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A Dead-End Job
Fans of Terry Pratchett and Shane Kuhn's THE INTERN'S HANDBOOK will love this noir supernatural thriller.
Death needs a vacation. Badly. But there's a There are people who cheat the system, always falling through the cracks and not dying like they're supposed to. Who's going to take care of them while Death's sipping on sangria?
The answer is Death needs an intern, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that one prospect, Buck Palasinksia-a bankrupt hitman with a roleplaying addiction-might have what it takes. While scoping out his next target, Buck gets drilled in the forehead by a bullet and falls right into Death's lap.
If they shove him back into his body, he'll have a few weeks to prove that he has what it takes to be Death's right-hand.
All he has to do is take out Public Enemy No. 1, John Dillinger, and quit smoking.
Death needs a vacation. Badly. But there's a There are people who cheat the system, always falling through the cracks and not dying like they're supposed to. Who's going to take care of them while Death's sipping on sangria?
The answer is Death needs an intern, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that one prospect, Buck Palasinksia-a bankrupt hitman with a roleplaying addiction-might have what it takes. While scoping out his next target, Buck gets drilled in the forehead by a bullet and falls right into Death's lap.
If they shove him back into his body, he'll have a few weeks to prove that he has what it takes to be Death's right-hand.
All he has to do is take out Public Enemy No. 1, John Dillinger, and quit smoking.
330 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2021
27 people are currently reading
1833 people want to read
About the author
Justin Alcala
19 books485 followersJustin Alcala is a novelist, nerdologist and Speculative Literature Foundation Award Finalist. He’s the author of four novels including Consumed, (BLK Dog Publishing) The Devil in the Wide City (Solstice Publishing) Dim Fairy Tales (AllThingsThatMatterPress) and A Dead End Job (The Parliament House). His short stories have been featured in dozens of magazines and anthologies, including It Snows Here (Power Loss Anthology),The Offering (Rogue Planet Press Magazine) and The Lantern Quietly Screams (Castabout Literature). When he’s not burning out his retinas in front of a computer, Justin is a tabletop gamer, blogger, folklore enthusiast and time traveler. He is an avid quester of anything righteous, from fighting dragons to acquiring magical breakfast eggs from the impregnable grocery fortress.
Most of Justin’s tales and characters take place in The Plenty Dreadful universe, a deranged supernatural version of the modern world. When writing, Justin immerses himself in subject matter, from stuffy research to overseas travel. Much to the chagrin of his family, he often locks himself away in his office-dungeon, playing themed music over, and over, and over again. Justin currently resides with his dark queen, Mallory, their malevolent daughter, Lily, changeling son, Ronan, hellcat, Misery and hound of Ragnarök, Fenrir. Where his mind might be though is anyone’s guess.
Most of Justin’s tales and characters take place in The Plenty Dreadful universe, a deranged supernatural version of the modern world. When writing, Justin immerses himself in subject matter, from stuffy research to overseas travel. Much to the chagrin of his family, he often locks himself away in his office-dungeon, playing themed music over, and over, and over again. Justin currently resides with his dark queen, Mallory, their malevolent daughter, Lily, changeling son, Ronan, hellcat, Misery and hound of Ragnarök, Fenrir. Where his mind might be though is anyone’s guess.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
September 24, 2021
What’s Not to Like?
A snarky plot featuring a character named “Death” aka the Grim Reaper, is planning a vacation.
He’s been busy all these years and although his job is now computerized and without the previous legwork, he’s grumpy and burned out.
However, he needs to hire someone to fill in before he leaves for a sunny beach somewhere - exact location to be decided.
Death and his sidekick Jumbo decide that a particular unlucky hitman would be the perfect candidate. They soon discover he may not be the brightest guy and wonder if maybe they overestimated his abilities. Things start going wrong from there.
I wanted to love this but despite the funny premise, my simmering laughter never fully materialized. It just didn’t hit on all cylinders for me. (Sorry, I couldn't resist the word play.)
Others may feel differently so if you like humor combined with a unique twist on killing and death, give this a try.
Thank you to The Parliament House, Justin Alcala, and NetGalley for my advance copy to read and review. It’s much appreciated!
A snarky plot featuring a character named “Death” aka the Grim Reaper, is planning a vacation.
He’s been busy all these years and although his job is now computerized and without the previous legwork, he’s grumpy and burned out.
However, he needs to hire someone to fill in before he leaves for a sunny beach somewhere - exact location to be decided.
Death and his sidekick Jumbo decide that a particular unlucky hitman would be the perfect candidate. They soon discover he may not be the brightest guy and wonder if maybe they overestimated his abilities. Things start going wrong from there.
I wanted to love this but despite the funny premise, my simmering laughter never fully materialized. It just didn’t hit on all cylinders for me. (Sorry, I couldn't resist the word play.)
Others may feel differently so if you like humor combined with a unique twist on killing and death, give this a try.
Thank you to The Parliament House, Justin Alcala, and NetGalley for my advance copy to read and review. It’s much appreciated!
November 25, 2021
A man voted in high school as most likely to end up with a dead-end job, comes to satisfy that prophecy when he finds himself working for Death, while the boss is trying to take a much-needed vacation. Cue in all manner of paranormal and undead shenanigans.
This is a premise and genre that has been done before, many times, both aspects of it. The idea usually results in a sort of neo-noir with a loveable loser or loser-ish protagonist, fun side characters, paranormal politicking intrigue with different undead parties vying for control of the city, some slapstick comedy, oodles of action and a redemption-flavored carrot at the end of the stick for the main guy.
This novel works the formula to the tee. From the sort of glibly amusing tone to the wacky cast to the wham-bam-thank-you-m’am shoot’em’ups. It’s silly but you knew it would be, going in. Buck, a former military man turned assassin for pay, gets to redeem himself by choosing the right side and by unwittingly becoming a dad. Chicago does well as its own character, a city many greedy factions of various undead are just undying to take over.
Not all of the jokes land (some are too cheap, but some are pretty funny) and the plot at times gets much too convoluted, but overall, the novel maintains a lite mindless entertainment thing pretty decently. Buck warns you, more than one, that his life I a dime store novel, so you can adjust your expectations accordingly. Not sure I’d read more (and it seems like there'll definitely be more, probably a series), it isn’t really my genre, but it was fun while it lasted, a perfectly serviceable supernatural diversion. Reads quickly too. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
This is a premise and genre that has been done before, many times, both aspects of it. The idea usually results in a sort of neo-noir with a loveable loser or loser-ish protagonist, fun side characters, paranormal politicking intrigue with different undead parties vying for control of the city, some slapstick comedy, oodles of action and a redemption-flavored carrot at the end of the stick for the main guy.
This novel works the formula to the tee. From the sort of glibly amusing tone to the wacky cast to the wham-bam-thank-you-m’am shoot’em’ups. It’s silly but you knew it would be, going in. Buck, a former military man turned assassin for pay, gets to redeem himself by choosing the right side and by unwittingly becoming a dad. Chicago does well as its own character, a city many greedy factions of various undead are just undying to take over.
Not all of the jokes land (some are too cheap, but some are pretty funny) and the plot at times gets much too convoluted, but overall, the novel maintains a lite mindless entertainment thing pretty decently. Buck warns you, more than one, that his life I a dime store novel, so you can adjust your expectations accordingly. Not sure I’d read more (and it seems like there'll definitely be more, probably a series), it isn’t really my genre, but it was fun while it lasted, a perfectly serviceable supernatural diversion. Reads quickly too. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
January 11, 2022
Death needs a vacation. Badly. But there's a catch: There are people who cheat the system, always falling through the cracks and not dying like they're supposed to. Who's going to take care of them while Death's sipping on sangria?
The answer is simple: Death needs an intern, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that one prospect, Buck Palasinksia-a bankrupt hitman with a roleplaying addiction-might have what it takes. While scoping out his next target, Buck gets drilled in the forehead by a bullet and falls right into Death's lap.
If they shove him back into his body, he'll have a few weeks to prove that he has what it takes to be Death's right-hand.
All he has to do is take out Public Enemy No. 1, John Dillinger, and quit smoking.
This book was genius!!! From the concept to the characters it was just a fast paced, fun, freaking awesome ride.
Alcala manages to merge the perfect amount of humour with suspense, action, emotion and tension to create a great story with memorable characters that just keeps on giving. I didn’t know who I loved more, the kick ass anti-hero, the reckless villains, nonchalant Death or his nerdy side-kick. There were just too many great characters to choose from.
Perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett and anyone who doesn’t take themselves or their literature too seriously. I just hope it wasn’t a one of and Alcala turns this into a series.
The answer is simple: Death needs an intern, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that one prospect, Buck Palasinksia-a bankrupt hitman with a roleplaying addiction-might have what it takes. While scoping out his next target, Buck gets drilled in the forehead by a bullet and falls right into Death's lap.
