are licensed--somehow). From there, things go utterly insane and there's cannibalistic hamburgers and Cow High Priests.
Buy this book, buy this book now.
April 12, 2022
“Michael Duckett was a young man with a decent head on his shoulders and a crippling anxiety that prevented him from ever using it.”
And so begins our journey with Michael Duckett and his slacker roommate/best friend, Stephanie Dyer. With that one line, G.M. Nair simultaneously sets the tone for the story and establishes our main character perfectly.
Michael and Stephanie are our main characters, with Michael’s POV driving the narrative. They are complete opposites from one another, Michael full of anxiety and Stephanie, not a care in world. Or should I say multiverse? More on that later.
Nair paces the story perfectly, drawing us in with laughs and character moments while hinting at something much weirder happening in the background. Breaking up Michael’s POV, we also meet a detective, a real detective, named Rex Calhoun, which is where we get our first glimpses of what will soon be the main conflict. And then, about half way through, things take a genre defying turn that is equally as absurd as it is brilliant.
As Duckett and Dyer find themselves drawn ever deeper into a perplexing case of missing persons, things get more and more sci-fi until they find themselves whisked into multiverses where anything, and I do mean anything, can happen.
As bonkers as things get, the backbone of this story is friendship. Michael and Stephanie are tested in ways they never could’ve imagined. Are they just too different to be compatible as friends? Or can they learn from each other and save their friendship. As well as the universe.
Duckett & Dire: Dicks For Hire is an uproarious sci-fi comedy with a lot of heart. If you grew up loving Back to the Future and want some of that in your reading, G.M. Nair has got you covered. I absolutely loved this book and will reading the sequel The One Hundred Percent Solution very soon.
And so begins our journey with Michael Duckett and his slacker roommate/best friend, Stephanie Dyer. With that one line, G.M. Nair simultaneously sets the tone for the story and establishes our main character perfectly.
Michael and Stephanie are our main characters, with Michael’s POV driving the narrative. They are complete opposites from one another, Michael full of anxiety and Stephanie, not a care in world. Or should I say multiverse? More on that later.
Nair paces the story perfectly, drawing us in with laughs and character moments while hinting at something much weirder happening in the background. Breaking up Michael’s POV, we also meet a detective, a real detective, named Rex Calhoun, which is where we get our first glimpses of what will soon be the main conflict. And then, about half way through, things take a genre defying turn that is equally as absurd as it is brilliant.
As Duckett and Dyer find themselves drawn ever deeper into a perplexing case of missing persons, things get more and more sci-fi until they find themselves whisked into multiverses where anything, and I do mean anything, can happen.
As bonkers as things get, the backbone of this story is friendship. Michael and Stephanie are tested in ways they never could’ve imagined. Are they just too different to be compatible as friends? Or can they learn from each other and save their friendship. As well as the universe.
Duckett & Dire: Dicks For Hire is an uproarious sci-fi comedy with a lot of heart. If you grew up loving Back to the Future and want some of that in your reading, G.M. Nair has got you covered. I absolutely loved this book and will reading the sequel The One Hundred Percent Solution very soon.
December 23, 2019
This was a good read. Mostly light and fun, it explored a lot of time travel and alternate universe tropes in a zany, tongue-in-cheek style. The characters were interesting, although they felt a little archetypal at times.
My major issues with the book, and what dropped it from four stars to three is that occasionally it was just too much. The storyline rambled and felt incoherent at times, and the attitude with which the characters approached the ideosyncracies of their situation felt unnaturally flippant, pushing the book's spoofy, campiness into pointlessness.
While there were a lot of fun things in and about the book, I just felt like it could have been better with a little more work in the editorial stage.
My major issues with the book, and what dropped it from four stars to three is that occasionally it was just too much. The storyline rambled and felt incoherent at times, and the attitude with which the characters approached the ideosyncracies of their situation felt unnaturally flippant, pushing the book's spoofy, campiness into pointlessness.
While there were a lot of fun things in and about the book, I just felt like it could have been better with a little more work in the editorial stage.
