Sign Here

My first clue that this book about Hell would take me to weird places in my imagination? The MC’s name is Peyote Trip. Enough said.  Sure there’s the heat, torture and misery, but this version of Hell reminded me more of an inescapable version of Office Space or The Office, just with a perpetually broken coffee machine, ‘every man for himself’ backstabbing, bucketloads of snark, and a boss from … well … Hell.

Peyote “Pey” Trip works in the Deals Department on the 5th floor of Hell.  He does the whole “Sell your soul to me and I’ll give you something you want” thing, if you sign your name on his tablet. (Technology has made strides down below.) If he can sign 5 generations of souls in a particular family - a “complete set” - he gets a second shot at his own life, He’s got four in the Harrison family. He just needs one more: quiet, awkward 14-year old, Mickey.  It’s a good thing he’s got a sweet new co-worker named Cal - short for Calamity Ganon - to assist his efforts … maybe. There’s more to her than meets the eye.

Silas and Lily Harrison and their kids: Mickey and her older brother, Sean, are heading to their family summer home in New Hampshire. The ghosts of an event sixteen years prior that led to the conviction and suicide of Silas’ brother, Phil, still haunt Silas and Lily’s marriage. Luckily, Mickey’s new friend, Ruth, has brought her infectious energy and charm along for the vacation this year to liven things up. One thing is certain: this is a vacation none of them will forget.

So, how do these two storylines go together? Well, the answer is not much! Though it’s mentioned early on that Pey has zeroed in on Mickey as his best chance for a complete set of Harrison souls, there’s precious little mention of her or her family in Peyote and Cal’s storyline until close to the end. Cal’s sad backstory and a plan pertaining to it dominate Pey and Cal’s thread.  There’s also a lot of dark humor and snark involved in it, whereas the Harrison family thread plays more like a low-burn family drama mixed with a mystery/suspense plot.

Here’s the thing:  It actually worked for me.  It was like getting two stories in one book!  I had fun with the humor and snark of the Hell storyline, even if Cal’s backstory was the weakest aspect of the book for me, and I really enjoyed the unfolding drama and mystery of the Harrison’s storyline.  I thought all the characters were interesting, so bouncing back and forth between the plots didn’t bother me, and when the two stories finally came together and all was revealed, I thought it was really clever and satisfying. 

As for complaints? Well they say the devil is in the details, and there are some details that needed to be fleshed out and others that didn’t always bear up under closer scrutiny, but these were minor issues for me. 

I thought it was an entertaining story and a promising debut.  I’ll definitely be watching for Claudia Lux’s next book! 

★★★★ 

Thanks to Elisha Katz at Berkley Publishing Group, NetGalley, and author Claudia Lux for this digital ARC to honestly review.  It’s due to be published October 25, 2022.