The Dead Take Cash

«The Dead Take Cash» — this is an urban fantasy about a tarot reader and a psychotherapist who are haunted by the death of a patient and the curse associated with it. Marina Komarova's novel combines a mystical thriller, a detective intrigue, and a Korean backdrop of a modern urban story. Here, not only ghosts and frightening events are important, but also a sense of guilt, responsibility for someone else's fate, and the fear of what cannot be explained by ordinary logic. Due to the combination of mysticism and investigation, the book may remind one of the works of Tatyana Korsakova, while the tension between everyday life and the supernatural is similar to the novels of Olga Ptitseva. At the same time, the text has its own rhythm: the story revolves around two specialists who are used to helping others but find themselves facing a force they are unprepared for.

The action unfolds in modern Korea. Kim Juwon can see the future through cards, while Lee Yongjoo works as a psychotherapist, helping people cope with nightmares. They are united by one woman — Mrs. O, whose death neither of them could prevent. After her death, she returns as a ghost and begins to invade the lives of both.

From this moment on, the familiar order collapses. Strange phenomena occur more and more frequently, and behind them emerges a story intertwined with past mistakes, fear, and someone else's pain. The protagonists need to understand why they are connected to what is happening, where the curse came from, and how to stop the chain of deaths. The book features elements of a mystical detective story, psychological tension, and the theme of a person's encounter with what cannot be controlled.

Marina Komarova writes science fiction, fantasy, and mysticism, and has been published since 2014. She is an engineer in shipbuilding by education: she graduated from a maritime college and continued her studies at university in shipbuilding. Among her well-known works are «The Enemy of the Storm Masters», «With a Snake on the Shoulder», and «The Secretary of the Demon, or Marriage Takes Place in Hell». Her prose is appreciated for its confident handling of genre plots and interest in the supernatural in everyday settings.

Kim Juwon — a tarot reader, for whom the ability to see the future becomes a source of heavy questions rather than an advantage. He could not predict the death of his client and is now forced to grapple not only with a ghost but also with his own responsibility.

Lee Yongjoo — a psychotherapist working with nightmares and inner traumas. His professional experience clashes with the things that cannot be rationally explained, making him an important participant in the investigation.

Mrs. O — a woman whose death triggers the main events. After her demise, she does not disappear, but turns into the center of an unsettling mystery that connects the past and the present.