June 10, 2019
This book was… infuriating. Because I loved the story, and the wacky sense of humour, but wanted to slap the editor who didn’t tighten up a LOT on the writing style. Argh!! Despite its many flaws, it's a lot of fun, and I rather hope the promised sequel does appear.
Full review is up on my blog.
Full review is up on my blog.
February 3, 2020
Where do I even begin? It was ridiculous, ludicrous and a nuisance. The only reason I finished it was because I said I would when I signed up to Voracious Readers Only.
Here’s what I thought.
In the beginning it was interesting. There were a few things that needed fixing:
- There was more telling than showing
- Secondary characters may have been cardboard cutouts for the definition they showed.
- The chapter titles gave away the plot of the chapter sometimes.
- The dialogue was clunky and forced (as was the ‘sarcasm’).
By the time I was a third of the way through I was enjoying the book. But it all went downhill when someone climbed through their window and demanded they stalk her fiancé. Their first response wasn’t to call the police (because that wouldn’t fit with the plot) but to agree to her ‘demands’.
40 pages later I was ready to throw either the book or myself out the window. The moment the book lost me was when Stephanie said ‘I know’ to all the stuff going on because she had guessed it. I had thought maybe it was because she was from another universe which would have been cool - it wasn’t. From there there was no point where I enjoyed the book.
Their ‘friendship’ infuriated me to no end. Stephanie had problems (that she admitted to) and she refused to change. She was wishy-washy and mooched of her friend because he was the only one who hadn’t left her. Then there was Michael. He had to put up with her, sure, but he never actually made the effort to get to know her. And then it all came out in a heart to heart that suddenly made everything alright.
Another problem: who the hell was the antagonist? There was no mention of an antagonist or stakes. It was just the two of them screwing stuff up and then trying to get home. That’s not a book - that’s a filler episode.
Also, why the hell did we only find out Stephanie was interested in her parents’ deaths in the epilogue! That would have been good to know in the beginning!
Overall, the book was too forced and there were too many things shoved together. If you want my advice (which you probably don’t considering I haven’t exactly been nice in this review), stretch it all out a little more, or cut down on the exploding people. I wanted to connect with the characters more. Instead I got to watch a bunch of people from different universes blow up.
Apparently there’s another book; I won’t be touching it with a ten foot pole.
Here’s what I thought.
In the beginning it was interesting. There were a few things that needed fixing:
- There was more telling than showing
- Secondary characters may have been cardboard cutouts for the definition they showed.
- The chapter titles gave away the plot of the chapter sometimes.
- The dialogue was clunky and forced (as was the ‘sarcasm’).
By the time I was a third of the way through I was enjoying the book. But it all went downhill when someone climbed through their window and demanded they stalk her fiancé. Their first response wasn’t to call the police (because that wouldn’t fit with the plot) but to agree to her ‘demands’.
40 pages later I was ready to throw either the book or myself out the window. The moment the book lost me was when Stephanie said ‘I know’ to all the stuff going on because she had guessed it. I had thought maybe it was because she was from another universe which would have been cool - it wasn’t. From there there was no point where I enjoyed the book.
Their ‘friendship’ infuriated me to no end. Stephanie had problems (that she admitted to) and she refused to change. She was wishy-washy and mooched of her friend because he was the only one who hadn’t left her. Then there was Michael. He had to put up with her, sure, but he never actually made the effort to get to know her. And then it all came out in a heart to heart that suddenly made everything alright.
Another problem: who the hell was the antagonist? There was no mention of an antagonist or stakes. It was just the two of them screwing stuff up and then trying to get home. That’s not a book - that’s a filler episode.
Also, why the hell did we only find out Stephanie was interested in her parents’ deaths in the epilogue! That would have been good to know in the beginning!
Overall, the book was too forced and there were too many things shoved together. If you want my advice (which you probably don’t considering I haven’t exactly been nice in this review), stretch it all out a little more, or cut down on the exploding people. I wanted to connect with the characters more. Instead I got to watch a bunch of people from different universes blow up.
