The main character in this book is so unique and quirky, it shouldn't work. But she's exactly the oddball we all need. Pregnant, midlife crisis, mid-divorce mystery detective. Maybe you've heard that one before?

Well, Kathy's full-time job as a collection agent means she's a grim reaper. And her job is collecting souls to move on.

She's not supposed to be solving murder mysteries. She's not a trained detective.

But Kathy is exactly what those wronged in death need.

I absolutely adore her. This story moves quickly, and has plenty of twists. The frame story with a fantasy computer game is a unique technique. And the unusual character premise works so well, I didn't want to put it down.

"This wasn't the way it normally worked - the way it always worked. ... Somehow today was different."

"Select 'Alternative Justice' from the option screen and let's get out of here."

A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer is an interesting book that is written about lost souls and the attempt to save them.

A pregnant grim reaper is charged with guiding a 17 year old's soul for processing to the other side. Unfortunately he is full of shenanigans and she loses him.
The idea of a grim reaper made me think that she would kill people rather than work to escort them into the afterlife. The book is full of insight and compassion in what, at times, is rather comical.

It took me a bit to get into the book but I am so glad that I continued because this book really is a delightful read.

Kathy Vallence works for S.C.Y.T.H.E. (Secure Collection, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essences), which is the only thing going right in her life. She's good at reaping souls, filling out the paperwork, a good employee. Until 17 year-old Connor Ortiz. First, Kathy find his soul. Then, when she does find it, he insists he did not die of natural causes but at the hand of a S.C.Y.T.H.E. employee.

Kathy is in a race as she tries to stall her boss until she figures out who in S.C.Y.T.H.E. is a murderer - is it her boss? Someone in another department? Meanwhile, she's got a soul hanging out in her house, in a race against turning into a ghost and being stuck on earth forever.

This was such a fun read and I eagerly anticipate the next in the series. I love the secondary characters, and find the whole premise completely charming. This was a one-sitting reading for me!

This is a fun title, with quirky characters reminiscent of Jasper Fforde and TJ Klune. Although I was not sure about the self-doubt of the protagonist at first, the author ensured that it had a believable and meaningful arc. The overall pacing was satisfying, and there were enough plausible suspects to keep the mystery interesting without sliding into too many red herrings.

This was a great mystery about a modern day reaper who loses her latest clients soul and when she finds him he tells her that one of her colleagues killed him but he doesn't know who. I really loved the interaction between Kathy and her client 17 yr old Connor and how it ended up being very maternal since he didn’t have the best parents when he was alive. They are racing against the clock since they only have 45 days to figure out what happened before Connor ends up a ghost who is stuck on earth and can never be moved on. I love that Kathy overcame her insecurities about how she is just bad luck and needed to let her husband go so she doesn’t ruin him also that she is pregnant with his kid while trying to divorce him. Her mentor Jo is a hoot and I really loved how they interacted with each other. Kathy and gang investigate Connors murder and try not to get murdered themselves and finally figure out what happened in the nick of time for Connors soul to be moved on. All in all, a great fun mystery and a fast read.

Thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

This book is a total knockout! The twist on the grim reaper concept is both original and riveting, turning a classic murder mystery into something refreshingly unique. It’s got suspense, humor, and a whole lot of heart, making it a five-star read that’s as deep as it is delightful.

This book is SO creative -- a mix of cozy mystery and science fiction, about a 42 year old woman who has a unique job -- she's a Grim Reaper, employed by a shadowy organization to shepherd dying souls to their final rest. When there is a little trouble from a teenage boy who doesn't want to go just yet, she begins to suspect that all is not well and begins to investigate. Great, fun story which I hope becomes a series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing this book, with my honest review below.

A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer promised to have a unique plot line and it delivered in spades! Set in a world where there are modern Grim Reapers, those who collect souls after a body’s passing to move them along to their next step in the journey, Kathy is a by the books employee who hasn’t run into a problem - until the soul she went to collect, Conner, is missing and when found is adamant he was set up. Kathy has put her personal life on the back burner in favor of her professional life where she thinks herself capable (unlike everything else she has done) but grappling with a pregnancy while she tries to solve Conner’s mystery, she starts to realize her priorities have been as wrong as her ideas that her job is where she truly kicks bum.

I loved the action in this story, the world the author has created and some fun shakeups of everything Kathy believes. Satisfying both my heart and head, I’d recommend this to those readers who like their mysteries to go beyond the surface.

A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer was such a fun thriller! It got 4 🌟🌟🌟🌟 from me!

Kathy is a middle aged, modern grim reaper, pregnant with her ex’s baby, working for S.C.Y.T.H.E. (Secure Collection, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essences) in the natural causes department. When one of her souls goes missing, it’s up to her to find it.

This book is so fun! It’s a murder mystery, but underneath it all, it’s heartwarming and wholesome, and focuses on human relationships! 🖤 I found the modern-day grim reaper aspect of the book super interesting, and it made this book stand out more than other murder mysteries.

This book releases on October 1, 2024!

Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleypub for an advanced copy!

