Death and Other Occupational Hazards Book Review

Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronika Dapunt is a sharp, darkly funny debut that delivers workplace satire with a supernatural twist

Synopsis: Death and Other Occupational Hazards

Murder is serious business—unless you’re Death herself.

In this brilliantly quirky and darkly hilarious mystery, Veronika Dapunt reimagines Death—not as a grim skeleton, but as a no-nonsense, sarcastic woman in need of a break. But time off isn’t so relaxing when someone starts killing off people not on her list.

Death Takes a Holiday… and Finds a Killer

After millennia of escorting souls to the afterlife, Death decides she’s earned a sabbatical. London seems like the perfect place to blend in, eat curry, and explore the human experience—until corpses start turning up early. Someone is jumping the queue, and it’s messing with her paperwork.

Worse, her estranged sister Life won’t stop hovering, blaming her for everything going wrong in the mortal world. Add in a suspiciously attractive parasitologist and a growing existential crisis, and Death’s little break is turning into a cosmic nightmare.

Armed with dry wit, a love of bold fashion, and millennia of otherworldly experience, Death sets out to solve the murders, prove her innocence, and maybe—just maybe—figure out what it means to live a little.

This is Death like you’ve never seen her—brilliant, biting, and reluctantly human.
Dark comedy meets heartfelt storytelling in a one-of-a-kind mystery that might just steal your heart before Death gets to it.

Review: Death and Other Occupational Hazards

Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronika Dapunt is a dark comedy that taps into the universal absurdities of the modern workplace—except the workplace in question is run by God, and Death is just trying to get a day off.

In this delightfully offbeat novel, Death faces all-too-familiar work problems: overbearing bosses, unhelpful communication from the top, frustrating co-workers (including a sister named Life, who still hasn’t forgiven her for the whole dinosaur incident), and a system that seems to be falling apart. The story unfolds when people start dying outside of Death’s knowledge—an unusual glitch in what should be a very controlled operation.

The humor here is dark but surprisingly accessible. Dapunt’s satire cleverly exaggerates everyday workplace issues just enough to make them hilarious, while still feeling oddly familiar. Whether it’s the hassle of booking leave, dealing with clueless temps, or struggling with corporate red tape, the comedy lands because it comes from a place many readers will recognize.

That said, while the tone and premise are strong—think cozy mystery meets workplace comedy—the execution of the plot falters a bit. The novel builds momentum well and keeps the reader intrigued, but the conclusion feels either rushed or under-edited, leaving the ending less satisfying than it could have been.

Still, for a debut novel—especially in a genre like comedic fiction that’s notoriously hard to pull off—Dapunt impresses. Death and Other Occupational Hazards is witty, inventive, and brimming with charm. If you’re looking for something light, quirky, and a little bit twisted to escape into, this is a great pick.

Conclusion

A sharp, darkly funny debut that delivers workplace satire with a supernatural twist—even if the ending stumbles a little.

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Above all Keep Safe and treat people fairly.

Mark.