This was a most unique book, in a very good way. It was screwy and comical, but not madcap. And set in Florida, I totally believed it all. I guess this is part of a series or a follow up to another book, but I had no problems following along. If you like darkly comedic, zany, fast paced mysteries, this is for you.

This was a funny, heart-warming romp through Hollywood, FL; accompanied by Danny Teakwell and Jessica Jewell. Who knew that they would make such a fun pair, even in the face of extreme danger? I enjoyed this story even though the cozy mystery genre has been way overhyped in my opinion. They have become almost formulaic. This book broke the mold and I had a good time without feeling like my brain was hurting from convoluted storylines. All in all, a fun and sweet story!

What a fun and entertaining read! Although this is sort of a sequel to Psycho-Tropics, which I have not read, I really enjoyed it . . . and don’t feel as though I really missed out on very much. The two main characters (Danny, who was acquitted of murder, whose wife died of cancer, who squandered away lottery winnings, and who now owns a soft shop) and Jessica, an extremely precocious twelve-year-old) are well-developed and easy to relate to. The rest of the very quirky characters definitely add to the reader’s enjoyment. The plot is action-packed, and the writing is very, very good — lots of humor amidst some fairly dark goings on. All in all, this was an excellent mystery, and I hope that Danny and Jessica have many more adventures together.

ARC review: *this might have some spoilers about the first novel, Pyscho-Tropics*

Okay, this was a surprisingly fun read for me! Although this is the second book in the series, and I didn't read the first, I did not find this difficult to follow at all. This book is both light and dark. Funny, mysterious and tween vs mob.

We have 12 year old Jessica, who is an embalming expert and not at all phased by death. Growing up in a funeral home, she is set to do this for life. When her grandfather dies and her parents suddenly sell the funeral home and ship her off to stay with her great aunt, Jessica is sure there is something going on. She enlists the help of Danny, an old friend whom she met 5 years ago. Danny is no place to help Jessica. He is a washed up lottery winner and former murder suspect who just lost his wife a year ago. He can barely take care of himself but it looks like he will have to suck it up because Jessica is solving this mystery with or without him... did I mention she is 12?! Jessica is very strong and wise for her age. I loved how her and Danny grew close and he never gave up on her, even when she had some dangerous ideas.

This book follows the viewpoint of Danny, Jessica, a wacko brand new lawyer Fink, AND the mob members they are after. I enjoyed the multiple viewpoints, however I found the writing to be a bit odd/awkward at times. A couple times, it jumped from one moment in time to another in same paragraph and left me with whiplash and needing to catch up. Despite that, it holds true to its promise on being both dark and funny.

I wish I could have read the first book before this. So, although it can be read as a stand alone, I would recommend reading Pyscho-Tropics first.

I got this ARC from NetGalley and my review is voluntary.

While I didn't find Funeral Daze laugh out loud funny, I appreciated the quirky cast of characters and the unusual settings. I did let out one short laugh at Grandpa's dark nickname for Jessica.

The story took a direction I wasn't expecting which was not so nice, but good for me as a reader. I get a little tired being able to route out what is going to happen in a book.

I hadn't read the first book with these characters and had no problem picking up where they are 5 years later and why their relationship flows right from the start. I also would have loved to start Psycho-Tropics (first book) to get caught up on Danny and Jessica's first meeting. Unfortunately, the library doesn't have a copy so I must wait until my next Kindle Unlimited subscription.

I received my copy of Funeral Daze from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book was another hit from the author in the second book of this series. Reading the first book isn’t necessary to understanding the plot but would be helpful for the background. The story was filled with good mystery and suspense sprinkled with a good deal of humor. This is a book which I would recommend to all.

Entertaining and engaging. Preteen girl versus the mob. I know who I would bet on. Lots of heart, silliness and murder. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

3 stars~

This book was a pretty standard cozy mystery, although it did go a bit darker than other cozy mysteries I’ve read- although that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I definitely think this book was worth the read as the plot definitely interested me.

This book follows Danny, a now broke lottery winner who has also lost his wife; and Jessica, a 12-year old that helps out in her family’s funeral home. These two end up teaming up and try to save Jessica’s family’s funeral home. This is a follow-up to another book called Psycho-Tropics, but can be read on it’s own as well.

I really liked seeing the relationship develop between Danny and Jessica throughout this story. And I liked that we got different perspectives throughout this book as it made the story a lot more cohesive to me. The plot was entertaining for me to read and I enjoyed it. I did feel like Jessica read a lot older than she was, if they didn’t mention her age I would have assumed she was 15-16 years old at least instead of 12. Some of the writing also seemed a bit awkward to me when I was reading it.

