Welcome to Gregor's Hollow, listed the third-most-famous Halloween tourist town in America. Reading this I couldn't help but think of my favorite cartoon. Remember - Crystal Cove, the most haunted town in America, made famous by that lovable Great Dane, Scooby-Doo.
That's where the similarities end. The Coffin Maker is a wonderful introduction to a new series written by Breann Allison. If you love Halloween you will love the Coffin Maker. The town itself plays a big role throughout the novel. It comes to life as Halloween approaches with every kind of creepy, spooky, eerie element you can think of. The town's people go all out and then some to deliver the ultimate Halloween experience.There's even some Edgar Allen Poe!
We meet a host of characters, most of whom are interesting, well thought out, and down right fun. Jessee Burn's is the star of this first book.Nine years ago Jessee's father simply disappeared. Jessee continued his father's legacy of building custom coffins. Intricately detailed, beautifully designed - these coffins are true works of art. Haunted by unanswered questions, Jessee is basically a recluse. That is until Death places a rush order!
Yep, you read that right. . .Death. Sharply dressed, with a wicked smile Death demands Jessee build eight coffins. Jessee strikes a deal with Death -he will build the coffins and in return, Death will answer his questions. But Jessee has more than those answers on his mind. He intends to outsmart death, head-off this horrible tragedy, and save the lives of the eight people for which he agreed to build the coffins.
The tension builds when Jessee meets Robin and she agrees to help him. But what is really going on? Can Death be outsmarted? Tricked? Or Fooled? Allison built a setting that is as perfect for this book as Rembrant is on a museum wall. She then populated the small town of Gregor's Hollow with an array of characters that will have you laughing out loud. This is a fast read that you can devour in a few hours. I enjoyed The Coffin Maker and anxiously await the next installment.
Happy Reading,
RJ
*As soon as cover art is available I will update this review.
**Note: If you don't like reading about the death of animals and it really nags at you - you should skip this one. It's not graphic and gory, but it's there. I love animals. I have four cats and a dog myself. The deaths bothered me, but not the kind-of-bother that sticks in your mind and nags at your heart. Definitely not bad enough to stop reading. However, to share my honest experience with this book I have to mention this.
Thank you to Curiosity Quills Press for the courtesy copy of this book.
