Zoey Is Too Drunk for This Dystopia

Pargin’s wild and biting third Zoey Ashe romp (after Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick) continues the existential misadventures of the trailer park scamp turned reluctant heiress to a criminal empire as she navigates the dystopian city of Tabula Ra$a, Utah. The book begins with a news report of Zoey’s death, then flashes back 44 hours to show readers a Zoey who is decidedly not coping well with being The Boss. She’s forced to deal with The Suits, her underlings, as well as two equally horrible candidates for mayor vying for her support. Add in the complete lack of privacy afforded by her high-tech lair and random assassination attempts against her, and getting drunk seems to Zoey to be her best option. Unfortunately for her, she can’t resist doing what’s right. So when she learns of three missing women, all sex workers, she decides to investigate. Along the way she must deal with shady politicians, rabid pranksters, and other malcontents—and that’s just in her inner circle. Pargin’s signature fluid style keeps the gonzo action moving as he uses Zoey’s predicament to explore themes of social justice, political necessity, and the sometimes-adverse correlation of wealth to happiness. Readers will be just as taken with this unlikely antiheroine as ever. Agent: Scott Miller, Trident Media Group. (Oct.)