Waking Up Dead

by Amanda Fasciano

Detective Cadence Riley never believed in ghosts, until she became one.
Killed in the line of duty, she finds herself recruited into a group that monitors haunted sites, making sure the spirits don't give too much away to the living. All seems to be going well until a group of cultists unleash a chaos demon in a haunted asylum. Being a detective and the drive to help others didn't stop with her pulse.
Now Cadence and her new partner Snow find themselves in a race against time. They have to find a way to stop the demon before it devours both the spirits and the living, and they may just have to break a few rules to do it. Being six feet under has never been so lively as she realizes her training officer is definitely in over their heads.
Join the team in this urban fantasy meets crime detective story and get ready for the series of a lifetime, er, afterlife!

Genres: Horror

250 pages, ebook

Published August 13, 2016

About the author

A Paranormal Urban Fantasy author, Amanda Fasciano has had a lifelong love for everything related to the paranormal and horror. Local to Southwest Florida, she can often be found at local conventions or spending time with her family and friends.

Reviews

[Elizabeth Cash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amanda Fasciano is a new-to-me author who has definitely made a spot on my list of always read authors. In her book, Waking Up Dead, she writes a captivating and thrilling story about Cadence. Cadence is smart and witty but unfortunately died while working. When she wakes up, dead, she is thrown into new line of duty fighting off demons and keeping the living safe. In comes this vividly written demon who Cadence now has to kill in order to keep the living safe and everything in order. Can she do it? All I can say is.. WOW! I am on edge waiting to see what is next in this series.

*This review was done with NerdGirl services*

[Emmalynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great and a twist on the ghost stories. Cadence and Snow are a great team.

[J.B. Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Amanda Fasciano pens a breath-taking, edge-of-your-seat horror thriller in “Waking Up Dead (Life After Book 1)”.

When Detective Cadence Riley is killed in the line of duty, she suddenly finds herself in an afterlife where she’s quickly recruited into an oversight group that monitors haunted sites and makes sure that the spirits don't give too much away to the living. The idea of a police force patrolling the boundary between life and the afterlife is nothing new to horror fans (see the 2013 film R.I.P.D. starring Jeff Bridges & Ryan Reynolds which is based on the popular Dark Horse Comics’ R.I.P.D. series). But, Fasciano’s own take on this concept results in a huge leap forward toward understanding and dealing with the devastating loss and regret that oftentimes exists between humans and their recently deceased loved ones. As the author considers what boundaries individuals would be willing to cross to contact a former love interest, gain notoriety, or seek revenge, Fasciano highlights her unique and imaginative tale with a haunted hospital, ghostbusters, clandestine organizations, dark rituals, cantankerous spirits, and life—or in this case—death-sucking demons.

What makes Fasciano’s story so fascinating and insightful, is the rich and diverse background information she provides for each of her characters—no matter how significant a role they might play. Through the eyes of her lead character, Cadence, whose snappy and peppered dialogue is filled with morbid humor, we learn not only about navigating life in the afterlife, but how the living who are left behind cope with death and receive messages from the dearly departed. While her secondary characters are mostly concerned with the continuation of their afterlife journey and where they’re likely to end up, newly-deceased Cadence’s immediate concerns include not just where she is going to reside, but how she can contact her deceased relatives, how to transport herself—or other items—from one place to another in the blink of an eye, and whether cable TV is available to her for free or not.

“Waking Up Dead (Life After Book 1)” does contain some dark thrills, edgy situations, and graphic violence, but no more than the usual Goosebumps tale or PG-rated film. This first chapter, of what I predict will be a popular continuing series, is a shockingly great read for horror, thriller, and paranormal fans ages 13 and up.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cadence Riley is having a heck of a bad day. She’s a detective or she was and goes out with her team to catch a very bad man and wakes up in a blank waiting room with a whole bunch of zonked out people in it. She learns out that she has died and is given a choice go on to whatever is next or stay and serve. She decides to stay and becomes a different kind of cop. She and her partner are tasked with making sure that the living don’t learn too much about the afterlife. Some is ok, too much must be avoided at all costs. So instead of maintaining the peace she’s now keeping the mystery. Her first case turns into a doozy. Simple at first look to give her a taste of what the job details Cadence and Snow her partner/trainer go to a haunted asylum. They are to make sure a group of ghost hunters don’t find anything too interesting. Complications arise when a short time later a different group try and summon something and release a dark creature into the world. Now Cadence and Snow are doing all the can to find a way to stop this creature because it’s not just the living at stake it’s the dead too.
What a spooky, fun read! A wonderfully crafted world bridging the living and the dead. A unique take on the afterlife and what choices we have after we pass on. A great mystery/ police procedural even if the cops are ghosts. Most of all an engaging and entertaining story that is full of the spectrum of emotions and with a character in Cadence that keeps you wanting more. I absolutely cannot wait to see what’s next for her and Snow!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nancy (The Avid Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waking Up Dead is the first book in The Life After Series and the first book by author Amanda Fasciano that I have read and it won’t be the last or at least I hope not. Waking Up Dead takes a new look into the afterlife.

