A well written, fast-moving novel that keeps you hanging on with bated breath as Claire goes about her business of killing. There are many surprises and twists and turns in this shock filled story, that culminate in a wonderful ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this five-star novel and recommend it to all crime and thriller readers.

Think Dexter, Killing Eve.. a hammer and Claire who attends a grief counselling group, but is also a serial killer.

''Oh, and Claire?'.. 'There appears to be a rotting human head in your fish tank. It might be time to clean it out'.

Synopsis
When Claires father passes away, she begins attending a grief counselling group. Once a week she goes and listens to the stories of people around her, with them none the wiser that her part time hobby.. is murder.

When she gets rejected from the shortlist of an art competition, she seeks Lucas out, the one who rejected her. Taking him back to her place, she let's her hobby commence.

But, someone was watching, someone saw Lucas did not exit her apartment.. and the twists and turns begin.

Thoughts
Claire is a well thought out protagonist, making the story enjoyable and easy to read. The 'then' scenes with Claire and her mother were heartbreaking, showing the young life she grew up in and had to endure.. plus, it made her rather good with a hammer.

A serial killer you'll actually like.

Claire is a highly remarkable child, with a racing and bright mind. She grows up with a nasty mother and a loving father, and as an adult, she becomes a sort of an avenger for wicked crimes. Her inner monologue is so engaging that the reader unwittingly becomes her biggest admirer, even while she murders in gruesome ways. But, didn't they deserve it?

After the death of her father, Claire finds herself in a therapeutic bereavement group and, blinded by grief, her instincts are clouded, so she quickly becomes the target of villains who want to use her talent for their own purposes. But you never know with Claire...

A beautiful, imaginative novel with a compelling and entertaining tale. The characters are bright, smart, and humorous. The writing is fast-paced dark comedy style and the tale is action-packed with twists and turns.

I'll be keeping an eye out for more Joanna Wallace books in the future.

An absolute treat to read!

I really enjoyed this light-hearted thriller-comedy story. This would be perfect for anyone who enjoyed either the Dexter series, or Killing Eve, because it gives the same sort of vibes.
The story follows Claire, and when we first meet her, she is mourning the death of her father. Before his death, Claire's father suffered from Alzheimers and was in a care facility.

As the story moves forward, we learn more about Claire's past, her relationship with her father, and that she is a serial killer.

The start of this story really gripped me, The writing was simple and easy to follow, easy to read and so I found myself reading this in only a couple of sittings. The story moved at a good pace, although at times I did feel that some of the plot was a bit drawn-out and convoluted in places. There were several times where I felt the plot was going off on a tangent and it felt that it lacked a little direction.
I did also feel like a couple of the characters didn't really add anything to the plot. However, I did find the plot twist interesting, and it wasn't one that I saw coming, but that might have been because there were, in my opinion, far too many red herrings.

The whole story was told from Claire's point of view, in almost a stream of consciousness type of style, which at times made things feel a little unhinged. As a result you don't really get to know any of the characters (other than Claire) in any great detail. Because of this, many of the characters, including Claire, were unlikeable, and at times quite annoying - but then I also think that may have been the point - because Claire found them unlikeable and annoying!

Overall, this was a quick and light-hearted read. Perfect for some younger readers or someone who is looking for a thriller without the gritty style.
I gave this 3/5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book, Joanna Wallace is a great author.
The story follows Claire who is a killer I disagree with the reviews that think the killings are too gruesome. Overall I could give this book five stars and more!!
Thank you for the opportunity to read this - thanks to the publisher and Netgalley.
I hope that this book is phenomenally successful!

I read the beginning of this but when I got to the first murder it was too gruesome for me so I did not finish it. I can't see any humour in being a serial killer. Most of the other reviews disagree, so I may try to read more later.

You'd Look Better As A Ghost is a novel about a serial killer attending a grief counselling group who finds herself entangled in something unexpected. Claire sees people as ghosts right before she kills them, but now she's dealing with her father's death (not by her). An email mix up sends her on the trail of Lucas, the man who sent the email, but Lucas was tangled up in other things, and now Claire seems to be being watched as her serial killer side is under threat.

