The Undertaker's Daughter: A Novel of Supernatural Horror

by John James Minster

Don’t play with dead things.

Anna Dingel is an introverted, socially inept 18-year-old raised in the family funeral home. And for some reason, her classmate Timmy—the one in the band—likes her too.

After a makeover from her best friend Naomi, Anna breaks away to see him perform live, but the leader of a bad school clique attempts to assault Anna in the parking lot. Once the leader is released from jail, so begins an ever-widening maelstrom of cruel retribution, turning Anna and Timmy’s summer of love into a nightmare.

In an attempt to frighten the bullies into peace, Anna and Naomi experiment with recently revealed old Jewish magic. But this ancient Abrahamic ritual doesn’t go as planned. The eldritch power Anna has unleashed takes dark and unexpected turns, endangering those she loves and forcing her to decide who she is and who she wants to be.

This spine-tingling supernatural horror story is about love, forgiveness, and consequences. Expect surprise twists throughout, as children learn not to play with dead things.

Genres: Horror

230 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2022

About the author

JOHN JAMES MINSTER was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He commenced a successful international business career since the 1980s in the technology sector while publishing horror short stories in horror anthologies. In July, 2018, his first middle-grade full-length horror novel, Dreamjacker, which met with five-star reader reviews, was born of nightmares. Hellbender Books published The Undertaker’s Daughter, disruptive religious horror for mature audiences on Halloween, 2022, to enthusiastic professional and fan reviews.

As a child he walked in his sleep; his parents found him at the top of the stairs about to leap down, dreaming that he could fly. Every night since childhood he still talks and punches walls in his sleep during nightmares, which he describes as "Nightly mini horror movies. Terror is feeling dread at the possibility of something frightening; horror is the shock and repulsion of seeing the thing: Hello! This is my head every single night of my life—so no writer's block on the horizon or chance that I’ll run out of stories.”

Learn more at JohnJamesMinster.com

Reviews

[Chase · Rating 1 out of 5]

this is quite possibly the worst book i've read this year. huge TW for repeated violent sexual assault. [list item no. 5 is a spoiler, so be forewarned.]

1. good lord, the writing was AWFUL. please read the following introduction of timmy caperila, quoted below:

Timothy Caperila, who chose the stage name of ‘Timmy C.,’ had so far not experienced the luck he so dearly sought with the ladies— perhaps not the primary driver toward local rock stardom but definitely a factor high on the list. Still a virgin despite that, at six feet, he was the tallest member of the band. With thick, wavy brown hair that hung below his shoulders to frame a boyishly handsome face, he was by far the best looking, too.

Chicks only dig guys with muscles, he thought. These words often echoed in his head. He had convinced himself that girls in his class only seemed to want the brawny, loud guys. At one hundred fifty-nine pounds, brawn escaped him. No matter how much he ate, he never could seem to gain weight. Guess I’m a terminal ectomorph, dammit.

“How’s this, Boss Joda?” he said, backward stroking a D chord, then an A minor to G chord before he shredded a blues scale key of A. He delivered bending and ripping arpeggios and hammer-string pyrotechnics, all of which filled Mr. D’Alessio’s finished basement with more dark, ominous, gritty sound than it could hold.

“Yeah. Yes! I think that’s it! Okay, let me work something out on the keyboard. Tim, go have one of my dad’s beers. He won’t even know it’s missing.”

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? there is so much more but this was one of the first scenes that made me want to shut the book and i can't bring myself to reread my NUMEROUS highlights.

2. the book is clearly trying to convert anyone who reads it into either a jew or a christian. there are dozens of pages of theology that do not pertain to the story whatsoever - and on top of that, the dense textbook-like theory is not even explained in a way that a non-believer could understand.

3. multiple homophobic and anti-semetic slurs for no real reason? did not enhance any "horror" aspect - really just read like an angry league of legends player.

4. cool zionist commentary - NOT! see below quote:

We are going to solve the problem like Israel solves its Gaza problem.”
“And how’s that?”
“A good plan, executed immediately and violently.”

[spoiler ahead] 5. our MC is subject to repeated sexual assault and is completely unaffected by it. our MC is stalked and has her entire home destroyed and is completely unaffected by it. our MC witnesses necrophilia (in her own house) and is completely unaffected by it. our MC and her best friend are chained to their car and sexually assaulted, have the assault stopped by a rotting corpse who rapes and tortures the criminal, and are completely unaffected by it. AFTER ALL OF THIS, SHE FORGIVES THE GUY WHO HAS BEEN STALKING AND ASSAULTING HER.

in sum, this book fucking sucked and the only reason i finished it was because it was an ARC.

thank you to sunbury press for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Paul Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna lives in the family funeral home and dead bodies is something she has grown up with and is used to. What she isn’t used to is all the attention she gets when her best friend Naomi gives her a complete style makeover. Timmy has always found Anna special and writes a song about her for the band that he plays in.
New love leads to jealousy, assault and punishment which spirals downwards to revenge. Bullies can not be easily dissuaded so Anna and Naomi take extreme measures with an ancient religious ritual. Is it God that answers their prayer or something much darker?
The story is heavy on the romance and religious history with the last quarter of the book getting brutally and graphically violent. I felt that the characters were exceptionally religious and having not grown up in that type of environment I found it fascinating yet hard to swallow. Anna is Christian and Naomi is Jewish and they both are incredibly knowledgeable on their faith.
While the story got out of my comfort zone into romance and religion, the overall plot was compelling and I had to see where this ended up.

[L.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read The Undertaker's Daughter: A Novel of Supernatural Horror in only a few days. It was a fast read for me. Why? Because Minster's writing style is engaging. So engaging that even as horrible events took place on these pages and overlapping the familial holidays in the real world, I kept returning this book to get in "just another chapter."

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I am a fan of Grady Hendrix and Joe Hill. Minster's writing style had something of a comparable vibe which I can't quite pinpoint, and I'm not going to try. It's there in that smooth, contemporary horror way.

