Death Warmed Over: Dan Shamble, Zombie PI

Written by Kevin J. Anderson

Narrated by Kevin J. Anderson

Ever since the Big Uneasy unleashed vampires, werewolves, and other undead denizens on the world, it’s been hell being a detective—especially for zombie PI Dan Chambeaux. 

Taking on the creepiest of cases in the Unnatural Quarter with a human lawyer for a partner and a ghost for a girlfriend, Chambeaux redefines “dead on arrival.” But just because he was murdered doesn’t mean he’d leave his clients in the lurch. Besides, zombies are so good at lurching.

Now he’s back from the dead and back in business—with a caseload that’s downright unnatural. A resurrected mummy is suing the museum that put him on display. Two witches, victims of a curse gone terribly wrong, seek restitution from a publisher for not using “spell check” on its magical tomes. And he’s got to figure out a very personal question: who killed him?

For Dan Chambeaux, it’s all in a day’s work. (Still, does everybody have to call him “Shamble”?)

Funny, fresh, and irresistible, this cadaverous caper puts the PI in RIP … with a vengeance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WordFire Press LLC
• Release date: Nov 20, 2022
• ISBN: 9781680574661

Kevin J. Anderson

Kevin J. Anderson has written dozens of national bestsellers and has been nominated for the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the SFX Readers' Choice Award. His critically acclaimed original novels include the ambitious space opera series The Saga of Seven Suns, including The Dark Between the Stars, as well as the Wake the Dragon epic fantasy trilogy, and the Terra Incognita fantasy epic with its two accompanying rock CDs. He also set the Guinness-certified world record for the largest single-author book signing, and was recently inducted into the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame.

Reviews for Death Warmed Over

[Billie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Death Warmed Over
by Kevin J. Anderson
Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. #1
Fantasy Urban Mystery
Scrbid (Everand) Audio
Ages: 16+

Dan Chambeaux is a zombie P.I., but if it hadn't been for the Big Uneasy, when vampires, werewolves, zombies, and ghosts began to walk the earth, he would've stayed in the ground, but instead, the bullet wound is now an inconvenience.

Only hours after he dug himself out of his grave, he went back to work, and solving his own murder joined the other cases he had on his desk.


Not a bad story and the author did a good job narrating his own work, but the included music after some of the chapters wasn't needed.

I really did like the idea of the Big Uneasy, and what caused it (spoilers), and the situation was described really well so I didn't have any questions about how it happened.

There were some funnies, but sadly nothing that got me snorting. There were a lot of detours from the main plot, the adding of additional investigations, but at the same time that kept to an aspect of reality.

As to the main investigations, I guessed them all but one (though I was close) pretty quickly.

But, while it's a good story, I don't see myself jumping to the next story in the series. For me, these are more of a 'go-to' when I don't know what to listen to next.

3 Stars

[sdramsey-298717 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was tons of fun as well as being a satisfying mystery. Sure, there were a few blatant clues, but that didn't diminish the story for me at all and I was on board until the end. I'll definitely check out more books featuring these characters. Light and fun despite the rather gruesome aspects of a setting populated mainly by undead and unnaturals, I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys humorous fantasy.

[ecataldi-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I apologize in advance for the two stars. It wasn't that this book was horrible, or written by an illiterate ape, I just didn't like it. It wasn't my cup of tea but that doesn't mean that it won't be anyone elses. I don't know if I wasn't in the right mood or what, but I was very meh about it all.Death Warmed Over stars a private investigator who has recently come back from the dead as a zombie. Not only does he have to investigate his own murder, he has a full caseload as well. From a vampire too scared to leave his own home from a witch who was turned into a pig because of a typo, Dan Shamble has his arms full. Funny and witty, perfect for fans of Charlainne Harris and other "punny" paranormal mysteries.

[avoraciousreader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.With the unlikely event of the Big Uneasy our world was thrown into a post-apocalyptic paranormal scenario the likes of which has never been seen before. All things fantastical or paranormal are now pretty much everyday life. The problem with such a big change happening so quickly, the laws haven’t had a chance to catch up yet. Enter the office of Chambeaux & Deyer Investigations.Dan Chambeaux was a live PI. Now he’s a dead one. After his murder he came back as a zombie. Their secretary Sheyenne is a ghost (she was murdered first), and Robin is their human attorney. Together they make a great team if not a lot of money. With a habit of taking Unnatural cases pro bono they really need to solve their paying cases. So, they get to work and in-between, Dan tries to solve his and Sheyenne’s murders.Well, this is quite the fix to be in. Who knew that a highly unlikely series of events could activate a spell that could turn everything upside down? Well, not literally upside down. Man, they don’t need that on top of everything else. The world is intriguing and I like the characters. The cases the trio are working on are varied and interesting. And then there’s Sheyenne’s and Dan’s murders to solve. Lots going on here, but not too much to overwhelm. The writing is decent, but there’s something a tad off about the whole book and I can’t put my finger on what is bugging me. In any case, it’s still a good read.