This book has such a fun cover and title, and the tone of it does match up to that, with flippant first person narration from Claire, who doesn't feel bad about her killing and sees it as almost inevitable. Occasional third person chapters that flash back to Claire's childhood fill in some of her story, but the focus is on a black comedy thriller type plot as Claire goes between her grief counselling group and a nursing home trying to get things back on track after killing Lucas. There's plenty of ridiculousness and some red herrings as the plot goes on, and I could really imagine it adapted into a darkly comic film, as the pace of the plot and the twists it takes feel similar to other comedy films with a lot of death and mishaps.

Claire is a fun protagonist, highly opinionated and treats being a serial killer like a quirk she has, and that makes the book an enjoyable read, nothing too complex or requiring a lot of thought, but a good ride through the twists and turns that leaves you guessing if she will get caught.

This is a really interesting read. It's also entertaining and fairly unexpected. Following Claire, who just happens to be a series killer, as she grieves for her dad who recently died. She isn't in q good place and goes against her meticulous planning before a kill, decides to get revenge on somone who has recently wronged herm in parallel, she attends a bereavement group and from there and things become even more chaotic as she discovers someone there knows her secret. Claire is a great character, completely disengaged from the world around her, struggling to understand what she calls 'ordinary ' people. The book is funny at times and made me think about nature versus nurture in who we become. Claire mother was incredibly abusive when she was very young, did they contribute to her psychopathic tendencies? Definitely worth a read.

This was so funny, can’t say I expected to be routing for a serial killer anytime soon but you’d look better as a ghost is fun, fast paced & thoroughly entertaining ! We love a witty murderer 😂

This book was really funny, and the flippant attitude of the protagonist really made the book. Wallace's writing style was really great, and I appreciated the characters.

This book was a whole lot of fun to read - the experience was somewhat like reading a whodunnit in reverse and it was pulled off spectacularly! We know full well who committed the murders... but who else knows? And what do they want?

This is told from the perspective of Claire, a mysterious serial killer who has recently lost her father and is trying to cope with bereavement by attending a group. Alongside casually killing people that irritate her in any way, of course. She's messy and ridiculous and despite the fact that the reader is fully aware that she is fundamentally evil, you just can't help but cheer her on in her endeavours. When someone shows up stating they know what she's up to, Claire's world gets turned upside down and she finds herself entered in a game that she didn't want to play.

There is a good balance of flashbacks and present-day storytelling in this book which really added to our understanding of Claire and how her mind works. The flashbacks land on her birthdays when she was a little girl, each one illuminating her happy relationship with her father, and her not-so-happy one with her mother. I enjoyed this maybe even more than the main plot and loved wondering whether Claire was just always bound to be the way she is, or whether her upbringing influenced her mindset.

The plot was full of twists and turns and was a wild ride to follow. A bit silly sometimes? Perhaps, but that just made me enjoy the story all the more. It kept me guessing right until the end which was a nice surprise, and the finishing sentence was great - I do love a well written ending!

Claire and her hammer are a force to be reckoned with. If there's anything I learned from this book it's this: be careful when jumping queues - there might just be someone waiting in line who'll kill you for doing that.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You’d Look Better As A Ghost is a different perspective on a serial killer; taking a twisty deep dive that’ll keep you entertained.

Claire is one of the few serial killer that I quite like, although I wouldn't like to upset her. The 'Then' chapters give an insight into her life beforehand, and her mother was a horrible, horrible character.

There's lots happening throughout, so there's no lull in the action. I was surprised by the ending, which after guessing lots of twists in other books was a good surprise. I'll definitely be looking out for more Joanna Wallace books in the future.

I was drawn to the vibrant cover design, and I thought this looked and sounded like a fun book to read.

