Working Stiff, by Rachel Caine
Working Stiff, by Rachel Caine
Book One, Revivalist Novels
Reviewed by Saluki
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, and with extreme prejudice.
Wit the help 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 stiff. She’d be better off dead…
Working Stiff is the first book in a new series by one of my favorite authors and a great friend to MVF, Rachel Caine. As you might be able to tell from the title, this book revolves around the undead. However, these aren’t your typical brain eating zombie undeads. No, Rachel puts her own spin to the tale of the recently revived. This book is a little bit horror, a tad bit sci-fi, along with a smattering of urban fantasy, all put together in a book that is action packed and will leave you impatiently awaiting the next book in the series, due out next August.
Bryn Davis is a recent graduate of mortuary school starting her first job as the funeral director at the posh Fairview Mortuary. Her first day on the job starts out normal enough, but quickly turns Bryn’s life upside down. At the end of her first day, Bryn learns that Lincoln Fairview, owner of the mortuary, is involved in a side business, selling a black market drug called Returne. This drug can literally bring people back from the dead and sustain them as long as they get a daily dose of the drug. Bryn gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up being given a dose of the drug and turned into a whole new type of undead. With the help of Patrick McCallister, head of security for the company that makes Returne, Bryn is on a mission to bring down Pharmadene and get their dangerous drug off the streets.
I really enjoyed this book because it wasn’t a typical zombie book by any stretch of the imagination. The author created a totally new spin on the undead. These zombies look and act just like normal, healthy people. That’s because the drug that revived them works to restore their cells, thus keeping their brain functioning, heart beating, and lungs breathing. Without the drug, the bodies of people who have been revived will slowly decompose; a slow and agonizing death. But, with the drug, they can live indefinitely, never aging and never getting sick. In a way it is the ultimate fountain of youth. The scary part of the story is knowing that without the daily shot of Returne, your body will decompose, and you will feel every awful moment. What’s even scarier is I can see something like this happening and have no trouble believing a pharmaceutical company taking advantage of the opportunity to rake in big profits by preying on the fear many people have of death. Can you imagine the clamor for such a drug and the ease of convincing a deeply grieving person to bring their loved one back?
Of course, Rachel Caine has created a great cast of characters, which is no surprise if you have read her other books. Bryn is a great heroine: funny, strong, and smart, but she also has her flaws, making her very easy to relate to. It’s very easy to sympathize with her throughout the book as she struggles to do the right thing, even though doing the right thing could mean certain death. Patrick McCallister is a wonderfully layered character. Although he works for Pharmadene, it is clear early on that he has deep reservations about the company and their exploitation of the drug they stumbled upon. I have to admit his character frustrated me for most of the book. He is definitely a man who doesn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve. He is very reserved and often comes off like a jerk. In fact, there are times when he is down right cold towards Bryn. But, then there are moments when the reader is allowed to see another side of Patrick and it’s hard to completely dislike him. Of course, there is a slow burning sexual tension between Bryn and Patrick that both characters try very hard to deny.
I would definitely urge anyone out there who is looking for something unique in the urban fantasy genre to pick up this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. The plot is solid and well paced, the characters are well developed and the writing is superb. The only draw back is the fact that I have to wait almost a year for the second book in the series to come out.
I give this book four out of five fangs!
Recent Comments