A definite humorous sci-fi that is worth reading.

Duckett & Dyer: Dicks For Hire was easy to read. In this story, we find Michael Duckett who is tired of life. Then there is Stephanie Dyer. She does not make life easy for Michael.

To make matters worse, Stephanie comes up with a crazy idea dragging them both into a web of missing people. Crazy funny this was truly a fun read.

I received an advance digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Take one part detective story from the 40s, one part Doctor Who, and one part buddy comedy from the 80s, mix well until the reader doesn' t know what the heck is happening and you've got this book. Funny and weird with a great build up and ending. Entertaining read.

4 out of 5 stars.

Michael Duckett and Stephanie Dyer are chalk and cheese but have been friends forever. Just as their friendship if falling apart they mysteriously get dragged into a chaotic adventure to save the multiverse.
This is the first book in a new series which relies a little too heavily on stereotypes but offers a tantalising glimpse of a promising new sci-fi/humour series. I'll definitely be checking out the sequel when it arrives.

A solid and entertaining book that made me laugh a few times. The set up took more time than I would prefer, but the payoff was satisfying. This sort of comedy and sci-fi mix works well for me and I would definitely encourage other readers to give it a try.

Duckett & Dyer: Dicks for Hire by G.M. Nair is an interesting anomaly. It is a mystery part hard boiled detective story part sci-fi . It is so nice unusual that it is a bit hard to figure out. The writing feels different, almost choppy at first. But, it all makes sense when you finish. Stick with it.

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

Duckett & Dyer: Dicks For Hire is a humor/SF/mystery/multiverse novel which explores and explodes a lot of the standard tropes without being ridiculing or mean. Released 1st April 2019, it's 300 pages and available in hardback, paperback, and ebook formats.

This is a debut novel which honestly doesn't feel like the author's first published work. It could be that he's found a perfect editor and a gang of proofreaders, but the book is well written and polished, but not too slick. It's exceedingly challenging to write humor. Pacing is everything, and this book (and this author), manage it very well. The voice is sure and the humor is deftly handled. The dialogue is sometimes silly, but also poignant, strong, and never clunky. The narrative literally starts at a heart-stopping climax and moves at breakneck speed onward. It took me a while to figure out what was happening after the grand opening, but once I found a footing, it was a really enjoyable read. This is SF/fantasy by someone who seems to be a fan of the genre.

While I think direct comparisons with Pratchett's Dirk Gently (and Douglas Adams, et.al.) are maybe a trifle premature, there are real glimmers of something seriously nice here and I sincerely hope and pray that the author continues. I am eagerly awaiting more and can't wait to find out "What Comes Next"?!

Possibly worth noting for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. This title is available in the KU subscription to borrow and download for free.

Four and a half stars. (Rounded up on my part because I grew up on a diet of Indiana Jones, Gor, Barsoom, Conan, etc etc). Good humor full on.

This was one bizarre masterpiece. I've never read anything like this and I loved it. It was wacky, hilarious, and just plain off the wall. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting but it wasn't that. It reminded me of Tim Dorsey mixed with Christopher Moore. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Duckett and Dyer are now my two favorite Private Detectives of my generation and the generation that they visited before mine and any ones after that. This was the story that i needed to pull me out of my funk.

this book was a really fun one. both of the title characters played really well off each other and the story was a good satire of detective stories with a fun sci fi twist. it was a quick read and perfect for summer. I feel like this would work better as a graphic novel. honestly, though, I’ll probably read the next one because the author’s voice is really unique! super cool cover art too. if you’re looking for a book to make you laugh and keep you on the edge of your seat, this is a good choice. thanks to netgalley for allowing me to read a free copy.

One of my favorite novels of all time is Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. If you’ve not read it, it dives deeply into the ever-expanding philosophical quagmire of infinite universes. It’s terrifying. It’s heartbreaking. It’s a near perfect sci-fi novel.

