231 pages, Kindle Edition
Review by Melissa Conway
I received an ARC of this manuscript, and have an online acquaintance with the author.
Sometimes when I sit down to write a
review, the book in question inspires me to want to simply say, “Just go read
it. Trust me, you’ll love it.” That’s definitely the case with Georgia Gunn’s
unique, intelligent mystery novel with a twist – it takes place in Hell.
In death, as she was in life, Molly
Wallace is a twenty-something waitress-slash-wannabe-actress. She works in a
diner, ‘lives’ frugally, and does her best to avoid the attention of the many
and varied demons who rule over Hell. That’s easier said than done, however,
because demons are everywhere; from the small ones with little influence (but
plenty of nastiness), to the older, powerful, and infinitely more frightening
ones.
Demons need dead souls like Molly to
help them run the place, and they keep them in line through swift and brutal punishment.
The hierarchy among demons is simple: strength equals power. The powerful
demons don’t much concern themselves with the little ones, except to use them,
or eat them, however it may please. Usually, they wouldn’t notice or care if a
little demon went missing, but in this case, the suspect is Josh, a fresh
arrival in Hell. When he’s taken away, Molly feels responsible because she’d given
him some advice that was overheard and interpreted as his possible motive.
As much as her instincts tell her to
stay out of it; she can’t because she knows he’s not guilty. But how does one
puny, uninfluential dead human suss out the truth in a place like Hell?
Very cleverly, as it happens.
Serve in Hell is well-written, with
ingenious worldbuilding, a tight plot, and sympathetic characters. Highly
recommended.
What do people/characters do about problems when hope is no longer available to them? That's what I saw as the central question of this great novel. In Hell, by definition there is no hope, and yet one still has to do something. Why not do the right thing, regardless, for its own sake? I really liked this book and hope it catches on. Glad to see you helping to spread the word.
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