Many thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to have an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. I had not realised i had been sent it and it was sent to archive. I have now read it and apologise for the late review!

It’s not often that a book has the grim reaper as the lead characters side kick. This one does and makes for an interesting read!
This book is the 5 th in a series but can be read as a stand alone. Casey is a likeable character and you are quickly drawn into her world. This book has twists and turns that you don’t see coming, a witty and charming read. | hope there will be more books in this series in the future.

This story started out letting us readers know that Casey's husband and son died in a tragic car accident, leaving her all alone in the world. The author leaves us with enough background to help us understand the circumstances that Casey is in..
With her husband and son gone, it gives her a friendship with death. She starts to travel the world finding peace. She is on a passenger train riding through the open wilderness, while she is on this train, she realizes that this train reminds her so much of her deceased son. She gets off the train, she can't stand being there, she feels like she is being smothered with memories. She gets off the train in a remote town, that feels like a ghost town, but she sees no choice but to bed down for the night in a hotel.
This author writes an amazing story about death and how ghosts seems to live forever. Casey shows how to be very strong in times of trouble..

Facing the death of her husband and son, Casey Moldanado must learn to live a different kind of life. So she leaves everything she's known to travel, looking for something to ease her pain. This is made more difficult by her traveling companion, Death. In this book, the fifth of the series, Casey takes a job and a room in a small town. As Casey works in the general store, she meets many of the town people, not all of them friendly. Vandalism at the store is the result of past grievances directed at the store owner and his wife. Casey must work to heal not only herself but the wounds of the town herself. How Casey accomplishes this with the help of Death...well let's just say it's an interesting story line even if you have not read the first four books. I found myself rooting for Casey's efforts!

I received a free copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion. I enjoyed this book. I found the characters to be genuine and having the Grim Reaper as a sidekick, most unusual. Ms. Clemons tells a good story and writes a very nuanced tale with many layers

BEYOND THE GRAVE (Mys/Para-Casey Moldanado/Death- - Contemp) – Okay
Clemens, Judy – 5th books in series
Poisoned Pen Press
First Sentence: "I think it's broken."
Casey Moldanado's husband and young son were killed in an automobile accident. She survived. Accompanied by the figure of Death and is traveling the roads, looking for peace. In the small town of Armstrong, Idaho, Casey is given a job and place to stay by the owner of the convenience store. Vern's wife, Dottie, is ill, but that doesn't explain the acrimony the town seems to have toward her which, Casey discovers, stems from an incident which happened 45 years ago.
Entitled Chapter One or not, Clemens opens the books with what is, in fact, a prologue. That's unfortunate in itself. Worse is that the scene is literally lifted from the middle of the story, and it ends with a portent. Although it does introduce us to the protagonists, as does what follows, the prologue was not needed.
The good news is that although this is the fifth book in the series, one doesn't feel the loss of not having read the four previous books. The author provides enough information for new readers to feel comfortable while series readers won't feel bogged down by too much detail.
Indeed, the best things about the book are the characters. Casey is someone with whom one can empathize. Personal pain is a hard reality of life and Clemens conveys it well. But Casey is also a figure to be admired. To say she can take care of herself would be understating the fact.
When done well, there is something very intriguing about having Death as a character. Clemens does it very well, indeed. It's not every day Death dresses in movie costumes and quotes from "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
Clemens does capture the feel of being in a very small town where everyone knows everyone else's business and grudges are held for generations. What doesn't work, in spite of the justification given, is why the couple would have stayed there all the years they did. The lesson learned was one should never move to a very small town.
All the characters are fully-dimensional. Vern is a kindly man who extends that kindness to others. He loves his wife, Dottie, and is incredibly loyal to her, in spite of her isolation and coldness to others. Sheila, pastor of the local church, Officer Maddy Justice, and Nell with the bright white hair personify those we'd like to know. Others, not so much, but even they are recognizable.
"Beyond the Grave" felt as though the plot worked very hard at working. It seemed only to be a backdrop to the principal characters of Casey and Death. They, alone, made the book worth reading.

Wow this book left me a little shaken. It is not your average mystery., It does have a lot of subterfuge, differing plots and violence. It was compelling in many ways and I was surprised to find it is part of a series. It has a paranormal edge with the grim reaper following around the death prone protagonist. This book can be read as a stand alone and presents very well the charcters and backstory of them. I love a book and author that surprise me outside of the normal plot lines and this book is full of surprises.
Thank you for the ARC . My opinion is my own.

