This was exactly the kind of audiobook I needed: clever, absurd, genuinely funny, and completely free of the cheesy supernatural banter that can make this type of story feel very YA.

The premise is ridiculous in the best possible way, but what really worked for me was how thoughtfully it was developed. Watching the Grim Reaper try to navigate an ordinary human world creates plenty of humour, but the book doesn't rely on the absurdity of the concept alone. The speculative elements feel surprisingly grounded because the author actually considers the practical consequences of the situation. Even something as ordinary as figuring out doors—and eventually those particularly troublesome elevator doors—becomes funny because it makes sense within the world being created.

The humour is wonderfully wry. It isn't constantly trying to make you laugh, but there are some genuinely hilarious situations, and I found myself giggling quite a bit. More importantly, the humour feels intelligent rather than forced.

I also really appreciated the moral ambiguity throughout the story. Nobody is neatly divided into good and bad, and I often found myself understanding both sides of a conflict. Characters make questionable choices, but their motivations are understandable, which made it much more interesting than a straightforward battle between good and evil. The characters are well developed and consistently interesting, and the pacing never dragged for me.

And then there's Peter Wicks. I absolutely loved his narration. I've listened to similar audiobooks where a constant sarcastic or nasal delivery became distracting and made the characters difficult to tolerate. Wicks takes a completely different approach. He makes the protagonist genuinely endearing while allowing the humour to come naturally from the situations and characters.

This is a fantastic palate cleanser: easy to listen to, intelligent without being heavy, funny without being juvenile, and populated by characters who are much more complicated than they initially appear. I'd particularly recommend it to anyone looking for something a little different from the usual supernatural fare, or simply anyone who needs a book that puts a smile on their face.

Thank you to David Hankins, Lost Bard Enterprises, and NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

A really fun read that’s excellently narrated. . Five stars. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC

Death and The Taxman was such a fun romp. The Grim Reaper is tricked into swapping souls with an IRS agent and must figure out a way to change back before the lack of deaths becomes a world wide problem, and definitely before his superiors notice. It reminded me a bit of a mix of a Freaky Friday concept, the irreverent humor of Terry Prachet, with the camaraderie of Travis Baldree’s Legends & Lattes, an equally unique and interesting take on death like TJ Klune’s Under the Whispering Door, and the learning to be human of Martha Well’s Murderbot. A dash of a little bit of all my favorites. I don’t think the concepts went quite as deep as some of those other books, but the world building groundwork is there. It definitely leaned more into the humor and lighthearted side of those comparisons. I was invested right from the start, and laughing all the way through. I especially loved the bit about cat, even as a dog person. The characters were all great and interestingly fleshed out, especially for the short length. The narration was wonderful, and added a lot to the novel and characters. I also really appreciated the statement on AI and art at the end. This was a quick, fun and overall touching read. I will definitely be exploring more of David Hankins works. I can’t wait to read the sequels, and hope I can get them in audiobook format soon.

Thank you to Lost Bard Enterprises and NetGalley for the ALC.

I LOVED this. Death and the Taxman was exactly my kind of weird!! It's dark, clever, funny, and completely entertaining. This had that perfect combination of death, bureaucracy, chaos, and quirky characters. Sometimes you don't need a book to emotionally devastate you or reinvent literature. Sometimes you just want to have an absurdly good time and I absolutely did.

Darkly funny, delightfully weird, and a damn good time! 💀🖤

Peter Wicks’ first-rate narration propels Death and the Taxman and makes it seem a multi-cast experience. With an outstanding voice range, excellent character changes and clear, varied accents, the audio is a completely engulfing experience.

In this quirky, modern fantasy the Grim Reaper meets Frank Totmann, an IRS auditor with an agenda. Sharing a cup of spellbound tea, Grim is yanked from his eternal domain and deposited into Frank’s terminally ill body. Forced to quickly learn what it means to be human, manage Frank’s job, and try to find a reversal spell- all while dodging demon hunters and Auditors from Hell- Grim becomes aware that his problem is also a major problem for humans and the cosmic forces that make up the universe.

This is an easy listen that brings you right into the mischief. With laugh-out-loud moments, clever characters and thoughtful commentary, this is a book I would definitely recommend!

I can absolutely see how this won awards. It's hilarious, with a weirdly likeable protagonist, and a has a little mystery and a great ending. A surprise ending, actually, that made me hope there are going to be more of these.
I've read a lot of grim reaper stories but this was different enough to stand out. Thanks to NetGalley I got to listen to the audiobook, and the narration was so good

I say this with brevity, this is the closest we may get to Pratchett (there's even a cameo from the Death of Rats).

The wit, the honest reflections of humanity, the absurdity of the mundane is thrown in to the enduring dualities of good and evil, heaven and hell, and then there's demon lettuce.

Peter Hicks is irreplaceable as narrator. He voices angels, demons, cabbies, nurses, and of course Grim with ease.

Perfection.

If you want a laugh, a palate cleanser, a reflection of your own mortality, I wholeheartedly recommend this (audio)book.

Both the book, and narrator, are worthy recipients of a long (and I hope, growing) list of awards.