REVIEW of NEW LEASE ON DEATH by AUTHOR OLIVIA BLACKE

 

Publication Date: October 29, 2024
Paranormal Suspense, Ghost Mysteries,
and Amateur Sleuths

 

CSI Meets Ghost Hunters: A Snorting Coffee Kind of Funny 

Cordelia Graves was nobody’s fool. And it was that savviness that told her something about her was different this morning. With her brain cells in high gear, it didn’t take long for her to realize that the difference was that she was dead—and she surely wasn’t yesterday. Funny that she couldn’t remember dying, but while the bout of amnesia was strange, her literally tripping over her former across-the-hall neighbor was downright bizarre. The lifeless body barefoot and half-buried in snow, the sight was tantamount to someone waving a checkered flag while shouting ‘Go Daytona!’ in her face. And while she was game to try being a detective, the post-mortem condition she was in just wasn’t conducive to tackling a full-fledged homicide investigation on her lonesome … especially since no one could see or hear her. It meant finding someone to act as intermediary and a certain Gen Z’er renting her vacated apartment would do just fine—if only they could quit fighting long enough to find the killer.

This is the premise of NEW LEASE ON DEATH, Olivia Blacke’s targeted arrow of a book! I was in the enviable position of being invited to read an ARC copy, and am I ever glad I accepted! Ghosts, humor, and solid mystery abound in this whodunit that never takes its foot off the pedal. The pacing set to “high”, Cordelia and her Gen Z’er buddy Ruby James tear up Boston in an all-bets-off effort to uncover who murdered the man obsessed with women and pizza—and not necessarily in that order. The dialogue spot on, Cordelia & Co. are at their hilarious best thanks to the author’s inventive way of slinging out grammar the way your favorite singer belts out tunes.

In terms of writing, the novel is pure pleasure all the way through. The unexpected delights of snark and sarcasm bring on the laughs as the narration hits all the right spots. The descriptive passages are impeccably handled and help bring the story to life … or is it death? Whatever it is, it works! Especially the moments when Cordelia is trying to figure out the new rules of what she can and can’t do after death. Rules such as possessing the ability to walk through walls, but not when carrying anything breakable.

So go ahead! Take the plunge. I highly recommend NEW LEASE ON DEATH. and am giving it five stars. I thank both NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC copy, and thank Ms. Blacke for the very original and entertaining ride. She is a superb storyteller and I had the bestest of ghost crime-solving times! 

 

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