Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

This is a paranormal novel that has the feelings of the shows The Ghost Whisper and Dead Like Me. The seriousness of Ghost Whisper; the humor and realness of Dead Like Me. This particular Grim Reaper works in natural deaths whose job it is to help the soul get to processing. However, this soul insists on the death being murder and refuses to go with her until they solve the mystery. She is then set on the case with a countdown to solve the murder and get his soul to processing before it’s too late. Oh, on top of this the Grim is a pregnant 42yr old dealing with issues of her own.

This was probably a case of wrong person, wrong time. I was not a fan of how the main character acted towards Connor. I know he’s an annoying teenager, but he’s also dead. Cut him some slack. DNF at ~50%

Cozy mysteries can be a bit of a hit or miss with me; however, this wasn't the case with A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer. The main character being a modern day grim reaper was a lot of fun. Not only that, but the side characters steal the show. They are interesting and engaging. I think I actually enjoyed the side characters, especially Connor, more than the main character.

The story as a whole kept me guessing as well. The mystery is pretty solid with just enough spooky without taking the cozy out of it.

Overall, a fun read that I think my cozy paranormal mystery readers will fully enjoy.

An interesting, fun, poignant cozy mystery. An inside peek into the life of a modern-day grim reaper which is reason enough to pick this book up.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review an electronic ARC of this book.

This looks like a promising, fun new series. There was a little of everything here: A grim reaper, a murder mystery, some workplace drama, a pregnancy, found family, and a story that covered a range of emotions. Creative and enjoyable! I will definitely read book 2.

I am newer to Cozy mystery but this one had me hooked! As Kathy is out to collect the soul of a teenage boy she has trouble finding him. When she does she finds out he was murdered but by who??? She has to find out and needs help to do so. A must read!

This was a fun start to a new series! Modern-day grim reapers in an office like setting at SCYTHE – Secure Collection, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essences – and I’m so ready to see how the series continues. Here we have Kathy, and she’s tasked with tracking down the missing soul of her newest client. He’s adamant that someone at S.C.Y.T.H.E has murdered him and wants Kathy to help him track down his killer. He refuses to move on until they catch the killer. The stakes are high because if she can’t get his soul to move on, then he’ll be doomed to roam earth as a ghost for eternity.

I think the cover sets the tone for the story. Not too dark and looks like there’s going to be some good wit and humor. It was a perfect balance and a great addition to the Halloween TBR if you don’t want super dark horror.

I could not get enough of this book! A cozy mystery where the main character is a modern day grim reaper?! The characters are easy to love and the mystery kept me guessing until the very end! I’m so glad this is going to be a series because one book simply isn’t enough!

This is my first book narrated by Jaime Lamchick and she does a wonderful job! Her wide range of character voices brought each one to life. I hope she continues to narrate this series and, if so, I’ll definitely be listening!

This book has everything I was looking for to start my October spooky season reading. Ghosts, a murder mystery, fun characters, and surprising twists easily make this a five star read! If you’re looking for something not-too-spooky but still perfect for the season, definitely add this one to your list!

What a fun mystery for spooky season! This story was very enjoyable, with an easy to follow plot, but also good twists. The main character Kathy is very lovable, as is Conner and Simon. I loved the journey reading this book, switching between the physical copy and audiobook. The audio is well done and the narrator had an easy-to-listen to voice. If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a small side of darkness, check this out! It’s perfect for the fall!

This takes some time to hit its stride, but picks up at about the 1/3 mark. The main character is unremarkable, but the side characters, mostly Conner, make up for it. Great for anyone who’s looking for a slightly different take on murder mysteries.

Grim Reapers in Maxie Dara’s present are ordinary people who work for Scythe and are given the ability to see human essences after they die, and drive them to a processing center. Kathy Valence, who is pregnant, needs A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer(paper from Berkley) when one of her charges has been murdered by a fellow employee, It could be any of them. With the help of her friends, her ex who finally finds out where she works and that she is carrying his baby. It’s convenient that the ex is a hacker. This is a good mystery and lots of fun.

The following review was published or updated in several Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia newspapers and magazines in November and December 2024:

Booking a full year of reading

Review by Tom Mayer

If only us readers could just spend our days … reading. What would a year look like? Here, the editors of Home for the Holidays present their yearlong list of books, culled from the past 12 months of reading and reviewing. A few of the titles you’ll immediately recognize, and you’ll likely have more than few in your own library. But just in case you missed a title or two, we’re showcasing the whole year’s worth of books that we’ve read and reviewed, month by month.

Except for the first title, the list is simply a list. To find the reviews of many of these titles, visit our newspaper parent, The (Athens) News Courier at enewscourier.com — with a slight caveat. Our newspaper webmasters are currently working overtime to improve our content management system, the foundation of any website, and while many of our archives are now found there, it may be a few weeks before everything is fully re-uploaded — including the most recent editions of Limestone Life and Home for the Holidays. For now, though, enjoy our literary stroll through 2024.