But I did have to dock the book one star due to the volume of violent sexual acts. Had there been a content warning going in, I would not have knocked the rating back. But there is a LOT of violent sexual acts within this book, so if that's a concern for a reader, stay away. Minster does well to keep the graphic descriptions at bay. While detailed, they are not presented in a way which would upset the reader unless--again--rape/sexual assault are triggers/content concerns for you.

The book does include "Occult" on the cover to warn readers.

I was gifted this book from the author for an honest review.
Content/Trigger warning: rape, sexual assault, religious trauma

[AliceXaphanBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Undertaker’s Daughter by John James Minster
✰ ✰ ✰ ✰
Fiction, Horror,. Thriller

◭ CLICK HERE FOR MY INSTAGRAM REVIEW ◭

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna is an introvert who lives her teenage years repressed by her religious fanatic mother. Her father is a mortician that works from home. Anna's mother Margie, calls most of the shots which doesn't give Anna any kind of freedom. Growing up in a home with dead bodies that come and go along with an impossible mother, her lifestyle paints her as a socially awkward teen.

Naomi, Ana's best friend whom naturally her mother does not approve of, gives Ana a makeover which starts turning heads. Ana convinces her parents to let her out for a night so she can see a band whose lead singer is her secret crush. Things are going well until she attracts unwanted attention and is assaulted by a classmate. Ana's life takes a turn for the worst when she becomes the target of jealousy and revenge. Growing up surrounded by corpses is nothing compared to the hate and violence of the living. When Ana is tasked with picking up the corpse of a serial rapist for her father, all hell breaks loose when Naomi and she decide to try an ancient ritual to "protect" Ana from continuous threats.

This story was graphic, brutal and unlike anything I have read before. Definitely a book with many scenes that will make most feel uncomfortable. I would pay close attention to the trigger warnings as there is a lot of violence and sexual assault in the most gruesome form. I squirmed through most of it, but it made me want to keep going. The High school romance was cute and at times cheesy but expected from that age group. Naomi was a character and brought on the laughs. There was a load of religious facts from different faiths which I loved learning about. I don't mind gore and violence so overall I enjoyed this story but it's not for everyone. There were some editing errors, but they don't tend to bother me much if I'm enjoying the read.

Special thanks to the author for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Liz B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 1 November 2022
Like eerie suspense and skin-crawling details that keep you coming back for more? You'll love this!

I devoured this book. If you like your novels with eerie suspense that ramps up to full-on cringe inducing horror, then this should be right up your street.

The Undertaker’s daughter follows the story of, Anna Dingle, a socially repressed seventeen-year-old living a half-life governed by her religious zealot of a mother. If life as a teen wasn’t hard enough, Anna is forced to spend much of her time under the same roof as the corpses brought to her mortician father at the funeral home in which they live. But Anna is used to the dead, her faith teaching her that the body is merely a vessel no longer of use once the spirit has passed on. Nothing to be scared of. Of no threat whatsoever.

When Anna’s best friend Naomi treats her to a much-needed day out—away from the judgemental gaze of her mother—including a new wardrobe and killer makeover, Anna finally sees herself as more than just an awkward nobody. With a newfound confidence, Anna convinces her parents to allow her to have the evening off to watch a band play. But freedom comes at a cost. In exchange, Anna agrees that she will travel to Texas the following day, on behalf of her father, to retrieve the cadaver of a felon executed by the state for the most heinous of crimes. It’s a trade that seems more than fair when she catches the eye of her school crush, guitarist Timmy Caperila. Unfortunately for Anna, Timmy’s is not the only attention her new look attracts. Naive and under the influence of one too many Seven and Cokes, Anna tries desperately to fend of the unwanted advances of Bruce Barnette. Luckily for her, Timmy comes to the rescue and Bruce gets jailed for aggravated indecent assault.

Life for Anna is good, at least for a while. Her fledgling romance with Timmy is blossoming into something more serious and with the help of her father she’s finally getting some independence. But Bruce and his friends only have one thing on their mind: revenge. It quickly becomes apparent that Bruce won’t be satisfied by anything but blood. Upon his release Anna and Naomi are left with only two choices: live the rest of their lives jumping at shadows or take a leap of faith and dabble in something so dangerous it was hidden from humanity for thousands of years. Suddenly, spending time with the corpses of monstrous serial killers isn’t the worst thing a teenage girl could face.

The Undertaker’s Daughter pushes the boundaries of friendship, faith and forgiveness. Refusing to shy away from skin-crawling details that make you want to both stop and continue reading at the same time, it delves into the depths of human depravity with a supernatural twist.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable. I especially appreciate how much John made me despise (intentionally of course) the antagonists.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author sent me a copy of this book in return for an honest review so let’s go!

There were moments I loved, moments I didn’t mind and moments I hated. I loved the kinda YA/coming of age/love story part. The MC’s parents are a trip with her mother being hella religious and controlling and her dad kind of just along for the ride/trying to give his daughter more freedom - felt like my upbringing.

I see the shock aspect to parts of this book, but there were moments that felt kind of out of nowhere - the just casual “oh my dad’s apprentice is fucking a corpse” caught me off guard, and then dad’s friend passing felt like A random thing to throw in to just add onto what this family has gone through.

As someone who was raised really religious and no longer wants anything to do with it due to religious trauma, the religious aspect (which is a huge part of this) wore on me - I think it was just that there was a lot of information being dumped that I just didn’t care about/if someone doesn’t already know these things I can imagine may get a bit text book feeling.

The MC’s total lack of emotion/complete naivety was both infuriating but also, understanding due to her sheltered upbringing. Like….her mom being a total bitch about the whole photo situation made me wanna shake the mom and hug the MC.

Overall a good read, but trigger warnings for sexual assault, religious trauma/control, necrophilia.

