This book was very fast paced and easy to read. It was a good cozy mystery and I'm intrigued to read more from this author

I was given the opportunity to read this ARC for
Minotaur via NetGalley. This was my first Olivia Blacke mystery and I loved the idea of a combination paranormal/whodunnit. It was sweet, silly, and just an overall enjoyable ride. It didn’t shy away from some darker themes but never went too deep into gore or other intense elements of true crime. Very much a slightly less than cozy mystery. Looking forward to the sequel!

3.5 stars. I’m new to reading “cozy mysteries” and will definitely pick up more in the future. While this story had a great premise, I found most of the characters to not be very memorable. I enjoyed Cordelia and Ruby working together. It was interesting to get Cordelia’s side being a ghost. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed and the cliffhanger to be a bit too predictable. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Death is only the beginning in Olivia Blacke’s A New Lease on Death, a darkly funny, supernatural mystery that introduces an unlikely crime-solving duo.

The first book in a new series! Great characters and a fun twist on crime-solving partners. Looking forward to the next one. I would very much like to see this available as an audiobook.

This is a cozy murder mystery, but it's not your typical cozy mystery.

One of the main characters is Cordelia who happens to be a ghost. She is haunting the apartment which she died in and a new tenant moves in named Ruby. Cordelia is trying to scare Ruby into leaving and then one of the residents in the building dies by gunshot wound unexpectedly.

The two of them set out together to solve the mystery of who the killer is. You get the point of view alternating between the two characters so you see the thought processes and the clues that each one individually is finding and how they work together to solve the case and stop a killer.

This book was absolutely great for hosing up on the couch for an evening with a cup of tea and trying to solve a mystery. It was just a fun time for that. Until the ending. I was not expecting the cliffhanger and now I need answers. So I will definitely be reading book two when it comes out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for my review!

I received an invitation to read this one and thought, why not? I love a good cozy mystery! This was so fun! I loved the concept of having the 2 POV and one being that of a GHOST! It was also fun seeing how these characters developed a relationship without Ruby being able to see or hear Cordelia. It also takes place in Boston which is fun as well. This is already book one in a series which is good because this ended on an abrupt cliffhanger (think really any of the Finlay Donovan books!). I’ll definitely read the next book as I’m invested now and this one didn’t tie up all the loose ends! This isn’t @oliviablackauthor ‘s first book, so I will definitely look into her back catalog! The pub date for this is 10/29 so just in time for Halloween!

I thought this was such a cute and interesting premise and was very excited to dig into this one. It reminded me of a series I read as a middle-schooler/young teen where a young woman is friends with a ghost, and thought maybe it would give me similar pleasure. Cordelia was the highlight of this book for me, and where she was the narrator I found quite amusing. Beyond her, though, I didn't really find any other characters, even Ruby, particularly enjoyable or memorable, which is a detractor from me. I like to feel invested and enveloped in a book's world. I was also frustrated by the ending - it felt rushed and kind of forced.

This was a cute cozy thriller perfect to start your fall reading journey. I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters to include the pov of both Ruby and Cordelia. Light hearted with a cliffhanger.

LOVED!!! With great characters and a great storyline, this was hard to put down! Ruby and Cordelia are the investigative pair we didn't know we needed! Blacke's writing is top notch. Hopefully there will be lots more with these two because I am truly invested!

A new lease on death is a light hearted murder mystery book that follows the POV of a live young woman and her unconventional roommate…a deceased middle aged woman. The two must find ways to communicate and get to the bottom of who murdered the guy who lived across the hall.

All of the characters had such fun and believable character arcs, I absolutely loved this book. It was a refreshingly numerous mystery. It was outside of my usual psychological thriller niche, but I enjoyed it so much. I can’t wait to read the next installment! It was left on the perfect “cliff hanger”

If you're in the mood for a cozy mystery with a ghostly twist, New Lease on Death is pure delight! Ruby, fresh off a big move to Boston, didn’t expect to gain a roommate—especially not a sassy, spunky ghost named Cordy. After Ruby takes over Cordy’s old apartment, the two form an unlikely (but absolutely adorable) friendship that really takes off when their neighbor is mysteriously murdered.

With Cordy's otherworldly insights and Ruby's tenacity, this duo is unstoppable, navigating murder investigations and suspect quirks with plenty of wit and charm. Boston’s backdrop adds the perfect atmosphere for this whodunit! If you're a fan of warm-hearted mysteries with a sprinkle of supernatural shenanigans, you'll love every minute with Ruby and Cordy.

3/5

This was a meh for me. I am a huge fan of cozy mysteries combined with humour (looking at you Only Murderers in the Building) but this just didn't deliver. The comedy was lacking, the pacing felt off and it just wasn't the vibe. It ended up being a lot more traumatic than I was hoping for. I specifically choose cozy mysteries over thrillers because I don't enjoy and elaborate "the moment they died" scene. I'm always just ready for the crime solving duo working it out part, which this had but maybe I was too distracted by being mislead with that to enjoy it.

