Grim Portents by Christian Akins

Bill Baker wants nothing more than to marry the woman he loves, but when his wedding is interrupted by a rampaging hell-beast, his life is thrown into disarray. Desperate for a second chance, he will do anything to set his future back on track. Now, with the help of a soul-collecting reaper named Sonny, he must uncover who is releasing monsters from Hell, in order to earn back the life that was stolen from him and prevent the oncoming end of days. Faced with the choice between what is right and what is easy, Bill may have to sacrifice all he holds dear for one last shot at life. Grim Portents is a paranormal odyssey that takes a man through Heaven and Hell in a satirical exploration of the institutional pitfalls of the afterlife. Though desperate to return, death may have been the very thing he needed to learn how to live.

Adult • Diversity Representation/BIPOC/Own Voices • Fantasy/Contemporary • Humor and Satire • Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense/Supernatural and Paranormal • Horror/Supernatural and Occult

Length: 104,000 words (about 297 pages)

Content Warning: Violence, torture, alcoholism, death, explicit language, drowning, anxiety, character death, body horror, panic attacks

Reviewed by Menendezbe on 2026-03-15T16:36:28Z:

This book was highly enjoyable, with a great opening, good plot pacing, believable characters who develop, great tension, and very good worldbuilding. I loved the idea of a grim reaper and a man who met an untimely death teaming up to discover the mystery of how a demon made it t