A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Cheating Death
(S.C.Y.T.H.E Mystery #2)
by Maxie Dara

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When a determined killer targets her brother, a grim reaper risks everything to save him in this delightful cozy mystery.

Nora Bird works for S.C.Y.T.H.E., which might seem odd for someone as terrified of death as she is. But ever since her parents died in an accident when she was six, she’s been obsessed with avoiding risk, and what better place to learn how to cheat death than the company that employs the nation’s grim reapers?

The work enables Nora to learn all about the myriad ways you can kick the bucket, which is comforting…until one day, a file crosses her desk with a name she recognizes. Her twin brother’s.

The twins haven’t spoken in six months, but Charlie is all Nora has left. Completely against her cautious nature, Nora steals the file and flees, racing to her brother’s house. She begs him to trust her that his death is imminent, and they hit the road (with his parrot, Jessica, who has plenty to say) in an attempt to evade both death and S.C.Y.T.H.E., whose sole mission of collecting souls has been disrupted by Charlie’s continued existence.

Alas, every time Nora saves him, a new cause of death appears in his file. Someone is determined to take Charlie out, and Nora will have to use everything she’s ever learned about death to discover the culprit.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Dude, I’m wetter than a soccer mom at a Magic Mike show out here. Can I go get into something that isn’t actively growing moss?

But I’ll tell you one thing: the past is an easy place to get lost in. It’s tempting, isn’t it? Hazy and imperfectly remembered so we can fill it in as we see fit. Spend too much time there, though, and you miss out on everything happening right now, and everything that could happen in the future.

He strolled up to the front door with the confidence of a well-costumed kid on Halloween, secure in the knowledge of a full candy bar waiting on the other side. He gave the door a knock, paused for less than three seconds, and then plowed his way inside.

His voice was what Nora imagined it would sound like if dust could speak.

It’s like this weight. Being afraid. It’s like I carry it around on my back, and, Charlie, it’s so heavy. Like if I don’t stay one step ahead of life, it’s going to catch up and take everything from me.

My Review:

This was a fun and ingeniously creative read, filled to the brim with equal measures of snarky humor and perceptive angst. I’m now highly coveting book one in the series as I’m curious how it started. The writing was a tight balance of tension and clever wry wit, and hosted a cast of highly peculiar characters and oddly intriguing storylines that managed to keep me engaged and eager for new clues. My paltry theories were well off the mark. I love it when that happens.

About the Author

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Maxie Dara is from a tiny, Hallmark movie-style town in Ontario, Canada, where she works as a writer and actress, because rejection-heavy careers are her passion. She is also a two-time award-winning playwright. 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.