Book Review: Coffin Dodgers by Gary Marshall

Some time in the not too distant future an ageing population has become even more of an issue. Natural procreation has all but ground to a halt, and young people are massively outnumbered by and subservient to their elders. Wealthy seniors are spending their time, and large amounts of money, in casinos and on the golf course. 20-something Matt and friends Dave and Amy all work in a casino, and spend their free time playing juvenile pranks like writing "Old Farts" on the bowling green with weedkiller. They are as irreverent as the title and Dave's disastrous love life and Matt's crush on best friend Amy are their main concerns, until Matt realises someone tried to kill him in an "accident" When the police refuse to investigate he decides to look further and the trio uncover a sinister plot to pick off young people.

This book was a really quick, fun read. I romped through it, amused by the antics of the threesome and curious to find out what was going on and whether justice would be served. It's set in a world that's not too hard to envisage and the three main characters are the sort of people I could happily sit and chat in the pub with. Written in the first person from Matt's viewpoint the style is chatty and conversational, and the banter felt very familiar. I really warmed to Matt and wanted a HEA (happy ever after) for him and Amy. It had me chuckling away in places, definitely a few LOL moments reading it.

I liked the crime story running through it, it was quite a clever idea especially bearing in mind the book's setting, and a nice variation on a theme I have seen before. The bad guys were a bit stereotypical but in a comedy with such likable good guys that wasn't a problem. Coffin Dodgers is a fun, light-hearted read that doesn't take itself too seriously and Gary Marshall's debut is a well-polished end product. I'll be keeping an eye out for his work in future.

Format: Kindle, review copy
My Rating: 4*