Douglas Adams' wit and style come through in full force in this novel. Every time I finish another one of his books, I cry a little bit knowing that I have one less left to read. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is no exception. He did such a great job of creating a huge mess of comic confusion, then bringing it all back around full circle, with a bit of surprise, always a laugh, sometimes a little groan of disapproval, and never-ending satisfaction.

There was a time in my life when I thought this book was a hidden treasure, lost in the bright lights that were shining on Adams' other work, notably the Hitchhiker Trilogy (if one can be so inclined to call 5 books a trilogy). But that was a long time ago, when I was in college and, like John Belushi, fat, drunk, and stupid. Trust me when I say that, son, this no way to go through literary life. Eventually, I grew up, lost a little weight, stopped drinking so much, and...well, just embraced the fact I was stupid. Hey, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

This book is sufficiently entertaining, at best. I give this 3 stars because the point of this book is to mildly entertain, and the book just about does that, if maybe barely. In the grand scheme of things, this book can't stand up to many of the other books I have given 3 stars. But let's face it, the aim of this book is pretty small. To take on such a narrow focus and come up with a 3 star book isn't really that much of an accomplishment. As an entertainment widget, this is average. Overall, this is a 2 star book but I have to be fair in assessing what the book stands for in the cosmic context of literature. Let's put it this way. If this were a dinner party, this would be a pig in a blanket. You know, no self respecting purveyor of fine foods would ever be caught eating one of these. But hey, I've had a few beers and they just came out of the oven and, well, you know, I'm a little hungry and come to think of it, this little number isn't all that bad, when it's nice and hot like this. But really it can't stand up to the caviar. I mean, not that I go to dinner parties like that. It's really just a metaphor to indulge you, the reader, who has likely given up reading this ramble of a review so there's no point in my trying to impress you any longer. If you've read this long you're likely related to me or attended my wedding. I digress.

The story is basically classic Adams. Goofy dialog littered among goofy interactions is as much as you need to know. The details of the story aren't important - you can get them when you read the book, if you choose to. What's important to note is what this book is, or isn't for that matter. The book isn't a deep and philosophical look at the world. The book is an attempt at slapstick humor. The book isn't well written in dialog. The book is something a person who loves fart jokes might love. It's also something college kids who watch Monty Python movies will like. It's something you read when you just need to pass the time easily, before you discover the world of Terry Pratchet.

If you're in college and just love his other stuff, you've got nothing to lose with this. If you're looking for something to read between your National Book Award Winner List, maybe, just maybe, you should pass this up.

The book is average, and there are certainly worse books to read out there. Then again, there a lot which are better. In fact, there are better books written by the same author. If you're looking for something along these lines and haven't read his other stuff, Hitchhiker is clearly a better choice. If you've exhausted all that and can't get enough, this is a good enough next step. If you're neither of those, this book isn't really for you.

Years ago I read the Hitchhikers series and loved it. Then I was so thrilled when the movie came out. More recently a friend of mine suggested the Dirk Gently series. I am grateful to that friend for suggesting them. This is a wonderful and fun read with many illusions and references to Samuel Taylor Coleridge and his literary works. Dirk Gently is a one-of-a-kind character and there is no way not to love him. Only Adams could have thought up this great bunch of characters, the incidents that happen to them, and pull them together in such a clever way!

I highly recommend this book whether you have ever read Adams or not. This is a wonderful book which will stay with you for quite a while after you have finished it. In fact, I didn't want to stop reading it but I didn't want it to end either. Too bad Adams didn't live long enough to write more Dirk Gently books. A really terrific read!

Dirk Gently is probably Douglas Adam's best written book and has an extremely well defined plot. The humor as good as ever, I laughed out loud on many occassions. The notion of "fundamental interconnectedness of things" that Adams introduces in this book is quite powerful and yet quite humorous. The problem of the couch in an impossible position, missing cats, ancient professors in universities, an electric monk - a multiple set of oddities all fall into place into a great pattern.

If you liked Hitchhiker's series at all, you would most certainly love Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Guaranteed.

WARNING!: Some spoilers may be included
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is a great book. The comedy is awesome, but sometimes a little dry, but that's the way British humor is sometimes. The plot is a little confusing at times, but not horribly difficult to follow. The main point is that Richard MacDuff, a software engineer, is at least for a short time, believed to have killed his boss, Gordon Way, who, unknown to anyone, is actually a ghost who is very annoyed at being a ghost. Richard, in his desperation, seeks out a detective, namely, Svlad Cjelli, or Dirk Gently (how Dirk Gently comes from Svlad Cjelli are the same is still a mystery), a detective whose specialties include lost cats and messy divorces. A cornerstone of the agency is the belief in "the interconnectedness of all things" (hence the "Holistic" part of the agency's name), which comes down to somehow having a trip to the Bahamas help find a woman in England's cat. Dirk helps Richard, and in their search to prove his innocence, they uncover a time machine, another ghost, and the true origin of humankind! (which is almost prevented because of the time machine, but Dirk stops it before all of humanity is erased.)
There are may memorable quotes, somewhat random Samuel Taylor Coleridge references, and generally strange moments, such as a horse appearing in a bathroom at random. This is a really good book, as are most of Douglas Adams's books. Dirk Gently may not be in the tradition of Great Detectives, but this book is in a tradition of great books. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good laugh or just an interesting book.