Death Actually: Death. Love. And In Between. - Paperback

by Rosy Fenwicke (Author)

Maggie never planned to be a funeral director. She never planned to raise two children alone, either. But life - and death - had other ideas.

When her parents are killed in a sudden accident, Maggie packs up her life in Australia and returns to Queenstown, New Zealand, to keep the family business from going under. Her brother has vanished overseas. Her husband is long gone. It's just Maggie, her kids Kate and Nick, the hearse, and a community that depends on her to show up - even on the hardest days.

Set against the breathtaking backdrop of a Queenstown winter, where the ski season fills the mountain town with strangers and secrets, Death Actually is a warm, funny, and deeply human story about a woman who tends to everyone else's grief while quietly rebuilding her own life. With her fiercely loyal best friend Elka, her wise mentor Betty, and an irritating new doctor she can't quite ignore, Maggie navigates love, loss, friendship, and the unexpected moments of joy that slip in between.

And then there's the small matter of a baby born in a hearse, in a paddock in Central Otago, on a dark and stormy night.

"Touching, funny and filled with great characters that keep you hooked from start to finish."

"Warm and full of character - at times funny, occasionally sad, but always entertaining."

"The vivid descriptions around Queenstown are captivating... friendship and love is an important thread entwined throughout." - Booksellers NZ

Rated 4.17/5 on Goodreads

Perfect for readers who love:

• Women's fiction with heart and humour
• New Zealand fiction and small-town community stories
• Books about female resilience and reinvention
• Stories exploring grief, friendship, and second chances