Death and Other Occupational Hazards

Dapunt’s witty if overstuffed debut weaves together mystery, philosophy, and inventive worldbuilding. After three and a half billion years of being universally feared, Death decides to take a sabbatical. Her sister, Life, agrees to provide her with the human form of an attractive young woman, set her up with a paralegal job at a London law firm, and provide her with a credit card and a smartphone. At first, Death—who adopts the name Delara Donn—enjoys her new form: the extravagant clothes offer a nice change from her trusty black shroud. Before she can learn the intricacies of small talk and office politics, however, she’s shaken by an administrative disaster: someone on Earth is killing people that aren’t on Death’s to-die list. Horrified, she refashions herself into an amateur sleuth, attempting to ferret out the culprit while nursing romantic feelings for a hunky coworker. The boldness of the conceit carries this metaphysical whodunit a long way, but Dapunt tosses so many balls in the air it’s inevitable that she drops a few (the sibling rivalry between Death and Life, for example, feels shortchanged). Still, readers will expect good things from Dapunt to come. (Jan.)