Death and Other Occupational Hazards
Paperback Published on: 26/03/2026
Price: £9.99
Bookseller Reviews
View all
Dark humour with a sensitive side
I found myself really enjoying this debut novel. It was full of dark humour and I was laughing out loud at various points! I loved the human representation... READ MORE
Hilarious and endearing side to Death
Death has had enough and decides to have a sabattical (apparently, she's taken too many holidays in the past, and the Boss isn't happy).
This book is hi... READ MORE
Funny and Fresh!
This was a really great read. Good humour is well incorporated into every inch of the book, from the world building to the characters and the way they inte... READ MORE
Perfectly unique, with a great murder mystery
This was such a great read! Death goes on sabbatical and delves straight into a murder mystery. Unplanned deaths put an end to what should have been a holi... READ MORE
Brilliant Debut
I really enjoyed this! Death is a very warm, funny, charming heroine, and I loved the world that Veronika Dapunt has created.
I raced through this in 2 ... READ MORE
Heartwarming Death
Death is fed up with the way humans visualise her; skull, black shapeless potato sack and a scythe (do they know how impractical a scythe is to use!). Foll... READ MORE
A delightfully quirky book
This was a delightfully quirky story with a plot filled with great twists and turns. Unexpectedly, it is also a book with a great depth to it, emotionally ... READ MORE
One of the best books I’ve read this year
Death has come to Earth for a vacation, a much needed rest and a way to convince people that Death is actually a nice person. But when people turn up murde... READ MORE
Synopsis
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE
Good Omens meets Bella Mackie in this wickedly funny, joyful and twisted murder mystery.
'I could practically hear Louis Armstrong crooningWhat a Wonderful World in the background' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Beautifully bonkers' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'I laughed, I cried (no, seriously, I ugly cried)⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Death is having an existential crisis – and honestly, she needs some time off. But the minute she arrives in London for a well-earned break, everything goes terribly wrong:
1. People still insist she’s a scythe-wielding skeleton in a black sack. Spoiler: she’s a woman who'd love a wardrobe upgrade, thanks.
2. Life, her sanctimonious sister, blames her for, well, everything.
3. A string of murders occurs off-schedule. Nothing ruins a holiday quite like an admin disaster.
4. A charming (sexy) scientist shows up, and, of course, he’s hiding something.
5. And she’s stuck in a mortal body . . . while there's a killer on the loose.
But she’ll be fine, right?
After all, who better to investigate a murder than Death herself?
PRAISE FOR DEATH AND OTHER OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS:
'One of my favourite books of any year' IAN MOORE
'A total SCREAM' JANICE HALLETT
'There are shades of Terry Pratchett in Dapunt's debut novel . . . An entertaining page-turner with plenty of metaphysical fun and games' THE GUARDIAN
'Wickedly irreverent and clever'IRISH INDEPENDENT
'Gripped me from the start and kept me hooked to the end'DAILY MAIL
'A constant grin of a novel' SFX
'Wonderfully observed and brilliantly imagined. . . it made me fall more in love with life' LUAN GOLDIE
'A tour de deathly force' ALICE BELL
Publisher information
- Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
- ISBN: 9781804995044
- Number of pages: 384
- Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 25 mm
- Weight: 256g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allFunny Debut
Thank you to the publishers for this early review copy.
This is a funny debut, a crime read, a sci fi read and a story about family love, friendships and ... READ MORE
Absolutely amazing! Stand out for 2025
Imagine Death taking a sabbatical on earth and trying to solve unplanned deaths with a parasiteologist, while trying to stop the devil disguised as an Alba... READ MORE
Fabulous debut
Death needs a holiday but the boss isn't keen so Death frames it as a sabbatical and off to earth she goes. Unfortunately things don't go quite to plan as ... READ MORE
Death in the real world
I liked this book, it was nice to see Death from another point of view. I loved her sense of style and how sick of dark colours she was.