Apparently there’s another book; I won’t be touching it with a ten foot pole.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 26, 2022
In full disclosure, as a judge for the 2021 Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC), I read this book as it is a Finalist. However, a sci-fi/comedy/mystery is something I would read recreationally, so I was excited to have this book reach the top of my TBR.
The story launches from page one, an engaging prologue action scene that asks all the right questions that I really wanted answered and was anxious to turn the page and find out. Duckett and Dyer are interesting characters with distinct voices and relatable qualities, so it’s easy to root for them. Their personality quirks bring them to life, and their back-and-forth banter shows the closeness of their relationship.
The humor and use of pop-culture references starts strong with hilarious yet mundane human interactions, making me laugh several times through the opening chapters. GM Nair’s similes and metaphors are fresh and funny, and the cantankerous cop provides an excellent foil to the bumbling detectives. With several simultaneous story threads, there’s plenty of mystery to really wonder what is going on.
However, the middle of the book lags for me as the humor turns from subtle snark to absurdity, and the mystery plot is overshadowed with the novelty of bizarre worlds. The characters handle horrible situations and resulting deaths with indifference and wonder rather than the shock, second-guessing, and self-reflection that would have helped overall character development and growth.
The ending rallies, bringing together most of the various plot lines and weaves them together into an entertaining story. A few questions unexpectedly remain unanswered, but I hope they are addressed in subsequent books.
The book features well-described settings, good pacing, fun characters, and hilarious chapter names. But the writing does have intermittent issues such as vague pronouns, misspellings, missing punctuation, and POV issues that an editor should have caught. Overall, a fun read.
The story launches from page one, an engaging prologue action scene that asks all the right questions that I really wanted answered and was anxious to turn the page and find out. Duckett and Dyer are interesting characters with distinct voices and relatable qualities, so it’s easy to root for them. Their personality quirks bring them to life, and their back-and-forth banter shows the closeness of their relationship.
The humor and use of pop-culture references starts strong with hilarious yet mundane human interactions, making me laugh several times through the opening chapters. GM Nair’s similes and metaphors are fresh and funny, and the cantankerous cop provides an excellent foil to the bumbling detectives. With several simultaneous story threads, there’s plenty of mystery to really wonder what is going on.
However, the middle of the book lags for me as the humor turns from subtle snark to absurdity, and the mystery plot is overshadowed with the novelty of bizarre worlds. The characters handle horrible situations and resulting deaths with indifference and wonder rather than the shock, second-guessing, and self-reflection that would have helped overall character development and growth.
The ending rallies, bringing together most of the various plot lines and weaves them together into an entertaining story. A few questions unexpectedly remain unanswered, but I hope they are addressed in subsequent books.
The book features well-described settings, good pacing, fun characters, and hilarious chapter names. But the writing does have intermittent issues such as vague pronouns, misspellings, missing punctuation, and POV issues that an editor should have caught. Overall, a fun read.
July 12, 2022
I read this as a finalist for SPSFC!
Personal Score: 7/10
Another great surprise from this round! I'm not huge into detective type stories, but the time travel paradox that this one has certanly was a great adition! But the highligh of this book is the relationship between the main characters, Duckett and Dyer, or Mike and Stephanie. Absolutely fantastic every single time, as someone who isn't a character driven reader I enjoyed the hell out of every single conversation.
Overall a great scifi adventure, and probably will read the sequel because it was such a fun time!
More details on the video review for the finalists!
Personal Score: 7/10
Another great surprise from this round! I'm not huge into detective type stories, but the time travel paradox that this one has certanly was a great adition! But the highligh of this book is the relationship between the main characters, Duckett and Dyer, or Mike and Stephanie. Absolutely fantastic every single time, as someone who isn't a character driven reader I enjoyed the hell out of every single conversation.
Overall a great scifi adventure, and probably will read the sequel because it was such a fun time!
More details on the video review for the finalists!
May 22, 2020
“The two did not say another word to each other and, over the next hour, fell into dreamless sleeps. This could have been attributed to the utter exhaustion of finally expressing honest feelings after two decades of friendship, or the carbon monoxide build-up in the cave due to the fire.”
