I was hesitant when I started to read this book. The description sounded interesting so I did have some high hopes. Unfortunately the story fell flat as well as the characters . I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley

The title itself caught my interest first. Then the story of a young man living in a small town that thrives on the holiday Halloween, builds coffins like his father who disappeared 5 years ago with two coffins he had just constructed and was never seen again, and right before Halloween, Death drops by and asks him to make 8 coffins and he will tell him what really happened to his Dad.....well I just couldn't resist.

I loved this book and I certainly hope the #1 means there will be more in this series. The characters are lovable, the setting is perfect for a semi-paranormal story line and the action is unstoppable, plus the tongue-in-cheek comedy will have you laughing out loud.

Definitely put this one on your to-read list!

I started the book with a different expectations but ended up quite surprised. The build up , the setting , the characters all are perfectly described and it all adds up to the various twists and false ends we see in the book. The small town with its obsession with horror sound quite fun and it never falters in the narration. The deal with death to make 8 coffins in two weeks in exchange of knowing what happened to your long lost father is neither fair nor easy to keep. And though I was a little bored of the end dragged .. I enjoyed this one.

This book came out of nowhere and managed to secure a place at the top of my favorite book lists and I have never been so happy!

“The Coffin Maker” begins with Jesse, a young man who has locked himself away in his workshop making beautiful custom caskets for anyone looking for something extra special for their final resting place when Death himself shows up to place an order for not one but eight caskets for victims of a tragedy that has yet to take place. With the deadline fast approaching, Jesse begins an investigation to uncover the motives behind something so sinister and does his best to stop the murders before they happen with the help of a strange newcomer named Robin, but are they any match for Death?

This book has everything I never knew I wanted, it’a got a town that comes alive for Halloween, horror movie reenactments at carnivals, the flawless intertwining of the tales of Poe with nursery rhymes whose bright lyrics shadow their dark origins and the personification of Death as the puppet master behind it all. All of these elements work together perfectly to build up the tension in this small town as we along with Jesse and Robin try to uncover what the tragedy will be and who is at risk of becoming a victim before time runs out.

The setting is beautiful the entire idea of a town coming to life for the Halloween tourist season is something I could see myself living in and the lengths this place goes to to sell that experience just adds to the mystery aspect because how does one go about an investigation looking for something or someone suspicious when everyone is playing their part to make the town creepy?

There’s also a lot of characters in this book which could be hard to manage if it’s not done well but thankfully this was written in a way where you really connect with them rather quickly so you can have your suspicions and try to figure it out but when the bodies start dropping you feel the same emotions as the lead characters and the desire to find the solution and stop the killer is at an all time high and they way they went about doing it was something I never could have guessed and it was both amazing and dark and I loved every second of it.

There’s a bit of a cliffhanger at the end and I hope that means we’re getting more books because I will follow these characters wherever they go, I really don’t have anything negative to say about this book and I will definitely be doing a reread around Halloween because I can’t think of a better book to get me in the mood for the season!

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**