A Dirty Job
Christopher Moore
 The story centers on Charlie Asher, a "beta-male" (as opposed to "alpha-male") who leads a satisfying life as the owner and proprietor of a second-hand store in San Francisco. At the moment when his wife Rachel unexpectedly dies in the hospital shortly after the birth of their first child (Sophie), Charlie is chosen to be a "death merchant," retrieving the souls of the dying and protecting them from the forces of the underworld. All the while, he must manage his store and raise his daughter. He only gradually realizes the ramifications of this business as various clues and complications unfold, and the forces of darkness threaten to rise.