Book Information

• Title: Good Morning Mr. Death
• Author: Jerrimiah Stonecastle
• Rating: 5/5
• Format: Audiobook

Quick Take

Good Morning Mr. Death is both a puzzle to be solved, and a dreadful tale to be absorbed. This is author Jerrimiah Stonecastle at his best, and the audiobook format sheds a spotlight on Stonecastle’s gift of writing horror fiction.

Tell Me More

    Summer is one of my favorite times to enjoy audiobooks – especially if its horror (perhaps it is the heat) – and I was overjoyed when horror author Jerrimiah Stonecastle approached me to review his audiobook Good Morning Mr. Death.  Stonecastle’s author style is eclectic in that each of his horror novels vary greatly, but each one draws you in with clenched fists and refuses to relent.  I found this to be especially true after listening to the audiobook of Good Morning Mr. Death. 

                Good Morning Mr. Death follows sixteen-year-old Wendell Tate, a young man on the edge of the wrong side of the tracks who meets Mr. Death, a Grim Reaper-esque fellow who collects souls.  Wendell’s story soon becomes a puzzle as Mr. Death presents Wendell with a riddle.  If Wendell is to solve the riddle, then he will be able to keep his soul.  If not, then his soul will be the next on Mr. Death’s list.  

                When it comes to audiobooks, I find that the calculated choice of a narrator is paramount to how the story is enjoyed by the listener.  In the case of Good Morning Mr. Death, I found the selection of narrator Craig Roberts to be an optimal choice.  Roberts’ voice compliments Stonecastle’s writing strategically, while latching onto the listener’s ear with each word.  It didn’t take me long to become absorbed in the audiobook, and I thoroughly enjoyed my listening experience.

                Due to Wendell Tate’s age, Good Morning Mr. Death falls under the young adult genre’s large umbrella, but Stonecastle did not hold back his premium horror writing gift as some authors do when writing from a younger perspective.  The puzzle that Wendell must decipher is the primary focus of the plot, and it affected Wendell, as well as myself, in a complicated way. The story required the listener to solve the riddle right alongside Wendell, and it forced me to become completely immersed.  I felt his desperation and intrigue deeply as I listened to his journey, and it didn’t take long for genuine fear to build up within me.  True to Stonecastle’s previous work, he did not create filler that would lessen the impact of the dread felt by the listener.  Each word was an exceptional link to the story’s riddle, and with each word read by Roberts I became more and more entrenched.

                Jerrimiah Stonecastle is a vital voice in today’s horror market.  I have been impacted by each of his works, but even more so now that I have listened to his audiobook Good Morning Mr. Death.  In his novel, Stonecastle has created a journey that is not only to be enjoyed by young adults, but adults as well.  If you are a fan of horror, then this audiobook is an excellent listening choice for your summertime book list.  What can I say, the process of listening to this audiobook along with the heat of summer only intensifies the impact of its story.  I have been thoroughly scorched by this horror gem, and I couldn’t be happier. 

Author Information

Born and raised in the slums of New York, he was raised by a single mom who earned her Master’s in Early Childhood Development while working as a teacher’s aid. She sent young Jerrimiah to the prestigious Power Memorial Academy for Boys, the Alma mater of NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He worked part-time after school to help his mom pay for his tuition.

He declined a full scholarship from Concordia University and joined the US Army and became a combat medic. He returned to New York upon his discharge where he was hired by the NYC Chief Medical Examiners Office as a medical stenographer.

In 1982 he joined the New York City Police Department. In 1983 he was recruited by the Organized Crime Control Bureau (OCCB) as an undercover officer in their narcotics division. He finished out his career as a detective assigned to the Bronx Homicide Task Force.

When he retired in 2002, he relocated to Florida to pursue his passion for writing. After hundreds of rejection letters and reading Amanda Hocking’s story, he decided to self-publish his own works. In 2016 he formed Stonecastle Publications LLC and has published 21books and publications so far. He has an additional 225 fiction and nonfiction novels in draft form in his company’s literary vault.

On October 31, 2018, He launched his first horror novel “FRANKENSTINA” and released the sequel “FRANKENSTINA REBORN” on Halloween 2019. There are two more books in the horology.