When I saw the title of Maxie Dara’s fantasy/cozy mystery A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer, I couldn’t resist picking up a copy. The “Grim Reaper” of the title is a woman named Kathy Valence, one of many soul collectors who work for a corporation known as S. C. Y. T. H. E. (Secure Collection, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essences). Kathy works in the Department of Natural Causes. Her job sounds simple: to collect the souls of people who died natural deaths and take them to the processing centre.
Everything goes smoothly until the day a teenager named Conner, whose soul Kathy is sent to collect, insists that he was murdered. Furthermore, he suggests that someone from Kathy’s workplace might have been involved. Uncertain about who she can trust but determined to see justice done, Kathy undertakes some detective work, assisted by her former mentor Jo, her husband Simon (who she is in the process of divorcing), and Connor’s disembodied soul.
Dara uses several factors to ratchet up the tension. For one thing, soul collectors only have 45 days to get to a soul to the processing centre. If they miss the window, the soul will be doomed to haunt the Earth rather than move on. In addition, Kathy is putting her job at risk by continuing to investigate the circumstances around Conner’s death after her supervisor tells her to drop the case. Losing her career is a particularly unattractive prospect for Kathy, as it’s the first place of employment where she’s felt as though she fit. There’s also a physical risk from the perpetrators, who become increasingly desperate to keep their secret.
“The book is chock-full of humour, both in the situations and the dialogue. Dara also delivers a protagonist we can root for.”
A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer delivers on multiple levels. There’s a mystery to solve, with clues and suspects, along with suspense and unexpected twists. The book is chock-full of humour, both in the situations and the dialogue. Dara also delivers a protagonist we can root for. Kathy is flawed but likable. Her father once told her she had the “Sadim” (opposite of Midas) touch because she frequently made a mess of things. Kathy struggles with self-confidence. Though pregnant, she’s not sure she’s “good Mom” material. But she’s also determined to do the right thing, she’s tenacious in her efforts to solve the case, and she has a self-deprecating sense of humour that keeps her from taking herself too seriously.
Witty, lively, and original, A Grim Reaper’s Guide To Catching a Killer offers a fun read for mystery fans who don’t mind having fantasy as part of the mix.
About the Author
Maxie Dara is a writer and actor from Ontario, Canada. She has been a freelance journalist focusing on the local arts and culture scene for more than five years, with bylines in publications such as Hamilton Magazine and Beyond James, among others. Maxie knew she wanted to be a writer at the age of seven when she first fell in love with the written word. She also wanted to be a mermaid but has mostly focused on the writing side of things.
About the Reviewer
Lisa Timpf is a retired HR and communications professional who lives in Simcoe, Ontario. Her poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and book reviews have appeared in New Myths, Star*Line, The Future Fire, and other venues. Lisa’s speculative haibun collection, In Days to Come, is available from Hiraeth Publishing. You can find out more about Lisa’s writing and artwork at http://lisatimpf.blogspot.com/
Book Details
Publisher : PenguinRandomHouse Canada (Oct. 1 2024)
Language : English
Paperback : 352 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593815793
ISBN-13 : 978-0593815793