From the first line, I loved this book. I really enjoyed Death and her character.

We follow Death, who is having a "holiday" on Earth when she discovers unplanned death are taking place outside of her schedule and starts investigating with the help of her sister, Life, and a sexy parasitologist.

Honestly this is an excellent debut by Dapunt which I think everyone needs to read. It's definitely a summer read

The novel's thought-provoking themes, engaging characters, and seamless genre transitions make it a highly recommended read. The author takes events and history and religion characters and portrays them in a darkly humourous and witty way.

When Death decides to take a break, she becomes a human on earth, and becomes involved in trying to solve the mystery around a number of Unplanned Deaths and, ultimately, locked in a battle to save her sister, Life.
A very clever premise and concept and written with warmth and humour. An unusual novel - adventure, fantasy, comedy and a splash of romance - in the vein of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens. It is most enjoyable and would make an incredible serial. It reminded me of Time Bandits, the film by Terry Gilliam, and I kept visualising the Boss as Ralph Richardson playing the Supreme Being.
It was well written, and pacy, but I became rather confused and/or 'so what?' around halfway in. Still, a poignant finish and the novel raised some fundamental, existential questions
Thanks for NetGalley and the publishers for an advance review copy of this novel.

Imagine Death taking a sabbatical on earth and trying to solve unplanned deaths with a parasiteologist, while trying to stop the devil disguised as an Albanian Mafia boss, along with Jesus who is now practically the spokesperson for L'Oréal... Yeah, I'm not sure I could have thought that up on my own either!
But alas, the brilliant mind of Veronika Dapunt did just that in this heartwarming and charming novel about learning to love Life when all you are is Death.

This is a book that will not disappoint if you have a great sense of humour and don't take anything too seriously. I loved the character concepts, and the mystery element of this book just kept the narrative flowing throughout the entire story all the way to the conclusion.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me an advance copy of this book via Netgalley

Thank you Netgalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Bantam and Veronica Dapunt for the eArc of Death and Other Occupational Hazards.

When I read the synopsis for Death and Other Occupational Hazards, I had no idea what a great journey I was in for. From the first page to the very last, I was fully engaged and went through a variety of emotions whilst reading! I loved Death, and how through this book, Death becomes relatable as she sheds her black cloak and Sith to a women who loves pink heels so she can investigate some unauthorised deaths. Along the way, she meets an a-ray of lovable and unsavoury characters as well as trying to listen to her sister, Life.

The mix of character building, the dynamics between them and the plot direction makes for a greatly engaging, humorous read that can be read on a few levels. I loved the deeper meaning that's to be had from this book and I will confess that the end made me tear up a bit, in a good way of course,

4.25 stars for story graph. 4 stars for other sites.

Great debut novel for Veronika Dapunt! I really enjoyed this; it's an interesting take on life, love, and death, with some murder mystery thrown in. I found the main character likeable and very entertaining - there were some poignant moments, and others where I laughed out loud 🙂 It's great I certainly recommend, and now I can't wait for Veronika'a next novel!

Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin for sharing this digital ARC with me.

Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronika Dapunt is a dark comedy set around the problems that everyone faces at work, from fellow workers, including your sister, Life (who is still mad at what you did to the dinosaurs.

To the boss “God”, who is not happy when you want to have a holiday.

Veronika Dapunt’s novel is a book which is marked down as a comedy, that is actually funny, yes comedy is as always a subjective and what is funny to you may not be funny to anyone else.

However the comedy in Death and Other Occupational Hazards, while dark in many ways, is based around having a job and the situations that workers will see in their everyday life but slightly exaggerated.

Now, the amount of exaggeration used for comic relief, may be a lot or even toned down to make it realistic depending on what it is like to work for your company. As Dapunt forms his comedy about getting time off, the Temp in the office and lack of communication from the top as the basis.

While humour is usually difficult to pull off in a book Dapunt pulls it off brilliantly, however what lets the book down is the execution of the plot.

With a great premise the Bosses plans are being altered with people dying which Death knows nothing about. Working very well as the book turns into the feel of a cozy comic mystery which keeps the reader engaged.

Although, Death and Other Occupational Hazards down is the conclusion which seems a bit rushed or maybe just poorly edited.

Having said that with this being Veronika Dapunt, debut novel in a genre such as humour that can be difficult to write, Death and Other Occupational Hazards is a great book to read for a bit of light relief in these times.

A dark comedy about work and death

When Death takes a sabbatical to live on Earth and try to change humanity’s image of her, things start to go terribly wrong. Someone is killing people who are not on her list, and are not part of The Plan. She needs to find out who it is and stop them, before it’s too late.

The concept of Death living on Earth, solving a murder, whilst being hindered by the mafia and the Devil, sounds very Terry Pratchett. But Veronika Dapunt’s depiction of Death is fun and original, and there’s a well written story to go with it. It’s a whimsical cross between fantasy and murder mystery, with a well placed romantic subplot.

I loved the sisterly relationship between Life and Death, how they are so different but have so much respect for each other. I also particularly enjoyed the HCD (Human Communications Director, aka Jesus) and his very tense relationship with the Boss.

