Description

‘Get ready to fall in love with this likeable and flawed version of the not-so-grim reaper’ CULTUREFLY

An original and darkly comedic murder mystery about a female personified Death whose sabbatical gets rudely interrupted by a string of unplanned murders. Who better to investigate a murder than Death herself?

SHORTLISTED FOR THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE

‘Funny and smart . . . one of my favourite books of any year’ IAN MOORE, bestselling author of Death and Croissants

‘There are shades of Terry Pratchett in Dapunt’s debut novel . . . An entertaining page-turner with plenty of metaphysical fun and games’ THE GUARDIAN

‘A total SCREAM’ JANICE HALLETT, bestselling author of The Appeal

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Her job is to die for. Literally.

Most people think that when they meet Death, it’ll be a skeleton in a black potato sack. Maybe with a scythe. Truth is, she’s just a woman doing a job, and she’s very good at it.

But when Death takes a much-needed break to live on earth, things start to go terribly wrong. Someone’s killing people not on her list (well, not yet anyway) and it’s down to her to find the culprit before it’s too late.

To make matters worse, her sanctimonious sister, Life – whom Death hasn’t got on with in millennia – won’t stop blaming her . . . And then there’s the slight problem of the charming (sexy) parasitologist she’s suspicious of.

But she’ll be fine, right?

After all, who better to investigate a murder than Death herself?

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READERS CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT DEATH!

‘Darkly funny, uniquely absurd and madly entertaining . . . I could practically hear Louis Armstrong crooning What a Wonderful World in the background’ 5-STAR Reader Review

‘An absolute joy to read. . . beautifully bonkers’ 5-STAR Reader Review

‘A beautiful bittersweet tribute to life’ 5-STAR Reader Review

‘Thought-provoking and extremely moving’ 5-STAR Reader Review

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More praise for Death and Other Occupational Hazards:

‘Wickedly irreverent and clever’ IRISH INDEPENDENT

‘Gripped me from the start and kept me hooked to the end’ DAILY MAIL

‘A constant grin of a novel’ SFX

‘Gloriously absurdist, darkly comic and utterly readable’ HELEN LEDERER

‘Wonderfully observed and brilliantly imagined. . . it made me fall more in love with life’ LUAN GOLDIE

‘A tour de deathly force’ ALICE BELL

Publisher Review

Funny and smart with something new to think about and laugh at on every page. A top-class, deep-dish murder mystery and one of my favourite books of any year. * IAN MOORE, comedian and author of Death and Croissants * Gloriously absurdist, darkly comic, and utterly readable – twisty fantasy meets Jane Austen with a scythe – love it * HELEN LEDERER, comedian and founder of the Comedy Women in Print Prize * Life, death, love and murder collide in the most delicious way. This wonderfully observed and brilliantly imagined book put me through all the emotions. I never knew what was coming next, but at every point, it made me fall more in love with life. * LUAN GOLDIE, author of the Women’s Prize long-listed Nightingale Point * Veronika Dapunt masterfully blends dark humour with a compelling mystery, offering a fresh and often hilarious perspective on life and death. * JOANNA WALLACE, author of You’d Look Better as a Ghost * Veronika Dapunt has written a book that you’d hate for being so original and clever, if it wasn’t so good! Packed with deadpan humour, dry wit and warm emotion, Death And Other Occupational Hazards is a tour de deathly force that grapples with what it is to be human, as well as a puzzling series of crimes. A murder mystery novel that really makes you appreciate being alive! I loved it. * ALICE BELL, author of Grave Expectations * Clever, comedic, and tender, Dapunt’s debut has it all: mystery, metaphysical hilarity, and the witty voice of Death herself as she navigates the messy world of mortals. This story and its creative cast of characters had me smiling from start to finish. * KATHERINE A. OLSON, author of Look What You Made Me Do * I found myself wanting to rush back to the book whenever I could – genuine wit and warmth run all the way through the narrative… Inventive, fresh, cheering, genuinely moving and truly funny. * SILVIA SAUNDERS * Veronika Dapunt has fashioned an unforgettably winning heroine, a plot full of deliciously dark turns, and a wonderfully witty, elegant, to-die-for entertainment. * RICHARD T. KELLY, author of The Knives * A wildly entertaining blend of mystery, humour, and heart. Death as we’ve never known her – witty, sharp, and unexpectedly relatable. A must-read. * OVA CEREN, author of The Book of Heartbreak *