If they shove him back into his body, he'll have a few weeks to prove that he has what it takes to be Death's right-hand.
All he has to do is take out Public Enemy No. 1, John Dillinger, and quit smoking.
This book was genius!!! From the concept to the characters it was just a fast paced, fun, freaking awesome ride.
Alcala manages to merge the perfect amount of humour with suspense, action, emotion and tension to create a great story with memorable characters that just keeps on giving. I didn’t know who I loved more, the kick ass anti-hero, the reckless villains, nonchalant Death or his nerdy side-kick. There were just too many great characters to choose from.
Perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett and anyone who doesn’t take themselves or their literature too seriously. I just hope it wasn’t a one of and Alcala turns this into a series.
January 6, 2022
[ TW – death – murder – guns – violence – undead – corpses – serious injury – grief ]
Light, fun and murdery.
This wasn't exactly what I thought I was getting into with this book, but I still had a good time reading it. The vibe of the cover and the blurb had me thinking this would be a very funny and satirical book about Death being exhausted and what he gets up to in order to take a break.
But the emphasis of the story is much more (like, 99%) about the intern taking over to do his job. Buck is a hitman and this book strongly emanates the American gun culture with guns being the weapon of choice at every turn (fair enough for a hitman, but he did get Death's scythe ... and magically turn it into a gun *sigh*). So we're spending a lot of time following Buck around trying to hold the fort whilst Death is taking a vacation.
It's also not hugely funny, I think I laughed out loud twice, and I was hoping for a lot more points in the story where that would happen. I think the writing gets confused between trying to deal with serious issues (grief, found family) with the fact that this is meant to be an enjoyably ridiculous book – it certainly doesn't pull off being both of those things simultaneously.
Once I understood what the book was about however, I was able to set aside my expectations and take it for what it was. It was hard to put down, I wanted to know what happened next and I liked being in the story.
I enjoyed going through this action-packed paranormal thriller, as Buck befriends an unlikely paranormal character and is double-crossed at least 101873 times. It's a little bit confusing with the amount of convoluted storylines as to who wants to kill who and who is the good guy and who is the bad guy - let alone one particular character who changes sides for fun repeatedly (like that's literally how the character is intended to be).
But if you take this at face value then it's a bit of fun! Buck is a heavily self-depricating character but this didn't bother me as much as it seemed to bother other reviewers, I actually quite liked him. What I did struggle with was the sheer volume of typos – if anything this book is in desperate need of a thorough edit to fix up misspellings and words that are straight up missing in sentences.
I can tick this off my list as an easy read that thankfully didn't take up too much time, but is one that I'm nonetheless glad to have experienced.
Light, fun and murdery.
This wasn't exactly what I thought I was getting into with this book, but I still had a good time reading it. The vibe of the cover and the blurb had me thinking this would be a very funny and satirical book about Death being exhausted and what he gets up to in order to take a break.
But the emphasis of the story is much more (like, 99%) about the intern taking over to do his job. Buck is a hitman and this book strongly emanates the American gun culture with guns being the weapon of choice at every turn (fair enough for a hitman, but he did get Death's scythe ... and magically turn it into a gun *sigh*). So we're spending a lot of time following Buck around trying to hold the fort whilst Death is taking a vacation.
It's also not hugely funny, I think I laughed out loud twice, and I was hoping for a lot more points in the story where that would happen. I think the writing gets confused between trying to deal with serious issues (grief, found family) with the fact that this is meant to be an enjoyably ridiculous book – it certainly doesn't pull off being both of those things simultaneously.
Once I understood what the book was about however, I was able to set aside my expectations and take it for what it was. It was hard to put down, I wanted to know what happened next and I liked being in the story.
I enjoyed going through this action-packed paranormal thriller, as Buck befriends an unlikely paranormal character and is double-crossed at least 101873 times. It's a little bit confusing with the amount of convoluted storylines as to who wants to kill who and who is the good guy and who is the bad guy - let alone one particular character who changes sides for fun repeatedly (like that's literally how the character is intended to be).
But if you take this at face value then it's a bit of fun! Buck is a heavily self-depricating character but this didn't bother me as much as it seemed to bother other reviewers, I actually quite liked him. What I did struggle with was the sheer volume of typos – if anything this book is in desperate need of a thorough edit to fix up misspellings and words that are straight up missing in sentences.
I can tick this off my list as an easy read that thankfully didn't take up too much time, but is one that I'm nonetheless glad to have experienced.
July 9, 2022
4.5/5
What do you get when you mix Dresden Files with Sandman Slim and throw in a dash of Pratchett? A Dead End Job by Justin Alcala. This book is laden with pop/geek culture references and one liners—and I had a blast with it. Premise: Death needs a vacation, but his job isn’t one you can put aside for a week or two, so he hires an intern—a down-on-his-luck hitman with a love of D&D and all-things geek, Buck Palasinki.
What could possibly go wrong?
From the geek references to the pacey plot, this book bucks stereotypes at every turn. We have a broke hitman who carves up the dice on D&D night as the wizard Sarsicus, Death who has an affinity for Hello Kitty collectible figurines, along with zombies, werewolves, vampires, revenants, Frankenstein monsters, witches and warlocks to name a few. Peeved that certain “unmentionables” (namely zombies and vampires) have cheated death, Death sets Buck an assignment to kill one of the head honchos of the Chicago vampire community, John Dillinger.
From a diversity standpoint, it was great to see some rep in here with Death’s IT guy, Jumbo, being a wheelchair user. We’ve also got PTSD, trauma and grief in Buck’s backstory that also nicely fleshes out his character as well as gently drawing attention to the treatment of the US veteran community.
The plot zooms along in the story, and there’s never a dull moment. The found family element between Buck and Luna—the orphaned werewolf—was particularly endearing. If you’re looking for an easy, fun read and enjoy stories that delve into the supernatural underground, A Dead End Job is a must read.
What do you get when you mix Dresden Files with Sandman Slim and throw in a dash of Pratchett? A Dead End Job by Justin Alcala. This book is laden with pop/geek culture references and one liners—and I had a blast with it. Premise: Death needs a vacation, but his job isn’t one you can put aside for a week or two, so he hires an intern—a down-on-his-luck hitman with a love of D&D and all-things geek, Buck Palasinki.
What could possibly go wrong?
From the geek references to the pacey plot, this book bucks stereotypes at every turn. We have a broke hitman who carves up the dice on D&D night as the wizard Sarsicus, Death who has an affinity for Hello Kitty collectible figurines, along with zombies, werewolves, vampires, revenants, Frankenstein monsters, witches and warlocks to name a few. Peeved that certain “unmentionables” (namely zombies and vampires) have cheated death, Death sets Buck an assignment to kill one of the head honchos of the Chicago vampire community, John Dillinger.
From a diversity standpoint, it was great to see some rep in here with Death’s IT guy, Jumbo, being a wheelchair user. We’ve also got PTSD, trauma and grief in Buck’s backstory that also nicely fleshes out his character as well as gently drawing attention to the treatment of the US veteran community.
The plot zooms along in the story, and there’s never a dull moment. The found family element between Buck and Luna—the orphaned werewolf—was particularly endearing. If you’re looking for an easy, fun read and enjoy stories that delve into the supernatural underground, A Dead End Job is a must read.
December 13, 2021
Death needs a vacation. Every day the stress gets worse. For some reason, people are dying – people who aren’t on Death’s schedule. Despite his having the most sophisticated IT facilities possible for tracking the fate of humanity, mortals are slipping through the cracks. At the same time, he has to deal with the non-mortals, a disgusting assortment of undead or reanimated individuals who seem determined to make his existence a living hell.
But who’s going to shuffle folks out of the mortal coil if Death takes off for Palm Beach or Acapulco?
Buck Palasinski is a nice guy, even if he is a professional hit man. He’s a decorated veteran. He returns his library books. He acts as wizard for his motley crew of role-play gaming fanatics. Careful but fatalistic, he figures his current occupation is the natural result of his poverty-stricken, abuse-filled childhood, and he knows it’s only a matter of time before one of his hits goes wrong.
When in fact he does take a bullet in the head in the process of fulfilling a contract, Death revives him and lays out an offer. Buck has a chance to escape the eternal punishment he’s earned through his chosen occupation, by serving as Death’s intern while the Grim Reaper is on holiday.
Conscientious to a fault, Buck tries to fulfill Death’s orders, only to discover that the situation is far more complicated than he’s been led to believe. He’s smack in the middle of a war whose foot soldiers include vampires, zombies, doppelgangers, Mexican brujas, ancient Celtic spirits, reanimated voodoo priests and Frankenstein’s original monster. He doesn’t know who to trust, but when fate throws a werewolf girl-child into his arms, his priorities become crystal clear: protect Luna at all costs.