Jessica Jewell is an embalming expert. She's grown up in a funeral home and the dead don't faze her. If she could take a body into school for show and tell she would. She's also twelve. When her grandfather dies she finds out that she has been left a portion of his estate to carry on the family tradition.
When she finds out that her parents have sold the business she is livid. That turns to concern when her parents go missing.
She turns to Danny Teakwell for help. Five years ago the family helped out Danny when he was framed for a murder he didn't commit. The pair form an unlikely duo. As well as being funny in parts it was great to see the relationship develop between Jessica and Danny.
I'm sure this book would be great made into something for the television.

This book is rather long and slow, but there's actually very little waste, and with all the humor it's very entertaining. As in other books from the author, the characters are great, and once again we meet a very smart and tough young girl. Excellent book!

When I saw Box had a new book set to release, that was Emily Caldwell adjacent, I raced to Netgalley, hoping beyond hope that it was there. This would have been a one-sit read except for the pesky aspect of needing sleep.

Picture a Sandor Clegane and Arya Stark sort of situation, where Sandor is the surfer, and Arya is a young girl whose life is wrapped up in her family's funeral home. He's still grieving after losing his wife; she's the odd girl out in every situation, yet a force to be reckoned with. He's had a rough go at life, and her life is about to take a dramatic turn. It's the perfect setup for a book.

Box writes strong, multi-dimensional characters. I enjoyed Danny and Jessica's banter and how they fed off each other. Fink drove me up the wall but had me laughing in the same breath.

Time and again, Box has proven he can write a tense thriller that is funny, dark, and completely endearing. It's the perfect combination of a smart storyline and characters that keep you reading well after bedtime. Fantastic!
1 like

So much thanks to NetGalley, Doran Box and Friction Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Writing this review, I find myself breaking out into a wide grin just remembering how much fun I had reading it....and how much it left me clamoring for more adventures for its lead characters.....
I could never imagine telling anyone that some book would make them laugh out loud and bring them to tears all the way through......sometimes simultaneously.
"Funeral Daze" did that for me.....all the way through. And I always considered myself a pretty tough audience for any author who tries that 'laughs 'n tears' double whammy on a reader.
How could I resist the oddest and yet most lovable combination of a Guardian-and-Child matchup......Florida surfer Danny Teakwell, a grieving widower at loose ends and Jessica Jewell, 12 year old precocious force-0f-nature and skilled in all mortuary arts and sciences from being raised in her family's funeral home.
They first came across each other in the author's 'Psycho-Tropics', when Jessica was seven and Danny, framed by a psychopath, stood accused of first degree murder.
Now it's Jessica who's in peril while her parents flee from cartel gangsters who threatened them and seized their funeral home. The cartel's master plan - stuff overweight corpses with cocaine packages for easier nationwide smuggling.
Now in hiding, Jessica's desperate parents ask Danny to look after their daughter, who's on an unstoppable quest to expose and thwart the cartel. This does not sit well, as you might guess with the cartel's brutal chief enforcer, who favors death to eliminate all obstacles.....including children.
Helping out this unlikely investigative duo (and jacking up the laugh-out-loud quota) is Fink , Danny's so-called lawyer. But then again, Fink, armed with an impossibly convoluted gift of gab, did manage to finesse a 'not guilty'" on Danny's murder charge before anyone found out Fink hadn't yet passed his Bar exam.
I would defy anybody to not fall in love with these characters.........as slowly and surely, the emotionally closed off Danny finds his heart warmed as he attempts caring for Jessica, whose take-no-prisoners invulnerability masks the sweet, aching heart of an outcast lonely child.
After finishing "Funeral Daze", I tried to remember the last time I encountered a book that actually delivered on its advertised promise to have you giggling while you shed a tear or two.
This one's the real deal....a genuine 5 star laugh-getter and tearjerker., and with thrills 'n chills thrown in. By far one of the most entertaining books of 2023.

This reminded me a lot of Fredrik Backman's writing style which is probably why I loved it so much. I'd say the writing most closely resembles 'Anxious People.' A lot of chaos going on, and a lot of dark things going on that are partially masked by humor, and a lot of characters / plots to follow. It felt like some of the side characters could've been fleshed out a little more / gone deeper into their motivations (particularly Yago), but the character development for Danny / the build up of Danny and Jessica's relationship was really incredibly done.


Thanks you NetGalley for this ARC!

