This is a new series by Olivia Blacke .I highly recommend it. I hope there are more books. Cordelia neighbor was found shot dead in the front of their apartment building. She is a ghost so with the help of Ruby the new tenant in her apartment they will figure who did it.

I had so much fun with this book. I wish the plots had been a little more wrapped up by the end of the book, but that just means I’ll look forward to the rest of the series even more!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a new take on the murder mystery novel. I am not one for m*rd*r books, but this was a cozy mystery that I was able to get invested in quickly. I was very intrigued, but disappointed by the ending. I guess I'll just have to read part 2!

Thanks again for the ARC!

"A New Lease on Death" was good enough, but definitely not great. Although there were a lot of annoying bits about this book, I still liked it enough that I'll seek out the next in the series.

A short list of some of the non-spoiler annoying bits:
-repetition. I don't think it was necessary to keep pointing out how cold Boston winters can get, or that Cordelia was stuck in the clothes she died in, or that Ruby missed her sisters, or that ghosts and electronics don't mix, or that the apartment is on the fourth floor and the elevator doesn't work (just to name a few).
-real-world stuff was more far-fetched than the magical/ghosty-y stuff; Ruby seems to have virtually zero self-preservation instincts; even for a 20-year-old, she is far too naive and trusting.
-quite a few plot-holes and inconsistencies:
--given the abilities she does have, why can't Cordelia just swipe a pen from somewhere? Or get an etch-a-sketch for the apartment?
--there are many mentions of tenants having to go downstairs to get deliveries, packages, etc from the lobby, because delivery people refuse to hike up to the fourth floor. But somehow those delivery people that refuse to trek upstairs are sliding carryout menus/flyers under the fourth-floor apartment doors?

A cozy mystery! A ghost who does not remember her death and the girl who moved into her apartment are on the hunt to solve a case of murders in “their” apartment! A Halloween mystery!

I unfortunately had to DNF as I did not relate or enjoy the story enough to continue. The premise captivated me, however the characters were lackluster and slow-moving.

This is such a fun book to read for Halloween season for those who aren’t looking for something super scary. I really enjoyed the paranormal aspect to the mystery and thought it added a fun element to the traditional partners solving a mystery trope.

I did not enjoy this book. It was so slow and while the premise was interesting, there wasn’t enough to keep me wanting to read.

A New Lease on Death is a cozy, low-stakes mystery—think Casper the Friendly Ghost meets Nancy Drew. Cordelia is dead and spends her days haunting her old apartment. Ruby takes over Cordelia's lease, and the two build a heartwarming friendship as they work together to solve a murder.

This book was cute, definitely not scary or spooky. There were a few lines of cheeky commentary that gave me a chuckle, but it definitely wasn't laugh-out-loud hilarious. It got pretty repetitive in the middle, and a lot of fluff could have been edited out. Overall, I enjoyed the read and recommend it to readers looking for a light-hearted mystery. If you want a book with ghosts for Fall but don't like horror or hauntings, I would definitely give this a try.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the ARC!

A New Lease on Death is the story of unlikely roommates, Cordelia the ghost and Ruby the current living resident of Cordelia’s old apartment. Together they work to solve the murder of their neighbor across the hall, Jake. Along the way they learn how to communicate and help each other.

This has all the elements of the amateur detective mystery, but is layered with the characters coming to know each other. I loved this unique take on a murder mystery where they work together as best they are able, even though communication is tricky. There were some fun ghostly antics but also some commentary on more serious issues. All in all, a great murder mystery with some spooky fun. The mystery was wrapped up well, but there is a door open to a second book and I will definitely read that when it comes out.

Thank you to the publisher St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the gifted digital ARC to review in exchange for my honest review. This book publishes on October 29th, check it out!

THIS WAS FUN SPOOKY MYSTERY READ THAT HAD EVERYTHING LOOK
FOR IN A LIGHTHEARTED COZY MYSTERY. I LOVED THIS TAKE ON THE
UNEXPECTED ROOMMATE IDEA AND WATCHING AS THEY BECAME
A MYSTERY WAS SO MUCH FUN. I HOPE THAT THIS IS THE FIRST IN A
SERIES BECAUSE I COULD READ MORE ABOUT THEM AND LOVE TO
DISCOVER HOW THEY WOULD FIND NEW CASES! HOW CORDELIA
AND RUBY COMMUNICATED WAS PART OF THE FUN BECAUSE NO
MATTER IF IT WAS VIA AN ETCHASKETCH OR FRIDGE MAGNETS THE
CREATIVITY HERE WAS DELIGHTFUL, NOT TO MENTION THE CONNECTION
BETWEEN THEM ALWAYS LEFT ME WITH A SMILE. THE ALTERNATING
CHAPTER TOLD IN EACH CHARACTERS VOICE I ADDED SO MUCH TO THE
THAT EVEN THE GHOST HAD A TRUE PRESENCE, BUT I DID FEEL LIKE
THERE WAS SOMETHING MISSING IN EACH ONES BACKSTORY,
BUT I AM HOPING THAT'S BECAUSE THERE IS MORE TO COME!

Instead of a book where people communicate via text messages, here’s a novel where the protagonists communicate via refrigerator magnets. Ruby and Cordelia are forced to live together as roommates in this spooky cozy mystery, except that Cordelia, the previous resident of the apartment, is unalive, and the landlord just couldn’t wait to re-rent to Ruby. This is a cute premise and the action takes place around the murder of another tenant. Cordelia is determined to have Ruby solve the crime and Cordelia, thank goodness, is also preventing Ruby from serial house plant murder.