When I read the premise of this urban fantasy (while setting up a blog post as part of the author’s book tour), I laughed out loud – and asked for a review copy. Originality and decent prose are the two top characteristics I look for in my personal reading. A Dead End Job definitely offers both.
Buck is a lovable character, as smart and brave as he is broke and desperate, morally compromised but with a heart of gold. There’s constant action, occasionally confusing, perhaps reflecting the hero’s own confusion. Set in Chicago, the novel has a strong sense of place, mostly grimy and derelict. Several of the scenes play out in the cavernous, multi-leveled construction pit of an abandoned skyscraper project, a great setting for supernatural battles.
All in all, A Dead End Job is great fun, creative and entertaining. While wild and quite crazy, it doesn’t insult your intelligence. Indeed, it has a charmingly nerdish quality. I think I probably missed some inside jokes that gamers might understand, but I still found myself chuckling frequently – when I wasn’t holding my breath watching Buck fight off the forces of darkness.
But who’s going to shuffle folks out of the mortal coil if Death takes off for Palm Beach or Acapulco?
Buck Palasinski is a nice guy, even if he is a professional hit man. He’s a decorated veteran. He returns his library books. He acts as wizard for his motley crew of role-play gaming fanatics. Careful but fatalistic, he figures his current occupation is the natural result of his poverty-stricken, abuse-filled childhood, and he knows it’s only a matter of time before one of his hits goes wrong.
When in fact he does take a bullet in the head in the process of fulfilling a contract, Death revives him and lays out an offer. Buck has a chance to escape the eternal punishment he’s earned through his chosen occupation, by serving as Death’s intern while the Grim Reaper is on holiday.
Conscientious to a fault, Buck tries to fulfill Death’s orders, only to discover that the situation is far more complicated than he’s been led to believe. He’s smack in the middle of a war whose foot soldiers include vampires, zombies, doppelgangers, Mexican brujas, ancient Celtic spirits, reanimated voodoo priests and Frankenstein’s original monster. He doesn’t know who to trust, but when fate throws a werewolf girl-child into his arms, his priorities become crystal clear: protect Luna at all costs.
When I read the premise of this urban fantasy (while setting up a blog post as part of the author’s book tour), I laughed out loud – and asked for a review copy. Originality and decent prose are the two top characteristics I look for in my personal reading. A Dead End Job definitely offers both.
Buck is a lovable character, as smart and brave as he is broke and desperate, morally compromised but with a heart of gold. There’s constant action, occasionally confusing, perhaps reflecting the hero’s own confusion. Set in Chicago, the novel has a strong sense of place, mostly grimy and derelict. Several of the scenes play out in the cavernous, multi-leveled construction pit of an abandoned skyscraper project, a great setting for supernatural battles.
All in all, A Dead End Job is great fun, creative and entertaining. While wild and quite crazy, it doesn’t insult your intelligence. Indeed, it has a charmingly nerdish quality. I think I probably missed some inside jokes that gamers might understand, but I still found myself chuckling frequently – when I wasn’t holding my breath watching Buck fight off the forces of darkness.
March 14, 2025
Such a fun book. I loved the quippy dialogue, the fully defined characters and the found family. Sarcasm is my second language and it was ever present in this book, much to my delight.
The story was very well crafted and the pacing was great! That final epilogue gave a hint to a possible sequel? Maybe? A sequel would be nice 👍
Well done author. There were a few errors, mostly in formatting and grammar which was jarring in some moments and pulled me out of the story. But for an independently published book it receives top marks.
I’ll forever have nightmares of hag-children *shudders*
The story was very well crafted and the pacing was great! That final epilogue gave a hint to a possible sequel? Maybe? A sequel would be nice 👍
Well done author. There were a few errors, mostly in formatting and grammar which was jarring in some moments and pulled me out of the story. But for an independently published book it receives top marks.
I’ll forever have nightmares of hag-children *shudders*
July 21, 2021
Death, drama and Chicago...a superbly fun book that I didn't want to put down!
A Dead End Job is the first book in a long while that I had to force myself to slow down while reading it. I truly didn't want it to end and I am already eagerly awaiting a sequel. The story of Buck and his ill fated employment with Death is a funny, fast paced thrill ride though the supernatural underworld of Chicago (which is as much a character in the book as Buck, a true bonus for anyone who has lived in or loved the Windy City). The author has done a fabulous job of mixing sharp wit, humor, action and real heartfelt emotion. This book an absolute treat! Highly recommended.
A Dead End Job is the first book in a long while that I had to force myself to slow down while reading it. I truly didn't want it to end and I am already eagerly awaiting a sequel. The story of Buck and his ill fated employment with Death is a funny, fast paced thrill ride though the supernatural underworld of Chicago (which is as much a character in the book as Buck, a true bonus for anyone who has lived in or loved the Windy City). The author has done a fabulous job of mixing sharp wit, humor, action and real heartfelt emotion. This book an absolute treat! Highly recommended.
January 24, 2022
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this, as I didn't actually read the blurb....but I was ghoulishly surprised.
Think classic detective noir, but from a hitman's point of view. Throw in some Kurt Vonnegut-esque supernatural twists and you have a funny, well written story on your hands.
The characters were well described and easy to relate to, although you had to use your imagination (and knowledge of horror/myths) for some of the side personalities. The back story of the protagonist was a nice touch, helping you to see his world view and what he does for a living.
Will definitely be keeping my (misty) eye on this author
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this, as I didn't actually read the blurb....but I was ghoulishly surprised.
Think classic detective noir, but from a hitman's point of view. Throw in some Kurt Vonnegut-esque supernatural twists and you have a funny, well written story on your hands.
The characters were well described and easy to relate to, although you had to use your imagination (and knowledge of horror/myths) for some of the side personalities. The back story of the protagonist was a nice touch, helping you to see his world view and what he does for a living.
Will definitely be keeping my (misty) eye on this author
December 23, 2021
Who would ever think Death--the Grim Reaper, the Pale Rider, the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse--would need to take a vacation? Death's IT guy, Jumbo, has reported the program controlling the daily 160,000 deaths has been hacked and somehow people are escaping the inevitable. There's a faction trying to take over the Underworld. Death is overwhelmed and hasn't taken a vacation in, well, centuries. He doesn't date because girls don't "get" him. He's a workaholic and it just might be time to get an intern. And Jumbo has just the guy.
Buck Palasinski is just trying to pay the bills and avoid eviction from his crummy apartment by fulfilling a contract when he is double-crossed by the very man he was supposed to kill. As he lays bleeding on the floor, his life slipping away, Death makes the former military sniper-turned hitman an offer he can't refuse: job shadow for Death, take out an annoying vampire, avoid an eternity in Hell. Seriously, who wouldn't say yes to an internship like that? And when Death hands Buck his scythe, Old Lilith, in the form of the most badass semi-auto, it's a done deal.
A Dead End Job is funny, clever, full of energy and twists and double crosses, and the characters are definitely entertaining. Buck is snarky with a bittersweet past, he smokes waaay too much, and (I love this part) nerds out playing D&D at the local gaming store as the wizard, Sarsicus, where no one in his group knows he's a hitman. The vampire Buck is sent to exterminate is...well, not who you expect. Death is a hoot. There's a faction fighting for control of the Underworld. Old Lilith is a character unto itself. Luna is a puzzle and I would obviously like to know more about her. And Jumbo is hystical.
It's a fun romp and promises to continue as a series, which I will definitely read. The one drawback to A Dead-End Job is the amazing amount of typos. I'm hoping it might be because I received an ARC and hadn't received it's final edit.
(Many thanks Parliament House Press, Book Sirens and the author, Justin Alcala, for a copy of A Dead-End Job in exchange for an honest review)
Buck Palasinski is just trying to pay the bills and avoid eviction from his crummy apartment by fulfilling a contract when he is double-crossed by the very man he was supposed to kill. As he lays bleeding on the floor, his life slipping away, Death makes the former military sniper-turned hitman an offer he can't refuse: job shadow for Death, take out an annoying vampire, avoid an eternity in Hell. Seriously, who wouldn't say yes to an internship like that? And when Death hands Buck his scythe, Old Lilith, in the form of the most badass semi-auto, it's a done deal.
A Dead End Job is funny, clever, full of energy and twists and double crosses, and the characters are definitely entertaining. Buck is snarky with a bittersweet past, he smokes waaay too much, and (I love this part) nerds out playing D&D at the local gaming store as the wizard, Sarsicus, where no one in his group knows he's a hitman. The vampire Buck is sent to exterminate is...well, not who you expect. Death is a hoot. There's a faction fighting for control of the Underworld. Old Lilith is a character unto itself. Luna is a puzzle and I would obviously like to know more about her. And Jumbo is hystical.