I don’t believe that I have read anything quite like Waking Up Dead before. It takes the afterlife to a whole new level. I loved the plot on this one. It was like mixing ghost stories with detective stories. It's like The Conjuring meets Law & Order kind of story.

Waking Up Dead is a great introduction to a new series. It will keep you on the edge of your seat waiting and wanting to know what is going to happen next. It is a fun and thrilling way to have a nice and relaxing evening. Well, that is if you are into ghost stories or crime-solving mysteries.

I love the world that was created for Waking Up Dead it is unlike any other in its genre in my opinion that is. I can’t wait to read more from this world of ghost hunting, demons and crime-solving. I can’t wait to read more about Detective Cadence Riley and her new partner Osmund Snow as they patrol the underworld.

Cadence Riley, a police detective wakes up in a hospital wondering where she is and how she got there. She soon learns that she is no longer alive and that she has passed over to the afterlife. Cadence is given a choice to go one place or another but she chooses to say right where she is so she can continue to help people in her afterlife as she did before.

If you are into crime-solving stories and ghost stories too then let me suggest that you grab a copy of Waking Up Dead for a little crime-solving ghost story!

[Julia Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waking Up Dead is a fun, fast paced urban fantasy that balances humor, suspense, and surprisingly human moments. Amanda Fasciano has crafted a story where being dead doesn’t mean being powerless, and Detective Cadence Riley is a protagonist you can’t help but root foreven when she’s navigating the afterlife.

What makes the story feel real, despite ghosts and demons, is how human Cadence remains. Her instincts as a detective curiosity, drive, and care for others carry over even beyond death, and her reactions to this strange new world are believable, funny, and sometimes heartbreaking. The partnership with Snow adds both tension and warmth, giving the story a grounded emotional core amid the supernatural chaos.

The plot is engaging, with cultists, a chaos demon, and haunted sites providing constant stakes, but the book shines because of its attention to human behavior and relationships. Characters make mistakes, clash, and learn, which makes their successes feel earned rather than convenient. Even in a world full of ghosts, the emotions, loyalties, and dilemmas are entirely relatable.

Waking Up Dead is a clever, thrilling, and surprisingly heartfelt read. It’s the kind of story that entertains while reminding you that even in extraordinary circumstances, human nature courage, curiosity, compassion shines through.

[Lyra Saenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished listening to the audiobook last week, and I am still playing different parts over in my head.

Fasciano's first book in The Life After Series is a brilliant start to a procedural series. Ghostly detectives and malevolent spirits, this delivers exactly what I would want in Beetlejuice meets Law & Order world.

Cadence is a character that will probably stick with me for a while especially as I continue to read her story. She's multi-dimensional, feisty, and smart. She is quick on her feet and prides herself in helping others. I rarely read books like this where the now deceased main character actually grieves their own death, and I love that Credence struggles with accepting her situation.

Her partnership with Snow is all the vibes. I can't wait to see how these two deathly agents continue along their adventures together with Cadence steadily "corrupting" Snow's idea of proper procedure while he tries to keep her on the straight and narrow.

Police drama lovers, if you are looking for something on the more paranormal/ghostly side of thrillers and mysteries, this series is definitely for you.

[Natalie Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did, but wow, what a fun, fresh take on both urban fantasy and crime fiction. Cadence Riley is exactly the kind of heroine I root for: tough, smart, and still determined to do the right thing… even after death. Her dry humor and no-nonsense attitude immediately hooked me.
The world-building is fantastic, featuring a kind of ghostly law enforcement agency that monitors haunted sites. Brilliant. And the dynamic between Cadence and her partner Snow had just the right mix of banter, tension, and growing respect. Think Ghostbusters meets Brooklyn Nine-Nine with a touch of Supernatural.
The pacing is quick, the stakes are high, hello, chaos demon in a haunted asylum, and there’s just enough mystery, action, and dark humor to keep you flipping pages late into the night. Plus, there’s a deeper emotional core here, themes of duty, redemption, and what it means to keep fighting even when the world says you're done.
If you’re into paranormal crime, sarcastic ghosts, and badass female leads, this is absolutely one to check out. Can’t wait to see where the series goes next!

[Serpina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit confused when I saw that the story already existed since 2016, but this ARC was apparently only for the Kindle version. (I don't know if there are any differences.) Now I'm very unhappy that the following books are not on Kindle yet and that I'll have to wait for them to be released as well.

I really enjoyed the story about Cadence Liberty Riley, a cop who dies in the line of duty and got the chance to continue her work on the other side. I loved her development and the plot about a cult who accidentally created an evil chaos spirit. Cade and her partner, Snow, have to bend all the rules and even work together with the Ghost FBI and a living group of ghost hunters, to solve the problem.

