A Shot for Death: An Exiled Grim Reaper Urban Fantasy

Red City Reaper #1

by C. Thomas Lafollette

If you try to assassinate the Grim Reaper… Don’t miss.

Dax used to be the Grim Reaper. Until he was banished to Earth to live as a human. Exiled to Redemption City, he’s doing his best to keep his head down and run his shabby dive bar. But when an assassin puts a bullet in his chest, his quiet life dies a bloody death.

Red City, as it’s called, is a corrupt and decaying metropolis. Finding out who wants Dax dead could be a long twisted road. He’ll have to test the boundaries of his suppressed magic if he hopes to survive.

But if he presses his power too hard, the death gods who allied against him will do more than just exile him to earth. They’ll obliterate him from existence…

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Gods, Magic

282 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2024

About the author

C. Thomas Lafollette is a student of history and a world traveler. He’s dined with a Prime Minister, read poetry with Yevgeny Yevtushenko, and drank beer with monks. He’s the author of the action-adventure urban fantasy series Luke Irontree & The Last Vampire War and the forthcoming Red City Reaper series. Besides reading and writing, he loves a good action movie, be it a Hollywood blockbuster or a classic Samurai flick, as well as the occasional rom-com. He lives in Portland with his partner – the devastatingly talented author Amy Cissell – his stepdaughter, and their two jerkface cats.

You can follow him and sign up for his newsletter at https://cthomaslafollette.com.

Reviews

[Mariaan Belinfante · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute reading feast well worth binging on. The storyline was intriguing as can be expected from a Lafollette book with his creative writing skills and an excellent kick-off for his new series which had me hooked. A grim reaper stuck on earth in a human body, add in vodoo, etc and it's definitely an original theme.
I received an advanced review copy and leave this review voluntary Thank you

[Emily Barlow]

Fantastic urban fantasy read

Mr. Lafolette takes us on another journey in a genre he's mastered through his Luke Irontree series. This time we follow along with the Grim Reaper, who's been forced to live as a semi-human in a poverty-stricken city riddled with corruption.

You will enjoy this book if:
- You like a diverse cast of characters who draw you in from the start
- You prefer a show-don't-tell approach to storytelling
- Low fantasy is your jam

You will not enjoy this book if:
- You're looking for heavy romance or grit (though there are some great fight scenes)
- Content regarding certain topics surrounding death is sensitive to you (loss of loved ones to illness, for example), though it is respectfully treated in the book
- You're looking for a constant action or romance novel

I devoured this over the course of two days because I didn't want to put it down. Can't wait for the next installment!

[Charles L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dax is a Grim Reaper living in exile in a stolen body as a human on earth. He’s trying his best to live under the radar so as not to gain the attention of the “death gods” who it appears are not happy with him, and would love to pull his ticket. His low-keyed boat is deeply rocked when he’s shot, and forced to defend himself by using his “defunct powers” which act as a spotlight highlighting his continued existent to the death gods. The sad part is that he’s totally clueless as to who is behind the attack against him, and his lackluster response in ferreting out the responsible party or parties is stupefying. The reader remains in the dark about his background which makes it difficult to rally fully behind him. There is an unwritten promise of good thing to come and I breathlessly await it.
This a remarkable book and I highly recommend it.

[Aighmi* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death, or one of his aspects, has been relegated to Louisiana. The concept fascinates me, and the story told here is quite a page-turner. This also has many of my favorite tropes, especially found family. The people Dax gathers around himself, almost accidentally, are wonderful. As is his lifesaving kitten. This book grabbed me from the very beginning and held me right through the epilogue, and now I am dying (ahem) for the next book.

[MRS C MARSHALL · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book and giving my honest review.
Oh my what a fantastic book from start to finish.
I am not spoiling you have to read for yourself, I am sure you will not put this down.
I did laugh in one part which was so very funny.
Hope you enjoy as much as I did.

[Stephanie Mirro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can tell this series is going to be one hell of a fun ride. And I can't wait. 😈

[Yael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun UF read that introduces us to Dax, Redemption city, and his new found family and friend. There is also the issue of someone trying to kill him. Looking forward to reading and learning more about this world and characters.

I received a free arc and am leaving an honest review

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was hard to rate and I may round up later.

I really liked the premise of this book/world, it’s definitely an interesting story. I appreciate the diverse cast and getting a little bit of a different religion.

But it’s just so wordy! Every move/step is another sentence. It made it hard to stay in the story when just turning around or pointing a finger needs a two line description. Plus, the proofreading/copyediting was severely lacking. Which makes me feel bad cause I saw the mention that his wife (another author) did it… but there’s a reason it’s a profession separate from writing. Not everyone’s brains see the mistakes, especially if they’re too close to it.

I do feel a connection with the characters and I liked the story so I’ll probably give book 2 a chance. Also hoping for a prequel to explain why Dax was exiled and how he met Tomi.

[Jilleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!
This story started fast and didn't stop! Dax, who to all appearances is just a lowly bar and tearoom owner—of a sleazy rundown bar—seemed to have annoyed some dangerous people. So, they shoot him. That's the start of this book.

The rest of it is discovering who he is, who's trying to kill him, and why. We find out most of this, all though a lot of mystery remains. Mainly, who banished him to earth to live as a somewhat mortal human?

Dax has special skills, being the ex-grim reaper, and that attracts a group of interesting people, including a Voodoo priestess, and her acolytes. You can see that Dax is on his way to collecting quite the interesting mish mash of found family.

The rest is full of action, from Dax saving an adorable tuxedo kitten, to the two teenagers that need his help, and finally from the Ne0-Pagan, Neo-Nazi, werewolf bikers who are trying to kill him.

I can't wait to find out more of Dax's past. The story intrigued me so much, and I didn't want to put it down!

If you want a story caught somewhere between Indiana Jones, and Sandman Slim, you'll love this tale! This book is gonna be a huge hit. Pick it up to see why!

[c. woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Shot for Death

New story (to me) that intrigued me, so I said why not? I am usually the type that is in to a lot of jokes & sarcasm in my stories that I like to read, but this one seemed a bit more serious, so I wasn't sure I would like it.

Boy howdy was I wrong! This story was absolutely amazing. I felt like the characters had a richness & depth to them, even the side ones, that came out even with no real deep dive into their back stories. When I met them, I got a sense of who they are without being bogged down with origin stories for everyone and that is an art form!

I can't really explain this well without spoilers, but I like how Dax doesn't feel really human, like he really is the Grim Reaper in a human body & with no clue how humans live, but you can tell he is learning. This isn't his origin story & the author is good about dropping small bits of Dax's past throughout the story, where it fits, so you really get the picture of Dax as Death in a human body.

Ok gentlereaders, I am off to buy Book 2 and hope it is equally as good or better! Throw money at your screen now & buy this book and maybe Dax will give you a free round at his bar one day!

[M Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Shot For Death is a one-sitting read!! It's a gritty urban fantasy with action, humour and found family (my favourite trope, so thank you, Mr Lafollette!). The pacing is perfectly suited to each peak and trough in the story which meant I never felt any loss of momentum or disconnect from the narrative. I really liked the characters, who were all solid, interesting people (people??). By the end of the book the core character group was well established and bonded in ways that leaves plenty of scope for possible future arcs.

The book is presented well too. The cover uses a colour palette very well suited to the genre and each chapter has a header image appropriate for the POV. These details really make a difference when considering reader appeal so I congratulate the author on his choices.

Looking forward to more in this series!

[Chere Gruver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friendship, Loyalty and the Grim Reaper, complete with scythe!

This story totally blew me away. I didn’t know what to expect from a dark fantasy about the grim reaper, but I was pleasantly surprised. The world building was excellent, the action moved, but there were enough parts to show the depth of friendship between Dax, his best friend and the new people he met, including the wolf shifter who tried to kill him. Have to admit though, my favorite character is Morty. Morty proves that Dax really does have a heart. There is an ending to this story, but I don’t feel it is the ending and I am really looking forward to the next one.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tethered to Mr. Death


Gumbo, ghosts, and the Grim Reaper... A Shot For Death delighted me with its interesting bare bones beauty and boutique burgers, with a spread of characters, plots, and settings worthy of a ceremonial tea.
There's now a thread connecting me to Dex & Co. that makes my brain purr, so I won't be motoring off anytime soon.

Cheers (raising my cup of gunpowder tea) to C. Thomas Laffollette.

Quotable:
“He’s scrawny, but he’s gutsy. It’ll be a glorious funeral."

[Linda Rorex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dax used to be the Grim Reaper until he was banished to Earth to live as a human as punishment for going against the death gods. While running his dive bar in Redemption City (Red City) Dax is shot dead. Dax is determined to find out who wants him dead in the degenerated Red City. As Dax investigates who is threatening his life, he encounters various allies and adversaries which reveals a link to his past as a Grim Reaper. I really enjoyed this fascinating urban fantasy thriller novel.

[debb · Rating 5 out of 5]

C. Thomas Lafollette has done it again! Get ready to begin another series with lovable characters and exceptional storylines. Could not put this book down, (nor did I expect to). What you can expect is to be drawn in and held captive until the end. Make sure to plan accordingly because you WILL read well into the night.

[Deb Kel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was a brilliant ride! Seriously A Shot For Death is a must read! It has everything you want from an intense "straight out of the bag" beginning following such a well paced journey with plenty of action and humour. Lets not forget the characters who were so interesting and you really bonded with them throughout the story. Honestly cannot wait for the next in series.

[Pierre Fortier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what I call a good book! No wasted words, just a well told story that kept my interest until the end. I am certainly looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.

I received an ARC copy of this book and am under no obligation to review it.

[Meggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice, new series of exiled Grim Reaper. I had fun while reading the plot. In overall a great new very undeveloped start in to the new series.

[Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story. I enjoyed the characters and the story.