It's a fun romp and promises to continue as a series, which I will definitely read. The one drawback to A Dead-End Job is the amazing amount of typos. I'm hoping it might be because I received an ARC and hadn't received it's final edit.
(Many thanks Parliament House Press, Book Sirens and the author, Justin Alcala, for a copy of A Dead-End Job in exchange for an honest review)
April 22, 2022
I usually read a book a day, but this book took me 5 days because I savored every line and chapter. I didn't want it to end because I loved this world. I wanted to take a vacation and live in this world for a week. Only a week though because it would be a rough "vacation". I definitely wished Death had a bigger part in this story and almost gave this review 4 stars because he only has two small parts. Thankfully, Buck was pretty identical in Death's personality and was one entertaining character. I would say that this is a pretty masculine book, but Luna made the story for me and gave Buck a heart and soul.
This was seriously the most nerdy book I've read in a long time and that's never a bad thing. It reminds me of Batman in a way. The cheesy vampire and werewolf stuff almost made the world feel unreal, but you just have to tell yourself to go with it because it made it fun, light, and airy. It's one of those things where you don't like it, yet you couldn't imagine the book without it.
In conclusion, the characters were unique and had great personalities. Loved the hero vs villain vs villain. Loved Buck, Luna, and Jumbo. I really hope there's a whole series with a lot more of Death interweaved into the storyline. I can't wait to hear Luna's backstory and more about that other character with the colorful wardrobe (I can't remember his name! The Mad something?) who reminds me of the Joker mixed with the Riddler mixed with something different all together. I can see this easily becoming a video game type animation movie in the future.
I read over 200 books a year and it's been awhile since I've read a book where I wanted to read more from a certain author. I'll definitely keep Justin Alcala on my author watchlist for all his next books. I can't wait to read them!
February 23, 2021
Urban Fantasy + Ridiculousness + Gritty Writing = "A Dead End Job"
I'm a pre-publish reader who just finished up. This by far might be my favorite book of 2021 thus far. We follow the main character, Buck, through his horrible life. The only thing keeping him together is his hilarious sense of humor. Somehow, through the rigmarole of life, Buck has become a hit man. The only catch is that he's killed. That's when the hilarious character of Death, played by who I imagine Bill Murray, steps in, and gives Buck another chance. Why? Well, Death is taking a vacation and needs an intern.
Pick this book up for an entertaining new look at Urban Fantasy. It's sick, interesting, and has a great plot.
I'm a pre-publish reader who just finished up. This by far might be my favorite book of 2021 thus far. We follow the main character, Buck, through his horrible life. The only thing keeping him together is his hilarious sense of humor. Somehow, through the rigmarole of life, Buck has become a hit man. The only catch is that he's killed. That's when the hilarious character of Death, played by who I imagine Bill Murray, steps in, and gives Buck another chance. Why? Well, Death is taking a vacation and needs an intern.
Pick this book up for an entertaining new look at Urban Fantasy. It's sick, interesting, and has a great plot.
June 23, 2021
Funny, fast-paced, and perfect for anyone interested in Vampires, Werewolves, D&D, the inner workings of the underworld, and what might happen if Death were to take a vacation. The protagonist is so likeable; yes he’s weird: yes he’s an assassin; yes he’s got some serious unresolved issues, but I’ll go ahead and say it: he’s so endearing. I love books that marry our everyday, seemingly boring and non-supernatural world with a whole cast of wild characters, mythologies and magic. This book does not disappoint. Please tell me it’s a series?
August 30, 2021
5 out of 5 Stars for Alcala's latest novel!!
What happens when even Death needs a vacation. After this past year, I can understand the need for a break. The challenge...coverage. The answer, Chicago hitman Buck Palasinksia. To earn his spot, he has one simple task...kill John Dillinger, and stop smoking. Sounds easy, right?
Not so much. This fantastic fantasy trip will take you to places familiar but with a new twist. I highly recommend this terrific novel. I can't wait for Justin Alcala's next novel. This is my second and won't be my last. I'm a fan!
What happens when even Death needs a vacation. After this past year, I can understand the need for a break. The challenge...coverage. The answer, Chicago hitman Buck Palasinksia. To earn his spot, he has one simple task...kill John Dillinger, and stop smoking. Sounds easy, right?
Not so much. This fantastic fantasy trip will take you to places familiar but with a new twist. I highly recommend this terrific novel. I can't wait for Justin Alcala's next novel. This is my second and won't be my last. I'm a fan!
June 28, 2021
“Once upon a time there was a hitman…”
The recently-deceased Buck Palasinski, a dungeons-and-dragons-playing assassin, on a one-way ticket to the fires of hell, is offered a last chance. To accept a “supernatural internship” and become Death’s new apprentice, hunting down the “unmentionables” - people who have heated death.
I found this a genuinely funny, action-packed fantasy ride, would recommend, you are in the hands of a great storyteller.
The recently-deceased Buck Palasinski, a dungeons-and-dragons-playing assassin, on a one-way ticket to the fires of hell, is offered a last chance. To accept a “supernatural internship” and become Death’s new apprentice, hunting down the “unmentionables” - people who have heated death.
I found this a genuinely funny, action-packed fantasy ride, would recommend, you are in the hands of a great storyteller.
July 6, 2021
A Dead End Job was a smile a minute chuckle all the way through. Alcala has proved himself a highly creative story teller, face paced, an imaginative cast of weirdos with lovable and icky thrown in and recognizable Chicago too. Read it and become a fan.
December 14, 2021
2 / 5 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
A somewhat novel take on the Grim Reaper trope—where Death is replaced by a mortal for whatever reason—A Dead-End Job isn’t exactly generic, but it’s certainly not new either. I’d call it unique, if only because I’ve never read anything quite like it. It does try a lot of things, but.. well, you'll see.
Death is hurting—he needs a vacation. Badly. Thanks to automation, the job pretty much takes care of itself nowadays. People die, the souls turn over, and march their own way through to the afterlife. But Death’s job isn’t so simple as it used to be. Because where there is a system in place with rules and regulations, there will always people trying to cheat the system. It’s those that cause Death most of his headaches, and take up most of his time.
So in order to go on holiday, Death must find someone to take up his mantle for just a little while. So he hires a hitman to do it.
And not just any hitman—the best there is. Okay, well, maybe not her. Instead he picks Buck Palasinksia, the most recent hitman to take a bullet through the skull. Buck wasn’t a bad shot in his day, and feels reasonably certain he can do the job. Plus, he’s dead, which makes him perfect for the job.
Now all he has to do is take out Public Enemy #1, John Dillinger, and all the other would-be cheaters while Death is off sipping Coronas on the beach.
When the author first started writing A Dead-End Job in 2019, it was nothing more than the idea of a hard-boiled hitman working for a comical Grim Reaper. What came out the other side was a former vet, working as a hitman to support the kid he picked up off the street, throwing humor around to help him make it through the day. Now, in practice I honestly think this sounds like a decent book. In reality however… it just didn’t work for me. Now there’s a lot to love about this book—really, there is—I just didn’t love it.
My objection to it began in the prologue (which is never good), a prologue which I nearly didn’t finish. I’ve never enjoyed the “Grim Reaper in a cubicle” depiction, and it just isn’t ever likely to work on me. Now, that’s a pretty important part of this book, but it wasn’t in the blurb so how was I to know? I felt that Dead-End Job tried a lot of things—none of which worked much better than the setting for me. Buck is a former vet turned hitman, something that was never adequately explained. The kid he picks up along the way joins the picture only after he was killed, so it had nothing to do with supporting her. The references, puns, catch-phrases, and comedic one-liners pretty much define Buck as a character. And were the only depth I ever saw from him. The hitman/thief with a heart of gold is something that I’ve seen too often, and yet another thing I’ve never bought into. This combined with the world and Buck’s brand of cheap 90’s humor pretty much ruined it for me.
Thus A Dead-End Job pretty much follows in a straightforward manner until just before the end, where it does turn an impressive twist. The trouble was that by that point I was just too far gone to care. The ending itself wasn’t bad, but after 250 pages of bad puns and one-liners, it didn’t manage to awaken any sort of enjoyment from me. Like I said before, this may be a good book; it tries a lot of different things, combines death and comedy with the weight of responsibility. I just didn’t feel like it did any of these particularly well, and wasn’t for me regardless.