This was an entertaining read. I found it somewhat dark, but humorous at the same time, in an odd, twisted way. What surprised me initially was how sorry I felt for the main character. It did keep me guessing too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

(Scheduled for publication on The Bookly on 20th Sept 2023)

Here is a fairly comprehensive list of things that this book has been compared to*: Dexter. Killing Eve. Fleabag. American Psycho. How To Kill Your Family. My Sister the Serial Killer. Elinor Oliphant?

I’m surprised that no one has compared it to You “but if Joe Goldberg were English and liked to paint and specifically carried a hammer”†, but give ‘em time.

The problem with making these kinds of comparisons is that they’re almost never accurate. I guess there were hints of Dexter, maybe some vague top notes of Killing Eve? But for the most part I couldn’t see it, unless we’re just saying every book about a serial murderer is fundamentally alike?

And it’s a shame, because all this distracts from the fact that this book is pretty fun.

You’d Look Better As A Ghost follows Claire, recently bereaved of her beloved father, as she murders people for basically no reason at all. Jumped a queue? Gave someone a funny look? Forgot to proof-read an email? Hope you’re wearing clean underwear, because you are dead, my friend. Until Claire discovers that someone knows what she’s up to … and they’ll tell.

Is the plot a little convoluted, silly even, in its pursuit of compelling twists and turns? Yes. But that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable, particularly if you like books that keep you guessing and turning the pages. Frankly, if you watch shows like You or How To Get Away With Murder, the intense absurdity of plot is a great part of the pleasure. This book delivers a great deal of that. Everyone in this book seems to know each other, somehow? No one seems to have a job, unless that job is specifically relevant to the plot?

At times, You’d Look Better As A Ghost seems to want to be too many things to too many people. Is it about what makes a murderer? Is it about grief? Is it about institutional elder abuse? Whether there can be moral equivalence in murder? It has a tendency to touch on lots of different things before seeming to go, “Eh, whatever,” and just moving swiftly on. Personally I could have gone for a lot less flashback and a lot more examination of Claire’s motives in the present day.

But, ultimately, You’d Look Better As A Ghost is a fun read. Ignore the references to Fleabag and Dexter and whatever, and it’s a decent page-turner in its own right. Not quite the one for me, but great for anyone who wants twists and turns first and foremost.

Thank you NetGalley and Viper Books (an imprint of Serpent's Tail) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

You’d Look Better As A Ghost publishes 21st September 2023.

*either in marketing, cover copy or in reviews by other authors

†Speaking of the hammer: spoilers ahead, but how did she get this hammer? Surely this would be in a police evidence bag in storage until the end of time? I know personal effects of victims, like jewellery they were wearing, can eventually be released to family, but a HAMMER? The murder weapon? If you were a police officer, would you not find it intensely sus that the husband or daughter of a murder victim came to collect a hammer THAT DIDN’T BELONG TO THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE. Like, ma’am, these are £10, BUY A NEW ONE.

An incredibly dark yet hilarious book which makes for an overall fun read. I'm loving this genre of female serial killers and the trials it brings and chaos that surrounds them. This was a quick and easy read with a really enjoyable storyline that I hope there'll be a sequel to. Overall a really great funny book with fun characters who, although morally grey, you can't help but root for.

A darkly-funny, twisty edition to the ever-growing sub-genre of crime novels revolving around the trials and tribulations of being a female serial killer. Claire is and incredibly dangerous and empathy-free predator who still somehow becomes our (anti) hero as she muddles her way through life after the death of her Father.
Just as her wry observations and hilarious asides have you rooting for her, Claire's violent and gruesome history is slowly revealed as she attempts to track down a potential blackmailer.
Great fun overall - I would have loved to hear more about Claire's history, but I suspect that this isn't the last we've heard from her or her many (many) ghosts

I really enjoyed this book, and thought it was fun, enjoyable, and easy to read. Despite being from the point of view of a serial killer, I found myself drawn into her life and the chaos she’d created around herself, and really wanted her to come out triumphant. This story doesn’t take itself too seriously and would make a great quick holiday read.