[Blaire White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was everything I thought it would be and then more. I liked the elements of horror it contained. I thought that the characters were all very well written and thought out. I enjoyed Anna and related to her. This book was a quick read for me however it did take awhile for some of the more intense horror scenes to pick up, but there was enough action to keep me engaged throughout most of the book. I also liked the romance that was included in this book as well. If you love dark magic, suspense, and the supernatural you will enjoy this book!

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first few chapters were a rapid fire introduction to the characters. It felt like a lot of people to keep track of. Anna, Timmy, Naomi and Abe are the only nice characters. Everyone else is a terrible person. Anna's friend Naomi is very interested in history and details a lot of Jewish history to us.

The amount of religious talk juxtaposed with all the terrible violence did not interest me. The more I read, the less I wanted to read.

I received a free copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.

[Bryan House · Rating 1 out of 5]

Received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

Oh no, I did not enjoy this novel. It was not for me. The title should be "Gratuitous Sexual Assault: The Novel"

There is just so much sexual assault in this novel. So so so much. So much. Most of the sexual assault is meaningless and adds nothing to the overall story.

I have to also note that the blurb on the back of the book contains information that does not occur in the book until about 3/4ths of the way in. I consider this spoiler territory - and wish the idea of the 'old Jewish Magic' was a concept introduced much earlier.

There were dense moments of religious theology that I personally would dramatically cut down as it was not engaging and took me out of the story

There is not one, but a group of antagonists in this novel that are evil. Born evil, unredeemable evil evil, chaotic evil vibes. Sometimes that works for me in a story, but here it did not becuase the characters were hollow sexual assault factories.

There was also a complete throw away scene of an apprentice sexually assaulting a corpse that served nothing in the overall narrative other than adding yet another scene of sexual assault

There were concepts in the story that I did enjoy however, I loved the hyper-protective-ultra-religeous-controlling mother and how the Protagonist wanted to rebel and break away from that mold set for her. I also enjoyed the protagonists' relationship with her father and living in such close proximity to so many corpses - ooky and spooky vibes that should have been leaned more into (in my opinion) , but unfortunatly these concepts didn't end up being the forefront of the novel

I'm not sure what the moral or the theme of the story was and I was just completely flabbergasted by the ending (in an icky not great way)

(Spoiler so look away now if you dont want those)

The overall ending of the novel was not cathartic to me in any way becuase the sexual violence was met with MORE sexual violence with the sexual assaulters being sexually assaulted. Instead of this feeling cathartic it feels like a dark void of even more sexual assault.

[Lezlie The Nerdy Narrative · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books, especially in the horror genre, that feature experimenting with or use of religious rituals/magic. What caught my attention with THE UNDERTAKER'S DAUGHTER is that it involved Jewish magic, an ancient Abrahamic ritual in fact. How could I not read it?!

CONTENT WARNINGS:
Suicide, Confrontation Rapist/Abuser, Rape, Sexual Abuse, Torture, Mutilation, Graphic Violence

Plot: 8
Characters: 7
Atmosphere: 6
Logic: 8
Intrigue: 9
Writing: 7
Enjoyment: 8

Plot
Seventeen year old Anna Dingel has always been a wallflower. Her strict mother is the major driving force behind this: making Anna dress in shapeless clothing, no makeup, no boys, no electronics - she still has to do her homework in the kitchen, for goodness sake. Can you imagine? I know you're thinking THIS must be the horror element of this one, but alas: it's even worse.

Anna gets a makeover from her best friend Naomi so Anna can go see her crush's band perform. A night of magic is ruined when the school bully forces himself on Anna later that night in the parking lot. While the bully is prevented from doing his worst and going to jail - the trouble really begins when he's released a few months later.

Where things get interesting is how Anna takes action. Her friend Naomi has a theory about a Jewish ritual that might just help protect Anna and her family. And it does....but not in the way the two had hoped or planned.

So while this is a familiar horror trope, the ritual used was explained in great detail and its discovery was actually introduced in the very beginning and developed over the course of the novel. It wasn't just used as a convenient plot device, where Naomi just happened to know this ritual, I really appreciated the attention given to this.

Characters
My experience in horror stories is that we don't always get a lot of development or growth from the characters. Typically I only care about one or two, but even then, I'm not that invested. Honestly, I kind of expect everyone to die, lol. What's different about these characters is that they felt genuine, like people I knew. They felt modeled after some folks I knew growing up and was making my own way through high school. I enjoyed all of the characters and their relationships, but if I had to pick a favorite, I'm going to go with Lieutenant Randall. He was a doll!

Atmosphere
While several parts of this story takes place in and around the town, we do spend a bit of time with the main character Anna at her home. Her home that she's lived in all her life. The one where her father runs his business out of and where the title of the book comes from....a funeral home. Now the home never gives off any type of fear or dread, but it doesn't have to. My imagination took care of all that for itself, thank you very much.

Logic
The author did an amazing job developing the religious aspects from the beginning while also setting up our horror story. It was brilliant, in my opinion. It made this supernatural tale believable. I know with these kinds of stories that some suspension of belief is required, but when an author weaves in the explanation from the beginning, it just made sense. The ritual the girls use that goes awry, Naomi didn't just pull it out of the air. From the beginning when we meet Naomi, she is fascinated by and following a recent discovery of ancient tablets. She was always researching these in the background, doing her own translating and came up with her own theories regarding what these ancient texts meant...and why they were hidden. It was amazingly well done.

Intrigue
I couldn't put this one down, which is kind of funny because I read the first three chapters and thought it was a bit choppy. It felt like someone had found a box of really old films that they cut up and spliced together to form a timeline, so we'd get a little info here, then switch to getting some info from a different character, then switch again. I thought okay, readers are getting to see the big picture, while the characters didn't. Suddenly, it was midnight and I was over halfway through the book! (And finished the other half the next day!)

Writing
I was a bit thrown off kilter from the way the introductory chapters were written, but after that, it was smooth sailing. This author does not fade to black or allude to acts of violence and in most cases, everything is right there on the page, so that may keep a lot of readers at bay. I don't shy away from it myself, but I do think it got a little excessive towards the end, I think once we established what was happening, we could have let a little more happen off page.

