Grim Reaper Mystery Series by Judy Clemens, Tavia Gilbert, Poisoned Pen Press

Casey Maldonado’s life is over – at least as she knows it. In one brief moment of fire and wrenching metal, everything important was gone. The car manufacturer was generous with its settlement, but it can never be enough. Her family and friends – not to mention her lawyers – want her to go for more. More money. More publicity. More everything. But Casey is done. No financial gain or courtroom retribution will bring back what really matters... moreCasey Maldonado’s life is over – at least as she knows it. In one brief moment of fire and wrenching metal, everything important was gone. The car manufacturer was generous with its settlement, but it can never be enough. Her family and friends – not to mention her lawyers – want her to go for more. More money. More publicity. More everything. But Casey is done. No financial gain or courtroom retribution will bring back what really matters. So she packs up, puts her house on the market, and leaves town. Her only companion – Death, who won’t take her, but won’t leave her alone. Stopping on a whim in Clymer, a small blue-collar town in the midst of Ohio farmland, Casey discovers a town wrapped in tragedy. Not only is HomeMaker, the town’s appliance factory and main employer, moving to Mexico, but the town has been rocked by the suicide of a beloved single mother. Casey is drawn to the town, and soon realizes that many of the citizens don’t believe the verdict of suicide at all. Death encourages her to investigate, and she uncovers information that points to the factory. Was the victim’s death a cover-up? Did she truly have the means – as she claimed – to keep the factory from leaving town? When Casey begins to receive messages that she should leave well enough alone, she decides she’d be better off back on the road, but the murderer can’t let her go with everything she knows… less

When Casey Maldonado and Death hitch a desperate ride away from one disaster, they throw themselves right into the middle of another one. The semi in which they are traveling crashes, and before the Grim Reaper takes Evan the Trucker away, Evan whispers to Casey about a stash hidden in the truck that she should keep away from them.Them turns out to be a band of men who want that package no matter what it takes, and they believe Casey knows where - and what - it is... moreWhen Casey Maldonado and Death hitch a desperate ride away from one disaster, they throw themselves right into the middle of another one. The semi in which they are traveling crashes, and before the Grim Reaper takes Evan the Trucker away, Evan whispers to Casey about a stash hidden in the truck that she should keep away from them.Them turns out to be a band of men who want that package no matter what it takes, and they believe Casey knows where - and what - it is. Alone and injured, with neither money nor identification, Casey escapes from under the noses of the ER doctors and her pursuers, and hides out in the cornfields of Kansas. The valuable stash turns out to be photos, truck manifests, and other information pointing Casey toward something big and complicated - a conspiracy? Smuggling? Blackmail? She can't be sure.Casey, uncertain how to proceed, is led by Death to a group of teenagers looking for something other than dust and crops to fill their days - and their nights. Using their limited resources, she finds her way into a maze of greed and desperation - and into the clutches of people who don't care who gets hurt as long as they get what they want.Casey is determined that no one else should die because of the desires of one group of criminals, and finds herself defending not only herself, but the teenagers, a few other kind locals, and perhaps even the trucking industry itself. less

Casey and Death are on the run…again. This time, Casey needs to make her disappearance permanent. After obtaining new identification and throwing herself off the grid, she travels to Florida to begin a new life as Daisy Gray, fitness instructor for a moneyed, enclosed community. But even while keeping her head down, it doesn’t take long for Casey to find herself in the middle of trouble... moreCasey and Death are on the run…again. This time, Casey needs to make her disappearance permanent. After obtaining new identification and throwing herself off the grid, she travels to Florida to begin a new life as Daisy Gray, fitness instructor for a moneyed, enclosed community. But even while keeping her head down, it doesn’t take long for Casey to find herself in the middle of trouble. One of the residents is attacked, and Casey is the one to find her, bleeding on the tile floor of the locker room. Despite heroic attempts to save her, she dies, and the community is thrown into turmoil. The cops are at a loss, unable to find anyone who might want the woman dead. Casey, despite Death’s encouragement to “get the hell out of Dodge, or, er, Florida,” feels partially responsible, and won’t let the murderer get away with it. Besides, where else is she going to go? Is she going to abandon this life so soon, and try to forge another? Casey takes a careful look at the victim’s life. Who could possibly want such a nice, friendly woman dead? Could it be Del, the extremely muscular man from the weight room? Or Michelle, the victim’s best friend, and resident hottie? Or even Maria, the receptionist, whose key card was used to access the locker room so late at night? And what, if anything, do Casey’s predecessors in her new job have to do with it? Casey must find out. Even with Death on her back. less

It’s been years since Casey Maldonado visited her hometown, and the only reason she’s returning now is to get her brother Ricky out of jail, where he sits after being arrested for the brutal murder of Alicia McManus, his girlfriend of several months.  Casey believes in her brother’s innocence, but proving that to the cops is a different thing altogether... moreIt’s been years since Casey Maldonado visited her hometown, and the only reason she’s returning now is to get her brother Ricky out of jail, where he sits after being arrested for the brutal murder of Alicia McManus, his girlfriend of several months.  Casey believes in her brother’s innocence, but proving that to the cops is a different thing altogether. As Casey and her ever-present companion Death investigate Alicia’s murder, it becomes clear she was not who she claimed to be, from her name to her non-existent past.  Instead of a solid history, she left only questions when she died.  Where did she come from?  What secrets did she know?  And, most importantly, who were the three people she spoke of when Death carried her away? less

Casey Maldonado is haunted by the deaths of her husband and young son. She hopes traveling through the vast reaches of Idaho will offer peace. Instead, she fights off three drunken locals before escaping to a quiet town where she wants to heal from her injuries and constant sorrow.Her traveling companion, invisible to all but Casey, is Death, wearing a series of disguises and offering expert commentary on her difficulties.Unfortunately, the village of Armstrong carries its own darkness... moreCasey Maldonado is haunted by the deaths of her husband and young son. She hopes traveling through the vast reaches of Idaho will offer peace. Instead, she fights off three drunken locals before escaping to a quiet town where she wants to heal from her injuries and constant sorrow.Her traveling companion, invisible to all but Casey, is Death, wearing a series of disguises and offering expert commentary on her difficulties.Unfortunately, the village of Armstrong carries its own darkness. Casey finds a job and a comfortable guest room with the proprietor of the small general store, Vern and his ill wife, Dottie. Death keeps a close watch on Casey. She's surrounded by trouble.She captures a teen spray-painting nasty graffiti on the store's wall. The town shuns Dottie and blames Vern for jilting his fianc�e to marry an outsider - forty-five years ago. The woman's still stalking Vern today. Casey finds a hateful letter accusing Dottie of tragedy based on a Halloween party, a fatality, and a woman missing for forty-five years. Residents ignore the couple at a free outdoor movie they sponsor. Casey stops another attempt to spray-paint graffiti on the store.Danger and cruelty range free beneath the calm surface of the town. When Dottie dies in the hospital, brutality overrides grief. A resident notifies the three attackers, who arrive to finish what they started with Casey. Finally, the painful truth explodes in violence based on revenge. less