It wasn’t as amusing as it probably could have been, certainly not as funny as other books on a similar vein such as Good Omens or Ohmigod!, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronika Dapunt is an exceptionally well-written and engaging debut novel. It was a runner-up for the 2023 Comedy Women in Print Prize, which speaks to its quality and appeal.
The story reimagines Death not as the traditional skeletal figure with a scythe, but as a woman granted a brief holiday on Earth by The Boss (God). During her time off, she assumes the identity of Delara Donn, a paralegal at a struggling law firm. However, her peaceful break is disrupted by a series of unplanned deaths that she must investigate before it’s too late. Unsurprisingly, the VP for Pandemonium and Perdition (Satan), is involved, prompting Death to seek assistance from the Human Communications Director (Jesus), who is reluctant to return from his two-thousand-year holiday due to lingering feelings of betrayal by God.
In this book Death is such a warm loving character. This is quite a different depiction of Death who is generally portrayed as the harbinger of the end. However, our Death is there at people’s final moments to help them cross and hopefully allay any fears. A much more comforting image. Knowing that Death’s sister is Life, and they have a close and loving, if somewhat complicated, relationship adds further depth to Death. Death's love for bright colours and her fashion choices provide moments of humour.
This book really does have it all. So much to laugh at; both dark, and rather daft humour, thought-provoking themes (animal testing, the evil of man, the value of life) action adventure, murder and a little bit of romance. Considering that it has Death as its lead, it has love and life at its heart. It is a joy to read. The book is quite fast paced and with relatively short chapters, it is easy to just ‘read one more’ so I whizzed through it in no time. I did slow down at the end though as it was one of those books I just did not want to end. I wanted to stay with the characters.
The relationships within the book are well written, particularly that between sisters Death and Life. The characters at the law firm I think are mainly for comic effect as they are quite two dimensional, but this did not detract from the story. Marco is an appealing romantic lead, but of course the real love story in the book is between Death and Garm.
While the book contains gentle and affectionate satire that might not appeal to those with strong Christian beliefs, it remains (IMO) inoffensive and enjoyable.
As the book and various plot lines progressed, I did wonder how it would end. As I had enjoyed it so much, I hoped the end would not be a disappointment. I need not have worried, I thought it the perfect ending.
It will be interesting to see what Veronika Dapunt writes next. Her debut novel has set a high bar.

What a delightfully dark, quirky and funny book.
Death is the narrator and she’s a she, who takes her job very seriously but decides she needs a a much-needed sabbatical. The Boss (God) agrees and her sister, Life, arranges a body for her. She puts on bright clothing, no black for Death, gets a job at a law firm but her holiday takes a turn when she discovers unplanned deaths that should not be happening with her knowledge. She starts her investigation while trying to fit in with humans and their strange ways.
The book is entertaining, it’s part mystery, part fantasy with plenty of humour with a very likeable narrator who gives all sorts of insights into the otherworldly life. A great debut novel.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The narrative flowed smoothly with occasional moments of humour. I loved the human touch to Death's personality and the journey she went on as she fully realised what it means to be human and the significance of her job. I thought the ending in particular was excellently done

Death and Other Occupational Hazards is a delightful book about Death, a woman who just wants to do her job without any unwanted surprises. Unfortunately for her, there are a series of unexpected murders in London that she has to solve before more people die prematurely. This is a comedy and a murder mystery rolled up into one.

This may be very niche, but I love stories about Grim Reapers, Angels and Demons. There is something very interesting about reading from the perspective of an immortal being who has a very unique job. Like in The Sandman comics and show, this version of Death is just a woman who is very good at her job. After taking a break on earth, she is reluctant to solve these killings, but if anyone can do it, it would be Death.

Although the murder mystery itself isn’t as complex or developed as it could have been, I loved the unique way that Death (or Delara) went about solving it. There are clear fantasy elements that intrude on the ordinary world and make the story much more interesting and humorous from my perspective. But it’s also true that there is a strong focus on people, character development and romance. Death herself is surprisingly compassionate and shows her love for the world over and over again.

This is a sweet and funny mystery for fans of Good Omens. If you love murder mysteries and fantasy books, you should give this a try!

Just brilliant! A funny, quirky read about Death, Life, sisterhood and what it is to be human. I really enjoyed this quirky story - Death needs a break, what could possibly go wrong……..

I really enjoyed this book. Such a fun and novel idea and I enjoyed it so much. Death and Life being sisters was just brilliant and Death was an especially fun character to get to know over the course of the book.

Will definitely be recommending this.

I really enjoyed this book, was a little different from what expected but in such a good way!

The characters are incredible and the plot is engaging, I love the whole book and especially the Beagle, I may have squealed. I have been recommending this book to anyone who would listen!

This was such a fun read.

Who better to lead a murder mystery than death herself.

This had the perfect balance of mystery, suspense, emotion and humour. I didn’t work out the main culprit either so that’s always a win in my books.

I very much enjoyed the inner monologue following along Death’s sabbatical and watching her learn to understand humans more and her learning to love was such a well done addition.

Thoroughly enjoyable and engaging book based upon the grim reaper. Who'd have thought they'd turn out to be a woman just getting the job done in the best way she can.
What happens though when she decides to have a well-earned break and take a little holiday......on Earth of all places.

This is a holiday with consequences no-one could possibly imagine.

I was slightly disappointed by this book. The story is clever, but I found the writing style off-putting, and I couldn't really become engrossed in it.

Even Death needs a break sometimes!
Death takes a sabbatical and notices a death that wasn’t in the plan.

A Neil Gaiman-esque comedy/ crime thriller that kept me glued and guessing to the very end.

A fun and quirky read!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was like nothing I’ve ever read before but in a good way. Explored the humanity of life and death in a really humorous and touching way