Love this fast-paced otherworldly story! S.C.Y.T.H.E. Collection Agent Kathy the “Grim” is such a messy person. Her life is in shambles, she’s pregnant, soon to be divorced, and a complete disaster. When she’s assigned a new soul to transfer to the next stage she is drawn into a very different kind of case. She must solve the mystery of Conner’s death and get his soul to processing before his time expires and before she becomes a soul herself. Witty, funny, a page turner, and the perfect one-sitting read!

I was ready to give up on this book after the first two chapters. I had no connection with the main character, didn't like any of the characters and just wasn't feeling it. However, for some reason, I stuck with it. I am so glad I did. As the characters evolved, I began to like them and then I loved them. By the end we were family. I really enjoyed the story.

Maxie Dara’s debut SCYTHE mystery wasn’t at all what I expected. A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer was better than I expected with more humor and a lot more love.

Kathy Valence is forty-two, mid-divorce, and six months pregnant with her ex’s baby. The only thing right in her life is her job as a Collections Agent for S.C.Y.T.H.E., Secure Collections, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essence. Kathy helps souls pass over to the next stage. If they don’t pass in forty-five days, they become ghosts, doomed to remain on earth. Kathy has been the perfect agent for the job, a nondescript woman of middle-age. She thinks she’s messed up everything else in her life.

But, when she is scheduled to collect Conner, a seventeen-year-old boy, he isn’t there. His body is, but his soul is missing. She tracks him down and finds a typical sarcastic teen. But, he’s angry. He’s insists someone from S.C.Y.T.H.E. murdered him, but he has no memory of what actually happened. If Kathy can’t help him, he only has forty-five days until Ghost.

It’s the first time Kathy has faced this situation. She’s desperate to help Conner move on, until she does a little digging and spends time with him. Once she’s convinced he really was killed, she’s determined to find the person at her work who took his life. She suspects her boss, Stu, who always seems odd, and when he insists she drop the case, she’s even more suspicious. But, Kathy needs help.

She’s willing to ask a former co-worker who retired. Jo is blind, but leads an active life, much more than Kathy does. But, Kathy isn’t as eager to ask Simon, her almost-ex. The two love each other, but Kathy’s job and her fear that she messes everything up has kept her from revealing herself to Simon. But, he’s willing to step up, and he accepts her story, despite his inability to see Conner.

The search for answers becomes dangerous. But, with her new found family, for the first time in her life, Kathy has people she loves. The strength of this story is in the characters – Kathy, Conner, Simon, and Jo, who band together to help a teenager, and each other.

A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer has mystery, humor, and strong characters. It’s labeled as the first in a series. It will be interesting to see what happens with S.C.Y.T.H.E. in the future.

Kathy feels like she has a dead end job escorting dead essences for processing. She is in the process of divorcing and also pregnant. But then her latest client is missing from his dead scene and something else seems to be going on. ARC from NetGalley.

I loved reading this book! Kathy's character was so realistic, relatable, witty, and fun! This book had a great plot, a great story that is unique and keeps you on your toes. The funny banter between Kathy and Conner, the witty remarks by Kathy, the unapologetically herself Jo, all just had my heart. I also loved how even in this unique and out of the world scenario, Kathy was a normal woman, just like me or anyone I would know.

Definitely recommend this book! If you're looking for a fun twist to thrillers and mysteries, here's your answer.

I was really excited to receive an early copy of this book, but ultimately I just couldn't get into it. The premise was really interesting and fun, but the execution wasn't as fun or campy as I think it should have been. It was quick to get through, but after a while I just wanted to give up. I think this will find its audience, but that audience was not me.

I got the pleasure of reading A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer (arc), and I loved it! I wished I could have read it all in one day but life.. I loved the mystery aspect of the plot and the fact that Kathy, is basically a modern day grim reaper. It was a very interesting plot and topic but it made me love it even more. It has tropes of found family and forced proximity, along with some much needed humor thrown into the mix. I definitely think if you're one for a love of murder mystery with some humor, this book if for you!

The idea of the book was intriguing. I ove paranormal. I DNF'd the title after 5 or so chapters. The protagonist started off ok, but the was progressively gloomy and I just couldn't connect/care about what was going to happen. I am sure other people may like it, so I may purchase it for our patrons, but it was not for me.

What I hope is a start to a fun series. Wonderful twist on the whole grim reaper. Quick light beach read.

4.5 stars, rounded up.

I adored everything about this book. I loved the characters. I loved the plot. I loved the way the book developed and the message it had.

It follows Kathy, a soon to be divorced 42 year old that is pregnant with her ex's baby. She also happens to work for S.C.Y.T.H.E as a grim reaper. She stumbles across a difficult case where the soul she's supposed to collect is insisting he's been murdered and she needs to help him find out who.

Everything that happens next is just what I love to see in a book. It has found family. It has banter, and wit. It's got a smidgen of romance and packs a punch with the drama in this book. Beautifully written and such a fun time, I can't wait for everyone to read this on release day.

I absolutely adored this book. It was hilarious and fun, a great mystery but it had so much heart. The FMC was so funny!! I really can’t wait to see where the S.C.Y.T.H.E mystery world takes it, and I’m really looking forward to more installments in this collection. Thank you to Berkley and Netgally for this ARC! 5 stars!!