TL;DR
A Dead-End Job might not be the most interesting take on a mortal replacing the Grim Reaper, nor the most humorous. It’s not the most thrilling, nor the most mysterious. But it might just be… the newest? I really don’t have a lot to say about this book, other than that it didn’t work for me. It definitely didn’t work. It tries a lot of things: combining the weight of parenting with the seriousness of mortality, joins a hard-boiled hitman with an almost comedically disarming Death, and cobbles the whole thing together with puns, catch-phrases, and references fresh out of the 90’s. While I didn’t feel like it managed any of these particularly well, it also didn’t ruin them. Not exactly. I mean, most of these things have already been ruined for me, so the whole thing was pretty much doomed from the start. Maybe you’ll like it better, though. If you’re the kinda person that enjoys any two of the above tropes, maybe give it a shot. Otherwise, maybe don’t. It’s definitely a no-go from me.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
A somewhat novel take on the Grim Reaper trope—where Death is replaced by a mortal for whatever reason—A Dead-End Job isn’t exactly generic, but it’s certainly not new either. I’d call it unique, if only because I’ve never read anything quite like it. It does try a lot of things, but.. well, you'll see.
Death is hurting—he needs a vacation. Badly. Thanks to automation, the job pretty much takes care of itself nowadays. People die, the souls turn over, and march their own way through to the afterlife. But Death’s job isn’t so simple as it used to be. Because where there is a system in place with rules and regulations, there will always people trying to cheat the system. It’s those that cause Death most of his headaches, and take up most of his time.
So in order to go on holiday, Death must find someone to take up his mantle for just a little while. So he hires a hitman to do it.
And not just any hitman—the best there is. Okay, well, maybe not her. Instead he picks Buck Palasinksia, the most recent hitman to take a bullet through the skull. Buck wasn’t a bad shot in his day, and feels reasonably certain he can do the job. Plus, he’s dead, which makes him perfect for the job.
Now all he has to do is take out Public Enemy #1, John Dillinger, and all the other would-be cheaters while Death is off sipping Coronas on the beach.
When the author first started writing A Dead-End Job in 2019, it was nothing more than the idea of a hard-boiled hitman working for a comical Grim Reaper. What came out the other side was a former vet, working as a hitman to support the kid he picked up off the street, throwing humor around to help him make it through the day. Now, in practice I honestly think this sounds like a decent book. In reality however… it just didn’t work for me. Now there’s a lot to love about this book—really, there is—I just didn’t love it.
My objection to it began in the prologue (which is never good), a prologue which I nearly didn’t finish. I’ve never enjoyed the “Grim Reaper in a cubicle” depiction, and it just isn’t ever likely to work on me. Now, that’s a pretty important part of this book, but it wasn’t in the blurb so how was I to know? I felt that Dead-End Job tried a lot of things—none of which worked much better than the setting for me. Buck is a former vet turned hitman, something that was never adequately explained. The kid he picks up along the way joins the picture only after he was killed, so it had nothing to do with supporting her. The references, puns, catch-phrases, and comedic one-liners pretty much define Buck as a character. And were the only depth I ever saw from him. The hitman/thief with a heart of gold is something that I’ve seen too often, and yet another thing I’ve never bought into. This combined with the world and Buck’s brand of cheap 90’s humor pretty much ruined it for me.
Thus A Dead-End Job pretty much follows in a straightforward manner until just before the end, where it does turn an impressive twist. The trouble was that by that point I was just too far gone to care. The ending itself wasn’t bad, but after 250 pages of bad puns and one-liners, it didn’t manage to awaken any sort of enjoyment from me. Like I said before, this may be a good book; it tries a lot of different things, combines death and comedy with the weight of responsibility. I just didn’t feel like it did any of these particularly well, and wasn’t for me regardless.
TL;DR
A Dead-End Job might not be the most interesting take on a mortal replacing the Grim Reaper, nor the most humorous. It’s not the most thrilling, nor the most mysterious. But it might just be… the newest? I really don’t have a lot to say about this book, other than that it didn’t work for me. It definitely didn’t work. It tries a lot of things: combining the weight of parenting with the seriousness of mortality, joins a hard-boiled hitman with an almost comedically disarming Death, and cobbles the whole thing together with puns, catch-phrases, and references fresh out of the 90’s. While I didn’t feel like it managed any of these particularly well, it also didn’t ruin them. Not exactly. I mean, most of these things have already been ruined for me, so the whole thing was pretty much doomed from the start. Maybe you’ll like it better, though. If you’re the kinda person that enjoys any two of the above tropes, maybe give it a shot. Otherwise, maybe don’t. It’s definitely a no-go from me.
December 22, 2021
Action-Filled
This book has a very interesting premise: if Death wants to go on vacation, who fills in for the Grim Reaper? Enter one Buck Palasinski, a broke, wisecracking, chain-smoking, immensely likable badass hitman.
The author does a great job of drawing you into the story. The writing is crisp and tight, and at times laugh-out-loud funny. The book is filled with interesting characters. Palasinski’s interactions with his Dungeons and Dragons role-playing buddies are sweet and a nice, quirky touch. What I especially liked was author Justin Alcala’s finely crafted fight scenes and action sequences. If you like fast-paced action, this is the book for you.
I was reminded of Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden books as Palasinski navigates his new paranormal world of vampires, zombies, witches, shapeshifters and werewolves. A Dead-End Job is set in Chicago, as are the Dresden Files. Alcala obviously knows the city well, which is always a plus in an urban fantasy novel.
I thoroughly enjoyed A Dead-End Job. I would love to see further installments of Palasinski’s adventures.
This book has a very interesting premise: if Death wants to go on vacation, who fills in for the Grim Reaper? Enter one Buck Palasinski, a broke, wisecracking, chain-smoking, immensely likable badass hitman.
The author does a great job of drawing you into the story. The writing is crisp and tight, and at times laugh-out-loud funny. The book is filled with interesting characters. Palasinski’s interactions with his Dungeons and Dragons role-playing buddies are sweet and a nice, quirky touch. What I especially liked was author Justin Alcala’s finely crafted fight scenes and action sequences. If you like fast-paced action, this is the book for you.
I was reminded of Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden books as Palasinski navigates his new paranormal world of vampires, zombies, witches, shapeshifters and werewolves. A Dead-End Job is set in Chicago, as are the Dresden Files. Alcala obviously knows the city well, which is always a plus in an urban fantasy novel.
I thoroughly enjoyed A Dead-End Job. I would love to see further installments of Palasinski’s adventures.
October 27, 2025
I enjoyed reading this one. All the characters had their own quirks. Almost everyone in this book is sarcastic and thinks they're comedians. I appreciate the pop culture references, but I think not everyone will get the references.
That being said, overall the story follows the typical anti-hero trope. The main character "Buck" is relatable, but that just might be the cynic in me. He finds reason in his existence (or non-existence?) as the story progresses and we get to see him fight zombies, vampires, and the like.
The world is well built, systems are well explained, but you still have to make a leap of faith to make sense of everything. Ends with a cliffhanger that hints of a sequel. All-in-all enjoyable. Like watching an old comedy sitcom, but with vampires and zombies.
That being said, overall the story follows the typical anti-hero trope. The main character "Buck" is relatable, but that just might be the cynic in me. He finds reason in his existence (or non-existence?) as the story progresses and we get to see him fight zombies, vampires, and the like.
The world is well built, systems are well explained, but you still have to make a leap of faith to make sense of everything. Ends with a cliffhanger that hints of a sequel. All-in-all enjoyable. Like watching an old comedy sitcom, but with vampires and zombies.
April 16, 2023
A light-hearted paranormal noir
Death needs a vacation and is in need of an intern. Enter hitman Buck with his wise-cracking charm, and the reader is off on a rollicking ride. Good premise and characterization, fast-paced and action-packed.
This is a light-hearted paranormal noir, a genre-crossing novel that has appeal for readers who enjoy urban fantasy.
Personally, I found the main characters and the humour appealing, but the lack of editing kept flipping me out of the read and made parts the story difficult to follow. With professional editing, this could have been an enjoyable read.
Death needs a vacation and is in need of an intern. Enter hitman Buck with his wise-cracking charm, and the reader is off on a rollicking ride. Good premise and characterization, fast-paced and action-packed.
This is a light-hearted paranormal noir, a genre-crossing novel that has appeal for readers who enjoy urban fantasy.
Personally, I found the main characters and the humour appealing, but the lack of editing kept flipping me out of the read and made parts the story difficult to follow. With professional editing, this could have been an enjoyable read.
September 6, 2021
There are very few truly original ideas, but Justin Alcala has found one. His new “noir supernatural thriller” dips us in the river Styx and puts us inside the head of Buck, a former military sniper, recent professional assassin, and now intern to The Grim Reaper. After being shot in the head during an assignment, Buck is saved from a trip to Hades by Death himself. Death needs a vacation, and in order to keep the orderly flow of souls leaving the mortal coil running smoothly, he needs somebody to fill in for him while he’s away. More importantly, he needs somebody to help him track down and vanquish the recalcitrant souls who refuse to go quietly into that good night – the undead. These are the pesky problems that The Grim Reaper has to deal with, and he could use some help. Buck, as a professional hitman, fits the bill for this Dead End Job.
