Don’t Fear the Reaper, by Michelle Muto

Keely’s twin sister’s dead. Her parents are grieving. And reformed bad-girl Keely has had enough of being left to sorrow alone. Her moods have driven everyone away. Now she drives herself on one last journey, but finds the end somewhat different to all she’d expected. Isn’t hell a given if you kill yourself?

Deeply intriguing, filled with haunting and haunted characters and no easy answers, Michelle Muto’s Don’t Fear the Reaper introduces a very different grim reaper from legend, his curiously sympathetic sidekick, and a purgatory that’s like nothing you’ve ever imagined. A tale that blends touches of sympathy for the devil with hauntingly descriptive passages, deeply moving mysteries, and heart-searching decisions, this book lets you see death through a dead girl’s eyes and long for life.

In the end, the devil’s sure he’ll win, but his minions might have minds of their own, the almost-damned might still be seeking redemption, and the almost-saved might stay to save someone else. Whatever you believe about life after death, this is a novel of fascinating imagination, thought-provoking ethical questions, great humor and compelling characters, one that will stay with you long after the final pages are turned. Think Touched by an Angel but much darker.

Disclosure: I won an ecopy of this novel. Lucky me!