Duckett and Dyer: Dicks For Hire has a certain ring to it, no?
This debut novel, self-published by G.M. Nair, is the first in a series. Blending humor and mystery, time travel and buddy cop noir (did I just make that genre up?) Following the wacky antics of roommates Stephanie Dyer and her oldest friend, Michael Duckett. Their relationship is often comedic, but genuine. They have the banter of two people that have known each other for a long time, knowing how to push those buttons without pissing the other off too terribly. There’s a certain charm in that, a comfortable camaraderie that takes time and understanding. Both 30-somethings were outcasts in school, which is ultimately what drew them together.
They are yin and yang, balancing each other out in such a wonderful way. Michael is often excessively straight-laced, works a soul-destroying job, suffers from anxiety and is mostly rational. Stephanie? Well, she’s prone to going off the rails. She is perpetually unemployed, awkwardly cracks jokes when things get a bit too serious or she feels uncomfortable (honestly, relatable) and is bisexual (FUCK YES BI REPRESENTATION!!) She also lost both of her parents at a young age, which clearly left a lasting impact on her.
Michael happens to have a wicked crush on a woman named Terri Bradshaw (yes, like the football player.) She has the same laundry day as Michael — Wednesday, btw. Normally suffering from intense social anxiety, Michael finds himself talking to Terri relatively easily. That is, until she asks him about his job. Turns out that her brother works at The Future Group — the same company that Michael works for in his boring-ass Analyst position.
One night, while leaving from the laundromat, Michael runs into someone wanting to hire him after seeing his ad about a private investigation business. Except.. it doesn’t actually exist. Or at least, it didn’t. Until now.
Stephanie swears she didn’t create the ad, so who did?
“No case too tough, no case too crazy!”
Random interdimensional vortexes, a case involving lightning and missing people, blood and gore, bizarre monsters, threesomes, a grizzled loose canon detective, Beyonce and Jay-Z.. these are just a few of the things you will encounter in Duckett and Dyer!
This was a particularly fun book to get lost in during this ::insert apocalyptic phrase here:: Who doesn’t want to read about incompetent schlubs going on an entertaining adventure, à la Douglas Adams?!
(Big thanks to Storytellers on Tour for inviting me to be a part of the Duckett and Dyer: Dicks For Hire Bookstagram/Blog tour! Be sure to checkout the rest of the rad reviews, author interviews and spotlights! If you are interested in becoming a future roadie for this fantastic new service promoting indie SFF books to a broader audience, you can sign up on the website. DO THE DAMN THING!!)
Duckett and Dyer: Dicks For Hire has a certain ring to it, no?
This debut novel, self-published by G.M. Nair, is the first in a series. Blending humor and mystery, time travel and buddy cop noir (did I just make that genre up?) Following the wacky antics of roommates Stephanie Dyer and her oldest friend, Michael Duckett. Their relationship is often comedic, but genuine. They have the banter of two people that have known each other for a long time, knowing how to push those buttons without pissing the other off too terribly. There’s a certain charm in that, a comfortable camaraderie that takes time and understanding. Both 30-somethings were outcasts in school, which is ultimately what drew them together.
They are yin and yang, balancing each other out in such a wonderful way. Michael is often excessively straight-laced, works a soul-destroying job, suffers from anxiety and is mostly rational. Stephanie? Well, she’s prone to going off the rails. She is perpetually unemployed, awkwardly cracks jokes when things get a bit too serious or she feels uncomfortable (honestly, relatable) and is bisexual (FUCK YES BI REPRESENTATION!!) She also lost both of her parents at a young age, which clearly left a lasting impact on her.
Michael happens to have a wicked crush on a woman named Terri Bradshaw (yes, like the football player.) She has the same laundry day as Michael — Wednesday, btw. Normally suffering from intense social anxiety, Michael finds himself talking to Terri relatively easily. That is, until she asks him about his job. Turns out that her brother works at The Future Group — the same company that Michael works for in his boring-ass Analyst position.
One night, while leaving from the laundromat, Michael runs into someone wanting to hire him after seeing his ad about a private investigation business. Except.. it doesn’t actually exist. Or at least, it didn’t. Until now.