While Beyond the Grave is part of a series, I found it stood well alone, and you do not have to be familiar with the series to find bearing in this story. For the unfamiliar crowd, which includes me, the author leaves us enough background that we can understand the circumstances that brought our main character to this point. The story picks up with our protagonist, Casey Maldonado. Cast has suffered more tragedy than most perhaps after she loses her husband and her son in an accident. With the loss of her son and husband she gains an unusual friendship with death itself, the Grim Reaper. Death has been following Casey since her family died.

On this particular occasion, Casey is riding a passenger train through the remote, open wilderness of Idaho. Finding herself on a train that has one too many reminders of her deceased son, Casey feels compelled to get off the train immediately. Casey ends up in a long forgotten town where it seems even the ghosts don’t live anymore. She decides to bed down for the night in a quiet park, but her peace is short lived when a group of local trouble makers happens upon her in the park. The group decides she is fair game and she should be an easy target. They aren’t aware;however, that Casey has training in self defense. Casey hands her pursuers an embarrassing defeat, but she is beat up in the process. Casey looks for a safe place to lick her wounds, and she finds the cozy community of Armstrong, Idaho. Her first stop is the local store run by Vern Daily. Vern Daily is a lifelong resident of Armstrong, and when he sees Casey’s battered face, he takes pity on her, and offers her room and board in exchange for assistance with the store. Too battered to continue on her journey, Casey accepts Vern’s offer. Vern introduces Casey to his wife Dottie Daily, who is suffering from a terminal illness and who’s health has been in decline lately. Casey also meets some of the town’s more colorful residents, including a woman Casey calls Flower Pants due to her loud, garish garb.

Casey quickly comes to realize that Armstrong is a town harboring many secrets, and there is an undercurrent of resentment and hatred toward Dottie Daily. Baffled by why an entire town would gang up on and hate one poor, harmless old woman, Casey vows to get to the bottom of this town’s secrets. So, with Death as her faithful companion and accomplice, Casey starts digging into the town and its residents.

Death in this story is dynamic and engaging, and the playful relationship between the two is enjoyable. Author does an excellent job of painting a lifelike, believable image of a town where ghosts live forever because residents and their relatives never leave. Casey is a relatable heroine who proves both strong, but equally vulnerable and damaged. A fun, quick read.

When I received this for review I was so excited. This book is about a girl who is haunted by the death of her husband and her child. Because she has contemplated suicide she looks death in the face everyday. Literally. Death is her sidekick and only she can see Death. This isn’t the creepy part. It’s the town she finds herself in after fighting off 3 boys that wanted to do assault her. She moves in with an old couple and gets a job in their store. But everyone hates them and she tries to find out why. This was so good and definitely a must read. Thank you netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

I wasn't sure what to make of this at first- I hadn't read the earlier books. Casey experienced a tragedy and gained a sidekick. That the sidekick is Death is what sends this into the sort of odd category of a paranormal mystery (that's a very loose categorization). The town of Armstrong, where she settles, is full of trouble. Silly trouble some of it but there's a serious undercurrent. Dottie and Vern, who seem like nice people, antagonized the locals by getting married because Dottie is an outsider. Frankly, given what happened only while Casey was in town, I wondered why these two didn't move years before (I sure would have.). Dottie dies and then Casey becomes a target but (and I can't believe I'm writing this) she's got Death on her side. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This is a fast paced and unusual read.

Casey Maldonado is the main character in this series that I would call a mystery with paranormal aspects. I would highly recommend that you read the first book in the series “Embrace the Grim Reaper”. I feel that some background is needed, for this fifth book, in order to understand Casey’s past. Her husband and son were killed in a horrific car accident. She was terribly injured but has survived to become stronger physically, but emotionally and mentally still dealing with the loss. Her companion is Death. Yes, Death. Casey goes where the road takes her, mostly walking, sometimes accepting a ride. She is a black belt in Hapkido so feels that she can handle herself…along with the warnings she receives from Death. In this story, Casey leaves the train and stops at a small town where she has a run in with three thugs. With her fighting skills and their drunkenness, she survives with minor injuries. She arrives in the next town and decides to stay, to heal. She will become involved in the small town and investigate the resentment towards an elderly couple who own the store. Will the thugs hunt her down to exact revenge? Will Casey find the peace she so desperately needs? I have read the entire series and truly appreciate the writing of Ms. Clemens and the uniqueness of her stories and characters. I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to give an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Thanks for this advanced copy. Unfortunately this book did not work for me. I did not like the story line or the writing. The dialogues were quite painful. I was not engaged or thrilled. I had to stop reading many times.

An entertaining little mystery with quite a bit of a twist to it. I never knew what was going to happen. Great read