An extremely fun, buddy cop-esque cozy mystery with one living and one very not-living pair of protagonists. I flew through this story and found it the perfect balance of engaging and light.

A New Lease on Death is the 1st in a new paranormal mystery series by Olivia Blake. It follows two narrators and it flips between them chapter to chapter. One is a ghost named Cordelia who has been hanging around her old apartment building since her recent death at 40 and the other is her apartment's new 20 year old tenet Ruby. Ruby is barely getting by and took Cordelia's apartment fully furnished for a discount because she died there. Cordelia is lonely and trying to figure out the after life. She gets invested in Ruby's life after her neighbour is murdered and Cordelia wonders if her death and his could be connected. If so maybe Ruby is also in danger and she begins to try to appear to Ruby and connect with her.
They become allies and Cordelia helps Ruby get her old job and that allows her to start to learn more about Cordelia and helps Cordelia reveal more about her life leading up to her death and whether or not she really committed suicide. They work together to solve the murder and reveal what happened to their neighbour.
The themes a bit darker then a typical cozy mystery, but it was still humorous and campy. You start to really root for Ruby to succeed, she's very endearing. Cordelia is revealed to be much more flawed as the story goes on and there's a lot more mystery to her then you first expect. There's one part in which Cordelia manipulates Ruby to get drunk so she can communicate with her better, that I found uncomfortable and made Cordelia less likable to me. That is why I gave it 4 stars, but I still plan on continuing the series. The ending is left at a cliff hanger so hopefully we get a book two soon.

A New Lease on Death is a fantastic paranormal cozy mystery. It is fun and entertaining. The characters are interesting and I love how the ghost interacts with the world. The mystery has many twists and surprises to keep you guessing. I really enjoyed this book.

A New Lease on Death is the debut mystery in Olivia Blake's Supernatural Mysteries series and it is a fun paranormal mystery. The characters are likable and the mystery kept me guessing. There are two narrators, Ruby and ghost Cordelia, and it works for this story. Each has chapters explaining what is going on from their perspective. It adds a fun element. Cordelia is dead and is a ghost who haunts her old apartment where Ruby now lives. Ruby is starting over and moves into the apartment fully furnished with Cordelia's things but that is all Ruby can afford. Ruby meets Jake in the apartment across the hall but when Ruby finds him dead she and Cordelia decide to do some sleuthing. They make a great team and Cordelia keeps Ruby from getting hurt. Cordelia helps Ruby get a job at her former company which adds to the story. There is friendship, humor and a good mystery. It isn't a cozy mystery (and isn't promoted as one) due to a little bit of profanity, some physical abuse and married/single person relationships but some cozy mystery fans would like it, including me. The book moves along at a good pace and with some humor, it keeps it from being too serious or heavy. It is an enjoyable book. #ANewLeaseOnDeath #SupernaturalMysteries #MinotaurBooks #OliviaBlacke

🎃Thank you Minotaur Books@minotaur_books , Olivia Blacke @oliviablackeauthor , and Netgalley @netgalley for this free ebook.🎃
“A New Lease on Death” (Supernatural Mysteries #1) by Olivia Blacke ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Supernatural Mystery. Location: Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Time: Late winter, present.

THE SERIES: Brunette Ruby Young (20) is perky, annoying, death to houseplants, and believes in ghosts. Her new apartment 4G has windows facing a brick wall, barely working heat, noisy neighbors-and grumpy ghost Cordelia Graves. Since redhead Cordelia (43) died there around Christmas, she's stayed, despite being confused, lonely, bored out of her ghostly skull, and frustrated by new roommate Ruby (who thinks having Cordelia around is the coolest thing ever.) Together, they’re an unlikely crime-solving duo.

THIS BOOK: Neighbor Jake Macintyre is shot and killed in his flannel pajamas outside their building. Cordelia meets his ghost briefly, but Jake doesn’t believe in ghosts so now he’s gone. She’s determined to find his killer. But she needs living help-that means Ruby. As the roommates form an unlikely friendship, they get closer to the truth about Jake's death, and other dangerous secrets.