This is a quick read that’s perfect for the Halloween season. The Cordelia/Ruby dynamic was fun and the way the book ended, I’m very much expecting that this will be a series. 3.5 stars.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Bobby has glassy green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO At least the ghost is a better plant parent than Ruby.

Thank you to Minotaur and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Such a good read for October, a wonderful ghostly mystery. Cordelia is dead and Ruby moves in to her old apartment completely furnished with all of Cordelia's belongings. When across the hall neighbor Jake is found murdered on the sidewalk outside Ruby takes on the job of solving the murder. Can Cordelia help? They communicate using magnetic words on the fridge and together work to solve the mystery. A light and entertaining mystery with good plot and great characters, dead and alive. Released just in time for Halloween!
Thanks to #NetGalley#ANewLeaseOnDeath#StMartinsPress For the EARC and a great read.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: October 29, 2024
“A New Lease on Death” by Olivia Blacke is a sharp, quirky, supernatural mystery unlike any other!
Cordelia Graves is dead. There isn’t very much she can do about that. So, when she discovers her neighbour’s dead body in front of her old apartment building, she starts to wonder what really happened (what else does she have to do?). But again, Cordelia realizes that this is something she can’t investigate on her own- being dead and all. Luckily for Cordelia, Ruby Young moved into her previous apartment and, somehow, seems to be able to sense Cordelia’s presence. Ruby is young and perky, so initially it seems that Cordelia and Ruby don’t seem to have much in common- but Ruby has the only quality that Cordelia needs to help her uncover the truth- she is very much alive.
“Death” is the first novel in the “Supernatural mystery” series by Blacke, and it is very obvious by the end of the novel that a sequel is forthcoming. “Death” introduces Cordelia and Ruby to the world, two characters who are almost the antithesis of each other, coming together to try and solve a murder. The fact that Cordelia is dead adds a creative element to your typical murder mystery investigation, and it made the novel that much more enjoyable.
We don’t get a lot of information about Cordelia at first, besides the obvious, but she’s so likable, it’s almost easy to forget that she’s not in the land of the living. Ruby is twenty years old and unemployed, who moved to Boston on a whim to start over, after a devastating breakup. “Death” is told from the viewpoint of both characters, in alternating chapters, and, regardless of their differences, Ruby and Cordelia are a hilarious crime-fighting team.
There are enough twists and turns in this novel to make the ending unexpected, but it all plays out in such a way to be both believable and satisfying. Although no release date has been announced for the second novel, it will no doubt pick up where this novel left off- with Cordelia and Ruby’s next murder investigation. I can’t say if it will be necessary to read this novel in order to keep up with the second novel but I would definitely recommend this novel anyway!
“Death” is original, fun and the perfect read for the Spooky Season! I can’t wait for the second novel, so I can be reunited with Cordelia and Ruby once more!

I loved the unique premise behind this book, as well as the two main characters. I am a little sad about one loose end up not being tied up but would read a sequel to find out the answers later.

A light, humourous read but a little slow to get going. I’m glad that I persevered to the end to see how things wrapped up.
(2.5 rounded up to 3)
Thank You to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the invitation to read this ARC.

Paranormal cozy mysteries are such a delightful niche, and this is a clever addition that I would happily read the sequel to.

𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

📖- A New Lease on Death
✍🏼- Olivia Blacke
📅- 10/29/24
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

⚠️Suicide ⚠️

𝕊𝕪𝕟𝕠𝕡𝕤𝕚𝕤:

Ruby Young moves into an already furnished apartment in Boston. But it comes with a roommate, a ghostly roommate who unalived herself (or did she 🤔). That doesn’t stop Ruby as she grows closer to Cordelia. Especially when a neighbor mysteriously turns up dead right in front of their apartment building. With the help of Cordelia, Ruby starts investigating on her own and trying to find out who murdered Jake.

𝕄𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 :💭
It was a cozy mystery read, I liked it and would’ve loved it if it wasn’t so repetitive. I liked how Cordelia was very protective of Ruby. I LOVED how Ruby was sometimes clueless and it just made the book funny at times. It wasn’t a page turner until about 15-20 % end of the book.Overall, I enjoyed it to some extent but I don’t see myself picking up the second book. It did end on a cliffhanger so it may change your perspective on whether to continue the series or not.

Thank you netgalley for this arc of a new lease on death. This book is an easy read and so very cute. Cordelia Graves is dead but her ghost had remained a tenant in her apartment. When her neighbor Jake shows up murdered outside in the snow she is excited to have a new ghost friend. Unfortunately that doesnt pan out but she does become friends with young Ruby who has moved into her apartment and is open to communication with ghosts. They join forces to solve Jakes murder and hilarity ensues. Four stars highly recommend grabbing this one for spooky season.

I enjoyed the premiseof “A New Lease On Death” and it reminded me a little of CBS’s show “Ghosts”. Ireally enjoyed the dynamic of Ruby and Cordelia. Cordelia being a curmudgeonly40 year old and Ruby being a much younger and more colorful adult made for an interestingpair. Watching them find ways to communicate definitely made the age gap feelvisceral. Each chapter is told from either Cordelia or Ruby’s point of view andis marked at the top, making it easy to understand. Overall I really enjoyedthis book, and I didn’t see the twist coming at all. There are some looseends that weren't tied up and the ending is pretty abrupt, which should mean that we're getting a sequel. I think if you like cozy mysteries and are looking forsomething less romance focused and more mystery forward this is definitely foryou! It's also a great book to read as it gets closer to Halloween! Thanks to Olivia Blacke, Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Booksfor an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. I look forward to hopefully reading the next in the series!