Aussie Book Review: Death Most Definite (Death Works #1) by Trent Jamieson
Trent Jamieson- Death Most Definite Format- Paperback Source- Review copy/ Orbit - Hachette Synopsis: Steven de Selby's day had started ordinarily enough - a routine funeral visit (all in a day's work for one of Death's minions), followed by a trip to the local mall.But then the dead girl appeared - standing right in front of him, where she wasn't supposed to be, warning him to run. And then the gunshots began.Unfortunately for Steven, this is only the beginning of his problems. It seems that his coworkers are being killed off, enabling the undead to proliferate. He also has to travel down into the underworld and avoid getting shot at - all while suffering from the most horrific hangover.And it seems that Steven will be the only one who can prevent the coming apocalypse, since Death himself has gone missing...Review: Death Most Definitely is a fast-paced urban fantasy story with plenty of action that begins from the very first page. Steven de Selby is a ‘pomp’ who helps the souls of the dead move into the afterlife. He is not very committed to his job, which has been passed down through the generations, but when someone starts killing off all the pomps in Australia to become the new regional manager in the country, then Steven really needs to take his job seriously or he will end up dead. He is accompanied on this whirlwind by ghost and former colleague Lissa.Although the action made for page-turning suspense, it meant the character development fell by the way-side. I felt detached from Steven, perhaps partly because he was male, but also because of the style of the writing. And I didn’t really experience the chemistry between Steven and Lissa and was surprised when he declared his love for her quite early in the piece. I didn’t think it was much more than lust or attraction because that was what the author had portrayed.Overall, Steven is a likeable character who lacks the motivation and drive in life to be successful, yet winds up in situations where he is forced to make choices that require more than partial effort.This is the first book in the Death Works trilogy and certainly puts a new spin on the supernatural genre, with pomps and stirrers and lots of killing and blood and gore. The author creates a setting where the world of the supernatural meets the contemporary world in the good ol’ Australian city, Brisbane.
3/5 rating
I read Death Most Definite in the Business of Death: Death Works Trilogy edition.