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The Undead Mr. Tenpenny (The Cassie Black Trilogy) Paperback – February 23, 2021

by Tammie Painter (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 714 ratings
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Work at a funeral home can be mundane. Until you accidentally start bringing the dead back to life.

"...a clever, hilarious romp through a new magical universe" --Sarah Angleton, author of Gentleman of Misfortune

Cassie Black works at a funeral home. She's used to all manner of dead bodies. What she's not used to is them waking up. Which they seem to be doing on a disturbingly regular basis lately.

Just when Cassie believes she has the problem under control, the recently-deceased Busby Tenpenny insists he's been murdered and claims Cassie might be responsible thanks to a wicked brand of magic she's been exposed to. The only way for Cassie to get her life back to normal is to tame her magic and uncover Mr. Tenpenny's true killer.

Simple right? Of course not. Because while Cassie works on getting her newly-acquired magic sorted, she's blowing up kitchens, angering an entire magical community, and discovering her past is more closely tied to Busby Tenpenny than she could have ever imagined.

If you like contemporary fantasy with snarky humor, unforgettable characters, and paranormal mystery such as Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series or Wilkie Martin's Inspector Hobbes tales, you'll find it hard to pry yourself away from this first book of the Cassie Black Trilogy. Oh, and don't forget the piles of pastries....

The Cassie Black Trilogy is a darkly humorous fantasy with mystery, magic, and plenty of mishaps that takes you from the streets of Portland to the Tower of London. It's got magic and mystery, pastries and zombies, sentient gnomes and an evil wizard...because there's always an evil wizard, isn't there?

What readers have to say...

  • "When I saw the book title...my first thought was, "another zombie apocalypse". A wonderful surprise greeted me with an entertaining story that was written with humor, a great story line and new twist on the undead."
  • "Wow and wow again! I absolutely loved this book! You get such a feel for the characters and the story is so fast paced you don't want to put it down."
  • "...suffused with dark humor and witty dialogue..."
  • "The whole story was a bit of wild ride, but it was a ride I wanted to stay on all the way through! There is mystery that actually kept me guessing, there's humor, magic, and a unique storyline."
  • "I was unable to put this down when I started reading it. The author combines humour with a fast paced murder mystery all packed into a funeral home."

Note: While this book delivers plenty of wry giggles and a few hexes, it's fairly clean with only an itty-bitty bit of light cursing, one fight scene, and no hanky panky or sexual situations.

  • Selected as one of Apple's Most Anticipated Books of 2021
  • Winner of the Novel Excerpt Prize from the League of American PEN Women
  • Finalist in the Yeah You Write! Novel Contest

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Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 4
    The Cassie Black Trilogy
  2. Print length
    354 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    February 23, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.89 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1386977675
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1386977674
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Short Version:
I turn wickedly strong tea into historical fantasy fiction in which the gods, heroes, and myths of Ancient Greece come to life as you've never seen them before. When I'm not creating worlds or killing off characters, I wrangle honeybees to add a little adventure into my non-writing life.

Long Version:
Tammie Painter grew up in the creative world of Portland, Oregon, and she continues to call the City of Roses home. Although she spent years working as a chemist in a behavioral neuroscience research lab, she could never quite tame her passion for writing.

Tammie has a knack for delving into and bringing life to history and mythology in her novels. Her fascination for myths, history, and how they interweave inspired the Osteria Chronicles series.

The current titles in the six-book series include
*The Trials of Hercules
*The Voyage
*The Maze

*The Bonds of Osteria (coming soon)

When she isn't (but probably should be) writing, Tammie can be found digging in her garden, planning her next travel adventure, creating art, or persuading her hive of backyard bees to share some of their honey with her.

Find out more about Tammie on her website at TammiePainter.com

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tammie Painter (February 23, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 354 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1386977675
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1386977674
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.89 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 714 ratings

About the author

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Tammie Painter

Tammie Painter

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Author of humorous fantasy whodunits full of mythical misfits and magical mishaps.

THE RAMBLING BIO...

Many moons ago I was a scientist in a neuroscience lab where I got to play with brains and illegal drugs. Now, I take wickedly strong tea and turn it into comic fantasy whodunits full of mythical misfits and magical mishaps that I hope give you a giggle.

My tales run the gamut from the ever-expanding Cassie Black Trilogy with its wryly humorous paranormal mysteries to the comical cozy fantasy mysteries in The Circus of Unusual Creatures, and from light-hearted novellas celebrating my love of books to short fiction in which I really flex my myth-loving and humor-craving muscles!

