John Smith has a problem. He’s a retired cop whose pension just got wiped out, and he doesn’t know why or how. Now he needs to find a roommate to help pay the bills.Sam has a problem. He’s a six-foot-tall talking cockroach and he doesn’t know who created him, or why, or how. Now he needs a place to live.Thrown together as roommates and amateur detectives, Mr. Smith and the Roach realize their … Roach realize their problems might be related.
But those problems are far more complicated than they imagined, and before all is said and done, they’ll run afoul of a Russian gangster, an imprisoned Mafia don, a crooked Wall Street banker, a mad scientist and, maybe worst of all, Mr. Smith’s baby sister.
Can they get to the bottom of an unbelievable plot before someone exterminates the Roach – and Mr. Smith – for good?
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If not for the wacky, tongue-in-cheek humor, Mr. Smith and the Roach would have invoked a memory of reading The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, in which the protagonist wakes up one morning to find himself inexplicably transformed into a huge insect. Here, the protagonist, John Smith, wakes up to falling into debt and having to share his flat with a giant insect named Sam. Struggling to adjust to this new condition is a humbling twist, the first of many in this unpredictable, fun story.
The premise frees the author to dish out truly amusing dialogue exchanges. John says, “Sometimes the reason you don’t say something is because you can’t bear to say it out loud yourself. Because once you do that, then it’s real.” And the roach replies, “But it is real.” “You don’t really understand human nature very well, do you?” “No,” says the roach. “I’m afraid I don’t.”
In addition to solving a crime, John and Sam embark on the mystery of why the roach was created and what caused its mutation. In a way, this is a search for the meaning of life, which makes the story not just entertaining but also sobering. I have read several of JJ DiBenedetto’s books in the Dream series, and while this book has a different premise altogether, I enjoy taking a slight departure from reality. Like me, you are invited to suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride on the wild side.
Highly recommended. Five stars.
MR. SMITH AND THE ROACH is a stand-alone detective story, though it was left open enough that it could be developed into a series. I hope Mr. DiBenedetto would consider doing so.
Mr. Smith lives three floors down from Jane Barnaby, but she is out of town and her sister is using the apartment. After listening to this book, I’m dying to jump back and know Jane better even though this is not a part of her series.
Who would think that I would enjoy a book with an insect as one of the main characters – especially a roach! – but I absolutely loved this fun detective story
Narration: I don’t know accents well enough to tell you where Chris Dale is from, but it certainly isn’t middle of America. My guess would be somewhere in England, but his is not one of the accents that I am accustom to hearing. It was very nice to listen to his voice. He gives excellent pronunciation, enunciation, intonation, and characterization. His name on a book would be a reason to pick it up.
Note: While I received this book as a gifted audiobook copy, my opinions are my own and are given freely.
Title: MR. SMITH AND THE ROACH
Series: Mr. Smith and the Roach #1
Category /Genre: Fantasy Suspense
Recommended for: 14 + due to vocabulary
Listenability: OK for ears
Received from: J.J. DiBenedetto (as an Audible gifted copy)
And now for something completely different: I never thought I’d feel sympathetic toward a six foot tall cockroach, but J.J. DiBenedetto managed to do it! I like the way Mr. Smith’s character was carefully drawn so that it actually seemed plausible that he’d accept a giant cockroach as a roommate. Snappy dialog, unique concept, and a satisfying story!
This is the first book I have read from this author. From reading the comments from other reviewers, I gather that this is a departure from the type of books he already has out. Genre notwithstanding, this read definitely lures me to read more by Mr. DiBenedetto.
Take a detective novel and throw in a giant, talking, and engaging cockroach–what’s not to like? The cast of characters fit nicely into the story and run the gamut of personality types. I greatly appreciate that there was not a cliffhanger ending, but there is the promise of more to the larger story to come.
I also appreciated that I did not trip upon obvious grammatical or spelling errors that sometimes show up in independent works.