The concept is clever, and the writing style is consistent with the smart-ass persona the author gives Buck. If you liked Dead Pool, you’ll appreciate the sarcastic, self-deprecating humor the author gives Buck. Written mostly from Buck’s perspective, it’s fun to be inside his head as he realizes that he’s not dead, and can’t be killed as long as he’s in the employ of Death. His adventures through the world are punctuated by small details – like he still needs to eat food, and he has no money or source of income. He sets out on his first assignment, to eliminate a particularly nasty fellow called Zombie Pete. That adventure convinces Death that Buck is, indeed, a good candidate for the intern job, and allows Death to take his holiday, leaving Buck in possession of the Scythe of extinction (known as Old Lilith) and a new assignment to take out a petulant vampire.
The banter between Buck, Death, and Death’s IT guy, Jumbo, is always entertaining and light-hearted. Mr. Alcala has a brilliant sense of humor that guides a reader through the story. Despite a high content of violence (mostly directed at characters who are already undead and mostly out to kill Buck), the humor and tone of the story makes the violence palatable and not at all disturbing. (Think about all the violence in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies – lots of blood, but somehow still light-hearted and funny rather than unpleasant.)
The story does slow down after the Zombie Pete sequence, as Buck finds an orphaned werewolf child named Luna and he has to unravel the political intrigue of the competing factions within the world of the undead who are fighting each other. The characters are all interesting and entertaining as they try to kill each other and Buck, despite all of them being already partly dead already. This center portion of the story is not as fast-paced as the start, but it picks up again at the finish. Buck’s attachment to Luna seems out of character a bit, but is believable within the context of everything else Buck is going through. He did just die, after all. The best parts of the book, though, are when Death and Buck are on screen together. In the end, the author leaves open the prospect for future installments of Death’s Intern. I would certainly sign up to watch the next episode.
Dead End Job is an entertaining, fun-filled romp through the netherworld of the undead on Earth with a cheeky protagonist, a clever premise, and well-executed story and dialogue.
I read a pre-publication edition of this book, which had some proofreading issues that, hopefully, will be corrected before final publication. The book is currently available for pre-order on amazon.com, with a publication date of October 5, 2021.
The concept is clever, and the writing style is consistent with the smart-ass persona the author gives Buck. If you liked Dead Pool, you’ll appreciate the sarcastic, self-deprecating humor the author gives Buck. Written mostly from Buck’s perspective, it’s fun to be inside his head as he realizes that he’s not dead, and can’t be killed as long as he’s in the employ of Death. His adventures through the world are punctuated by small details – like he still needs to eat food, and he has no money or source of income. He sets out on his first assignment, to eliminate a particularly nasty fellow called Zombie Pete. That adventure convinces Death that Buck is, indeed, a good candidate for the intern job, and allows Death to take his holiday, leaving Buck in possession of the Scythe of extinction (known as Old Lilith) and a new assignment to take out a petulant vampire.
The banter between Buck, Death, and Death’s IT guy, Jumbo, is always entertaining and light-hearted. Mr. Alcala has a brilliant sense of humor that guides a reader through the story. Despite a high content of violence (mostly directed at characters who are already undead and mostly out to kill Buck), the humor and tone of the story makes the violence palatable and not at all disturbing. (Think about all the violence in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies – lots of blood, but somehow still light-hearted and funny rather than unpleasant.)
The story does slow down after the Zombie Pete sequence, as Buck finds an orphaned werewolf child named Luna and he has to unravel the political intrigue of the competing factions within the world of the undead who are fighting each other. The characters are all interesting and entertaining as they try to kill each other and Buck, despite all of them being already partly dead already. This center portion of the story is not as fast-paced as the start, but it picks up again at the finish. Buck’s attachment to Luna seems out of character a bit, but is believable within the context of everything else Buck is going through. He did just die, after all. The best parts of the book, though, are when Death and Buck are on screen together. In the end, the author leaves open the prospect for future installments of Death’s Intern. I would certainly sign up to watch the next episode.
Dead End Job is an entertaining, fun-filled romp through the netherworld of the undead on Earth with a cheeky protagonist, a clever premise, and well-executed story and dialogue.
I read a pre-publication edition of this book, which had some proofreading issues that, hopefully, will be corrected before final publication. The book is currently available for pre-order on amazon.com, with a publication date of October 5, 2021.
October 6, 2021
4 stars
This book was such a wild ride.
I was expecting dark and gruesome and yes I got that but also... I laughed so hard with this book!
I loved Buck and Death and Jumbo and omg Luna!!!! The crew was amazing.
I like the side characters and the action scenes were fantastic.
Honestly a really awesome book for spooky season.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review
This book was such a wild ride.
I was expecting dark and gruesome and yes I got that but also... I laughed so hard with this book!
I loved Buck and Death and Jumbo and omg Luna!!!! The crew was amazing.
I like the side characters and the action scenes were fantastic.
Honestly a really awesome book for spooky season.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review
July 27, 2021
This is not the kind of book I would normally choose to read even though I like a bit of supernatural in a story. However, I love the cover and was immediately drawn to it.
By page two I knew I was going to enjoy it. The story, set around a hitman called Buck, is so witty (in a kind of dry sense of humour way) it made me smile, grin, and giggle internally. Death is also a character different to the norm and I actually felt really sorry for him (I know, he is death and one shouldn’t feel sorry for him) – but boy, did he need a holiday!
Justin’s imagination is fabulous, and his writing is impressive. The story has been edited well and I was at no point ever pulled from the story because of a typo or grammar mistake.
The whole world set up, the action, the vivid imagery kept me engrossed and I found I was trying to read pages in between other jobs I was doing because I wanted to know what was going to happen. There are many twists and turns in this story and the narrative and dialogue is fantastically amusing.
All-in-all, I loved this book and know you will too.
By page two I knew I was going to enjoy it. The story, set around a hitman called Buck, is so witty (in a kind of dry sense of humour way) it made me smile, grin, and giggle internally. Death is also a character different to the norm and I actually felt really sorry for him (I know, he is death and one shouldn’t feel sorry for him) – but boy, did he need a holiday!
Justin’s imagination is fabulous, and his writing is impressive. The story has been edited well and I was at no point ever pulled from the story because of a typo or grammar mistake.
The whole world set up, the action, the vivid imagery kept me engrossed and I found I was trying to read pages in between other jobs I was doing because I wanted to know what was going to happen. There are many twists and turns in this story and the narrative and dialogue is fantastically amusing.
All-in-all, I loved this book and know you will too.
July 13, 2021
A LITERARY MASTERPIECE
The author’s voice is seamless as it comes across the pages through every character, pulling you right into the story like a blackhole from space—a sometimes dark place you want to be lost in forever. It’s a hold onto your hat, buckle up, clench the steering wheel with a white-knuckled death grip kind of ride that doesn’t disappoint. I found myself slowing the pace of my reading a little so I could absorb all the detail and relish in the picture that Justin so eloquently paints, the sign of a true artist. Each stroke of the pen (or tap of a key) makes it obvious that he has full intensions to entertain, and the mixture of comedic relief, adventure, and badass plot structure will keep you craving for more. I can’t wait to see what Justin articulates next.
The author’s voice is seamless as it comes across the pages through every character, pulling you right into the story like a blackhole from space—a sometimes dark place you want to be lost in forever. It’s a hold onto your hat, buckle up, clench the steering wheel with a white-knuckled death grip kind of ride that doesn’t disappoint. I found myself slowing the pace of my reading a little so I could absorb all the detail and relish in the picture that Justin so eloquently paints, the sign of a true artist. Each stroke of the pen (or tap of a key) makes it obvious that he has full intensions to entertain, and the mixture of comedic relief, adventure, and badass plot structure will keep you craving for more. I can’t wait to see what Justin articulates next.
December 18, 2024
Well, this was a fun read. As a first time reader of this author, I was pleasantly surprised at the humour sprinkled so lushly through this story. The characters were interesting and quirky in their own way and the story itself moved along at a good pace. I most appreciated the original concept and how it was executed with great verve and attitude. Highly recommend this book to lovers of good storytelling.
August 14, 2022
This was a highly original story! The characters were well-developed and great to read about. The story was entertaining and I enjoyed it immensely. Highly recommended!
January 12, 2022
A thoroughly enjoyable fantasy romp filled with humor and action galore!