Stephanie swears she didn’t create the ad, so who did?
“No case too tough, no case too crazy!”
Random interdimensional vortexes, a case involving lightning and missing people, blood and gore, bizarre monsters, threesomes, a grizzled loose canon detective, Beyonce and Jay-Z.. these are just a few of the things you will encounter in Duckett and Dyer!
This was a particularly fun book to get lost in during this ::insert apocalyptic phrase here:: Who doesn’t want to read about incompetent schlubs going on an entertaining adventure, à la Douglas Adams?!
(Big thanks to Storytellers on Tour for inviting me to be a part of the Duckett and Dyer: Dicks For Hire Bookstagram/Blog tour! Be sure to checkout the rest of the rad reviews, author interviews and spotlights! If you are interested in becoming a future roadie for this fantastic new service promoting indie SFF books to a broader audience, you can sign up on the website. DO THE DAMN THING!!)
June 26, 2022
Duckett & Dyer is a SPSFC Finalist for the 2021-22 batch! I read it as part of the judging process.
I'll admit right off the bat that I don't tend to pick up comedies, so I wasn't sure how I would get on with this one. But, thanks to the SPSFC, I gave it a go and found that actually I quite enjoyed it! Nair knows how to write comedy and kept throwing unexpected surprises at me through every turn.
I think my favourite section is in the middle and without revealing spoilers I loved all the universes that Nair quite clearly had fun coming up with all these wierd and wacky places and ideas. I would have loved to have explored some of these more strange places, but I understand that Nair needed to keep going with the story and so our unlikely detectives couldn't linger!
Duckett & Dyer are a comedy duo who you'll learn to love, especially with Dyer. She starts as a somewhat frustrating character but by the end she reveals how dedicated of a friend she is, even if she's still annoying Duckett by that point. Add in a whole host of supporting characters and you get a good mix of people to help, or hinder, our duo.
Nair takes the currently-popular trend of the multi-verse and makes it entirely ridiculous (but in a good way.) It's overly-dramatic, filled with comedy explanations for things but still serious enough to have a story within it that you'll want to keep reading.
I'll admit right off the bat that I don't tend to pick up comedies, so I wasn't sure how I would get on with this one. But, thanks to the SPSFC, I gave it a go and found that actually I quite enjoyed it! Nair knows how to write comedy and kept throwing unexpected surprises at me through every turn.
I think my favourite section is in the middle and without revealing spoilers I loved all the universes that Nair quite clearly had fun coming up with all these wierd and wacky places and ideas. I would have loved to have explored some of these more strange places, but I understand that Nair needed to keep going with the story and so our unlikely detectives couldn't linger!
Duckett & Dyer are a comedy duo who you'll learn to love, especially with Dyer. She starts as a somewhat frustrating character but by the end she reveals how dedicated of a friend she is, even if she's still annoying Duckett by that point. Add in a whole host of supporting characters and you get a good mix of people to help, or hinder, our duo.
Nair takes the currently-popular trend of the multi-verse and makes it entirely ridiculous (but in a good way.) It's overly-dramatic, filled with comedy explanations for things but still serious enough to have a story within it that you'll want to keep reading.
April 15, 2020
I just finished reading Ducket & Dyer: Dicks for Hire, an adventure/science fiction story written by G.M. Nair. This story revolves around a pair of life-long friends who are about to embark on an adventure. Problem is, they just don’t know it yet.
Those who read the blurb before buying will not be disappointed. This story drives through space, time, alternate universes and people to deliver non-stop action that will leave you baffled as to where exactly in this story you are.
The author’s creativity really shines when it comes to the alternate universes. While the series Sliders may have been limited by sets and budgets, his imagination and ability to set scenes to page knows no bounds!
If you want a quick read that feels like a roller coaster ride through the weird and wonderful? Then this book is for you! The author closes up all the loops nicely but leaves just enough of a story behind for the promise of a sequel The One-Hundred Percent Solution is out now! So what are you waiting for?
