Someone in my book group described The Wrong Dead Guy ((#686) by Richard Kadrey as such a goofy, weird and funny book about mummies, the paranormal and government bureaucracy that I knew I had to read it. It more than lived up to the hype.
Agent Cooper works (reluctantly) for an obscure Federal Bureau. It's either that or spend an extended period of time in a penitentiary. Coop, being a smart guy, puts his considerable skills in thievery at the disposal of the US Government. When a struggling local museum opens an exhibit featuring an ancient Egyptian mummy, Coop is assigned to steal it for The Department of Peculiar Science, or DOPS. Naturally, nothing goes as planned. When the mummy is re-animated with plans to find his lost love and conquer the world, Coop finds himself the target of Harkhuf's wrath. Things don't improve when DOPS auditors set their sights on him as well.
Surrounded by a host of oddball characters, Coop is Everyman, struggling to lead a normal, boring life. I was continually amused by the wry observations of the author, and the sly cultural references, both pop and classical. It was like watching The Big Bang Theory and catching one of its witty asides. Admittedly, this book is probably not for everybody, but if you're willing to suspend belief and jump into something silly for the sake of a good time, The Wrong Dead Guy could be just the ticket!
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