Enjoyment
I had a good time with this one. I loved getting a horror story that delved into the Jewish religion, as well as great discussions between the best friends, one was a Jew and one was a Christian. These two had many wonderful conversations about what they believed and why - it felt genuine and realistic. The two were each devout, didn't try to convert each other and they each sinned. Of course, the horror was absolutely delicious. One of my most favorite types of characters played a huge part in this story, but as it's a spoiler, I can't talk about it here except to say it was one of the most scary ones I've read about!

Will absolutely be looking into this author's backlog and reading more!

I did accept a copy of this book from the author for review consideration.

[Lucinda’s Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.9/5 stars for me!

If you’re a fan of Grady Hendrix, this book is one you need to grab!

Anna & her best friend Naomi start their summer with a full makeover for Anna, going from drab, plan & boring to fabulous and hot.

Anna goes to a bar to see her crush’s band play one fateful Saturday night. She learns that her feelings towards this young rockstar are mutual and so begins her summer of new, young love. Unfortunately for Anna, she and her crush are bullied by the local “cool” guys. This causes Anna & Naomi to turn to old Jewish magic to get some help.

Little do they realize that their use of magic will turn their life into a nightmare.

This is full of teen angst, nightmares and magic.
It was one fun, spooky read with coming of age lessons about facing your fears, forgiving those who have wronged you, and that first time love.

[Ian J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new one from a familiar name, The Undertaker's Daughter by John James Minster dropped recently and it's a fast-paced, horror-laced page turner.

We follow Anna Dingel on her journey through relationships, torment and horror, with several other supporting characters that keep the story interesting and varied. There's a healthy dose of old school magic that inevitably goes sideways and unleashes all manner of supernatural happenings onto the cast.

There are some cool scenes once the horror gets going, and a couple of unexpected twists that flip the table, so to speak. And who knew how involved an Undertaker's job was?

Grab yourself a copy, sit back and enjoy.

[Dana Halek Damato]

This is a cautionary tale about Anna Dingel, a very sheltered 17 year old, who has been raised in the family's funeral home. Except for her best friend, Naomi, and Timmy, a musician, she is mostly ignored by her classmates. When a bully who assaulted Anna gets out of prison, he plans revenge on her and her family. Anna and Naomi perform an ancient Jewish ritual in an attempt to scare off the bully and that's when things go all helter-skelter.

This book surprised me with its in depth discussions of religion and religious history and the way these topics lead into the chaos and macabre horror that is unleashed. It takes a lot to gross me out, but the author accomplished this in gruesome detail. This is a really well balanced story love, revenge and consequences with a very healthy dose of gruesome terror.

[DA · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a little heavy on the religious information, but I agree that aspect of it was important to the story. I actually learned a few things which was nice.
The story is a slow burn building up to the horror, so if you want action right away, this wouldn't be a book for you. But the tension of that slow burn makes the story better.
Overall, a solid read with interesting characters, a great storyline and a not so common creature.

[Michele Eskelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the author for an advance review copy.

This book read like Rob Zombie wrote the Sweet Valley High series. It had Jewish and Christian mysticism, gore and excessive violence, and I couldn't put it down. The author was intent on offending my senses and imagination over and over. I thought about this book a lot when I wasn't reading it. It's not for novice horror readers, but, it's definitely for those who love hardcore horror.

[J. Galliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky & gory! One to read!

A story which explores the evil that exists in the heart of men, albeit with a supernatural angle which you'll love. The author takes you on Anna's journey, where one unfortunate evening leads to hellish repercussions. A definite page-turner.

[Axl Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fully hated this tasteless piece of Christian propaganda badly disguised as a horror novel. I’ll try to set my convictions aside and give some objective thoughts about its aesthetic value. However, there’s not much positive stuff to report. As Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Baudelaire pointed out long ago, didacticism is not conducive to artistic beauty.

The book is vaguely entertaining in an amusing way like some mediocre YA horror or B-horror movie. The dialogue is well-crafted but the scarcity of physical details robs the scenes of any trace of realism. For the most part, you feel like reading an average play instead of a novel. The characters are full cardboard, a prime example being Anna’s (the MC’s) mom, whose just a fanatical Christian whose entire personality revolves around hating non-Christians with a passion. We met this sort of character before, in Stephen King’s Carrie or The Mist, but in those books they are portrayed as cunning and dangerous while Anna’s mom is as feeble and pitiful as a delusional patient in the psych ward. John James Minster also uses the tired trope of the evil-bullies-coming from-dysfunctional-families who torment the MC. The main plot is painfully predictable and uninspired and the author tries a little twist at the end and then falls on his face as the whole thing makes no sense.

The structure of this book is all messed up. It’s advertised as a supernatural horror novel but the supernatural element appears only late in the book and there’s really no horror. Usually, in supernatural horror, the paranormal appears early on and it’s the hook. Be it a haunted house, ESP, or interdimensional monsters, they appear early. For instance, in Stephen King’s The Dark Half, George Stark is followed from the opening pages and torments the MC throughout the book, which is what keeps you reading. In The Undertaker’s Daughter, the monster appears in the last quarter of the book, by which time the reader is already bored out of his mind. In addition to it not being really supernatural horror, this novel is not even horror. In horror, the reader creates a bond with the MC and the MC is in great danger. In supernatural horror, the danger has a paranormal origin. At no time in this novel is the MC in danger from a nefarious force. She's just bullied, which would make the thing psychological horror. Plus, we have no empathy toward her as she’s just a cardboard character. Similarly, the bullies which are killed and tortured, who cares about them, they’re just more cardboard. There are no real struggles here, no inner conflict, it’s all boredom and cliche.

