Review--Working Stiff by Rachel Caine

Bryn Davis knows working at Fairview Mortuary isn't the most glamorous career choice, but at least it offers stable employment--until she discovers her bosses using a drug that resurrects the clientele...as part of an extortion racket. Now Bryn faces being terminated (literally) with extreme prejudice.

With the assistance of corporate double agent Patrick McCallister, Bryn has a chance to take down the bigger problem--pharmaceutical company Pharmadene, which treats death as the ultimate corporate loyalty program. She'd better do it fast before she becomes a zombie slave--a real working still.

She's be better off dead.

This was formerly titled Dead Sexy, in case anyone was wondering. I had that down in my old book list and wasn't aware of the title change til a few months ago.

Anyway, Rachel Caine's new series, The Revivalist series was very interesting! Working Stiff was a different kind of read for me. Not too much paranormal, at least nothing strong. You have to really get into it to see the paranormal aspect--which of course is zombies. Yet it's not the brain munching zombies, these are simply people who have died, got a shot and are alive again--that's how the drug works. But you have to take the drug everyday or else you start to decay. And eventually a body without the drug starts to become zombie like, yet still never completely dies.

Like I said, it was an interesting read. I loved Rachel's Weather Warden series and her Outcast series as well, so I decided to give this one a try and it was pretty amazing. Bryn is quite the character too. She's got an edge to her, which she has to have considering she wanted to work in the funeral home. She has a complicated past that has shaped her to who she's become. She is fierce and strong.

Patrick actually didn't pop up right away. I was starting to think I was being misled, for first we meet Joe who works for Patrick as well. Joe was enjoyable, he's got personality! Patrick is just a big mystery in some ways. Still is. Bryn compares him to Bruce Wayne and it's a good comparison. He's not Batman or a superhero but he is still pretty secretive.

Best part is that this is gonna be a series similar to Rachel's other adult ones. The books continue the same storyline, so bad news of course is that it ended with a cliffhanger and can likely expect the same for the next books as well! Oh well, I'm already hooked and can't wait to see how Bryn manages to do what was asked of her at the end!

Overall rating 4.5/5 stars