Synopsis

In this warm-hearted debut rom-com, a young woman returns home to run her family’s casket business and falls in love with a seemingly perfect stranger. But there’s just one problem . . . he works for Death.

Nora thought she was finished with Rabbittown, Alabama, for good. But an unexpected tragedy turned her life upside down, and she’s found herself back in her tiny hometown running the family casket business.

There aren’t exactly a lot of prospects for a single woman in her thirties in a place like Rabbittown. Until Nora Clanton’s ordinary, casket-selling day is interrupted by a handsome stranger wandering into her shop and asking for directions–as well as a date.

Garrett Bishop seems like the ideal guy. He’s thoughtful, he’s kind, and he has a lucrative job as a logistics coordinator, for which he seems to have a passion. She’s not totally sure what “logistics” entails, but she knows it means long hours, lots of travel, and urgent calls in the middle of the night.

When a few of Rabbittown’s residents suddenly pass away–a heart attack here, a car crash there–and Garrett is spotted at the scenes of, well, all of the deaths, his frustratingly vague job description starts to become increasingly . . . suspicious. What is it that Garrett actually does for a living?

He’s a logistics coordinator for Death.

When Nora discovers the truth, she is unable to reconcile the wonderful man she knows with the unthinkably cruel job he loves. Will she ever be able to understand how he can do what he does, or will she have to lay her best chance at love to rest?

Casket Case is the heartfelt story of a small-town girl who feels surrounded by death–literally and figuratively. This clever, endearing, and romantic debut explores how love and loss are forever intertwined . . . but death might not be as scary as it seems.

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Review

This was a unique romance novel, and I enjoyed it immensely.

No one ever wants to think about Death and what people go through on both sides. Enter Garrett. He works for Death, which is portrayed as a large corporation. His outlook is altruistic based on what happened 27 years ago when he lost his younger brother to cancer. Nora lost her parents to an accident and is now back in their small town running the family casket business. Is this where she wants to be, or is it meant to be? We are on a journey with Nora as she processes grief and figures out her place in this world.

While we know what Garrett does based on the book description, Nora takes much longer to uncover this truth. She then has another struggle as she tries to balance her attraction and feelings for Garrett with his job. I appreciated that not everything was easy for Nora or Garrett, and they had to work for their relationship and more. The author even introduces a potential third party. I think there could have been more to this story or even more to his story. Maybe a book based on him would be fun. The eternal playboy that is snared by the right woman.

I loved this little town, Rabbittown, because it is a quintessential small town. Everyone knows everyone and their business. Nora can’t get away with much because even if the truth isn’t exciting, they will twist it to become more.

I laughed and even cried a little at the end of this book. It was a great break from reality and thrillers that I usually read.

We give this book 4 paws up.

About the Author

Lauren Evans holds a BA in English from The University of Alabama and an MA in Liberal Studies from The University of North Carolina Wilmington. She now works in higher education in Atlanta and writes in her spare time whenever her beagle, Lucy, allows. Casket Case was longlisted for the Cheshire Novel Prize in 2022 and is her debut novel.