Death decides ... READ MORE
Unique take on death
Title: Death and Other Occupational Hazards
Author: Veronika Dapunt
Pages: 384
Rating: 5/5
Spice/Romance level: ❤️
This was such a quirky unique r... READ MORE
Funny and lovely!
This is such a heartwarming read.
Death, desperate for a holiday, takes a sabbatical, in the body of a human. Unfortunately, rather than it being a bre... READ MORE
You feel sorry for Death!
I really don’t like to cry over books – in fact, I avoid books where I think I might cry – but there’s one thing about a book that makes you cry: it clearl... READ MORE
Despite the title, it's a LIFE affirming joy
I found this book to be a deliciously different and engaging story.
Death - personified as a young woman, with a very clear sense of style, needs a holid... READ MORE
Death likes colour!
I recommend this book for people who like paranormal fiction and something with a bit of humour to it
Darkly funny
Death and Other Occupational Hazards was a darkly funny novel. The mystery aspect was a good vehicle for moving the story on and the supernatural character... READ MORE
Loved This Book, One of My Favourites of 2025!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A lot more than I thought I would, to be honest. It's a bit of a mix - a funny supernatural murder mystery. It has an outst... READ MORE
Not for me…
This book follows Death personified as she takes a sabbatical from her job and lives as a human, only to be embroiled in a murder mystery. She does this wh... READ MORE
Death is burnt out, but her work is never finished...
4/5 Stars!
A fun and light hearted story
A unique story that is well written and entertaining.
A really enjoyed the premise that death goes on holiday to London. Her sister, Life tries to protec... READ MORE
Unusual story
An unusual story but I enjoyed every single moment. Death, Life, God all together following The Plan but I'm glad that Death is herself once more, look out... READ MORE
Very entertaining
I was sent a copy of Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronika Dapunt to read and review by NetGalley. I loved this book! It is very entertaining ... READ MORE
Brilliant!
Just brilliant! A funny, quirky read about Death, Life, sisterhood and what it is to be human. I really enjoyed this quirky story - Death needs a break, wh... READ MORE
Enjoyed it
When Death takes a sabbatical to live on Earth and try to change humanity’s image of her, things start to go terribly wrong. Someone is killing people who ... READ MORE
A delightful read
A perfect blend of humour, mystery and smarts. 'Death' is a fabulous female lead, and I especially loved the voice in this debut novel. The plot is very cl... READ MORE
Great debut novel!
Great debut novel for Veronika Dapunt! I really enjoyed this; it's an interesting take on life, love, and death, with some murder mystery thrown in. I foun... READ MORE
Silly, witty and whimsical
I had a such a fun time reading Death and Other Occupational Hazards. It is silly, witty and whimsical. It doesn't take itself too seriously and is just as... READ MORE
Hilariously Funny Dark Comedy
Believe it not, this is actually the second book that I've read told from Death's perspective with the first being The Book Thief many years ago; however t... READ MORE
Refreshing, brilliant debut
I absolutely loved Death and Other Occupational Hazards, such unique and intriguing worldbuilding, the perfect dose of mystery, and a witty, charming heroi... READ MORE
Death never had so many problems before
So much fun, fantasy to enjoy and make you think just a little as you enjoy the book. Death is a human girl, well she is when her sister, life, arranges he... READ MORE
different and irreverent
This was certainly a different read and I enjoyed its genre bending, irreverent style describing Death's earthly sabbatical. It was surprisingly moving in ... READ MORE
Good read
Death is not a figure in black carrying a large scythe, it a woman who needs a holiday. Her sister, Life, who she has a fractious relationship with, organ... READ MORE
An unusual premise leads to a very good story.
The ancient Greeks believed that the gods had power over everything. In this book, there is a similar system with a hierarchy similar to that in present-da... READ MORE
Four stars!
Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronika Dapunt is a whimsical, witty and thoroughly entertaining mash-up of fantasy, comedy and mystery that offer... READ MORE
Veronika Dapunt's debut novel presents a compelling exploration of Death's unexpected sabbatical on Earth.
