History Literature / ADirtyJob

** Taken UpToEleven in ''Secondhand Souls'', wherein they take down and nom up [[spoiler:an entire Subaru, ''and'' the kayaks and assorted other shit inside for good measure!]]

* {{Expy}}: Of Tom Flood from ''Literature/BloodsuckingFiends''. In the third book of the ''Literature/BloodsuckingFiends'' series, Jody lampshades the many, many similarities between Charlie Asher and Tommy Flood.

** Charlie's assistant Lily hangs out with a fellow Goth who goes by Abby Normal. This character plays a larger part in the Literature/BloodsuckingFiends trilogy.

** Minty Fresh originally appeared in Moore's book ''Literature/CoyoteUgly''.

** Taken UpToEleven in "Secondhand Souls", wherein they take down [[Main/CrazyAwesome an entire Subaru, *and* the kayaks and assorted other shit inside for good measure!]]
* FetishRetardant: In-universe example. Charlie once said "Who's your Daddy?" to Rachel during sex, and she responded with [[LiteralMinded "Saul Goldstein"]]. This response made Charlie impotent for an entire week.

* {{Expy}}: Of Tom Flood from ''Literature/BloodsuckingFiends''. In the third book of the ''BloodsuckingFiends'' series, Jody lampshades the many, many similarities between Charlie Asher and Tommy Flood.

A novel by ChristopherMoore, published in 2006. It deals with [[DeathTropes Death]], {{Psychopomp}}s and loss.

* {{Epigraph}}: [[ChristopherMoore Moore]] quotes ''Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh'' at the start of the novel.

* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: The "Beta Male" theory is explained in detail by ChristopherMoore. It boils down to the observation that the [[DoggedNiceGuy nice-but-average guys]] who make up most of the population win in the end after girls get kicked to the curb one time too many by the JerkJock and cutthroat businessman.

Meet [[UnfazedEveryman Charlie Asher]], content and loving husband and owner of a thrift store in SanFrancisco. This all changes when his pregnant wife [[DeathByChildbirth dies after giving birth]] to their first and only child, Sophie. After her death Charlie finds that things are just [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore not the same]]. For starters, objects from his shop start to glow, he starts getting attacked by giant ravens and people start dropping dead all around him.

* EyesOfGold: Minty Fresh.

* IncrediblyLamePun: Minty Fresh grudgingly admits he was named after toothpaste.

A man in a [[Literature/CoyoteBlue mint-green suit]] contacts Charlie and tells him that this is all happening because he is a Death Merchant, a sort of GrimReaper tasked with saving souls from the Forces of Darkness.

* {{Epigraph}}: [[ChristopherMoore Moore]] quotes ''{{The Epic of Gilgamesh}}'' at the start of the novel.

* PleaseWakeUp: Averted in wherein Charlie's daughter Sophie [[spoiler: cries and tells him not to go when he leaves to fight the Morrigan but after it is finally officially revealed that she is the Luminatus (aka Big Death) simply says "Goodbye, Daddy" as Charlie passes on.]] Most. Tearjerking. Scene. Ever. [[spoiler: He got better. Kind of.]]

* ShoutOut: Plenty. For one, Charlie goes to meet an old Chinese man named Three Fingered Hu. His grandaughter is named [[HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas Cindy Lou Hu.]]

--> [[spoiler:[[MixAndMatchCritters Squirrel person]] Charlie]]: Wow, would you look at that.

* MadLibsCatchphrase: Bab'd has one for every time she get's hurt by something.
-->Bab'd: Well [Modern invention]s suck, I can tell you that.

* SickAndWrong: Charlie Ascher walks in on one of his employees and one of his former employees (the first a middle-aged retired and paranoid cop, the latter a twenty something goth girl who had worked there since her teens) shagging in the thrift store he owns. This trope is his reaction.

* ShoutOut Plenty. For one, Charlie goes to meet an old Chinese man named Three Fingered Hu. His grandaughter is named [[HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas Cindy Lou Hu.]]

Meet [[TheArthurDent Charlie Asher]], content and loving husband and owner of a thrift store in SanFrancisco. This all changes when his pregnant wife [[DeathByChildbirth dies after giving birth]] to their first and only child, Sophie. After her death Charlie finds that things are just [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore not the same]]. For starters, objects from his shop start to glow, he starts getting attacked by giant ravens and people start dropping dead all around him.