And about that first title: Not every college professor can make statistical analysis approachable, let along interesting to their students and the general population, but Athens State University emeritus professor of psychology Mark Durm is not every college professor. After spending nearly five decades teaching thousands of students, the “ol’ psychology professor” decided that he’d best get around to writing the one book out of his nearly 100 published pieces that’s he always wanted to write. Call it a legacy piece, but what it really is is a “best of” Durm’s peer-reviewed, book reviews, non-peer reviewed and magazine articles from his 47 years in higher education.

The result is “Professional Publications of an Ol’ Psychology Professor” (Dorrance) with full previously published articles ranging from studies on the effects of glasses on a child’s self-esteem to his ever-popular parapsychology pieces, Durm presents his internationally recognized efforts with a twist.

“It’s a different kind of book because it doesn’t talk about the research, it presents the research,” the professor says from his second-career office at Durm Properties in Athens, about a half-mile from where he first presented that research in person. “I’ve spent hours on all of these articles, especially in the peer-reviewed journal articles.”

And so, articles on divorce, sex, religion and other topics now populate the pages of Durm’s most recent book in an effort to both continue his teaching and satisfy what has been a lifelong wonderment.

“You know, most people don’t understand statistics, so it’s all in there,” Durm said. “What I’m trying to do is a more critical approach to ‘just don’t believe everything you’re told.’ … It’s things that were in my life that I wanted to see if they were so, by using a psychological analysis.”

And like any good professor, Durm didn’t do that research on his own — or take all of the credit. Among the co-authors of many of his articles in the book were students — many of who he’s lost touch with, but all of whom who he credits by name in his acknowledgements and for each of who, if they look up their ol’ mentor, he has a signed book ready to hand over. For the rest of us, you can find the book at any online bookseller — just as you can with the remainder of our list, presented by the month in which the book was published, read and reviewed.

JANUARY

Unbound (Blackstone) by Christy Healy NG/F

The Devil’s Daughter by Gordon Greisman NG/ARC

FEBRUARY

Almost Surely Dead (Mindy’s Book Studio) by Amina Akhtar NG

The Chaos Agent (Gray Man 13) (Berkley) by Mark Greaney NG

The Lady in Glass and Other Stories (Ace) by Anne Bishop ARC

A Haunting in the Arctic (Berkley paperback) by C.J. Cooke NG

Ghost Island (Berkley) by Max Seeck

MARCH

Hello, Alabama (Arcadia) by Martha Day Zschock

The Unquiet Bones (Montlake) by Loreth Anne White

I am Rome: A novel of Julius Caesar (Ballantine Books by Santiago PosteguilloMarch 5: Murder Road (Berkley) by Simone St. James

The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry (Holiday House) by Anna Rose Johnson

Ferris (Candlewick) by Kate DiCamillo

After Annie (Random House, Feb. 27) by Anna Quindlen

Crocodile Tears Didn't Cause the Flood (Montag Press) by Bradley Sides The #1 Lawyer (Little, Brown and Company) by James Patterson, Nancy Allen

Lilith (Blackstone) by Eric Rickstad

Life: My Story Through History (Harper One) by Pope Francis

APRIL

Matterhorn (Thomas & Mercer) by Christopher Reich

Friends in Napa (Mindy’s Book Studio) by Sheila Yasmin Marikar

City in Ruins (William Morrow) by Don Winslow

The House on Biscayne Bay (Berkley) by Chanel Cleeton

Two Friends, One Dog, and a Very Unusual Week (Peachtree) by Sarah L. Thomson

For Worse (Blackstone) by L.K. Bowen

A Killing on the Hill (Thomas & Mercer) by Robert Dugoini

The Clock Struck Murder (Poisoned Pen Press) by Betty Webb

The Book That Broke the World (Ace) by Mark Lawrence

The Forgetters (Heyday Books) by Greg Sarris

Lost to Dune Road (Thomas & Mercer) by Kara Thomas

Warrior on the Mound (Holiday House/Peachtree) by Sandra Headed

Pictures of Time (Silver Street Media) by David AlexanderBare Knuckle (Blackstone Publishing) by Stayton Bonner

Murder on Demand (Blackstone Publishing) by Al Roker

Home is Where the Bodies Are (Blackstone) by Jeneva Rose

MAY

Matterhorn by Christopher Reich

The Hunter's Daughter (Berkley) by Nicola Solvinic

The House That Horror Built (Berkley) by Christina Henry

In our stars (Berkley) by Jack Campbell

Freeset (book 2) (Blackstone) by Sarina Dahlan

Southern Man (William Morrow) by Greg Iles

Camino Ghosts (Doubleday) by John Grisham

JUNE

Specter of Betrayal by Rick DeStefanis

Lake County (Thomas & Mercer) by Lori Roy

Serendipity (Dutton) by Becky Chalsen

Shelterwood (Ballantine) by Lisa Wingate

The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra’s Needle (Holiday House) by Dan Gutman