[jbarringer-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is easily one of my favorite crime investigation series. I of course read it backwards so far, since I was checking out the books as they became available at my local library. This is the first book in the series, in which we get the story about how Dan Shamble became a zombie and how his girlfriend became a ghost, while also introducing the rest of the bizarre world where they run an investigative service for 'unnaturals', zombies, ghosts, vampires and other undead and magical creatures who came to 'life' after a freak accident with a museum's spell book.

[dlmorrese · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The dead have risen...well, some of them have. One is a private investigator trying to find out who murdered him. Of course he's still working other cases. There's a timid vampire being threatened by a group oh live-human supremacists, a werewolf woman in the middle of a contentious divorce, and some big, hairy thing smashing doors and ripping people's arms off. That's life and what comes next in the Unnatural Quarter. It's a fun read.

[schlyne · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A unique take on the gumshoe series. Well written, humorous, and thoroughly enjoyable.

[madison_keller-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First, here is an extended blurb, as the one on the site doesn’t tell you much:Dan Shamble was killed a month ago, shot in the back of the head by an unknown assailant, but he isn’t letting that stop him from solving cases. Including the case of his own unsolved murder. During the course of his invenstigations, Dan helps vampires, zombies, werewolves, mummies, ghosts, and even the odd human or two.In fact, he does so much, and has so many active investigations going, that I had a hard time keeping track of characters and what was going on. Considering that I read this through in two sittings, people who read it over a long period time might have even more trouble.The writing is very formulaic, to the point where I knew what the ending would be by the time I was midway through the book.In addition, the villians plot is so over-the-top that I had a hard time taking the villian seriously, especially towards the end of the book.The redeaming features of the book are the writing, which is snappy and easy to read, and the main character.

[dearheart_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Entertaining story set in a world where zombies, ghosts, ghouls, vampires, werewolves, mummies, trolls and other creatures (Unnaturals) exist, mostly due to an event ten years prior they refer to as The Big Uneasy. A curse in a book was accidentally activated and now all of these creatures exist. Dan Chambeaux is a private investigator who was killed a month ago while investigating his girlfriend’s death. When he crawled out of his grave as a zombie, what could he do but go back to work? He and his friend, Robin Deyer who is a lawyer specializing in cases to enact reforms for the Unnaturals, partner up in a business with the office now being run by Chambeaux’ dead girlfriend who is a ghost. These three make a great trio both as characters as well as how the abilities of each compliment the things they take on. Funny, imaginative tale, a number of unique cases are worked on at once, including investigating his own death. Many humans aren’t especially accepting of the monsters, which for the most part are just going about their own business as usual. This provides a back story which is carried forward into at least the next book. We get humorous descriptions of the different species, as well as the good and the bad about various conditions. My friend called me to suggest I get this book when she was only ¼ of the way into it; the book was being offered for free. I enjoyed it so much that I’ve purchased the next two books in the series. There are times when the author repeats something, such as who a character is that we’d met earlier on. I found that to be a good thing in some places—there are a lot of characters in this book—and others where it was totally unnecessary.A light, fun read.

[shrike58 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Does the genre really need humorous sub-Lovecraftian urban fantasy? Kevin Anderson seems to think so and I have no problem assenting that he achieved his end of producing an entertaining enough send-up of hard-boiled detective cliches crossed with the current (hopefully waning) craze for all things zombie. Do I really need more though? That remains to be seen.If I had a relevant criticism it might be that the setting of New Orleans really doesn't come through, even as a set of cliches that are also given the comic treatment; the locality might have well as been Detroit.

[radella_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book just didn't work for me... I've started it several times, as I owed it a review. It took a lot of determination to finish it. It wasn't a bad book, I just had a very difficult time getting into it. It's a cross between a pulp detective story and urban fantasy. Dan Shamble is trying to solve his own murder, as well as other cases as a detective. I thought the murderer was pretty obvious, so I found the bad puns the real reason I kept picking up the book.Like I said, it's not a bad book, it turns out I like my zombies to act like zombies and not so much like people.

