Post Mortem Management by Deanna Foster

If you enjoy books with strong female leads, colourful characters, and supernatural elements, Post Mortem Management by Deanna Foster is the book for you.

For the past five years, Scarlet has spent her days happily scheduling and rescheduling appointments, taking notes at boardroom meetings, and ensuring her boss’ office runs smoothly and efficiently. She even brings in treats; cupcakes and cookies she had made herself to help her boss cope with his high-stress job. It sounds like a perfectly normal job until you find out that Scarlet works for Death aka the Grim Reaper or as he prefers to be called, Dennis.

The human realm is quickly changing and Death needs to change with it. He no longer could ride his black chariot, walk around in his black robe, or even carry his scythe. So now he is wearing 3 piece suits to the office, taking appointments with the dead, and calling himself Dennis to fit in with the human realm. Despite his high-stress job Dennis stays surprisingly cheerful and keeps Scarlet smiling most days. Everything runs relatively smoothly at the office until Dennis is asked, by his Mother to train his brother in the “Family Business”.

When a deadly crisis hits humanity causing the death toll to dramatically increase, Dennis and Scarlet investigate. During the long hours spent side by side investigating, they come across betrayals and deceit from surprising and not-so-surprising sources. Scarlet also discovers that she has developed feelings for her boss…and what can be more disastrous than an office romance or crush on the boss, especially when he is Death?

This is the first book Deanna Foster has written in the fantasy/supernatural genre and a refreshing departure from the books I’ve read this past year, it may even end up in my top 5 books for 2023. With its wide range of Ghoulish characters Post Mortem Management is the ideal novel to read this Halloween season.

“As she watched and baked, she couldn’t help but think about the similarities between Hallowe’en and her day job, and it made her smile. Reminded her of why she loved working with Dennis. It may be spiraling her into a future case of PTSD, but at the same time, it wasn’t boring. Ghouls, ghosts, demons, vampires, and monsters of the imagination were a lot more fun than dealing with humans every day. And she had never really fit in with humans, anyway.” ― Deanna Foster, Post Mortem Management page 192

Deanna Foster currently works at Dalhousie University, where she received her BA in History and English. Her first published work, A History of Hangings in Nova Scotia (Pottersfield Press), was a local bestseller. She has also written three novels, Broken Ivy (paranormal), Raven’s Blood (fantasy), and Fortunes of Madness (mystery). Her poetry, articles, short stories and book reviews have been published through Canadian media outlets. She lives with her two boys in Halifax

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (Sept. 1 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 359 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8859789245

Sue Slade

Sue Slade has a Bachelor of Child Study from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax. After working with children and adults with special needs, she now has her midlife dream job of working with books. Sue manages an independent, locally owned bookstore, Dartmouth Book Exchange. Through her charismatic sharing centred around books and community, Sue has created an engaging cornerstone for authors, customers, and book lovers of all ages. Sue is an avid reader and her reviews cross over many genres.