When we think of The Grim Reaper, we usually think of a man in a hooded cloak with a scythe and no sense of humor.
But in author Maxie Dara’s novel A Grim Reaper’s Guide To Catching A Killer (paperback, Kindle, audiobook) — which she calls a “cozy mystery against a magical realism backdrop” — there’s more than one soul catcher, and one of them is named Kathy. Yeah.
In the following email interview, Dara talks about what inspired and influenced this novel, as well as the series it kicks off, the S.C.Y.T.H.E. Mystery Series.
Photo Credit: Madison Rose Photography
To start, what is A Grim Reaper’s Guide To Catching A Killer about, and what kind of a world is it set in?
A Grim Reaper’s Guide To Catching A Killer is a bit of a hodgepodge of all my favorite things (cue Julie Andrews). It’s a paranormal cozy mystery with, hopefully, a lot of humor and heart. The world is very much like ours, only the intangible mysteries of death have been corporatized. No more pearly gates or spooky guy in a black robe, just good-old business casual office drones desperate to clock out for the day. That sums up Kathy, the protagonist, pretty well, though she actually likes her job collecting souls. She’s good at it, which isn’t something she can say about much in her life. But then one of her soul collections goes missing, and when she find him he claims he was murdered by one of her colleagues. Now Kathy has to solve this kid’s murder, which is what the book is about, kind of. In reality it’s about found family and insecurities and breaking comfort zones. But also murder.
Where did you get the idea for A Grim Reaper’s Guide To Catching A Killer?
Oh gosh, this answer is very much twofold.
For starters, I’ve always been a huge fan of the mystery genre and wanted to play with a new twist on it. One day, maybe a decade ago, I found myself wondering what would happen if death, or a representative of the concept, had to solve a murder, and it kind of snowballed from there.
But the second part of my inspiration comes from why death was on my mind to begin with. My mom has been a Death Doula (basically a support for people reaching the end of their lives) for a decent portion of my life, and I think being one degree of Kevin Bacon away from death for so long has made me extra curious (and terrified) about it.
So I think a lot of the world of S.C.Y.T.H.E. is me attempting to face those questions and fears head on through humor and absurdity, which is my standard approach to anything that gives me the spooks. Just ask the spiders in my house.
So, is there a reason you have Kathy work as a grim reaper for S.C.Y.T.H.E. (Secure Collection, Yielding, And Transportation Of Human Essences), as opposed to just being The Grim Reaper we all know and love?
Writing about The Grim Reaper instead of just a grim reaper would’ve made for a very different story, I think. What I love about Kathy is how achingly human she is, and while I think there are a ton of fun things to be explored with The Grim Reaper as an entity, my main goal here was to juxtapose an ordinary woman against an extraordinary job and all the pitfalls and shenanigans that could come from that.
And how often has someone made a joke about S.C.Y.T.H.E. sounding like something out a James Bond movie? Or Get Smart?
You’re actually the first, but now I want everyone to make that joke! I love that association. Kathy would definitely be 0013 because of all her bad luck.
On a more serious note, the person who goes missing is 17-years-old. Is there a reason you made him 17 as opposed to 27 or 47 or 77? Or, conversely, 7?
I have a massive soft spot in my heart for teens. Most people’s early teens are spent trying to figure out how they fit into this new phase of life while dealing with puberty and self-discovery, and the first bridge from childhood to adulthood. Late teens have all that plus the added pressure of having to decide, to some extent at least, who they want to be for the rest of their lives. Which is such a wild expectation to place on anyone, must less a kid. I thought it might be interesting to explore that stage of life from someone who was both still in it and simultaneously had the benefit of hindsight. Plus, writing a teenaged boy despite never having been one was definitely a challenge that kept me on my toes.
It sounds like A Grim Reaper’s Guide To Catching A Killer is an urban fantasy, though the press materials say it’s also a cozy mystery. How do you describe it, genre-wise?
I would say it’s a cozy mystery against a magical realism backdrop. Even though there are a lot of otherworldly elements to Kathy’s job (and Conner’s existence), most of the goings-on in both the general story and the mystery are pretty grounded in reality, and the mystery itself stays as wholesome as you can get with murder, so I feel like the cozy mystery shelf is a good home for it.
The title also suggests A Grim Reaper’s Guide To Catching A Killer is…not a comedy, per se, but certainly lighthearted.