[nancyno5 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a cute, quick read. Nothing deep about it. Mr. Anderson's writing style for this book flowed easily. Some might say it was dumbed down as compared to his other books. I haven't read any of his other works so I can't say.Basic who dunnit with the protagonist trying to solve his own murder as well as that of his girlfriend along with a variety of other cases, harrassment, cover ups, black markets, divorce. What makes the story different is the setting...it's a world full of zombies, ghosts, witches, werewolves, vampires, etc. with a few humans tossed in. Apparently they too have their own share of problems.Easy read for a rainy day.

[thealternativeone · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Death Warmed Over (Dan Shamble, Zombie PI Series #1) Kevin J. Anderson Trade Paperback Publisher: Kensington Publication Date: August 28, 2012 ISBN-13: 978-0758277343 304 pages Advance Reader’s Copy New Orleans has a tendency to spit out some odd and unsavory characters from time to time but when the undead, including zombies, vampires, werewolves, and a host of other distasteful characters infiltrate NOLA then it can only go from really bad to totally jacked. When the “Big Uneasy” occurred, a mysterious event ten years earlier that released every variety of nightmarish monsters into the real world, one P.I.’s investigative workload took an unusual turn for the bizarre. Dan Chambeaux, Zombie PI, and his ghostly, lounge-singing girlfriend, Sheyenne, take on some of the shadiest cases in the “Unnatural Quarter” including a resurrected mummy suing the museum that put him in their showroom for wrongful imprisonment, two hexed witches filing legal action against a publisher for not using “spell check” on its books of enchantments, and a skittish vampire with a stake phobia. Those cases pay the bills but of greater importance to Chambeaux is who turned him and why? And what’s with the bullet hole through the middle of his head? Twisted, hilarious, and completely entertaining Death Warmed Over is the perfect gift for that murder-mystery ghost-loving undead-zombie-detective-humorist fan in your life. You know who they are! Death Warmed Over, the first book in the Dan Shamble, Zombie PI series by Kevin J. Anderson is a rollicking, dark-humor, supernatural tale that I recommend for pulp, humor, detective, zombie, and murder mystery fans of all ages. (Mostly not for pre-teens, ‘cuz, you know, there’re zombies and mayhem and the unnaturally undead in here. Of course, just by saying this I know it’ll send them all flocking to the nearest library to check it out. If only that were true?) [If you are under 13 and reading this please forget that I wrote the last two sentences. K? BTW, there’s plenty of really excellent YA novels at the library.] File with: Zombies, the supernatural, zombie private investigator, murder mystery, even more zombies, undead, super-unnatural beings, flesh-eaters, pulp detective/true crime stories, Zombies vs. Vampires vs. Werewolves, a lot more zombies, New Orleans, witches, mummies, curses, and The Walking Dead.4 out of 5 starsThe Alternative Southeast WisconsinAdditional Reading:Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. Series: 1. Death Warmed over (2012) 2. Unnatural Acts (2012) 3. Hair Raising (2013)

[pjh1984_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really hate Zombie books. I hate Zombies in books unless they play a very minor part. That being said if I gave a Zombie PI book a 4, it is saying something about the book.

It's a PI story with a Zombie as a main character. Think Sam Spade dead. It works. It is well written. It doesn't have the normal things in it that makes me look elsewhere for a book. I had my doubts but from the sample I read, it was worth me at least looking at it. I will be getting the second one in the series and this one didn't get deleted. That's saying a LOT for a Zombie novel on my ereader because they usually have the life expectancy of a real zombie.

[marysneedle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kevin J. Anderson just brought back all the classic monsters and put them all in a very creative story. Shamble is a very likable character and this new series I believe will be a hit. I love the way the story was put together and all the pop culture references that almost everybody should be able to identify with. Besides Shamble, my second favorite character in this story was the mummy and his legal issues.I am looking forward to the next installment of this new series due to come out this upcoming Dec or Jan called “Unatural Acts”.

[thelibraryhag · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dan Chambeaux is a PI and a zombie. In this book we follow him as he tries to solver serveral cases including his own murder. I really enjoyed this book. It has a wicked dry sense of humor and there is a lot going on. We learn about the trails and tribulations of the "unnaturals" as well as learn a lot about Dan himself. The only thing that is missing for me is that it has no real sense of being set in New Orleans. Since I love things set in the NOLA that made it a bit disappointing, but not so much that I am not going to read the next book, but I did take a 1/2 star off.

[mmtz_82 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have mixed feelings about this book. The premise of a zombie private investigator solving his own murder is intriguing and Dan Chambeaux is a likable fellow. I found the story amusing. Ghosts, zombies, vampires and werewolves all needing legal help, the services of a P.I. and body care products made me laugh. But this is the first book in a series. I'm just not sure if I like these characters enough to follow their adventures.