One last comment about why I think this book is so bad. I mean, I could go on about this all day, but I have better things to do. Christians are fond of strict dichotomies: love vs. Hate, good vs evil, God vs Satan. And you see this in their horror writing. At times their craft is so good that you can appreciate it despite these prejudices. For instance, in Stephen King and Dean Koontz. But let’s face it, John Minster is nowhere near those two titans. In real life, there are many gray areas. Most people do both good and bad and very often is hard to judge their characters. Also, hate and love go together, humans would be weird creatures if they lacked either capacity, any psychologist can tell you. Hate can be the engine of amazing achievements, while the road to Hell is sometimes paved with good intentions. Let’s say, in a system of capitalism, doesn’t hatred for the competition and the will to succeed give rise to amazing technological inventions that benefit everyone? And isn’t the history of Christianity a prime example of widespread violence propagated in the name of love? In real life, love and hate are intermingled (which, incidentally is part of Nietzsche’s point in “Beyond Good and Evil.”) things are not black and white, but painfully complicated. That complexity of real life is what good writers are able to capture. By contrast, when a fervent Christian tries to write fiction from that limited and naive ideological perspective, when they insist that love trumps hate and God always prevails over Satan, the writing will always come up bad, skewed, and unrealistic. “If the poet has pursued a moral objective, he has diminished his poetic force.” Charles Baudelaire

[Jessica Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to thank John for giving me an advanced copy of this book! The cover drew me in immediately. The book has young romance, heavy religious aspects, bullies, revenge, and much more. Anna is an undertakers daughter and best friend to Naomi. Her mother is a very strict Christian who doesn't particularly like Anna's best friend Naomi because she is Jewish. There is ALOT about their religions in this book. You will read alot of back and forth educational/religious talk between Naomi and her sex crazed boyfriend. Naomi's boyfriend was the one character I could not get into. This is where the book lost a star for me. The parts of the book with him in it consists of middle school age sex talk from him anytime Naomi tried to have an adult conversation with him. Their conversations were hard for me to get through. Other than him I enjoyed the other characters. Naomi gives Anna a makeover and things start to look up for Anna. She has a crush on Timmy and after the makeover she feels confident enough to go see his band play. There she finds out Timmy also has a crush on her. Everything goes great until Anna is assaulted by some punk in the parking lot. After this, things spiral out of control and Naomi and Anna decide it's time to get some payback! I won't go any further into it because I don't want to spoil the book for anyone! I do believe it was a good book and think those who like younger character romance with religious revenge horror will like it!

[Ellie Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

~About

Set in Pennsylvania, USA, Anna Dingle assists her father David with his mortuary business. However, lately, Anna’s life has been missing something – the presence of adventure and romance – it seems. Anna seeks to explore the world, engaging with technology and her first experiences of dating, much to her religious mother’s stern disapproval.

When a gaggle of bullies begins to besmirch Anna’s reputation, she and best friend Naomi seek to return the favour by creating something unnatural to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies. However, their plans to solve Anna’s problems soon go awry, creating further problems neither could have anticipated.


~Characters

Although The Undertaker’s Daughter was filled with numerous characters, six specific individuals took centre stage for me; Anna Dingle, her father David and her mother Marge, Bruce Barnett, her love interest Timmy, and Anna’s best friend Naomi.

-Anna

Firstly, I would like to explore Anna’s character. Anna Dingle was a kind and caring young lady, with a combination of both beauty and brains. With her strict Christian upbringing, she began the story as quite naïve to the ways of the wider world, having been sheltered from so many of the usual teenage experiences, such as drinking, dating, and the use of modern technology. However, despite this sweet naïve undertone, Anna was not a young woman to be messed with. In difficult situations, she showed herself to be extremely resilient, able to keep a clear head so she could logically think through what decision she should make next. On the whole, she appeared to be wholesome and well put-together, supporting those she loved while doing all she could to resolve her own problems, even if it meant forgiving her enemies.


-David

Secondly, comes David Dingle, Anna’s father and resident undertaker. David is highly skilled in his work and possesses a cool, calm, and collected sense of being. He was a reasonable and rational man on the whole. However, when it came to his daughter Anna’s safety, he displayed a more courageous and protective side, doing whatever he could to keep Anna safe, and to minimize her distress in whatever way possible. David was a supportive and reassuring presence throughout the book, a strong contrast to Anna’s mother, Marge.


-Marge

Thirdly, allow me to introduce Marge Dingle, Anna’s very religious mother. As a devout, born-again Christian, Marge took a strict approach to how her daughter Anna was raised and didn’t seem to ever approve of anything in her daughter’s life. Anna was forbidden to wear makeup, to date, or to use modern technology as all her friends did. Marge always seemed quite cold and on edge, as though she never felt able to fully relax. Although I could understand why once I learned more about her character’s past, I still couldn’t warm to her at all. There was never a moment in the story where Marge’s sternness seemed to let up, not even when her own daughter was in pain and distress. Therefore, I found Marge’s character to be one-dimensional and easy to dislike.


-Naomi

Next, we come to Naomi, Anna’s best friend, a Jewish girl with a highly pragmatic way of thinking. Naomi was both a supportive and funny presence throughout the book. She would often crack jokes, relieving tense moments in a scene, as well as providing necessary informational context where needed. She was a caring and compassionate person, yet she was also highly logical and studious in nature, the kind of individual to investigate things at a deeper level, to understand what can be done to resolve a problem. Overall, I really came to adore Naomi’s character and found her to be a vibrant presence within the story.


-Timmy

Penultimately, I’d like to examine Timmy, a talented young musician and Anna’s love interest. Timmy was a sweet and caring young man, who immediately gave off a comforting and safe presence. He was also a protective and chivalrous individual, defending Anna’s honour when it was insulted by a far less considerate young man, and supporting Anna in her greatest hours of need. In addition, Timmy was intelligent and articulate, loving and genuine. He was a true gentleman, through and through, and made for a truly likable character.


