The Dearly Departed Dating Servicd

[Pemmycats8]

I received an Advanced Reader copy of this book from Grey Gecko Press in exchange for my honest review.
I expected the book to be a light, enjoyable read but it was much more. I do recommend this book.

The book and plot start out quickly. I was engrossed in the book from the first few sentences. The action was quick and developed the premise of the plot quigckly. I never felt the momentum drag. The story starts out with a problem, moves on to an odd, perhaps even questionably ethical solution, and then delves into the components of the solution of the problem. Something i really enjoyed as well was a small mystery. Odd characters and behaviors are inserted near the beginning and the solution is part of the.very dramatic ending of the book (or rather near ending of try book - more later).
The characters are the soul (forgive the bad pun) of this book. The main character is a complicated woman who doesn't even realize that the problem she is tryng to solve for others is her own problem as well. The side characters are quirky and interesting. I was immediately drawn into their lives and problems. I live in Houston (as do the book characters). Their environment (must be the inner loop - by all the medical centers) and behaviors rang true. For instance, the self-obsessed surgeon who has grown used to people thinking he is a god.
Also, I enjoyed the authors questioning of medical ethics and hypothesis of the hereafter. She really developed the world of the dead into a believable part of the story. For instance, the way the dead interact with each other, why spirits of people might stick around after death, what happens if they stay around too long. Anyway, interesting world-building.
My only complaint about the end is that it resolved all the problems too abruptly and sometimes in an unsatisfactory way. For instance, the problem of saving the main character's house has been an issue from the beginning. At the end, her love interest offers to move in and solve her problem for her. This frustrated me because I wanted her to fix the problem on her own.
Overall though I enjoyed this surprising book and already miss the characters. I hope the author writes a sequel.

Thank you for a chance to read and review this book!