Nemesis

by Bec Pearce

“I am Death. I am the Grim Reaper… It is my job to take the soul of the newly departed, from the life they knew to the next stage of existence… ”
Annabelle Décor is a woman betrayed who is on a mission to punish infidelity, marking her victims with the make-up of those they have deceived.
From his position of power, Death watches the story unfold before his eyes.
Is this merely a woman driven crazy, or a possession by an old and vengeful god?

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2014

About the author

Born in the South East and transplanted Oop North by her parents in 1987, Bec still sounds like she lives in the wilds of Surrey.

Then nothing happened to her until she met and fell in love with Neil.

Seriously. I mean, obviously, she went to school and had jobs and met some seriously awesome people but life didn't begin until she met, was friends with (for 4 years) and then got drunk with Neil. Then there was the moving in with him and his furry monster (Jack, a dog - get your mind out of the gutter); a proposal, an organising of a wedding; a wedding; a honeymoon in Mexico and the marriage.

Bec now lives a deliriously happy life and is a writer.

Reviews

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Death is the coolest narrator; both curious of humans and yet apart from them.
The structure of the novel is so creative. The story is unravelled through a series of vignettes in which Death, witnesses the murders and guides victims' souls on their next journey, interspersed with diary extracts and letters written by Nemesis from police evidence. To the end, the reader is left questioning if Annabelle/ Nemesis is just a delusional and angry woman, or really is possessed, as her thoughts and actions become increasingly chaotic and violent. A wonderful first novel. (from my amazon review)

[Tessa Rigby]

By far one of the best books I have read, and had the privilege of proofreading. When I first started proofreading this book I must have read it at least three times before I started work.
It is one of the rare finds that I could not put down. Compelling from beginning to end, the suspense made me keep reading until the story had played out in its entirety, and upon reaching the end, I felt the compulsion to start over again.

A truly great piece of work and well worth the re-read. You have done outstanding work. Well done guys. Wishing you a well-deserved success with your future writing career.

[Angel Wedge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome story, and I love the framing device. It's neat to see how many different ways Death can be in the right place to watch critical parts of the story.

[Jacki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this.

[Kat Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book by my very dear friends and I was able to get my hands on a copy the moment it was released. I remember being asked to read the first segment, years ago, and finding myself needing to know what came next. Unfortunately, being friends with the authors didn't get me any more privileges and I had to wait, like everyone else, to find out what happened.

This is Death's story. Not the story of Death; but a story told through the eyes and experiences of Death as he goes about his business of escorting people to the next world. The story is that of Annabelle Decor and her vengeful mission to punish those she sees as having cheated on their significant others. Having dealt the final justice to her victims, Annabelle would make up their faces to resemble those that were wronged and send a message to the world that infidelity would not be tolerated. Death is as much as a spectator in this story as we, the readers are, however, his job allows him to be at the scene of each crime and be able to interact with each of the victims on their way to their next destination. Piece by piece we follow Annabelle's handy work to a thrilling conclusion but will we ever really know what drives this woman to her chilling crimes?

This is the first book by Bec and NJ Pearce and if it's a sign of things to come, then I'm excited. In places, it is a bit rough around the edges but, hey, show me a first book that isn't. This does not detract from the story, or the development of a fantastic character in Death. He is brilliant. I loved his old school demeanour and gentlemanly characteristics. Overall, this is a great read and hopefully, not the last we have heard from Death.

[Deb Jacobs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating story compiled of vignettes narrated by Death, and Nemesis' diary entries all cleverly linked to cover the subject of infidelity and retribution.

I enjoyed the story, which was a new way of looking at an age-old subject. The deaths are all linked, even though they might not appear so at first glance. Some were particularly well-written, such as the child footballer. It's not all sad stuff, nor even gruesome: in fact I laughed at Death's comments on his own appearance towards the end of the book.

I liked the epilogue, which tied up loose ends neatly and left the reader with the tantalising glimpse of (possibly) more to come.

[C J · Rating 5 out of 5]

While linked through the tale of Nemesis and the linked murder's - what makes this stand out is a collection of lives spent, from the point of view of a sympathetic Death. The framing narrative allowing many tales to be examined in one, and well worth reading.