Review - Inbetweeners by Barbara Elsborg

Emmett feels like the only unhappy person in heaven. No amount of encouragement by the happy people is changing that. Down in Hell, Phoenix is also very unhappy, but then, he's supposed to be, and he thinks he knows why he's there. When the two men are selected for a task that will send them back to Earth, it seems like a lucky reprieve for both of them. But, working together may be difficult. They are ‘chalk and cheese’ as the British expression goes. Their mission isn't easy: People are dying but not crossing over. Phoenix and Emmett need to find out who is keeping them from going where they should, and why.

“Inbetweeners” is a bit of a departure for this series. The other books start with the two main characters meeting briefly before being separated for many years. Emmett and ‘Nix’ never actually met when they were alive, although as the story unfolds, it turns out there are connections between the two. The other difference is the instant dislike the two form for each other. This volume is perhaps the most stand-alone story of the series. The characters introduced in the other books don't play any role in this plot. Most of them are hardly even mentioned.

Emmett is a difficult man to like. He always played it safe and led a dull life while alive, and death hasn't improved him. Once we learn more about his life and family, Emmett becomes a much more sympathetic character. By the end, you'll most likely be rooting for Emmett to have a happily ever after with Nix.

Nix is the kind of lovable rogue that has become something of a trademark for this series. He's definitely a bad boy, but not a bad person. His story, once it starts to come out, is even more harrowing than Emmett's. The two men together are quite a pair. They're almost always at each other's throats, but there's no denying the attraction they feel.

“Inbetweeners” is available from Amazon.