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Reviewed by Sherri Fulmer Moorer for Readers' Favorite
Yvgeny thought it would be just another day: prepping for a funeral, and one more burial at the funeral home where he lives and works with his mother. His day is turned upside down when his gravedigger finds the grave for the funeral already occupied, by a body with no head or hands. Shocked to find this misadventure in his small Georgia town, the eccentric undertaker with a penchant for Victorian clothing and pawning the jewelry of the deceased decides to take on the case on his own. Add a bumbling law enforcement officer, a crude woman who enamors Yvgeny, and the strange residents of his town, and you have a unique and fun mystery in The Body in the Hole: Book One of the Undertaker Series by Jonathan Zeitlin.
I enjoyed this novel for its dark humor and Yvgeny's unique perspective on the case. He does run across clues that others would miss and while his motives might not be the most noble, he does have a fire and enthusiasm to find the case resolved - and not just to save the reputation of his funeral home. Yvgeny has an appreciation for a profession that most of us would find distasteful, and is able to find beauty and meaning in things that most of us overlook in the course of day to day life. It truly does take a unique and special person to work in the funeral industry and while Yvgeny is unique, I find his demeanor and respect for life common to others I've spoken with who work in this profession. Plus, it's just a good, fun mystery novel.