Those who read the blurb before buying will not be disappointed. This story drives through space, time, alternate universes and people to deliver non-stop action that will leave you baffled as to where exactly in this story you are.
The author’s creativity really shines when it comes to the alternate universes. While the series Sliders may have been limited by sets and budgets, his imagination and ability to set scenes to page knows no bounds!
If you want a quick read that feels like a roller coaster ride through the weird and wonderful? Then this book is for you! The author closes up all the loops nicely but leaves just enough of a story behind for the promise of a sequel The One-Hundred Percent Solution is out now! So what are you waiting for?
dnf
July 8, 2023I’m jumping the ship at 57% because I never quite recovered after the giant man-eating cheeseburger.
I really enjoyed the beginning! Dyer got on my nerves, but I could tell she had the potential to become something endearing, and I adored Duckett heartily, that poor unlucky soul. And whatever was going on with Calhoun and the Sticky Note Shenaniganist was right up my alley.
There’s so much going on and so quickly that it felt like someone piling puzzle pieces into my hands, but there’s no time to sit down and properly put them together? We’re on the go, so the best I can manage is “okay these two things probably go together” and “don’t lose track of that corner piece” and just overall it’s very chaotic and exciting and mysterious
But then it just gets… TOO ridiculous.
It starts leaning too heavily into the kind of humor that’s just based on all the characters being cartoonishly stupid, which I have a low tolerance for. Duckett at least seems to have his very own braincell alongside the one he shares with Dyer, but having him there to call out how ridiculous things are could only cushion me for so long.
This is definitely better suited for people who enjoy absurdist humor, like Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy or Lemony Snicket! That’s just unfortunately not my wheelhouse
I really enjoyed the beginning! Dyer got on my nerves, but I could tell she had the potential to become something endearing, and I adored Duckett heartily, that poor unlucky soul. And whatever was going on with Calhoun and the Sticky Note Shenaniganist was right up my alley.
There’s so much going on and so quickly that it felt like someone piling puzzle pieces into my hands, but there’s no time to sit down and properly put them together? We’re on the go, so the best I can manage is “okay these two things probably go together” and “don’t lose track of that corner piece” and just overall it’s very chaotic and exciting and mysterious
But then it just gets… TOO ridiculous.
It starts leaning too heavily into the kind of humor that’s just based on all the characters being cartoonishly stupid, which I have a low tolerance for. Duckett at least seems to have his very own braincell alongside the one he shares with Dyer, but having him there to call out how ridiculous things are could only cushion me for so long.
This is definitely better suited for people who enjoy absurdist humor, like Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy or Lemony Snicket! That’s just unfortunately not my wheelhouse
May 16, 2022
This book was such a fun read, Nair writes with a tone that has just enough seriousness and intrigue to keep you invested in the story but mixes in plenty of absurd situations and it works super well.
After piles of books with world altering stakes its really nice to have a palate cleanser like this with smaller more personal issues at play.
I believe this is only the second "Self Published" book I've read and this one, like Breach of Peace the first I read, shows none of the signs I feared I would see in the self publishing world. The writing is great and sharp and the book is well edited, and If it hadn't been in a self-published sale then I would have had no idea this wasn't a traditional book.
Overall A great Book that really left me wanting to read the next in the series.
After piles of books with world altering stakes its really nice to have a palate cleanser like this with smaller more personal issues at play.
I believe this is only the second "Self Published" book I've read and this one, like Breach of Peace the first I read, shows none of the signs I feared I would see in the self publishing world. The writing is great and sharp and the book is well edited, and If it hadn't been in a self-published sale then I would have had no idea this wasn't a traditional book.
Overall A great Book that really left me wanting to read the next in the series.
September 21, 2021
Ridiculous, funny, crazy and the kitchen sink 🤣
After a long time, I read a book within 2 days. It kept me riveted until the end. Mike and Stephanie, two friends, run into all sorts of trouble in this hilarious yet worrying train of suspense.
The story starts off with Mike, that relatable hard working young man who's trying very hard, admirably so, to get some. But all his plans go awry when Stephanie enters the picture. Stephanie was definitely one of those characters, I didn't know whether to love or run away from.
