This tag is hosted by Reading Is My Superpower. See the full list of books featured in First Line Friday.
Today’s book: Grim Tidings by Amanda M. Lee.
“Bow down before the harvester of your doom!”
I rolled my eyes, glancing over at my brother, Aidan, as he stood before the cowering spirit in the corner with a devilish grin on his face. “Really? That’s how you do it?”
Aidan’s dimples deepened as he sent me a wink, while ignoring the middle-aged man and his pitiful whining as he kept trying to convince himself that he was dreaming.
“It’s just a nightmare,” the man tried to soothe himself.
“Do you have another idea?” Aidan asked.
“Have you tried talking to him?”
“That never works,” Aidan replied. “They never want to believe they’re dead. And, if they do, it’s usually because they’re depressed and they offed themselves because they were looking forward to the hereafter.”
I ignored Aidan’s blasé attitude and glanced down at the list in my hand. “Stan Parker, 54, accountant for Thompson and Hopkins.”
“See, he’s evil,” Aidan said. “He’s an accountant for a big law firm. You can’t get slimier than that.”
“It’s an environmental law firm,” I replied.
Aidan merely shrugged in response. He was clearly enjoying himself, if his flushed skin and gleaming eyes were any indication. I had a feeling it was because he had been put in charge of my “training,” something I wasn’t convinced I needed.
“It says here he’s a Catholic,” I said, reading further into Stan Parker’s file. “I think I know how to handle this.” I took a step toward Stan, squatting down so I was at eye level with him. “Mr. Parker, my name is Aisling Grimlock, and I’m here because there’s been an … incident.”
“Incident?” Aidan arched a dark eyebrow. I ignored him.
“Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done and you’ve … um … passed on.”
Stan Parker glanced up at me, finally focusing on something other than his own feet–and the uneven tile pattern in his bedroom–and fixed me with a bleak stare. “Are you an angel?”
“You’ve obviously never seen her in the morning before she’s had three cups of coffee,” Aidan scoffed.”
About: This is a cozy paranormal mystery with romantic elements so not my usual fare, but the first pages really pulled me in.
Blurb:
Grim(ace) while you work …
Aisling Grimlock is having a bad week.
Well, actually, she’s having a bad life — not that she’s complaining.
Okay, she’s totally complaining. After being laid off from her secretarial position, she has no choice but to join the family business, and now she’s a full-time grim reaper. That’s right. She collects and transfers souls to the hereafter. Cool, huh? Not quite.
On the second day of her new job, Aisling (literally!) stumbles over a dead body that’s not on her list and the stakes are suddenly raised because, when a name isn’t on the list, that means someone stole it (and that’s never a good thing). Aisling’s family, which consists of a tempestuous father and four overbearing older brothers, are hot on the case – but the answers they’re coming up with aren’t exactly soothing.
It seems a contingent of wraiths have descended on the area, and they’re not just dangerous for unsuspecting souls and the general populace. The Grimlock family is at risk, too. If that weren’t bad enough, Aisling finds herself inexplicably drawn to Detective Griffin Taylor – the police officer who considers her a murder suspect.
Oh, and she’s a wraith-magnet — although, truth be told, she’s more interested in Detective Taylor. Aisling is determined to prove that she has what it takes to be a great reaper – even if it means risking her life and proving her father and brothers wrong when it comes to her competence level. When things finally become clear, will Aisling survive long enough to make things right? Or, will she fall prey to the wraiths and the individual controlling them?