-Bruce

Finally, we come to Bruce Barnette, the most hateful young man I’ve ever come across in literature (more or less.) It was immediately apparent that Bruce was a troublemaker, throwing eggs at people’s houses and breaking windows, and flirting with whatever pretty girl crossed his shadowy path. However, as the story progressed, it became apparent that he was more than just your average troublemaker ­­­– he was downright dangerous. He was an obsessive young man, completely lacking in empathy, and with severely violent tendencies. Although we get to know more about his family, which suggests a childhood of emotional neglect, I could not summon any empathy myself for Bruce’s character, who – to me – appeared as nothing more than a black hole of a person, sucking in all light and matter into his dark and swirling vortex.


~Positive Aspects

There were so many positive elements to The Undertaker’s Daughter, which I have listed below:

-Firstly, the characters are well-written, each with their own unique dreams, motivations, and backstories.

-Secondly, the tension-building was excellent and constantly kept me on my toes. Therefore, I could not put this book down.

-Thirdly, the plot was intriguing and moved along steadily (if not briskly at times), pulling me into the story with ease.

-In addition, the exploration of multiple third-person perspectives allowed for more variety in how we viewed the events of the story. Being able to see things from Anna’s, Naomi’s, and Bruce’s points of view (amongst others) really made the story come alive, as we could see how each lead character viewed the same events in a different way, as coloured by their goals, internal biases, emotions, and past experiences.

-Finally, I came to deeply care about the main characters, as if they were people I knew in real life. I was made privy to their most private thoughts and emotions, to witness their shame and their triumphs. In a sense, it felt like their stakes became my own, as if I would lose or gain whatever they did. In my opinion, this is the true art of a master storyteller and I commend the author for bringing me so close to their unique character’s private lives.


~Memorable Quotes

As always, I kept my eye out for some interesting quotes, settling on the following three.

1) ‘We must forgive our enemies. There is no forgiveness for us if we don’t forgive others who hate us.’

2) ‘Bullies are the same everywhere in the world – they seek out differences, flaws, openings to exploit to cause others pain – It’s only a surface excuse to unleash what’s inside of them, that spirit of hate forever goading them.’

3) ‘Hate. It’s real – It’s like electricity, in a way; always right there, a powerful current pulsing just beneath the switch, waiting for us to flick it on.’


~Overview

Overall, The Undertaker’s Daughter was a tense and gripping tale of hatred vs love and forgiveness as two friends work together to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies.

Other themes include friendship, religion, love, coming of age, and faith.

My Rating: 5 stars
Recommended to: Those aged 18 and over, who enjoy gripping and somewhat dark spiritual stories involving faith, retribution, friendship, and ancient magic.

[Mark Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not for me. While the plot as a whole has potential, the execution and storytelling falters tremendously. The use of sexual assault as a shallow plot device with no discussion or real reason was disgusting. Additionally, promoting this book as “a tale of supernatural horror” is misguiding the reader. Are there supernatural elements? Yes. But they don’t come into play until the very end. Throughout most of the book the “horror” is bullying and assault. Another thing that bothered me was the use of Christian history and religion; it felt incredibly preachy. I usually can tolerate this, but this felt like it was was going past your normal use and leaning into Bible thumping indoctrination.

The main character was one dimensional. So when it came time for the horrors to occur, I didn’t care for her safety. The rest of the cast was equally bland. On the bright side, Minster did write gore and action well. However, this does not show up until the last quarter. So in order to get to the good you have to trudge through pages and pages of poorly handled sexual assault, cardboard characters, and wall-to-wall religious iconography.

[Lauren Vick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This eerie and terrifying story will take you on a journey to the world of the dead and how they don’t like to be bothered, even by magic.

[Rose Auburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

17-year-old, Anna Dingel has had a strange upbringing. A religious fanatic for a mother and an undertaker for a father. It’s no surprise she’s not particularly popular with her peers.

However, all that changes when she is given a makeover by her only friend, Naomi. Not only does she catch the eye of Timmy, the boy she likes, but she also receives unwelcome attention from the class bully, Bruce Barnette.

As events with Bruce spiral horribly out of control, Naomi and Anna decide to try an ancient Jewish curse in a desperate effort to ward off Bruce and his cronies…

Based mainly in Pennsylvania, there are some strong horror elements in The Undertaker’s Daughter. The opening set in the Dingel Funeral Home, with its ghoulish yet detached exploration of mortuary science, was chillingly interesting and atmospheric with the setting an obvious shoo-in for some grisly, supernatural activity.

The reader is then given little introductory tableaux of various characters who are a touch stereotypical, it has to be said. However, they work well, giving the reader clear villains and heroes. It’s fairly evident that these characters will all dovetail with each other and will be involved in whatever awfulness occurs.

Anna is quite complex. Still quite naïve and sheltered, mainly due to her mother’s behavior yet completely non-fazed and accepting of certain things, such as traveling to pick up a corpse, that a regular 17-year-old girl might find challenging. Plus, it’s always gratifying to read an ugly duckling transformation.

Her best friend, Naomi Silver, drives the majority of the action and appears more mature with a nice line in smart, witty retorts. Nonetheless, there is quite a contrast between their teenage shenanigans and Naomi’s deep, complex interest in ancient Jewish magic and artifacts.

Indeed, The Undertaker’s Daughter covers several elements whilst it builds toward the carnage. Issues of consent, and the destructive power of social media. Bullying, sexual assault, and the sharp, almost painful intensity of that first teenage relationship are all touched upon.

Religion figures strongly throughout the novel. Strictly observant of her Jewish faith, Naomi is subjected to antisemitism and Anna comes from a devoutly Christian background. Although her mother, Margie with her constant tub-thumping, hellfire, and damnation rhetoric borders on the deranged.

Nonetheless, Anna’s father, David, was nicely convincing and written with depth and credibility. Arch-nemesis Bruce evolves from a leery, predatory bully to someone who has the clear potential to be a violent rapist which only fortuitous circumstances prevent.

The scenes with Anna picking up bodies from the Texas Penitentiary and driving them back to the funeral home were wonderfully creepy. Personally, more could have been developed with the first body Anna collects.