"Funeral Daze" was an enjoyable story with some rather amusing characters, especially Bennie "Fink" Finkel, the lawyer who seems to be marginally competent, and can be rather repulsive, but who manages to find surprising success when it matters most. The star of the story, however, is young Jessica Jewell, budding mortician, who is wise beyond her years in some respects but still very much a child, very resourceful, and does not suffer fools lightly (as a certain FBI agent will discover). She can also bring out the best in others, which is most evident with Danny Teakwell, a genuinely nice guy whose life is collapsing around him as he wallows in depression, but who will step up when it counts to protect Jessica and help her solve the mystery surrounding the unexpected sale of the family funeral home and the strange behavior of her parents.

Emily Calby is still my favorite tween girl character by Dorian Box, but Jessica Jewell is certainly a worthy alternative, and I would not mind seeing her return in another book.

"Funeral Daze" by Dorian Box is more action than mystery. It's a beach bum with money meets unique morbid 12-year-old and classic parents get themselves in mob/cartel trouble. I did appreciate Jessica's sense of humor and mature personality.

This dark mystery was unlike anything I have previously read and I wish I could experience it again for the first time!

The book details former lottery winner and all-round ‘good-guy’ Danny, and his inadvertent guardianship of 12 year old Jessica. Jessica has grown up in the environment of her family’s funeral home, and her outlook upon the wider world comes with a morbid/dark insight which is innocently endearing (but may require warning to those not familiar with dark humour). When Jessica’s family and the family business is at risk at the hands of a ruthless mob, she turns to Danny following their previous meeting in the prequel to this book. The loveable duo in turn form a close bond with each other over a short time, and Jessica has a positive effect on Danny who has himself suffered a bereavement a year before.

Jessica fights for the rights to her family business and for justice in general under Danny’s supervision, and the pair also have the help of other hilarious characters with whom Danny has developed a relationship previously. Their battle for justice takes many exciting and laugh-out-loud twists along the way, whilst incorporating dark humour and the endearing relationship between the two main characters at every turn,

I could see this laugh-out-loud book translating well to the big screen, and I hope further there may be future instalments that see Danny and Jessica team up as the main duo yet again. This was my 49th book of the year and unexpectedly my favourite read thus far, I would recommend to all those who enjoy dark humour, mysterious adventures and unexpected twists.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Friction Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is both dark AND hilarious! Protagonist Danny won the lottery and squandered it all, his wife Sari died of breast cancer, and he now owns the Nine Lives Surf Shop. So when 12-year-old Jessica comes into his life after her parents' mysterious disappearance, he isn't sure what to do with the precocious girl as she grew up in the funeral home and understands embalming and other techniques that would render any other youngster a squeamish mess! Throw in mobsters, cocaine, and oddly stereotypical characters--that are not really stereotypes at all--and you have this slapstick comedy that delights and entertains while showing the big-hearted Danny and sweet Jessica overcoming incredible obstacles! I laughed so hard while reading this and will now read more of Box as it's quirky and absolutely unforgettable!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you Net Galley and Friction Press for sending me a free copy of the book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Daniel Teakwell was getting his life back on track after being framed for murder, losing his childhood sweetheart, and winning the lottery (and splurging that money). Daniel's life was about to turn upside down yet again after Emily Jewell shows up on his doorstep after her parents suddenly vanished after selling their family funeral home to the mafia. From breaking into the funeral home and dissecting human bodies to jumping off of an exploding ship and being chased by a shark, Daniel and Emily brace themselves on this journey that will only make their bond stronger and bring down the mafia.

This is a standalone sequel from Dorian Box's Psycho-Tropics. I have not read the first book and still had an understanding of the characters and the plot.

I adored Emily's character. She is a tough twelve-year old who is "difficult", as she describes herself. She is forthcoming and strong. She will not go down without a fight. What made her character so realistic is giving her a fear of drowning and being afraid at crazy situations instead of giving her such strong characteristics. The author did a wonderful job crafting her character.

Daniel and Emily's relationship was sweet to witness. They were close from the beginning of the book but grew closer the more they spent together. They help each other through hardships and are there to lift each other up. Since Emily was dumped on Daniel, he was trying his hardest to become a better person not only for himself, but for her.

The plot was fast-moving, entertaining, mysterious, and action-pack. I did not want to put this book down (or rather put my phone away). Although the plot was fast-moving, it felt too rushed towards the end of the book with the big reveal. It was a surprised ending, as I had no clue what to expect of it, but I wished we spent more time in that scene.

Overall, I loved the book and am rating it 4 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend for young adults (upper young adults) to adults. If you like mysteries, thrillers, and a beautiful bond between an adult and kid, I highly recommend this book.