Kingston Raine and the Grim Reaper is meant to be funny, and it starts out well. The Grim Reaper is Death himself, cape, cowl and scythe; Kingston Raine is the fictional hero of the newly not-supposed-to-be-dead author Don Keaton. Don writes enormously popular novels featuring the intrepid Kingston Raine but is stuck half way through book number 7.
The book gets complicated. Death is the CEO of Death, Inc., and under threat by a hostile takeover and hostile unions. Somehow Death turns Kingston Raine from a character in a story to a person who is now hiding in Limbo. It gets more and more complicated, and less and less intelligible and less and less interesting as we go.
Death was the best character here and I skimmed most of the book looking for his scenes, which became less enjoyable as the book progressed. Kingston Raine is a jerk, annoying and I skipped his parts.
The premise, with Death as a company set up to process souls in Limbo before sending on to their final destination, is intriguing and could make a likable story. Kingston Raine and the Grim Reaper, sadly, is not that likable.
1-2 Stars
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