However, when the body of Marcus Midlothian is picked up from the jail, the reader is aware this will probably be where the horror lies. And, indeed it is. The reader is given a clear, disturbing sense of this thing that has been reanimated as a Golem.

His modus operandi does not differ from the one that placed him on death row. It’s viscerally nasty and brutal in the extreme with distinctly deviant sexual overtones which ironically puts him on a par with Bruce, who gets what he deserves and then some.

Retribution is the order of the day and it gives the reader satisfaction as the characters it’s meted out to, are pretty base and their behavior has been vile, and that includes the mortuary trainee, Taylor.

Notwithstanding, Naomi and Anna appear emotionally disconnected from the gruesome punishment their resurrected cadaver unleashes and somewhat unconcerned as they embark on new lives.

The Undertaker’s Daughter is a macabre and supernatural mash-up with a side order of sweet teenage romance amongst the gore-laden, ritual-induced vengeance. Well worth a look for fans of hybrid horror thrillers.

[Brian James Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE UNDERTAKER’S DAUGHTER
John James Minster
October 25, 2022
Hellbender Books
Reviewed by Brian “Skull” Lewis

Hello horror fans! It’s me, your old pal Skull, with a new novel by John James Minster, The Undertaker’s Daughter. This is high school horror taken to a higher level by some old Jewish magic that makes it fresh and inclusive to those familiar with the traditions and educates people who aren’t. Like myself, for instance. Hey, even a member of the undead community can’t know everything! Anna Dingle is a smart young woman who helps her undertaker father with the family business. But she’s tired of being viewed as a plain jane with a brain. Anna wants to be seen as beautiful and sexy, the desire of handsome high school hunks. Especially one lucky guy named Timmy who plays guitar like he was born to do it.

Anna’s bestie, Naomi offers her assistance, with stunning results. But things don’t go exactly as planned. Even though she blows Timmy out of the water, she doesn’t do it without attracting a truckload of trouble. Namely, Bruce Barnette and his crowd of cruddy cronies, a group of garbage that make the mean kids in Stephen King’s Carrie seem kind of friendly. At least they had a few redeeming qualities. Barnette’s crew could’ve been close friends of theirs, though. So instead of a dreamy teenage love summer, Anna and Timmy spend way too much time worrying when Barnette will strike again.

Things reach critical mass when family is dragged into the mess. Once again, Naomi comes to the rescue. More than just a pretty face, she’s deep into the study of ancient religious mysteries and a recent discovery leads to her creating a powerful protector from one of the funeral home’s cadavers with a unique history. Since reason and the local criminal justice system haven’t been much help to the girls, it’s time to fight fire with fire! Or is it? Anna’s got a conscience and doesn’t want to pollute her life with bad energy, but is she making the right decision? There’s only one way to find out and that’s to grab a copy of The Undertaker’s Daughter by John James Minster from your favorite bookseller.

Damaged Skull Writer and Reviewer gives The Undertaker’s Daughter A FIVE STAR RATING! This is a powerful story full of plot twists that delivers some serious messages. So, while it starts out in a bright and cheery high school fashion, this ain’t Barbie and Ken in plastic paradise. One quick note: those sensitive to reading sexual assault scenes should proceed with a bit of caution. On the other end of the spectrum, fathers who love their daughters may do some fist pumps when the big bad wolf finds out what it’s like to be prey. Overall, a solid horror novel about bullying, family, friendship, faith and the power of love. Recommended.

Want to find out more about John James Minster? Then head on over to:
Website: http://johnjamesminster.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnjamesmi...
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/johnjam...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/minsterwriter
You can also order The Undertaker’s Daughter directly from Sunbury Press here: https://www.sunburypress.com/collecti...

And don’t forget to follow me, your old pal Skull, at: www.damagedskullwriterandreviewer.com which will help your favorite independent authors, poets, and publishers. This is an inclusive blog where everyone is valued, except for haters who are heartily encouraged to climb into the nearest industrial trash compactor and press start. My human host, Brian James Lewis is a disabled poet and writer with PTSD who has 3 new Beat Generation style poems in Trajectory Journal issue 23, available now! As is issue 22 which contains his terrifying short story Following My Destiny about misguided mass shooter Chance McCandless. We’re also on Twitter @skullsnflames76 and Goodreads. See you soon!

[Katy The Sleepy Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fantastic book full of suspense, thrills, horror and some really disgusting scenes.

Anna Dingle is a girl about to be 18 and she is in love. Her parents are extremely strict Baptists. Mostly her mother, who believes that electronics are of the devil and that dressing anything but like an old spinster will turn you into some harlot. Her best friend, Naomi, takes her to the mall and gives her a total makeover. Hair, clothes, make-up, the works. When she's done, Anna is transformed from ugly duckling to gorgeous swan. Her father is a mortician and they run the family business from their home. So, Anna has been around death her whole life.

After her transformation, she goes to a local bar for an all-ages show to see her crush, Timmy, play in his band. Her father agreeing, she could go to the show, as long as she drives to Texas to pick up a corpse, someone who has recently been executed. While at the concert, another man shows interest in her. A fellow classmate, Bruce Barnett. He tries to assault her after the concert and Timmy steps in. Bruce ends up in jail. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning of bad things happening to Anna.

For a while, things for Anna go well. However, Bruce and his cronies will stop at nothing to ruin her life after he believes that it is her fault that he is in jail and is missing out on a huge summer job opportunity plus the loss of income spoils his plans for a sports car he has his eye on.

Naomi is Jewish and has been researching a set of tablets that have recently been unearthed and what it means for her people. In the scrolls is supposedly the real name of Jesus and the scrolls were written thousands of years before he was even mentioned. The real name can be used to create and animate a Golem. She brings the idea to Anna, suggesting they create a Golem to help solve their problems with Bruce and his gang. What happens after the creation is nothing short of horrific.