I definitely hope so! That’s almost always my goal, regardless of what I’m writing. To me, humor is a great way to make just about any topic palatable, so I use it a lot as a yummy sugar coating for the heavier subjects I want to explore.
A Grim Reaper’s Guide To Catching A Killer is your first novel, though I’m guessing it’s not the first thing you’ve written. Are there any writers, or specific stories, that had a big influence on Guide, but not on anything else you’ve written?
I think Guide is very much an amalgamation of influences I’ve turned to throughout my life. Nothing stands out as specifically a Guide-only influence, but I definitely pulled from sources you probably wouldn’t assume unless you also happen to exist in my very messy brain. Jane Austen, for example, is a big one for me. Her observational humor and the way her novels revel in social absurdity are a huge inspiration for me.
What about non-literary influences; was A Grim Reaper’s Guide To Catching A Killer influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games? Because there’s been a number of movies with The Grim Reaper and afterlife bureaucracies: Meet Joe Black, Defending Your Life, Beetlejuice…
Not consciously, but I can pretty much guarantee you there was some subconscious influence bouncing around from the TV show Dead Like Me. I adored that show as a teen and have always appreciated the way it subverted expectations around the concept of the Grim Reaper. Plus Mandy Patinkin is absolute muse material.
Now, A Grim Reaper’s Guide To Catching A Killer is the first book in a series called A S.C.Y.T.H.E. Mystery. Will it be an ongoing thing or a set number of books like a trilogy?
I can promise at least one more book in the S.C.Y.T.H.E. world, though I have ideas for more.
Also, will all of the books be about Kathy or will they feature other members of S.C.Y.T.H.E.? Because Jeff in accounting has a rich inner life…
Good news for Jeff! Kathy’s taking a hiatus for now (though I do have more plans for her). The second S.C.Y.T.H.E. Mystery introduces a new character as the protagonist, along with a new setting, and an expanded exploration into making a living from the afterlife.
Because each book I have planned so far focuses on a different reaper, there are no painful cliffhangers or loose threads to keep a reader up at night between releases. I’m hoping for the kind of series you can comfortably read a bunch of other books between without losing momentum or getting confused, because I know that’s what my busy brain benefits from as a reader.
So, do you know what the next novel will be called and when it’ll be out?
The next novel will be out next fall, though the title is still in the works.
I asked earlier if A Grim Reaper’s Guide To Catching A Killer was influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games. But to flip things around, do you think Guide could work as a movie, a show, or a game?
I could totally see Guide as a TV series, with each book and its different cast of characters representing a season. A movie could also be really cool.
But, who am I kidding? Anything, from a series to a finger puppet show would be really cool because the idea of someone wanting to adapt my work at all is really really cool.
So, if someone wanted to make A Grim Reaper’s Guide To Catching A Killer into a finger puppet show — or, I suppose, a movie or TV show — who would you want them to cast as Kathy, Conner, Kathy’s immediate supervisor, and the other main characters?
Fan casting my own book? Well, if you insist. Not like I’ve given this hours of thought or anything.
My dream Kathy would be Melanie Lynskey [Yellowjackets], which is a bonkers choice for an “everywoman” because Melanie is a goddess, but she brings such humanity to her roles and can literally play anything.
Simon, Kathy’s soon-to-be-ex husband has to be the brilliant Paul Giamatti [Billions].
Conner’s a bit trickier because I don’t know many teen actors, but I’d love to see someone of Latino heritage to reflect that facet of Conner.
So, is there anything else someone might need to know about A Grim Reaper’s Guide To Catching A Killer and the S.C.Y.T.H.E. Mystery Series?
Just that this was my Covid baby. While other people were getting puppies or baking sourdough or having actual human children, I birthed this. It might not be exactly what you’d expect from a cozy mystery about a grim reaper (I’ve been politely informed that tears may be involved) but I hope it brings as much joy to readers as it has to me throughout the writing and publication process.
Finally, if someone enjoys A Grim Reaper’s Guide To Catching A Killer, what cozy mystery / urban fantasy novel or novella of someone else’s would you suggest they read next?
Without question, Soulless by Gail Carriger. There are vampires, corsets, and treacle tarts, plus mystery and laughs galore. What more could anyone want from a book?
