Embrace the Grim Reaper by Judy Clemens, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Judy Clemens introduces a new paranormal series with Embrace the Grim Reaper featuring Casey Maldonado, a woman who lost everything in a near-fatal automobile accident, her only companion now, Death.

Casey inexplicably walked away from the accident that claimed the life of her husband and son; unbeknownst to her, Death had other plans for her. She decides to get away, leaving on a trip to the unknown. Her journey takes her to the small town of Clymer, Ohio, where the primary employer is an appliance company that is moving its operations to Mexico leaving many of the town's families impoverished. The death of a young woman with two small children also weighs on the community. Some believe it was suicide but those who knew her well, including Death, do not believe she would have taken her own life leaving her two children on their own. Death appeals to Casey to get involved in the community and help the people so much in need, and endeavor to find answers to the unusual sequence of events that have enveloped the town.

Embrace the Grim Reaper is part mystery, part social commentary, but entirely entertaining. Casey is only one of a number of interesting characters, and Death is truly unique. Hardly grim in the literal sense, he's frequently witty and charming. The reader will likely share a smile with Casey at some of his comments and actions. In an odd couple sort of way, they make a good pair of amateur sleuths and their first case (as it were) is a remarkably impressive debut.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Embrace the Grim Reaper.

Acknowledgment: Poisoned Pen Press provided an ARC of Embrace the Grim Reaper for this review.

Different Paths
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), September 2008
ISBN-13: 9781590583005; ISBN-10: 1590583000

Embrace the Grim Reaper

A Casey Maldonado Mystery by Judy Clemens