This story is written really well, and you feel the friendship and faith between Anna and Naomi, even if they are from differing backgrounds. This is also a story of forgiveness. The characters are written in a way that you really feel emotions for them. Whether or emotions are love or hate, you will feel them. I really liked the religious tones in the book. As a Baptist myself, I really identified with Anna. My parents were nothing like her, but we have a lot of other similarities. I despised the antagonists and was not at all sorry for what happened to them. I received this book free from the author for an honest review.

[Leebs · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Undertaker’s Daughter
By John James Minster

2/5 stars ⭐️⭐️

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Someone on one of my book groups said “there is a reader for every book”. Unfortunately I don’t think I was the reader for this book. It is marketed as an adult book but the language reads as YA. I am not a fan of YA as a rule as I need a lot more complexity to be able to engage. The last part of the book becomes very adult, but it took a while to get there.

The main character is a 17 year old who is coming of age. We follow her as she deals with her controlling parents, falls in love, and experiences trouble from the local arsehole. I found her difficult to connect with as we don’t really hear a lot of her inner world. I needed more from her to feel invested or connect with her emotionally. Bad things happen to her but we don’t really get to know what kind of impact they have on her. Another thing I struggled with was the amount of religious information bestowed upon me. I am an atheist and not religious at all, and ended up having to skim read pages and pages. The information wasn’t really woven into the story, and it just felt like a load of facts being poured on me. I know a lot of people would find religious lore interesting, but it just missed the mark for me.

This book gets points for having a vegan character though. Hooray! It’s amazing just how little that happens. And the vegan character wasn’t a weirdo either!

We get most of the action in the last quarter of the book. Now here is where the author kicks some butt. He writes gore really well. I was hooked and had to finish it right there and then. When it all gets going it REALLY gets going. It’s just a shame there wasn’t more in the first part of the book!

[michelle peckham · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Undertakers Daughter by John James Minster

Firstly thank you to the author @johnjamesminster for my gifted copy of the book sent all the way from the USA and I’m sorry it took me so long to read ! What with Christmas grandchildren, Parents and then getting Bronchial Pneumonia from my Grandson the past Month has been hectic !
This book isn’t a long read in fact should be relatively quick with 222 so pages.
The cover very atmospheric and relative to the story. As soon as I read the line ‘Don’t play with dead things’ I knew it was going to be good.

The book is about Anna Dingel an introvert 18-year old who’s Father runs a Funeral home.
Her mother is strict and stifling. Timmy a boy at school seems to like Anna and has written a song about her. He is playing live at a local bar so after a makeover from her best friend Naomi and promising her father no drinking etc she goes to watch him. In the car park a boy from the school clique attempts to assault Anna. Once the leader is released from jail, so begins a cruel retribution, turning Anna and Timmy’s summer of love into a nightmare. Targeting not only her but her fathers funeral business.

In an attempt to frighten the bullies, Anna and Naomi experiment with recently revealed old Jewish magic. Using a cadaver from the prison a man killed on Death Row, a giant of a man, while her parents are away. They cast the magic and turn him to a Golem a walking dead who is now reeking havoc in revenge. But the girls only wanted to frighten their wrong doers.

A supernatural horror about forgiveness, and consequences. Along with it a vital lesson not to play with dead things.

Great little Horror Novel with a touch of the Supernatural.

[Stacy · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 18%.

TW: assault, r**e

I was sent a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I went in excited, but was soon let down. Firstly, the writing itself is very juvenile. The dialogue is clunky and cringey.

This is marketed as YA, which disgusts me because the sex talk in this is full of toxic masculinity and "shock value." I could sense assault was going to happen and had to stop.

I can read topics such as assault and R*pe, as long as its handled with empathy and written maturely. Reading something that triggering, so poorly executed would be extremely upsetting.

Originally, I was just going to DNF and move on with my life. I sent the author a thank you for the copy and explained that because of sensitivity to those topics the book isn't for me.

He replied saying that if I'm sensitive to "dark actions" to just stop reading and throw it in the trash.

A pretty ignorant response.

He never gave a trigger warning when soliciting the book. And after reading a small part of it and interacting with him, I can tell he's only using these themes for shock value and has no sympathy for survivors of sexual assault. This book and the author disgust me.

Usually, I would donate a book even if I didn't like it, however I will be tossing this in the trash, thanks to the authors recommendation and ignorance.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️ rounded up...I wanted to feel differently about this book. I appreciate so much that the author sent me a beautiful personalized signed copy.

I liked the premise of the story. We can start there. It was interesting and kept my attention throughout.

I started reading some of the dialogue out loud to see if it was me, or if something felt off. It just all felt very unnatural. Almost satirical at times. It made a lot of the dialogue tough to get through.

The characters were also pretty flat. I don't know that I've ever read a book where they give me the height and weight of a character and I felt some restrictions as a reader due to those descriptions. I also heavily disagreed and was even annoyed with the way Tammy was referred to throughout the story.

I fully knew this was religious in its nature, the author marketed it as such. Those parts were interesting to me and I appreciate the simplicity in which they were delivered. For someone who isn't religious, it helped me not get left behind.

Read more as YA slasher (is that a thing?) than supernatural horror for me but I did enjoy the coming of age aspect.

Thank you very much to the author for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a traumatic assault, Anna and her best friend, Naomi mess with dark magic in an effort to protect Anna from further violence. As this is a horror novel, this all, of course, goes terribly wrong.

The best thing about Minster's book is the attention to detail. I could fully picture everyone and all the action perfectly in my head, like a movie playing out on a mental movie screen. It endeared the main protagonists to me, and I became very invested in their problems and ultimate fates. I also enjoyed the mixture of theology and religious elements into the plot. Although I'm not religious myself, I found this aspect of the book fascinating.

What I didn't like was multiple instances of graphic sexual assault. It's a personal trigger of mine and really detracted from my enjoyment of the book. I had to skim over a lot. I would advise those with similar triggers to skip this one. However, if sa is not a personal trigger for you, this is an interesting debut novel from a promising writer. I look forward to seeing what he does next.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.