The multiple POV was done well and the characters were just good, nothing super memorable or unique. Ruby was okay and Cordelia was only slightly more interesting overall. I did like the attempts at supernatural hijinks and explaining the ghostly experience but again it wasn't anything beyond just good. The premise and the idea of the plot was one of the only truly good things I have to comment on. It's an interesting and unique idea but other than that it just wasn't what I was hoping...

Paranormal Cozy-ish Mystery about a forty-ish Massachusetts ghost and the 20-something woman who moves into her old apartment team up to catch their neighbor's killer.

4/5 stars: Blacke's debut entry in the Supernatural Mysteries series is a Paranormal Cozy-ish Mystery that takes place is Boston, Massachusetts and features a forty-ish ghostly woman who died of a suicide and the 20-something unemployed woman who moves into her old apartment as the two team up to sleuth out who killed their across-the-hall neighbor. With plenty of twists and turns, Blacke has crafted a mystery that balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Written with wit and humor and in dual POVs, Blacke's writing and character work are excellent; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. Cordelia and Ruby are complete opposites but as a team the two work great together and it's great seeing them helping each other. Blacke touches on some sensitive topics; so take care and check out the CWs. A great start to a new series, looking forward to reading more.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

I thought this was a cute little murder mystery. I did think that the book went a little heavy-handed into the metaphysics of what ghosthood was like. There were a lot of cheap explanations too. Like Cordelia could walk through walls because she believed she could walk through walls. It just didn't really feel necessary to explain the ins and outs of being a ghost. I felt like more could have been done to develop Cordelia as a character.

I really liked the friendship between Ruby and Cordelia, but I hope that Ruby has opportunities to engage with other people in the next book. It was kind of sad that Ruby, who is meant to be around 20, had no friends or wasn't trying to make friends in a city she had never been to before. I did like that Cordelia and Ruby were mirrored in a lot of ways. Ruby doesn't drink, and Cordelia was an alcoholic when she was alive. Ruby's boyfriend had cheated on her, prompting her relocation; Cordelia was in a long-term on-and-off relationship with a married man.

The mystery itself was also kind of fun. The police treated it as a regular mugging, so Ruby and Cordelia really had to dig into their neighbor's life. Ruby and Cordelia figuring out how to communicate with each other and find clues was cute. Again, there is a theme of infidelity with the murder that I won't spoil. I hope the next book will have a secondary storyline that doesn't have to do with cheating. We get it. There are cheaters in this story.

Overall, this was a good rainy day read and could easily be read in one sitting. I'd recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books for the advanced copy; all opinions are my own.

A New Lease on Death is a paranormal
Murder mystery that follows Ruby and her ghost roommate Cordelia as they try to figure out who killed their neighbor.

I really enjoyed the dual POVs between Ruby and Cordelia- I really loved Cordelia and she was the star for me. I liked how the two characters interacted with each other and figured out how to communicate. Magnetic poetry, anyone?

I couldn’t guess the end so that was a positive for me but at the same time, it wasn’t surprising.

The book does end on a cliffhanger to set up for the next book, which I will be reading!

I really enjoyed this cozy-ish murder mystery with a ghost as one of the detectives. Cordelia Graves & Ruby Young make a pretty good team. Ruby is the young woman who moved into Cordelia’s apartment after her death. A little bit of a grumpy sunshine duo, Ruby & Cordelia try to solve the murder of a neighbor. I loved the ghost rules in the book- although we’re still learning those along with Cordy. Can’t wait for the next installment.

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 stars

A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke is a unique mystery novel that showcases comedy and supernatural elements.

The novel centers around Ruby Young who discovers that her new apartment comes with an unexpected roommate-- a ghost. That ghost is the former tenant of Ruby's apartment, Cordelia Graves. Cordelia convinces Ruby to help her investigate their neighbor's murder which appears to be a mugging gone wrong. The two form a friendship while hunting down a killer.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this mystery. I like that the author did not get too caught up in explaining the supernatural aspects of Cordelia's presence. Blacke did not overcomplicate Cordelia's character, which I believe would be challenging for any author. For example, she explains how Ruby and Cordelia must communicate via writing without getting bogged down in the details of why Ruby can't hear Cordelia speak.

I don't particularly appreciate that this book ended on a cliffhanger. I don't like reading books that do this unless the sequel is already out. I feel that the book didn't get as deep into solving the mystery as I wanted it to. I feel that for long portions of the book, I was just reading about Ruby and Cordelia's day-to-day lives. I was overall left wanting more from a novel promising an investigation into a murder.

👻 Book Review 👻

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

Publication: October 22, 2024

Rating: Not for me

I was hoping that this would fall closer to humorous cozy mystery but I found the humor falling flat. Some things that I think were meant to be funny, really weren’t and fell more into the serious category.

For fans of:
👻 First person POV
🔑 Dual POV
👻 Paranormal
🔑 Cozy mystery
👻 Amateur sleuthing
🔑 Heavier topics

🛑 Triggers 🛑
⚠️ Description of suicide/murder

Our patrons LOVE all things supernatural! This book will be a fan favorite throughout our community.

This was my first book by this author. I loved the mystery and supernatural aspect, but I definitely didn't love the cliffhanger, but that's how authors keep you coming back for more and I do want to see where this goes. I loved all the characters and I found myself turning page after page.