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Ze Maria is sentenced to work "as a receptor of souls for a hundred years, with the purpose of rebuilding his love for life by walking the path of the dead." Denied a guardian angel and a chance to continue his death journey to the Higher Beyond, Ze Maria's cemetery owner position at Caju Cemetery comes as a result of suicide, a choice he made when he was alive. He also has to deal with a motley crew of five souls who insist on staying at the cemetery. Ze Maria looks forward to making everything right at his 100th year court hearing. But during his 97th year, Ze Maria has no choice except to leave his cantankerous crew to attend to the cemetery and deal with the Congregation of Conjured Spirits while he is placed on trial when a dying woman challenges death.
Simone Mendonca puts a comedic spin on the paranormal in her latest novel. The first book in The Cemetery Owner series, Mendonca's storyline is set in one of the largest cemeteries in Rio de Janeiro. Centered on Ze Maria, a condescending yet levelheaded Grim Reaper, Mendonca surrounds her dynamic main figure with an array of living and dead characters that stir up rather than solve problems. Mendonca's unique cast includes hard-working individuals, drunks, transvestites, jokers, surfers, and wizards—to name a few. While a handful of Mendonca's cast is highly superstitious, one aspect that ties most of them together is their argumentative persona, a feature she incorporates in a flurry of hilarious scenes. Great examples include Ze Maria's motley crew fighting the Congregation of Conjured Spirits with shoes, and Virgilio, Ze Maria's stuttering lawyer. Mendonca keeps her plot fresh and flowing by weaving the aforementioned literary tools into constantly alternating living and dead character scenes. This is an entertaining read from beginning to end.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review