The story is fast-paced, moving from scene to scene with lightning speed. I didn't feel like I was getting bogged down.
There wasn't much character development but this wasn't that type of a story.
All in all, just a fun read for anyone.
After a long time, I read a book within 2 days. It kept me riveted until the end. Mike and Stephanie, two friends, run into all sorts of trouble in this hilarious yet worrying train of suspense.
The story starts off with Mike, that relatable hard working young man who's trying very hard, admirably so, to get some. But all his plans go awry when Stephanie enters the picture. Stephanie was definitely one of those characters, I didn't know whether to love or run away from.
The story is fast-paced, moving from scene to scene with lightning speed. I didn't feel like I was getting bogged down.
There wasn't much character development but this wasn't that type of a story.
All in all, just a fun read for anyone.
May 19, 2020
Michael and Stephanie (Duckett and Dyer respectively) are both a bit of a mess in their own ways. Michael is a lovable curmudgeon. Life has kicked him a few times. Stephanie has zero interest in being a responsible member of the community, although you have to give her some leeway once learning her back story. She is incredibly funny, has zero filter, and generally marches to the beat of her own strange drum. Their friendship is a bit rocky and watching it evolve throughout the story was a bit of a rollercoaster!
It is hard to describe this book without spoilers, such is the case with a lot of mystery/science fiction blends. Nair did a great job of breakdown the multi-verse aspect of the story so that readers had a rudimentary understanding even if they had no background in physics. Duckett and Dyer’s adventures would be a fun introduction for readers (high school and upward) new to science fiction. It has just the right blend of lovable, relatable characters along with crazy, mind-bending hijinks.
Audience-wise, I honestly think fans of Futurama are going to love this book. I know I did, and I immediately started nagging Mr. B to read it. Bookish comparisons are Space Team by Barry J. Hutchison and Cryptofauna by Patrick Canning.
Laugh-out-loud funny with important notes on how to be a good friend all sprinkled with the shavings of mushrooms. I will definitely be recommending this to anyone who is unfortunate enough to slow down so I can crow at them and. I am now off to pick up the second book and hunker down for some more Duckett and Dyer lunacy!
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
It is hard to describe this book without spoilers, such is the case with a lot of mystery/science fiction blends. Nair did a great job of breakdown the multi-verse aspect of the story so that readers had a rudimentary understanding even if they had no background in physics. Duckett and Dyer’s adventures would be a fun introduction for readers (high school and upward) new to science fiction. It has just the right blend of lovable, relatable characters along with crazy, mind-bending hijinks.
Audience-wise, I honestly think fans of Futurama are going to love this book. I know I did, and I immediately started nagging Mr. B to read it. Bookish comparisons are Space Team by Barry J. Hutchison and Cryptofauna by Patrick Canning.
Laugh-out-loud funny with important notes on how to be a good friend all sprinkled with the shavings of mushrooms. I will definitely be recommending this to anyone who is unfortunate enough to slow down so I can crow at them and. I am now off to pick up the second book and hunker down for some more Duckett and Dyer lunacy!
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
July 3, 2022
Got this book based on title and cover, so didn't really know what to expect.
At first I thought I would hate it, comedy didn't really vibe with me and characters were annoying, especially Stephanie.
But... somewhere along the way, story won me over, I was flipping pages wanting to see what would happen, I appreciated silliness of what was going on, and felt like characters made sense for situations they found themselves in, I even laughed at times.
So, in the end, I really enjoyed this book and would be interested to read sequel.
I can see how this book might not work for everyone, but if you are in need of something not too serious I would recommend giving this book a try.
At first I thought I would hate it, comedy didn't really vibe with me and characters were annoying, especially Stephanie.
But... somewhere along the way, story won me over, I was flipping pages wanting to see what would happen, I appreciated silliness of what was going on, and felt like characters made sense for situations they found themselves in, I even laughed at times.
So, in the end, I really enjoyed this book and would be interested to read sequel.
I can see how this book might not work for everyone, but if you are in need of something not too serious I would recommend giving this book a try.
July 12, 2022
Great fun!
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