Wow, a Marr book without a single fey! The best-selling author of the young adult "Wicked Lovely" series brings something entirely different to the table in her adult fiction debut. Residents of Claysville stay in Claysville-not because they don't want to leave, but because they can't. The small town is immediately familiar but leaves an eerie, prickly feeling at the back of your neck. The Town Council knows things the other residents can't imagine. Claysville is safe enough, as long as the dead stay dead. The Undertaker and his Graveminder uphold the centuries-old contract between this world and the next, but the town's Graveminder has been murdered. New Undertaker Byron loves Rebekkah-he always has-but now he has to convince her that she belongs to him and the dead. In the town of Claysville, there are the living, the dead, and those who exist between. VERDICT You need to plan ahead to read this one, because you won't be able to put it down! Haunting, captivating, brilliant!--Jennifer Anderson, Texas A&M Univ., Corpus Christi (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Beware the hungry dead, for they will rise from the grave to eat.Maylene Barrow is Claysville's graveminder, a thing far different from a sexton caring for a cemetery's grounds. Death has a contract with her town. As long as the graveminder gives the dead "words, food, and drink," Claysville's citizens will not die before the age of 80, unless from an accident. People born in Claysville rarely leave its comfortable borders. If they leave, they feel compelled to return to the idyllic town. And those born in Claysville must be buried there lest they become one of the Hungry Dead. Death"Mr. D," or informally, "Charles"made this contract with the first of the Barrow women, Abigail, more than 200 years ago. Abigail discovered the magic Underground where the dead live, and fascinated with Abigail, Mr. D followed her to the land of the living, unwittingly releasing havoc upon Claysville. The bookopens with Maylene killed by one of the Hungry Dead, Daisha, a girl murdered and buried beyond Claysville's pastoral borders. Maylene's granddaughter, Rebekkah, home for Maylene's funeral, learns she is the next graveminder. Romance enters the immortal conflict when Rebekkah discovers that Byron, for whom she refuses to admit love, has also returned and will be her Undertaker, her guide between the worlds of the living and the dead. Rebekkah, in danger from Daisha and other undead who are nourished only by human flesh and blood, has long felt guilt over the suicide of sister Ella, who was to be the next graveminder. Ella chose death and the magic life Underground rather than familial duty. Endangering Rebekkah's mission is Cecelia, Maylene's daughter, burning with hatred because she and her daughters have been passed over. There's minimal exposition and routine character development, but the emotional dance between Rebekkah and Byron will captivate female readers.Fantasy-horror fans will demand more.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Rebekkah Barrow returns to the town of Claysville following the brutal murder of her grandmother, Maylene. There she and old flame Byron Montgomery discover that the town's founders made a deal with a mysterious Mr. D. In exchange for the health and welfare of its residents, the town must provide a Graveminder to ensure the dead easy passage into the next world. As it turns out, Maylene was the Graveminder for decades and now Rebekkah has inherited the job. But in Maylene's absence the dead have started to rise. Now Rebekkah and Byron must work to get things back to normal before the dead outnumber the living. Emma Galvin's narration is solid and appropriate, and the slightly Southern twang she delivers perfectly captures the gothic atmosphere of this haunting novel. Her characterizations are simple but distinct, and her interpretation of the creepy Mr. D. is particularly captivating. A William Morrow hardcover. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.