Though I am truly loath(e) to compare one author to any others, I will give Justin Alcala's "A Dead End Job" a few nods in order to truly convey how wonderfully entertaining I found my reading experience to be. Heck, if publishers can do that right on authors' covers, why can't I here? Anywho: imagine mixing in a little of the noir anti-heroics featured by either Douglas Lumsden' or Peter Hartog's current offers along with a sprinkle of Rick Gualtieri's "Bill the Vampire" special brand of humor (and undead weirdness) and you just might/maybe/perhaps get an inkling of what I mean. And although I would never confess to this in a court of law or even a good night out with plenty of Guinness on tap, you might, MIGHT even get me to (be)grudgingly admit that there is a hint - albeit only a slight one I have to add to keep my membership in the fan-club- of Sir Terry Pratchett's more "City Guard" oriented tales to satisfy just about any purist out there in terms of signalling appreciative, um, appreciativeness. This is particularly true when the factions of the true greats of fantasy and horror start trying to flay and slay each other in most impolite and gory ways.
I also truly appreciated how Alcala uses the initial "job" of our protagonist to really get the story focused and moving. Sure, others including some mentioned above have had their heroes go through the military on their way to other professions, but I've never started off with a hired hitman at least not to my knowledge or better said memory in a setting like this. An excellent vehicle to get things started off down the road if I may be so bold as to mix metaphors with wild abandon and cluelessness! And to have our poor soul not only be down on his luck but also a DnD nerdoid is just too perfect! Lots of room in all that to pick out some quirks and quivers to say the least!
As we dive further into the crux of the plot, I must say, it was nice to once again see Death as a participant in a story and for said anthropomorphic portrayal to include not only a goofy and somewhat socially clumsy giant skeleton but one needing a vacay. So for those of us that remember such classics as "Mort" and "Hogfather" with true love and reverence, that was a nice bonus that really pulled at the heartstrings! Now whereas I can't say I understood all the references or even some of the finer and more subtle parts of what went on (brain hurt-y when think-y), including why Villinger (ha! See what I did there?) kidnapped werewolves to begin with, I did enjoy the cameos that many of my more favorite creatures that were featured, um, had. To be honest, I don't remember a scene with werewolve(s) that was that much fun (no spoilers except to say "it's Luna time y'all!") since my favorite trilogy about just how bizarre Wisconsin truly is (and that's not a political reference either). Sit up straight Scott Burtness, you're getting your monthly nod here as well!
All in all then, great stuff. The story flows very smoothly and our main characters really seem to go through if not growth then at least to face some of their inner (and even outer) demons in a positive and entertaining way. I also really liked that Alcala's pop culture references and overall sense of humor was very efficient even if most often very subtly presented and, er, subdued than not. Hey, being well into our third year of this damn pandemic has made me appreciate it when folks can make me laugh just beyond gently behind my mask rather than trying to elicit straight up phlegm-spewing guffaws! All kidding aside (eventually), I look forward to more ... and if that epilogue is any indication, things are about to get HOT in Chi-town.
Get a copy of this book and enjoy!
Though I am truly loath(e) to compare one author to any others, I will give Justin Alcala's "A Dead End Job" a few nods in order to truly convey how wonderfully entertaining I found my reading experience to be. Heck, if publishers can do that right on authors' covers, why can't I here? Anywho: imagine mixing in a little of the noir anti-heroics featured by either Douglas Lumsden' or Peter Hartog's current offers along with a sprinkle of Rick Gualtieri's "Bill the Vampire" special brand of humor (and undead weirdness) and you just might/maybe/perhaps get an inkling of what I mean. And although I would never confess to this in a court of law or even a good night out with plenty of Guinness on tap, you might, MIGHT even get me to (be)grudgingly admit that there is a hint - albeit only a slight one I have to add to keep my membership in the fan-club- of Sir Terry Pratchett's more "City Guard" oriented tales to satisfy just about any purist out there in terms of signalling appreciative, um, appreciativeness. This is particularly true when the factions of the true greats of fantasy and horror start trying to flay and slay each other in most impolite and gory ways.
I also truly appreciated how Alcala uses the initial "job" of our protagonist to really get the story focused and moving. Sure, others including some mentioned above have had their heroes go through the military on their way to other professions, but I've never started off with a hired hitman at least not to my knowledge or better said memory in a setting like this. An excellent vehicle to get things started off down the road if I may be so bold as to mix metaphors with wild abandon and cluelessness! And to have our poor soul not only be down on his luck but also a DnD nerdoid is just too perfect! Lots of room in all that to pick out some quirks and quivers to say the least!
As we dive further into the crux of the plot, I must say, it was nice to once again see Death as a participant in a story and for said anthropomorphic portrayal to include not only a goofy and somewhat socially clumsy giant skeleton but one needing a vacay. So for those of us that remember such classics as "Mort" and "Hogfather" with true love and reverence, that was a nice bonus that really pulled at the heartstrings! Now whereas I can't say I understood all the references or even some of the finer and more subtle parts of what went on (brain hurt-y when think-y), including why Villinger (ha! See what I did there?) kidnapped werewolves to begin with, I did enjoy the cameos that many of my more favorite creatures that were featured, um, had. To be honest, I don't remember a scene with werewolve(s) that was that much fun (no spoilers except to say "it's Luna time y'all!") since my favorite trilogy about just how bizarre Wisconsin truly is (and that's not a political reference either). Sit up straight Scott Burtness, you're getting your monthly nod here as well!
All in all then, great stuff. The story flows very smoothly and our main characters really seem to go through if not growth then at least to face some of their inner (and even outer) demons in a positive and entertaining way. I also really liked that Alcala's pop culture references and overall sense of humor was very efficient even if most often very subtly presented and, er, subdued than not. Hey, being well into our third year of this damn pandemic has made me appreciate it when folks can make me laugh just beyond gently behind my mask rather than trying to elicit straight up phlegm-spewing guffaws! All kidding aside (eventually), I look forward to more ... and if that epilogue is any indication, things are about to get HOT in Chi-town.
Get a copy of this book and enjoy!
September 11, 2022
A Dead Hitman Gets One Hell of a Job
As A Dead-End Job begins, Death a.k.a. the Grim Reaper has just discovered an annoying problem. “Why is it that people I haven’t loaded [on my computer] die?” Apparently even modern technology isn’t equal to Death’s age-old task. Jumbo, Death’s assistant, tells him that all he has to do “is load up the names and the program…leaves you nearly the rest of your day to clean up the noncompliant undead, and then focus on your toy collection.” Death is not mollified, however. He replies, “I just can’t relax when someone is killing on my behalf. I look like I don’t have any control of my domain.”
The humor in this novel is often witty and wicked, and it acquires an extra bite when a dead hitman, “a sad contract killer,” is brought back to life and hired to “take care of the ones that refuse to die.” Enter Buck Palasinski, the anti-hero, who’s hired to serve an unusual “internship”. Refuse, or fail, and he’ll burn in the fires of hell forever. Sounds like an offer he can’t refuse. Buck accepts and is sent to the Chicago area, where he is from. There have been “an abundance of unscripted deaths” there recently. We learn that he was killed in a previous life by John Dillinger himself, no less, and he is given “all sorts of bullshit jobs, from killing zombies to slaying a vampire.” He soon finds a little werewolf girl in a box and is reunited with Dillinger, who happens to be a vampire.
Will Buck find redemption and escape eternal damnation? Will he discover meaning beyond his gaming group? Going in, things don’t look promising. As he notes, “Working for your soul doesn’t pay well.” The situation is made more difficult by the fact that there is a rebellion or “Civil War…going on in Chicago’s undead community.” Even worse, Buck finds it hard to tell the Good Guys from the Bad Guys, those on his side from those who only pretend to be. The distinction is crucial since the Bad Guys want to use Buck to “steal Death’s dominion” and bring him down.
Much of A Dead-End Job involves bizarre and often fascinating supernatural characters. Who can Buck trust? As we might expect, it all builds up to one hell of a battle. Buck grows in the process, partly as a courageous hero and partly because of his growing love for the little girl, who he calls Luna. But for my tastes, Luna should be fleshed out more because she never comes fully alive as a character. In addition, typos of various kinds are a problem. We find “compliment” for “complement,” “abandon” for “abandoned,” “passed” for “past,” etc. Finally, despite the novel’s strengths, it seems to wane a bit toward the end, though the revelation in the Epilogue packs a punch.
As A Dead-End Job begins, Death a.k.a. the Grim Reaper has just discovered an annoying problem. “Why is it that people I haven’t loaded [on my computer] die?” Apparently even modern technology isn’t equal to Death’s age-old task. Jumbo, Death’s assistant, tells him that all he has to do “is load up the names and the program…leaves you nearly the rest of your day to clean up the noncompliant undead, and then focus on your toy collection.” Death is not mollified, however. He replies, “I just can’t relax when someone is killing on my behalf. I look like I don’t have any control of my domain.”
