Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Imagine being a den mother to the dead. Your job is to make sure the dead stay dead. The only way to do that is be sure that every single person born in the town is buried there in town. If they don't die in the town, you got to go find them and bring their dead bodies back. If you don't, if they find their own way back, they'll eat people along the way, so you'll have lots of naughty dead children. 


The official name for day care provider for the dead: graveminder.


The job is inherited, and Rebekkah has just found out the task is hers. She joins forces with the Undertaker, a man she loves, but doesn't want to love in a town where the sheriff looks the other way rather than get a migraine with a dead zombie is on the lose eating people.. or is it more than one? I mentioned she and the undertaker, Byron, have a love/hate thing going on...well, they got to get it together cause they are the only two people who can deliver the zombies back to the underworld.


The underworld is the coolest thing about this book. Visualize a town of buildings from all centuries with people dressed from all eras walking around it. Too cool!!!! I loved these scenes and morbid as it sounds, wanted to visit the place... This was a real good, spine tingling read. It was a bit confusing at first, but it was well done as the secrets kept piling up and the suspense about killed me.


The only thing I didn't like was the love/hate, pull him to me/push him away thing going on with Rebekkah and Byron. She began to irritate me. The love/romance was a bit lacking. Can't say I felt it that strongly.


All in all, genius idea! The town of dead, the deal made with the Grim Reaper, basically, and the town founders.... I'm hoping that there is a sequel as well as I was really super intrigued by a character named Alicia. I'm thinking a prequel type thing is in order about her, her life, and why she's chosen to live in Death Town. I found myself picturing Sharon Stone in The Quick and the Dead. 


Great read, four stars, and I received it from the publisher. Thank you, William Morrow. Really. This was a terrific change from my normal reading material.