"In this darkly funny supernatural mystery about an unlikely crime-solving duo that launches a commercial, unique, and genre-blending series, death is only the beginning. Ruby Young's new Boston apartment comes with all the usual perks. Windows facing the brick wall of the next-door building. Heat that barely works. A malfunctioning buzzer. Noisy neighbors. A dead body on the sidewalk outside. And of course, a ghost. Since Cordelia Graves died in her apartment a few months ago, she's kept up her residency, despite being ...
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"In this darkly funny supernatural mystery about an unlikely crime-solving duo that launches a commercial, unique, and genre-blending series, death is only the beginning. Ruby Young's new Boston apartment comes with all the usual perks. Windows facing the brick wall of the next-door building. Heat that barely works. A malfunctioning buzzer. Noisy neighbors. A dead body on the sidewalk outside. And of course, a ghost. Since Cordelia Graves died in her apartment a few months ago, she's kept up her residency, despite being bored out of her (non-tangible) skull and frustrated by her new roommate. When her across-the-hall neighbor, Jake Macintyre, is shot and killed in an apparent mugging gone wrong outside their building, Cordelia is convinced there's more to it and is determined to bring his killer to justice. Unfortunately, Cordelia, being dead herself, can't solve the mystery alone. She has to enlist the help of the obnoxiously perky, living tenant of her apartment. Ruby is twenty, annoying, and has never met a houseplant she couldn't kill. But she also can do everything Cordelia can't, from interviewing suspects to researching Jake on the library computers that go up in a puff of smoke if Cordelia gets too close. The roommates form an unlikely friendship as they get closer to the truth about Jake's death...and maybe other dangerous secrets as well"--
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I was looking forward to reading A New Lease on Death. I liked the idea of a ghost and her living roommate working together to solve a mystery. I found A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke to be a slow starter. The pacing was unhurried and there were repetitive details (Cordelia zaps electronics if she gets near them, it is very cold in Boston, Cordelia died in the tub, Ruby has nosy neighbors with a morbid curiosity, the dead neighbor loved pizza, ghost abilities). The job duties for the front desk position at TrendCelerate are listed at least three times. I did not warm up to Ruby or Cordelia. I read A New Lease on Death, but I could not get into the story (I found myself struggling to get through it). There are some fun, quirky elements (such as how Ruby and Cordelia communicated). The mystery is lackluster. It needed some zip and zing (a zap of electricity to bring it to life). It is a simple whodunit to solve. While the story is mostly lighthearted, it does touch on serious topics (murder, alcolhism, depression, suicide, domestic violence). I did not feel that the sensitive topics fit into the story, and they should not be taken lightly. The book ends with a cliffhanger. My interest is not piqued enough for me to pick up the next book in the series. A New Lease on Death left me discontented.
Lori
Nov 2, 2024
A SPECIAL MYSTERY WITH CURIOUS CHARACTERS
Dollycas's Thoughts
Cordelia Graves died a few months ago in her Boston apartment but her spirit did not pack up and leave. Twenty-year-old Ruby Young had no idea her new furnished apartment comes with its own resident ghost. It also comes with a dead body on the sidewalk outside. Jake Macintyre, her across-the-hall neighbor is dead. Pretty sure the bullet in the center of his forehead is the cause of death for the Boston Bruin hoodie, flannel pajama pants, fuzzy sock, wearing man lying in the snow. The police declare it a "mugging gone wrong". Cordelia tries to help his ghost by that goes badly. Now she wants to find out who killed him. One problem, she's dead too. She going to need help. Someone who can talk to suspects and do some research. Who better to help her than her new roommate?
_____
Cordelia was a busy woman before her death and she is not slowing down as a ghost. Ruby is "petite, perky, and alive". When she saw the ad for the "fully furnished" apartment she jumped at it, and found fully furnished included furniture, books, clothes, tons of plants, and a ghost. She has killed most of the plants. If she was going to stay there she needs to find a job. Both women are cleverly crafted. They make a unique sleuthing team. A way to communicate is their only real problem. I appreciated this didn't have a quick fix and that one way would work in one place but not in another.
The author has written the story from alternating points of view. This does cause some repetition but makes the story easy to follow and sets a good pace through most of the story. Ms. Blacke adds an abundance of humor as Cordelia figures out just what she can do in her ghostly state and Ruby learns to live with a roommate she can't see or hear who keeps trying to make choices for her and moves objects or opens the drapes without warning. Ruby is also dealing with some real-life issues which made her feel more real.
The mystery is complicated. There was no shortage of suspects between all the women he had wronged and any friends or family who wanted to avenge them, his own family members who wanted something from him, bookies he may have owed money, and maybe something sketchy happening where he worked. Ruby and Cordelia had to find a way to interrogate the suspects and follow the clues. Cordelia had a few different theories but I as the armchair sleuth knew there had to be another twist, and there was. The showdown was surprising and effective and I was delighted.
While Jake's murder mystery is solved, the author ends the book with a cliffhanger I had hoped for and expected. I just hate that I have to wait for book two.
A New Lease on Death is a special mystery with curious characters that immediately piqued my interest. I found these roommates to be very entertaining and I am excited to see this series continue. I can only imagine the possibilities.
Note - This story contains some explicit language.