The humor in this novel is often witty and wicked, and it acquires an extra bite when a dead hitman, “a sad contract killer,” is brought back to life and hired to “take care of the ones that refuse to die.” Enter Buck Palasinski, the anti-hero, who’s hired to serve an unusual “internship”. Refuse, or fail, and he’ll burn in the fires of hell forever. Sounds like an offer he can’t refuse. Buck accepts and is sent to the Chicago area, where he is from. There have been “an abundance of unscripted deaths” there recently. We learn that he was killed in a previous life by John Dillinger himself, no less, and he is given “all sorts of bullshit jobs, from killing zombies to slaying a vampire.” He soon finds a little werewolf girl in a box and is reunited with Dillinger, who happens to be a vampire.
Will Buck find redemption and escape eternal damnation? Will he discover meaning beyond his gaming group? Going in, things don’t look promising. As he notes, “Working for your soul doesn’t pay well.” The situation is made more difficult by the fact that there is a rebellion or “Civil War…going on in Chicago’s undead community.” Even worse, Buck finds it hard to tell the Good Guys from the Bad Guys, those on his side from those who only pretend to be. The distinction is crucial since the Bad Guys want to use Buck to “steal Death’s dominion” and bring him down.
Much of A Dead-End Job involves bizarre and often fascinating supernatural characters. Who can Buck trust? As we might expect, it all builds up to one hell of a battle. Buck grows in the process, partly as a courageous hero and partly because of his growing love for the little girl, who he calls Luna. But for my tastes, Luna should be fleshed out more because she never comes fully alive as a character. In addition, typos of various kinds are a problem. We find “compliment” for “complement,” “abandon” for “abandoned,” “passed” for “past,” etc. Finally, despite the novel’s strengths, it seems to wane a bit toward the end, though the revelation in the Epilogue packs a punch.
April 29, 2022
A novel where Death is seeking an intern suggests Terry Pratchett’s Mort, but I felt this had more of a Dresden Files (Jim Butcher) vibe, there is a lot of humor but it is very dark. Death is not what you would expect, he collects action figures like Skeletor and likes to vacation at the San Diego Comic Con. He also has IKEA furniture. You need to suspend your disbelief in this novel and jump on for the ride, and it is a very entertaining ride. Death’s IT Guy, Jumbo chooses a down on his luck hitman called Buck to stand in for Death.
The action is set in Chicago, like the Dresden Files, and I was reading this book at the same time I was reading “Storm Front“, which got little confusing at times. Buck looked in the mirror and I’m thinking hang on he doesn’t have mirrors in his house but I’m thinking of Harry Dresden. (Note to self: when having more than one book on the go, try to ensure they are quite different, preferably completely different genres!). I don’t read a lot of urban fantasy, so it was something of a strange coincidence to be reading two urban fantasies set in Chicago in the same month. Justin Alcala doesn’t suffer from comparison with Jim Butcher both employ a similar vein of dark humor. Whilst Harry Dresden is a bonafide wizard, Buck Palasinksia plays the wizard with his fantasy role playing chums. There is a lot of action and the pacing builds to a climax, although the last few chapters felt rather convoluted.
Buck is the loveable loser, we often find in these stories and he surprisingly fosters a werewolf kid (or is that cub?), who doesn’t say much but bonds desperately with Buck. Having friends who play Dungeons and Dragons is useful for Buck and the reader when he wants to land some not so subtle infodumps on us about the various kinds of monster Buck might encounter, Death really wants Buck to deal with those who have avoided his clutches, some for many decades like the famous gangster John Dillinger. Hunting Dillinger, Buck stumbles into a civil war going on in Chicago’s undead community.
I would have liked a more in depth analysis of the character of Death, he appears at the beginning and end but is largely absent from the middle of the book, he likes his coffee black, no sugar, apparently.
Thank you to the publishers, Justin Alcala, and Book Sirens for my free review copy to read and review. I leave this review voluntarily.
‘Friend of foe?’ he called out. ‘Neither,’ said a nasally voice. ‘It’s your IT guy.’
The action is set in Chicago, like the Dresden Files, and I was reading this book at the same time I was reading “Storm Front“, which got little confusing at times. Buck looked in the mirror and I’m thinking hang on he doesn’t have mirrors in his house but I’m thinking of Harry Dresden. (Note to self: when having more than one book on the go, try to ensure they are quite different, preferably completely different genres!). I don’t read a lot of urban fantasy, so it was something of a strange coincidence to be reading two urban fantasies set in Chicago in the same month. Justin Alcala doesn’t suffer from comparison with Jim Butcher both employ a similar vein of dark humor. Whilst Harry Dresden is a bonafide wizard, Buck Palasinksia plays the wizard with his fantasy role playing chums. There is a lot of action and the pacing builds to a climax, although the last few chapters felt rather convoluted.
Buck is the loveable loser, we often find in these stories and he surprisingly fosters a werewolf kid (or is that cub?), who doesn’t say much but bonds desperately with Buck. Having friends who play Dungeons and Dragons is useful for Buck and the reader when he wants to land some not so subtle infodumps on us about the various kinds of monster Buck might encounter, Death really wants Buck to deal with those who have avoided his clutches, some for many decades like the famous gangster John Dillinger. Hunting Dillinger, Buck stumbles into a civil war going on in Chicago’s undead community.
I would have liked a more in depth analysis of the character of Death, he appears at the beginning and end but is largely absent from the middle of the book, he likes his coffee black, no sugar, apparently.
Thank you to the publishers, Justin Alcala, and Book Sirens for my free review copy to read and review. I leave this review voluntarily.
June 4, 2022
The plot in A Dead End Job has been detailed several times in previous nearly all positive reviews. I will not duplicate these plot summaries. In this review, I will discuss what the story is, not its plot.
Author Alcala has created something I have not seen before—and I have read thousands of books in my (long) lifetime. Like any good author, he develops his characters against a background that makes them come alive, but that’s where it stops. Don’t get me wrong—Alcala paints a fully realized canvas. What makes this canvas so different is how bizarre, how entirely off the wall, how completely original it is. Really! The literature contains other examples of curmudgeonly hitmen—Matt Helm (the books, NOT the movies) comes to mind, but none even come close to Buck Palasinksia.
Alcala calls A Dead End Job Urban Fantasy and Absurdist Fiction. Not really, in my opinion. It’s more like Robert Heinlein’s Job than anything else I have read, but it’s quite different. The similarity is that Alcala deals with the supernatural as if it were normal reality, and his characterization is largely taken from Judeo/Christian religion and superstition. Similarity stops there, however. Alcala’s bizarre backdrop takes the reader in an entirely different direction—and pay attention as you read; otherwise you will miss something that becomes important later.
All the above points to five stars, but I bring up a matter that drops the story down a notch. The editing is sloppy. Several times this structure appeared (this is an example, not an actual quote): Then the she saw the building. The word the should have been edited out. I would have let this go without comment, but then I ran into several instances where the personal pronouns she and her were replaced with they and their. In two places, I could figure out what Alcala meant, because the paragraph referred only to one female. One paragraph, however, contained both a female and a group, requiring both she/her and they/their. Using only they/their made the paragraph virtually unreadable. This bizarre idea that personal pronouns are arbitrary is grammatical nonsense. For me, using this silly convention, even if only occasionally, seriously detracted from an otherwise great story.
Author Alcala has created something I have not seen before—and I have read thousands of books in my (long) lifetime. Like any good author, he develops his characters against a background that makes them come alive, but that’s where it stops. Don’t get me wrong—Alcala paints a fully realized canvas. What makes this canvas so different is how bizarre, how entirely off the wall, how completely original it is. Really! The literature contains other examples of curmudgeonly hitmen—Matt Helm (the books, NOT the movies) comes to mind, but none even come close to Buck Palasinksia.
Alcala calls A Dead End Job Urban Fantasy and Absurdist Fiction. Not really, in my opinion. It’s more like Robert Heinlein’s Job than anything else I have read, but it’s quite different. The similarity is that Alcala deals with the supernatural as if it were normal reality, and his characterization is largely taken from Judeo/Christian religion and superstition. Similarity stops there, however. Alcala’s bizarre backdrop takes the reader in an entirely different direction—and pay attention as you read; otherwise you will miss something that becomes important later.
All the above points to five stars, but I bring up a matter that drops the story down a notch. The editing is sloppy. Several times this structure appeared (this is an example, not an actual quote): Then the she saw the building. The word the should have been edited out. I would have let this go without comment, but then I ran into several instances where the personal pronouns she and her were replaced with they and their. In two places, I could figure out what Alcala meant, because the paragraph referred only to one female. One paragraph, however, contained both a female and a group, requiring both she/her and they/their. Using only they/their made the paragraph virtually unreadable. This bizarre idea that personal pronouns are arbitrary is grammatical nonsense. For me, using this silly convention, even if only occasionally, seriously detracted from an otherwise great story.
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