When I’m not creating worlds or killing off characters, I can be found gardening, planning my next travel adventure, concocting some sort of mess in the kitchen, or working as an unpaid servant to three cats and a guinea pig.

THE QUICK AS YOU CAN STORY BEHIND MY BOOKS...

My fascination for myths, history, and how they interweave inspired my two historical fantasy series, The Osteria Chronicles and my second series, Domna.

But all those ancient myths and angst-ridden heroes got a bit too serious for someone with a strange sense of humor and odd way of looking at the world.

So, while sitting at my grandmother’s funeral, my brain came up with an idea for a contemporary fantasy trilogy that’s filled with magic, mystery, snarky humor, and the dead who just won’t stay dead. That idea turned into The Cassie Black Trilogy, which has turned into a fan favorite.

Then, because writer brains are weird, a simple elephant story I had in mind somehow morphed into a "hilarious" cozy fantasy series with a detecting dragon. So, if you like comic fantasy whodunits that mix in laughs with murderous mayhem, mythical beasts, and a staggering variety of omelets, you’ll want to check out my Circus of Unusual Creatures mysteries!

My Books

THE CASSIE BLACK TRILOGY (a laugh-out-loud paranormal mystery sort of thing)

The Undead Mr Tenpenny

The Uncanny Raven Winston

The Untangled Cassie Black

The Unusual Mayor Marheart (coming soon)

The Unbearable Inspector Oberlin (coming soon)

The Unexpected Matthew Hopkins (coming soon)

THE CIRCUS OF UNUSUAL CREATURES (comic fantasy whodunits with mythical creatures and murderous mayhem)

Hoard It All Before

Tipping the Scales

Fangs a Million

Beast or Famine

STAND ALONES

The Unwanted Inheritance of the Bookman Brothers

The Great Escape: 15 Tales of Humor, Myth, and Magic

Day Sixteen: A Supernatural Thriller

THE OSTERIA CHRONICLES (historical fantasy with a mythological twist)

The Trials of Hercules (FREE on most retailers)

The Voyage of Heroes

The Maze of Minos

The Bonds of Osteria

The War of Ares

The Return of Odysseus

DOMNA: A SERIALIZED NOVEL OF OSTERIA (historical fantasy with a ruthless female lead)

Domna: The Complete Series (omnibus)

Part One: The Sun God's Daughter (FREE on most retailers)

Part Two: The Solon's Son

Part Three: The Centaur's Gamble

Part Four: The Regent's Edict

Part Five: The Forgotten Heir

Part Six: The Solon's Wife

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
714 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read.
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024
Verified Purchase
I was a little put off by the stubborn Cassie but loved the way the story played out. Can't wait for the next one.
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carol walker
4.0 out of 5 stars Funny
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2021
Verified Purchase
I liked this book. Had some laugh out loud moments for me. However, the main character annoyed me several times in the book.
2 people found this helpful
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Nantucket
5.0 out of 5 stars Relatable & quirky main character
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2022
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Cassie, grew up in the foster system, abused & living in fear. For all who ever walked that awful path, her character is relatable to many. And not surprisingly, that kind of pain & brokenness affects every part of Cassie's life. Having learned that almost no one is trustworthy, she resists anything that threatens the relative calm & safety of the life she managed to build. This also mirrors the real life experiences of so many others. Cassie's character is quirky, lovable & resilient. The author's character development is very good. Not only is this book well written, it's frequently laugh-out-loud funny, fast paced and thoroughly enjoyable. Even though I haven't quite finished book one, I can hardly put it down & have already got Books 2 & 3.
2 people found this helpful
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Harlequin
3.0 out of 5 stars Nope! Not how that works at all!
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2024
Verified Purchase
What in the name of abandonment issues is this???

So the dead come back to life and the main character somehow is mentally ill enough to blame herself for it somehow, which weird, but maybe she just has really low self esteem..?

But there is not way in hell a business owner is gonna be all like, I’m gonna totally blame my employee for the weird once (twice) in a life time thing and the task them to fix it, with the threat of firing them if they don’t. What??? Aside from that certainly being wrongful termination, even in the US, make it make sense!

Let’s just argue for a sec, that’s it her fault? How exactly would he know that? That right, he can’t! And usually I can overlook plot holes but no one would behave like that or just demand an employee to ‘make the dead stop walking’ without adding ‘also don’t sue me for creating an unsafe work environment by making you figure out why the freaking dead keep waking up?’

Also how exactly is he gonna replace her? What would that ad even look like??

Even if he does replace her, would you really be ok with leaving dead people alone with someone who willing took a job knowing they could wake up?? Cause you can’t exactly leave that tidbit out of the wanted ad.