Jackpot (Penguin) by Elysa Friedland

The Helper (Blackstone) by M.M. Dewil

Winter Lost (Ace) by Patricia Briggs

Shadow Heart (Blackstone) by Meg Gardiner

Lake Country (Thomas & Mercer) by Lori Roy

The Out-of-Town Lawyer (Blackstone) by Robert Rotten

Love Letter to a Serial Killer (Berkley) by Tasha Coryell

Sentinel Berkley) by Mark Greaney

JULY

Three Kings: Race, Class, and the Barrier-Breaking Rivals Who Redefined Sports and Launched the Modern Olympic Age (Blackstone) by Todd Balf

The Night Ends with Fire (Berkley) by K.X. Song

Echo Road (Montlake) by Melinda Leigh

It’s Elementary (Berkley) by Elise Bryant

You Shouldn’t Be Here (Thomas & Mercer) by Lauren Thoman

Back In Black (Blackstone) edited by Don Bruns

The Recruiter (Blackstone) by Gregg Podolski

AUGUST

You Shouldn’t Be Here (Thomas & Mercer) by Lauren Thoman ARC

Not What She Seems (Thomas & Mercer) by Yasmin Angoe NG

Fatal Intrusion by Jeff Deaver/Isabella Maldonado

Death at Morning House (HARPERTeen) by Maureen Johnson

Fire and Bones (Scribner) by Kathy Reichs

Some Nightmares Are Real (University of Alabama Press) by Kelly Kazoo

The Brothers Kenny (Blackstone) by Adam Mitzner

Blind to Midnight (Blackstone) by Reed Farrel Coleman

The Wayside (Blackstone) by Carolina Wolff

Enemy of the State (Blackstone) by Robert Smartwood

You Will Never Be Me (Berkley) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice (W.W. Norton) by Adam Kirsch

We Love the Nightlife (Berkley) by Rachel Koller Croft

Talking To Strangers (Berkley) by Fiona Barton

An Honorable Assassin (Blackstone) by Steve Hamilton possible interview see email

Dungeon Crawler Carl (1 of 6 but see next two months) (Ace) by Matt Dinniman

SEPTEMBER

Fatal Intrusion (Thomas & Mercer) by Jeffrey Deaver and Isabella Maldonado

When They Last Saw Her (Penguin) by Marcie Rendon

American Ghoul (Blackstone) by Michelle McGill-Vargas

First Do No Harm (Blackstone) by Steve Hamilton

A Quiet Life: A Novel (Arcade) by William Cooper and Michael McKinley

One More From the Top (Mariner) by Emily Layden

No Address (Forefront Books) by Ken Abraham.

Tiger’s Tale (Blackstone) by Colleen Houck

An Academy for Liars (Ace) by Alexis Henderson

Rewitched (Berkley) by Lucy Jane Wood

Gaslight (Blackstone) by Sara Shepard and Miles Joris-Peyrafitte

Counting Miracles (Random House) by Nicholas Sparks

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society (Ace) by C.M. Waggoner

The Hitchcock Hotel (Berkley) by Stephanie Wrobel

In the Garden of Monsters by Crystal King

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (2 of 6 see next month also) (Ace) by Matt Dinniman

OCTOBER

The Hushed (Blackstone) by K.R. Blair NG

A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer (Berkley) by Maxie Dara

On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice (Norton) by WSJ Weekend review editor Adam Kirsch

Framed (Doubleday) by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey

This Cursed House (Penguin) by Del Sandeen

The Puzzle Box (Random House) by Danielle Trussoni

Two Good Men (Blackstone) by S.E. Redfearn

Dark Space (Blackstone) by Rob Hart and Alex Segura

This Cursed House (Berkley’s open submission)by Del Sandeen

Vindicating Trump (Regnery) by Dinesh D’Souza

The Book of Witching (Berkley) by C.J. Cooke

The World Walk (Skyhorse) by Tom Turcich

The Waiting Game by Michael Connelly  ARC, possible interview see email

Beyond Reasonable Doubt (Thomas & Mercer) by Robert Dugoni

Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook (3 of 6, with bonus material) (Ace) by Matt Dinniman