'I am Death. The Destruction. The Nothingness. The end that makes beginnings possible. The chaos and the order. The greatest, most destructive power in all... READ MORE
A must read! Sheer enjoyment from start to finish.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.
What a great book! I laughed, I gasped (especially at the end of chapter 29), I ... READ MORE
WIld, slick and sassy.
Refreshing escapism and wildly entertaining, 'Death and Other Occupational Hazards' will keep you dancing attendance as Death battles with life on earth an... READ MORE
Darkly funny, uniquely absurd and madly entertaining debut novel
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld for this ARC.
Death feels burnt out and underappreciated so puts in for a sabbatical in London in... READ MORE
Death has feelings too!
Death is fed up with people thinking that she is a man dressed in black with a scythe when she's really a nice being who tries to make people's transition ... READ MORE
A fun read
This was a fun read, and I do like the idea of Death being a woman! Death has been doing her job forever, and she helps those at their final moments, wheth... READ MORE
A little bit of something different
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It is a good mix of imagination and realism and the more I read, the more I wanted to find out what happened next.
The stor... READ MORE
Funny, inciteful and absolutely crazy
A very enjoyable read. Death, a female, wants a holiday so comes to London to live with humans. She wears outlandish bright colours to counteract the hum... READ MORE
A unique perspective upon Death - she narrates it!
Veronika Dapunt’s novel, Death and Other Occupational Hazards, adopts a unique perspective. It is narrated by Death herself. I say “herself” because she is... READ MORE
Thoroughly enjoyable
Thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining book based upon the grim reaper. Who'd have thought that the grim reaper would turn out to be a woman just doing her ... READ MORE
A fun read
This is such a quirky and fun read, with the best characters, I loved loved Death and her interactions with ‘life’ the most, so funny.
The fact that the... READ MORE
Unusual story
An unusual story but I enjoyed every single moment. Death, Life, God all together following The Plan but I'm glad that Death is herself once more, look out... READ MORE
Strong Debut Novel
Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronika Dapunt is an exceptionally well-written and engaging debut novel. It was a runner-up for the 2023 Comedy W... READ MORE
Delightful
This was such a fun, fascinating read! We follow Death as they take a sabbatical on Earth. Their sister Life gives them a human body and they decide to get... READ MORE
Really enjoyed this debut
Death & other occupational hazards is a fun read about what death is really like, deressed by how the humans stereotype her with the black sack and scythe... READ MORE
Enjoyable story
An unusual story but I enjoyed every single moment. Death, Life, God all together following The Plan but I'm glad that Death is herself once more, look out... READ MORE
Death on sabbatical discovers food, crime and… romance?
When Death finds herself with a solicitous soul on her ‘boat,’ she realises that she wants humans to know her as less of a spectre in black with a scythe a... READ MORE
Bold and inventive
Death and Other Occupational Hazards was a fantastically funny murder mystery with a touch of romance.
I heard Death has to solve a murder mystery and ... READ MORE
Touch tale of Death
This was surprisingly a fun book to read. I have not read another book about Death with this kind of personality and unique perspective that had plenty of ... READ MORE
You may also like...
Assassin’s Apprentice
Price: £9.99
The Song of Achilles
Price: £9.99
Once Upon a Broken Heart
Price: £10.99
Dungeon Crawler Carl
Price: £22.00
The Devils
Price: £10.99
Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 30 Volume 30
Price: £8.99
Between Two Fires
Price: £22.00
The Unicorn Hunters
Price: £20.00
Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 30
Price: £8.99
A Court of Thorns and Roses 7
Price: £30.00
Katabasis
Price: £10.99
With Hearts of Flame
Price: £22.00
Untitled Empyrean (Not Book Four)
Price: £22.00
Runebreaker
Price: £22.00
Vine of Hearts
Price: £20.00