Review of Manipulating the List by K. B. Lever

Manipulating the List is the first book in K. B. Lever's Immortal Companion series, the second volume of which is due out summer 2013. The book is suitable for ages 13+

Katherine Sheppard has a special friend. He is The Collector and his job is to “collect” souls of people when they die and transition them to the afterlife. She is the only mortal who can see and talk to him, and she has known him since she was seven. But now, at age 25, she is on the list of souls to be collected. Can she and her friend manipulate the list and keep Katherine alive?

That is the premise of the fascinating novel. I had a hard time putting it down. The pacing is swift and the plot full of twists and turns with vivid storytelling. Ms. Lever weaves the story of Katherine along with the stories of each of the people who are "collected" as well as giving a detailed environment for each scene in the book.

In a sequence of adventures Katherine’s life spins out of control when her name appears on the list. However,  in the end she learns two important things: “..what truly living was all about…after many years of failed auditions,” and, in the final surprising plot twist, a lot about the nature of the Collector.  It sets up very well for volume 2. I am personally looking forward to its arrival.

Part paranormal adventure, part thriller, part romance there is a lot in this 240-page book. My one nitpicking negative was that the pace was so swift I sometimes missed a detail or two and had to reread a section and the last person whose soul is to be collected kind of loses her story in the actions as the story reaches its climax. All in all the book is very well done.