6 Fast Paced and Fun Reads

Posted on September 20, 2018

by April S

Welcome to our funny fiction series. The series highlights a variety of humorous books that share common elements (or appeal), which are things people typically look for when trying to find a book to read.

All of the books featured below are fast paced and funny to boot! The novels are suspenseful, richly detailed, steamy, thought-provoking and/or bittersweet. We’re hoping this series helps you find that next great read (and a few laughs along the way).

Fast-Paced Funny Fiction

Eleventh Grave in Moonlight by Darynda Jones

Eleventh grave in moonlight / Darynda Jones

Struggling to make peace with her goddess powers and her daughter’s destiny to save the world, Charley Davidson finds herself targeted by forces from hell who are determined see her banished to another dimension.

Appeal: Fantasy, mystery, snarky characters, fast paced, funny, offbeat and suspenseful

Overclocked by Cory Doctorow

Overclocked : Stories of the Future Present by Cory Doctorow

In Cory Doctorow’s collection of novellas, he wields his formidable experience in technology and computing to give us mindbending sci-fi tales that explore the possibilities of information technology and when its various uses run amok.

Appeal: Urban fantasy, science fiction, character-driven storylines, funny and thought-provoking

Additional formats: eBook and eAudio

What’s So Funny? by Donald Westlake

What's So Funny? by Donald E. Westlake

Tempted to find a highly valuable, seven-hundred-pound chess set, hapless crook John Dortmunder musters his merry band of fellow ne’er-do-wells on a haphazard treasure hunt that prompts his investigation of Russia’s last czar. This book is part of the Dortmunder series (book 13).

Appeal: Mystery, crime capers, plot-driven storyline and funny

Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie

Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

Rescued during a break-in by an unlikely hit man who has been directed by the mob to protect her, food writer Agnes Crandall finds her situation further complicated by a missing cache of money that becomes a key factor in a Southern mafia wedding.

Appeal: Romantic suspense, plot-driven storyline, banter-filled, conversational, steamy, upbeat and funny

The Blight Way by Patrick McManus

The Blight Way by Patrick F. McManus

Idaho sheriff Bo Tully’s hopes about a rekindled romance with his high-school sweetheart are challenged by his father’s upcoming seventy-fifth birthday celebration and a ranch murder involving numerous possible suspects.

Appeal: Mystery, likable / snarky characters, homespun, offbeat, well-crafted dialogue and funny

Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani

Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani

The daughter of an Italian immigrant family in 1950 Greenwich Village, Lucia Sartori pursues a career in the fashion industry until she falls in love with a handsome stranger, who must win over her traditional family to marry her.

Appeal: Domestic fiction, historical romance, character-driven storyline, family dynamics, bittersweet, moving, reflective, engaging, richly detailed and funny

Readers May Also Enjoy …

How to Find a Good Book to Read

10 Genuinely Funny Funny Fiction Books You’re Sure to Love

Literary Thrillers

Sleuthing with International Flair

Books for Fans of the TV Series The Americans


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