Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronika Dapunt: The darkly funny mystery that proves even Death needs a vacation

The wildest thing about Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronika Dapunt is that the most relatable character in the entire book is Death herself—and honestly, she deserves better hours, better benefits, and definitely better coworkers.

This darkly comedic, genre-bending mystery follows a woman-personified Death who is overworked, exhausted, and ready for a sabbatical on Earth—only to discover that the universe has absolutely zero intention of letting her rest. Someone is killing people who are not on her list, which is sort of like messing with the cosmic spreadsheet of all cosmic spreadsheets. Naturally, the whole thing spirals toward chaos.

At its core, though, this is a story about sisterhood—messy, ancient, grudge-heavy sisterhood. Death and Life have been at odds since the asteroid incident, when Death wiped out most of Life’s creatures billions of years ago. (Look, it was God’s Plan, complete with capital letters, and nothing says “efficient population reset” like a giant rock.) Their relationship only deteriorated further when Death, during a raucous night of debauchery, hooked up with Satan. Life still hasn’t let that one go.

So when Death decides she needs a break and arrives on Earth in human form, Life reacts the way any fed-up older sister would: Absolutely not. Get back to work. I’ve never taken time off, so why do you think you need it?

But Death isn’t the only problem in town. Satan—calculating, cold, and very much lacking in charm—teams up with an ambitious accomplice to dethrone Death and take over her job. As if they could just tap God on the shoulder and say, “Hey, uh, Death quit, so we’ll be handling all soul-collecting duties now.” The absurdity of the plan is part of the book’s humor.

Tonally, the novel lands somewhere between Good Omens and Christopher Moore’s Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal—irreverent, clever, often genuinely funny, though not quite as sharp-edged as either of those. There’s a lot of humor, a surprising amount of emotional depth, and a mystery threading it all together.

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That said, yes, it was occasionally confusing that Armageddon was supposedly imminent while God seemed oddly oblivious. All-knowing, all-present… but maybe just taking a personal day? Or maybe this, too, was part of the Big Plan. If that’s the case, then God’s management style is… chaotic at best.

And in the end, the story softens into something almost Hallmark-holiday-movie sweet. Not unwelcome, necessarily—just unexpected after all the cosmic scheming, sibling rivalry, and attempted job theft. Still, it’s a wildly fun ride with a sharp premise, a memorable lead, and a sisterly feud that steals the show.

If you like supernatural comedy that plays with theology without taking itself too seriously, then this book belongs on your list. Have you read it? Are you planning to? Tell me what you think in the comments—I love hearing your reactions.

An advance reader copy of this book (ARC) was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Related Content

• Meet Veronika Dapunt – Penguin Published novelist (Stockholm Writers Festival)
• Veronika Dapunt on personified Death in Death and Other Occupational Hazards (United by Pop)
• Tea, death, and a dog – in large doses – by Veronika Dapunt (Comedy Women in Print)
• From a creative writing short course to a book deal (University of the Arts, London)

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