That person is either gonna be a ghost hunter or a pervert, both of which are likely gonna be filming whatever they doing down there with the animated dead. Before you know it, your business is internet famous and all the alphabet agencies are either calling you, putting you on a list or fining you.

Look, I get this is a set up to move the story forward but it’s a bad one that is so devoid of logic that I stopped reading and wrote this rant. Which is why for now, I’m giving it 3/5 since I’m only 50 pages in.

If the rest of book less lazily ridiculous, I will keep it at 3/5, if not, I’ll be back.
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john martin
4.0 out of 5 stars Bitter-sweet
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2021
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First, let me say I am disappointed.
Um, not about the book. That's very funny.
Who doesn't like a story about a funeral home worker who starts waking up the dead, ends up entering a Harry Potter Daigon Alley world – opposed to an evil wizard who's trying to regain his powers?
One of the key characters in this book doesn't like the HP comparison. But who cares what dead people think? Until they wake up, anyway.
So why am I disappointed?
The main character in this novel builds up her magical strength by eating sweet things, such as cake and donuts.
How come, then, I'm not oozing with magic?
I even went to Sucher Torte's birthplace, Vienna, and ate countless servings of it. But did I get any magic? No. All I got was the desire to buy myself a bigger belt.
Same with donuts. Nothing. Zilch. I am the least magic fat person I know.
There is only one thing for it. I might have to bury myself in Book 2 of this series, and forget my woes for a while.
23 people found this helpful
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Ma-Humorless
5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2022
Verified Purchase
This was a very good read, with an interesting storyline and entertaining characters. I bought Book 2 before finishing Book 1 and have gone straight into it. I especially enjoyed the character of Mr Tenpenny, but they're all characters I hope will appear in all three books.

It is marred slightly by the repeated reference to Harry Potter. I get it I think - the author wants to show that this is the real, modern world, but I would have enjoyed it without - though perhaps referencing HP made it unnecessary to explain things like a spell to make broken bones repair - just say Skelegro instead.
But other readers may enjoy this, which is fine.

Just one typo that I caught, which is truly impressive nowadays.
4 people found this helpful
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Richard P. Jasper
4.0 out of 5 stars It would have been 5 stars...
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2022
Verified Purchase
But much of the plot revolves around multiple people not sharing information they possess until after the fact. Once or twice is fine, routinely is, well, sorry to be blunt, lazy writing. Still, Cassie, Mr. Wood, Pablo, and the denizens of MagicLand are all quite likable and engaging, even when they're being pills. I look forward to the next installment.
3 people found this helpful
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Don Baker
5.0 out of 5 stars Light reading mystery
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2024
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Not sure if classified YA but easy read, humorous and fairly svelte on delivery. Talented author keeps clean storyline, innovative plot and non repetitive dialogue with only emotional baggage as constant. Glad I read it.
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Top reviews from other countries

D M Bullick
5.0 out of 5 stars Good teen fiction
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2023
Verified Purchase
Easily followed plot, well written, strong characterisation. It is written in the first person. Some references to the Harry Potter books but definitely not based in or around these. I liked the magical world she has created and the spells within it which are unique to her. It's enjoyable and I have read and also liked the two books that follow this one.
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Brian Aguinaga
4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant Distraction
Reviewed in Canada on December 9, 2021
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Light read about death and zombies in difficult times.
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C. Saunders
4.0 out of 5 stars Better than expected
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
I thought this would be a run-of-the-mill cozy mystery but it has proved to be an enjoyable read with a good plot and well-defined character.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Ageless readers bonanza.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2022
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I am in my 70th decade of life and am, therefore, quite fussy about what I read. My main/nearly only genre of choice is Sc-Fi but occasionally dip into Sci-Fan. A book’s title is of primary importance to me; the clever title of this book “The undead Mr. Tenpenny” caught my imagination and I bought it. Having just finished reading it I have straightway bought the other two books of the trilogy. I found the first book well researched (so acceptably believable) and written in an easy/light manner (but not without the necessary conundrums). Thank you Cassie for sharing your ideas and imagination.
9 people found this helpful
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Tracey Davies
3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining read ... even though I mostly disliked the main character
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 5, 2023
Verified Purchase
I'm going through a phase of reading anything remotely magical at the moment so came across this. Interesting take to have sugar and cakes as the source of magic - personally I'd prefer it be any kind of meat, bacon and fries but we cant have it all. Enjoyed most of the characters in the book and the plotting but found Cassie to be the least likable ... snarky, irritating, smart arse and her mooning away over one of the other characters I could have happily cut out of the books all together.
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