[majkia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A shamble through New Orleans. The necromicon, a special arrangement of the planets, virgin's blood and moonlight aligned. The result was The Big Uneasy, wherein folks began rising from the grave. Zombies, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witches and humans are forced to learn to live together - or else!Dan Chambeaux is a recently resurrected Zombie. He'd been shot in the head when investigating the death of his girlfriend. An undead private eye has some advantages, but quite a few disadvantages, alas, as Dan learns when he gets too close to answers. The problem is, he's recently worked on so many unnatural cases, he's having trouble figuring out which bad guy (or gal) did it?A fun romp, with both dead and undead herrings aplenty, enough to make you unsure just how Dan and Sheyenne died. Finally, a zombie book that I enjoyed!.

[peggyk49 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I was excited about this Early Reviewer's book "win" because Death Warmed Over sounded like a fun read. I really wanted to like it lots, but that was not to be.I think Kevin J. Anderson tried to make this book fun, but perhaps he tried too hard. A zombie detective was a good idea, I thought, but I was put off by the other "unnatural" characters. Too many characters, none of whom I cared about, and I want to care about some, if not all, of the characters in any book I read. The characters that "didn't do it" for me the most...a pair of witch sisters, one of whom had become a pig. I also felt that Mr. Anderson must have thought the readers of this book would have memory problems, as there were repetitive mentions of the detective, Dan Shambles, not needing any deodorant or cologne because he kept himself clean & changed frequently. There were other repetitive things too, but this one just kept beating me over the head.My final comment is about a blurb on the back cover of the book. (And I know this isn't a part of reviewing Death Warmed Over, but it bugged me.) "The Dan Shamble books are great fun."--Simon R. Green. Since this was the first Dan Shamble book, I wondered how Mr. Green came up with "books". There is a second in this series now and a third in the works, perhaps Mr. Green had access to the sequels ahead of everyone else. I won't be reading the sequels.

[crazybatcow · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story tries very hard to be humorous. Too hard. And I think it would actually have been more humorous if it hadn't tried so hard.It is very very slow to get started... nothing happens for the first quarter, other than you find out that any (and every) fantastical creature you've ever heard of has "returned" to life. (Really, it was too much, but I assume it was intended to mock urban fantasy books that have these creatures in them.)It tries to be a hard-boiled mystery, but after reading every few pages about a new mythological creature returning to life, it just got too ridiculous to be hard-boiled anymore. I realize that PIs might have more than one case at a time, but it was just ridiculous to have another new case - with a different unnatural creature at the center of it - every half-dozen pages... I just couldn't get over the feeling that the author was trying more to show off his "creativity" regarding the plethora of unnatural creatures than his creativity in terms of world/character building skills. I don't think I'd read more in this series, even if they were free... there are just too many other, better, books out there.

[jeff1124 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Death Warmed Over is a fun and goofy book. The reader is immediately thrust into a world where Zombies, Werewolves, Vampires, Trolls, Ghosts and other monsters and undead being live, or try to live, with ordinary humans. The monsters live in a section of the city called the unnatural quarter. The main character is Dan Chambeaux. A private eye, recently murdered and returned from the dead as a zombie. This book is a lot of fun though it also poses many confusing monster related questions that will hopefully be answered in future books. Read this book and you will laugh and smile at the monsters and undead.

[idj_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is fun. Period. Mr. Anderson has written a great book that holds you because of it's series of interwoven mysteries and characters. The main mystery isn't too deep. It wasn't hard to guess how and why things were happening, but the getting there! Ah, Mr. Anderson made that ride so much fun!The biggest question is 'what is The Big Uneasy?'. It's what made people come back to life and made all the paranormal and supernatural things that have been written about through history come into reality. This is referred to often and it isn't until after 150+ pages that we finally find out something about it. And, without making it necessary, he sets the stage for a sequel or series.The characters are engaging, the dialogue is quick and witty and the grittiness of the noir style of detective novels shines through. There may be a few difficulties in continuity, some glitches that make it a little less that perfect in the creation of this new world, but overall this book is a great read and a lot of fun.If there are going to be sequels, I'm going to watch for them!

[ca2balloon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a reasonably good story. I enjoyed the humor and sort of got caught up in the mystery. I've read some of the Dune books Mr. Anderson has co-authored and I guess I expected more from this book.I'd probably read the next book, but it would be a library copy.

[mclane_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Zombie detective with a ghost girl friend! Horror meets humor meets noir! Actually, this is a pretty good detective story (if you can accept the fact that the private eye is a zombie!). The mystery is well constructed and the characters are believable--given the premise. I look forward to the sequel.