Frozen Lives (Blackstone) by Jennifer Graeser Fronbush NG

Vincent, Starry Starry Night (Meteor 17 Books) intro by Don McLean

Paris in Winter: An Illustrated Memoir (PowerHouse Books) by David Coggins

NOVEMBER

The Waiting (Little, Brown) by Michael Connelly

The Teller of Small Fortunes (Penguin) by Julie Long

Shadow Lab (Blackstone) by Brendan Deneen

Trial by Ambush (Thomas & Mercer) by Marcia Clark

Devil Take It (Heresy Press) by Daniel Debs Nossiter

SerVant of Earth (Ace) by Sarah Hawley

All the other me (Blackstone) by Jody Holford

The Perfect Marriage (Blackstone reissue re-edit) by Jenny Rose

DECEMBER

Trial By Ambush (Thomas & Mercer) by Marcia Clark

The Close-Up (Gallery Books) by Pip Drysdale

The Silent Watcher (Thomas & Mercer) by Victor Methos

Leviathan (Lividian Trade HC) by Robert McCammon

The Silent Watcher (Thomas & Mercer) by Victor Method

Assume Nothing (Thomas & Mercer) by Joshua Corin

One example link:
https://enewscourier.com/2024/11/29/in-review-booking-a-full-year-of-reading/

I never thought I'd be able to pair grim reaper and cozy mystery into the same book review, but I stand corrected. Pacing and character development had some rocky moments, but overall, this upbeat and amusing series starter is a wonderful debut and I can't wait to see what Dara comes up with in the next S.C.Y.T.H.E. mystery.

The premise for this one is interesting, reaping of souls as a business. Kathy is a 42 year old, soon to be divorced, pregnant woman. We need more pregnant characters I feel they aren't represented enough. I thought the job was interesting. The mystery surrounded the suspicious death of Conner didn't really draw me in. However, the reveal of what happened was pretty twisted & I enjoyed that. I thought it was an okay start to the series. I will be interested in reading more.

This is a delightful start to a new mystery series. Kathy works a new age job as a grim reaper. Working exclusively with accidental and natural deaths, she isn't too concerned about going to pick up the new assignments. That is until the human essence, Connor, is convinced he was murdered and he is going with Kathy until she helps solve it. Going through a wild adventure tracking down Connor's friend, his ex-girlfriend, breaking into buildings, reconnecting with her soon-to-be ex husband, and waddling around pregnant, Kathy does whatever she can to make sure that Connor gets everything he deserves. This reminds me so much of Dead Like Me, and I am so excited to see where this series goes.

A great new voice in the paranormal genre. Dara's characters are intriguing. Her plotting is tight. The timing is exceptional. I recommend this to readers of paranormal fiction.

I loved this one so much! It's been a while since a cozier mystery novel made me this excited and I'm chomping at the bits for the next one!

Okay I absolutely loved this one! I am such a sucker for a found family plot. There was mystery, intrigue, hilarious dialogue between Kathy & Connor. I was not expecting the twists at the end as Dara had us hyperfocused on a couple different characters. I really wished they could have all stayed together in the end and I have to say- I am not a crier- but the ending had my crying!!! Loved the opportunity to read this one! Thank you!

A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer is the first installment in author Maxie Dara's SCYTHE mystery series. Kathy Valence is forty-two, mid-divorce, and pregnant with her ex's baby. She's also a modern-day grim reaper employed by S.C.Y.T.H.E. (Secure Collection, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essences), but frankly, that's the easiest part of her life right now. Or at least it was until her latest client's soul goes missing.

When she finally tracks down seventeen-year-old Conner Ortiz, he angrily denies he died of natural causes, despite what his file says. He insists that someone at S.C.Y.T.H.E. murdered him, and he demands Kathy find out who and why. Connor at first was hostile, but in time, he was willing to work closely with Kathy, and find out who murdered him. Kathy has only forty-five days to figure out what happened to Conner and help him move on before the boy's soul is doomed to roam the Earth as a ghost forever.

She’s forced to rely on the help of her retired mentor Jo, her almost ex-husband Simon—and some sneaky moves by Conner himself. This is the wildest case of her career and one wrong move could cost Kathy her job, not to mention her life. The mystery was good, but the relationships made this one so touching. Conner, when he wasn't a pricky snipe, was a decent character, even with a lack of love from his parents. The two of them wind up helping each other far beyond working together to save Conner from an eternity as a ghost.

So, this is a good start to the series, but I am hoping that Kathy discovers that she's better than she thinks she is. She has to stop running from people, especially Simon who, despite all the Debbie Downer from Kathy, still finds time to help her and Conner.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery very much. This is the story of a woman who is very invested in her career and doing her best as being newly independent while going through a divorce. Her job is to collect souls after they have passed from their physical bodies and deliver them to the processing department for their final step into the afterworld. She is assigned a case where something just seems off and she decides to go rogue and investigate.
There’s a charming cast of characters, a good plot and very good easy to read story telling here. I’m very much looking forward to continuing on with this series.