Death’s Captive: Will She Escape the Eternal Confinement? by Scarlett Reed is a haunting and beautiful paranormal romance. Ava is a spirit trapped in a London hospital who acts as an angel of death helping souls to pass on to the other side. Desperate to uncover who she is or was, Ava maintains a complicated relationship with Niklaus, the only other spirit who can see and communicate with her. Through a series of flashbacks, and with the help of Niklaus, Ava begins to learn about herself and her past. While waiting to be alerted for when a soul needs assistance, Ava roams the hospital learning about the doctors, nurses and patients and all of the human drama, conflict and ethical issues that play out each day. As Ava’s lonely existence continues on indefinitely, she grows closer to Niklaus and befriends a departing soul.

Death’s Captive: Will She Escape the Eternal Confinement? by Scarlett Reed is filled with intrigue and suspense from beginning to end. There are many layers to this captivating story. I found it compelling to learn along with Ava about her past, and although her actions were not always perfect, her character was compassionate and highly likable. It was fascinating and at times heartbreaking to read about the state of some of the souls that needed assistance to move on to the afterlife. A great love story exists between Ava and Niklaus; one that is fraught with tension and love at the same time. The inner workings of the hospital and its staff were complex and realistically demonstrated the moral dilemmas that occur when dealing with life and death. Death’s Captive is a highly recommended and absorbing read.

A woman's ghost, held captive in a hospital, wants to die and cross over into the light, but something is holding her back in the paranormal Death's Captive by Scarlett Reed. Ava has been helping people cross over into the light for forty years, but sadly, she never got the same opportunity. Mostly alone, except with an occasional visit from Niklaus, Death incarnate, Ava follows the nurses and doctors around. Ava has only small glimpses of her life before death, but nothing substantial. Lately, however, things are beginning to change. When one of the young doctors nearly dies, instead of showing him the light, Ava won't allow him to leave his body. Unhappy with her rebellious action, Niklaus shows Ava the consequences that could occur. Armed with her new knowledge, Ave sees her job in a new way, but that doesn't change the fact that she is still confined. Can Ava find a way to escape the constraints of the hospital? Or will she permanently remain in limbo?

The gripping paranormal novel, Death's Captive by Scarlett Reed, is a captivating ghost story with a twist. The main character Ava's situation reminded me of Ellen Muth's character, Georgia Lass, in the television comedy-drama Dead Like Me. Instead of just being a ghost, Ava is responsible for taking souls and pointing them to the light. This enthralling book has a dramatic plot, a mesmerizing storyline, and intriguing characters that will delight fans of supernatural stories. However, because the novel contains graphic sexual encounters and explicit language, it is more suitable for a mature reader.

A woman, existing in an alternate dimension but active in our own reality, serves as a transmitter for souls into the afterlife. She is invisible to all but the patients at death’s door. Unable to leave the confines of a hospital, she roams the floors, watching as doctors and nurses carry on their normal lives amid the battles of life and death for their patients. When she hears the “ting” of a bell, she is compelled to respond to the patient who is on the verge of passing over. She has no memory of her past life, except when someone or some event causes a flashback of sorts. She doesn’t know her name, but she has company in the form of another ghost-like person that she calls Niklaus, who is obviously attracted to her. Niklaus knows things that she desperately needs to understand her situation, but he is unwilling to share what he knows without a return of favors.

In her first novel, Scarlett Reed has produced a winner with Death’s Captive. This is a fascinating story of a metaphysical romance that spans the time/space continuum without bogging readers down in a swamp of scientific theory. Scarlett Reed has a smooth writing style that simplifies the esoteric and amplifies the mysteries of her characters and their most unusual existence. The characters are true to life, and the storyline has strong support in the form of believable dialog and the setting of scenes without slowing down the pace with insignificant details (in my opinion, a common shortcoming among first-time authors). Death’s Captive is not a thriller, per se, but it is certainly a page-turner for all lovers of mystery, romance, a bit of eroticism, paranormal/metaphysical stories, and the intricacies of our universe and what may lie beyond death’s door.

Death's Captive: Will She Escape Eternal Confinement? by Scarlett Reed is a paranormal story with hints of romance. Ava is a woman trapped in a London hospital. She can move freely within the hospital, but can’t get beyond its walls. She doesn’t know how long she’s been there nor what happened to her. Her situation is more painful because no one sees her. She can only interact with those who are dying, those that she helps to pass on to the next life — whatever it is. Her life is spent following nurses and doctors and eavesdropping on their conversations. Death, an entity that seems to have a particular interest in her, visits from time to time. Can she escape her dire condition or will she be trapped forever?

Death's Captive is an interesting story and one that is well-plotted. It stands apart in its originality when it comes to plot and character. The conflict is unique and it is explored at different levels — the struggle of the protagonist to know who she really is and why she is trapped in this twilight zone between life and death, and making sense of her interactions with others. I enjoyed the way she interacts with the mysterious Niklaus, the only character who seems to know her name. The story is well-written and the confident writing comes across powerfully in the way the author handles dialogues. Scarlett Reed creates a wonderful character in the protagonist and invites readers to navigate the inner world of her pressing thoughts. It is a gripping story that is delightful to read.