John James Minster’s ‘The Undertaker’s Daughter’ – Book Review

I was recently given the opportunity to read and review author John James Minster’s book, The Undertaker’s Daughter. I don’t take on many book reviews because they take a lot longer to finish so there’s only so many I can do at once. But when I read the book’s synopsis and realized that there would be Jewish horror elements, I leaned in a little closer. As a Christian, I notice a lot of Christian-oriented horror films and books, especially revolving around vampires, ghosts and possessions. But finding Jewish horror is not nearly as common. I’m not sure why this is since there are so many supernatural elements in the Tanakh that could be explored. But I digress.

Synopsis for The Undertaker’s Daughter:

Don’t play with dead things.

Anna Dingel is an introverted, socially inept 18-year-old raised in the family funeral home. And for some reason, her classmate, Timmy – the one in the band – likes her, too.

After a makeover from her friend, Naomi, Anna breaks away to see him perform live, but the leader of a bad school clique attempts to assault Anna in the parking lot. Once the leaders is released from jail, so begins the ever-widening mar=elytron of cruel retribution, turning Anna and Timmy’s summer of love into a nightmare.

In an attempt to frighten the bullies into peace, Anna and Naomi experiment with recently revealed old Jewish magic. But this ancient Abrahamic ritual doesn’t go as planned. The eldritch power Anna has unleashed takes dark and unexpected turns, endangering those she loves and forcing her to decide who she is and who she wants to be.

This spine-tingling supernatural horror story is about love, forgiveness, and consequences. Expect surprise twists throughout as children learn not to play with dead things.

What Works

Like I mentioned above, I love that there’s so much Jewish mythology in The Undertaker’s Daughter. It’s obvious that Minster has done his homework, not only on Jewish folklore but on the history and archeology of Israel as well. This book is full of Abrahamic information, and I loved it.

The gore is fantastic, too. There’s everything from step-by-step autopsies to necrophilia. There’s a little something for every gorehound here.

What Doesn’t Work

Unfortunately, there’s quite a bit about The Undertaker’s Daughter that doesn’t work. Let’s start with the main characters: Anna, Naomi, Timmy, Bruce, Sue, Abe, and Tammy. I thought for sure that this story took place in the ’80s with names like that, but then someone mentioned their cellphone, and it left me scratching my head. These just don’t seem like contemporary teenager names to me, especially Timmy. I kept expecting someone to ask Lassie if he was in the well and could not see him as the main character’s rock band member love interest. I had a hard time connecting them with the people they were portraying.

They also are a bit one-note to me, and that note is played constantly. I get it: Anna is naive, her mom is a strict Christian, Naomi is Jewish, Abe is horny, Sue is obsessed with Bruce, Bruce is a dick, and Timmy plays guitar and is in a band. And that’s pretty much all you get. I wish they had been more fleshed out and had other things to do besides pluck that same chord.

So much happens to main character, Anna, in this book, yet she never has emotional or mental consequences from any of it. Sexual assault is not just something that happens to a person. They’re affected by this and sometimes, their entire personality changes. But Anna never seems to suffer from any of awful things she goes through here. She just goes on her merry way and doesn’t feel the need to process anything, not even to her best friend, Naomi. The hit I wanted to feel as Anna gets angry and frustrated and wants to get revenge on her attackers never came, and that is unfortunate.

Also, the writing can be awkward at times, and the dialogue is a bit cringeworthy. I have three teenage daughters, and never once did I ever hear them or one of their friends actually say, “LOL.” Even as I kept reading, I couldn’t get past this line. Ouch.

Lastly, while I loved the Jewish history lesson, I can see other readers not taking to it. There’s a lot to read here and it could get mundane or even boring to someone not interested in all of this information.

Final Thoughts

I love the folklore and gore in The Undertaker’s Daughter, but I wish Monster had put a bit more thought into creating relatable, fleshed out characters. I do recommend this book to fans of folklore and history, however. There’s quite a bit to learn in here.