Duckett & Dyer: Dicks for Hire by G. M. Nair is the exact opposite of Dark Matter in all the right ways. Where Dark Matter goes dark, Duckett & Dyer goes absurd. Where Dark Matter goes hard science, Duckett & Dyer says “screw it, it works how we want it to work because we say so.”

I cannot understate the simultaneous ridiculousness and seriousness that occurs in this novel. It’s like if Weird Al Yankovic wrote a sci-fi novel.

I don’t want to talk much about the story of this book because it’s too good to hint at in a review. Don’t want to spoil a single thing! I’ll just say this story has the potential to suck you in. I read the entire second half on a plane ride today. If I had one complaint about this book, it’s that the first half is too slow . . . but the set-up of the first half is necessary to land the satisfying conclusion to the book.

Well done, Nair.


Writing: 8/10. No complaints here. High quality prose, nothing stood out to me as fantastic but I was never bored nor did I feel as if the writing lacked flair.

Characters: 10/10. What a duo, Duckett & Dyer. Nair expertly crafts conflict between his two protagonists, fueling the insane plot while developing their relationship in a nuanced and creative fashion.

Setting: 9/10. While I never got a strong sense of place for the generic city they live in throughout much of the story . . . there are a lot of really cool moments of absurdity in the world of this book that nail the comedic nature of this book with graceful poise.

Plot: 8/10. Clever. All of its just clever. The first half was slow, as I emphasized above, but I think that’s good. Some readers may not enjoy it, but it’s all necessary to establish what turns into a very creative conclusion . . . and an ending that sets up future tales with flair.

Overall: 8.75/10. A clear five star review. It hits all the marks of a high quality indie authored novel, I’m glad I put this book on my list. Seriously, go grab yourself a copy.

Michael Duckett is a bit of a no-hoper whose sad life is about to be injected with terrifying levels of excitement. First his not-quite girlfriend goes missing – not the first disappearing act of late – and then increasingly strange things happen to him and best friend, Stephanie Dyer, a lazy lay-about with some odd ideas about the world.

But… when there are thunderstorms causing people to disappear, and ads in the paper for ‘Duckett & Dyer’ that neither set up – who’s to say what’s odd or not?

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!!

So I started off feeling quite sniffy about this book. I thought, “poor man’s Dirk Gently fan-fic”. The acknowledgement of the cliche in the dectective being called ‘Rex Calhoun’, hard drinker, etc etc, didn’t stop it being gratingly un-ironic. But as the story unfolds, the weird and funny Douglas Adams-esque-ness is one of the strong points, and what I loved most. I sort of saw where the story was going early on, but it’s just such fun getting there…

Alas, what’s less fun is the language. It all feels like it’s trying too hard, and really could have done with some hefty editing. The characters tell us their feelings a bit too often, their interactions often a bit false. The number of adjectives and persistence in providing detail that wasn’t needed made this one to occasionally skim rather than read word by word. Otherwise it gets a bit much – which is a shame, because this *could* have been really really good, instead of just fun but far from perfect.

That said, it ends with a “Duckett and Dyer will return in…” which I rather do fancy picking up if/when it happens! :)

I only looked at the title before picking up this book, I mean look at it! I’m already intrigued and I know I’m going to be laughing (hopefully due to some inappropriate jokes) and boy did this exceed my expectations.

The plot is hilarious and so endearing. The author exudes confidence through their writing and it was a really refreshing read.

This book is definitely a gem and I’m so glad I found it, will definitely be buying it ASAP.

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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 <em>too much.</em> 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.

A very funny, entertaining and engaging book!
It made me laugh and kept me hooked till the last page.
I liked the style of writing, the characters, and the plot.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Duckett and Dyer are an oddly matched pair, and that's what this book so entertaining. While Michael overthinks his every move, Stephanie furiously marches past without a thought. I wasn't quite sure what I would find in this story, but there were so many delightful surprises. It was hilarious, some parts even made me chuckle. It is bizarre in a good way. It reminded me a lot of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. There is a case to be solved and there are detectives - incompetent ones, but detectives nevertheless - determined to solve it. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery and doesn't mind not knowing where it is going to take you.