The book is nicely wrapped up, so no bad cliffhanger; however, there are a lot of loose strings, ready to be continued in the next books.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Krystyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alive or dead, police work is in her blood

Started off slowly but built up to a great ending. Dying in the line of duty is what every police officer accepts. However waking up and having to accept that fact is another matter. As well as accepting the restrictions placed on rookie to the afterlife. But once a cop always a cop. She settles into her new position of enforcing the restrictions placed on ghostly interactions with breathers (live people). When their job brings them in contact not only with ghosts, breathers and an entity that devours ghosts it will take all her skill and resources to get them to work together and banish the entity. Will they be able to do that without losses? The plot was a great one and the characters embellished the plot to provide a terrific read.

[Kristine Mistretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fun, crime-solving book that is clearly part of an ongoing plot line.

I love the way the author makes each of the characters different with their own personalities.

I don't want to give too much away but will say that I love the way she portrays the newly deceased Cade. I am fairly certain that I, too, would struggle with the most simple of things if I was forced into ghost life after I died.

The intricacies of the relationships and the amount of time and care this author has spent on each character and his/her back story really pulled me into the book. I am definitely intrigued by one of the main characters and suspect that we have more to learn about him, but I guess that means she did a great job writing it, because now I want to read the next book to see where it goes.

[Andra Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waking Up Dead is the first book in The Life After Series and is a great introduction. The storyline is fresh, original, engaging, entertaining, compelling, dramatic, and more. The characters in the book keep you turning the pages and are highly entertaining and engaging. Cadence and Osmund are great partners and provide humorous banter amid the paranormal, supernatural drama, and action. The other characters are just as compelling and add much to the story.

I am looking forward to reading Dead Vessel, the next book in the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I found the start kind of slow, I understand that it takes a while to establish the story's character and premise. I thought it was an exciting concept to still have a mission even after death instead of straight away going to our concept of heaven or hell.

At first, I was worried that this would just be like the show R.I.P. and, I guess, to a certain extent, it is, but perhaps more of a R.I.P. meets Law on Order kind of story. This definitely reads more like a TV movie.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waking Up Dead by Amanda Fasciano.
Book 1 of The Life After Series.
Detective Cadence Riley never believed in ghosts, until she became one.
Killed in the line of duty, she finds herself recruited into a group that monitors haunted sites, making sure the spirits don't give too much away to the living. All seems to be going well until a group of cultists unleash a chaos demon in a haunted asylum. Being a detective and the drive to help others didn’t stop with her pulse.
Really enjoyed this book. I loved Candence. I do hope there is more to come. 5*.

[Vanessa Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this story of the afterlife. The story was well written, the twists and turns in the story made the ending all the better. This is the first book in the series and is a standalone story of detective Cadence and her new partner Snow. Cadence died in the line of work as a cop. Now that she has passed on, her new job is a cop in the afterlife.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Pauli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say enough that I loved this book! The writing was to the point, descriptive, funny or tense when needed and even though it is a stand alone story, there's something niggling at the back of my mind that part of the story is not done yet... Can't wait to start the next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[madtrekkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cade is a former police officer who finds a new job working alongside Snow. Who knew that policing would be as challenging on the other side?

Love this story! So many interesting characters and a riveting plot kept me up reading long into the night cause I just couldn't wait to find out what happened next! Recommended reading with 5 stars!!

[SOFIA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was well written full of thrills and suspense. The characters each had a special job well explained by the author. There were twist and turns between chapters. Great story to read if you like paranormal.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Waking Up Dead. The author has created a fascinating world that we get to start exploring from the first page. The characters are well developed and the story is engrossing. I can't wait to continue the series, and I highly recommend this book to fans of paranormal fantasy.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked by the blurb and I wasn't disappointed. This was a great start to the series and I couldn't put it down. Can't wait for the next book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Annalisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome story. It has realistic characters and a fantastic plot. I really liked it. I'm waiting anxiously for the second one in the series to come out.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really great story I enjoyed this first book I can't wait until book 2 comes out this is a really good read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a great start to the Life After series, it does what I was hoping for from this type of book. The characters were great and I loved the concept of the book. It left me wanting more in this universe.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[tburbr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great way to start a new series. The character work and story line were well written and kept my attention from start to finish. I can't wait to see what happens next.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lavender Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely wonderful and unique story with amazing characters and a lot of suspense. Very cleverly written and immensely enjoyable.

A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fabulous book. I was trapped in the story by the first page, actually by the first sentence. It caught my interest and never let me go. This is a totally original kind of story and I cannot wait to read more of the books in it. Amazing, amazing, amazing!

[Cheryl Hollingsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so original & creative - and I loved the characters & world building, too! I'm absolutely looking forward to reading the rest of this series & seeing what Cade & Snow get into next!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good start for this series. I don't know what to do if I woke up as a specter. So definitely a different perspective. I want to read the next one.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Leslie Twitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was a intriguing page turner. Characters that are heroic and believable. Such a great story!.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this PNR detective adventure. The MCs are defined and likable. The storyline flows easily, is interesting and entertaining.