Author Blacke has written a cozy mystery combining female friendships with a little paranormal quirk. She tells the story from both Cordelia and Ruby’s points of view. While Ruby has her issues in the “real” world, Blacke shows Cordelia has her own issues in the spirit world. For example: communication. And not just the fact that Ruby can’t hear or see Cordelia. (“…I forgot Cordelia was older than me, then she spelled out whole words like “sorry” when “sry” would do just as well.”) They’re an odd couple. Their comments about each other are funny and clever, reminding us of the developing stages of friendships. It’s 4 stars from me🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️🎀. #ANewLeaseOnDeath #NetGalley

This is a wonderful mystery story. The plot is interesting and captures the reader’s attention from the beginning. The characters are really great. Cordelia and Ruby make for a great partnership. Their dialogue is witty and funny. Readers will love the charming way they interact with each other as they try to solve the murder. The description of the setting is vivid and gives the reader an opportunity to experience the story. This is a well written story that is easy to read and well worth it.

This was a fun cosy little mystery. It has kind of a slow build . I liked the ghost aspect and Ruby’s interaction with her. It will be interesting to see how the series develops

This was a fun, cozy mystery with a ghost. I liked the dynamic between the ghost and her new alive roommate. Despite not being able to properly communicate with one another, they managed to form a bond. On their own, I might not have connected to either of them but the balance between them was nice.

I thought the mystery was going a different way than it did. The cliffhanger was what I thought the end of the novel would focus on, I thought it would join the two plots. I see the seeds that have already been planted but it looks like it will spill over into what I can only presume will be a second book.

I’m for it. I’d come back for a sequel.

What a haunting mystery! Omg, I loved this. I absolutely devoured this book. I love the characters separately and together. I love the concept. I love how things moved along. I love how they are learning to navigate this new situation. So many things that just worked so well together in this. It had a great mystery to solve and a budding friendship. Ruby and Cordelia were so different but meshed well together. There's so much room for their characters and relationship to evolve. The clues that led up to the final ending proclamation were exceptional. I need this to continue immediately! Where is book 2?!

A cozy mystery is a pretty good way to describe this. You get to see a ghost and their new tenant solve the mystery of a murder, plus Ruby is a hoot.

A few months ago, I received an email from Minotaur Books inviting me to read an eARC of “A New Lease on Death,” the first book in a new supernatural mystery series. I’ll be honest, I have not been a fan of paranormal books recently. However, the premise of this book sounded interesting, and the email promised I’d enjoy it as a fan of the Finlay Donovan series. So I decided to give it a chance, and October seemed like the perfect time to read a ghost story. Apparently the folks over at Minotaur know me pretty well, because I absolutely adored this incredibly clever, fun, and cozy mystery. If it weren’t for life’s responsibilities, I would have read it in one sitting. I was completely captivated by this whodunnit and spent every spare second I had reading the story. I loved the unique plot, the charming main characters, and the intriguing mystery. While the main storyline was resolved, there was a bit of a cliffhanger at the end, and I am already excited to read the next book in this series. This was my first time reading an Olivia Blacke novel, and I can’t wait to check out her other cozy mystery series while I wait!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A New Lease on Death provides an entertaining, lightweight read, albeit one with some darker subjects underpinning the cozy mystery of it all. The mystery side is a little underwhelming - chipper amateur sleuth Ruby and her ghostly co-investigator Cordelia spend a lot of time covering the same ground, failing to find new info or clues, only to luck into the solution just in time. But the dynamic between Ruby and Cordelia, and the details of Cordelia's newly paranormal existence, are engaging enough, and it promises to be an enjoyable series, if continued.


Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I normally like cozy mysteries but this one was a bit difficult to get through. I didn’t love the dialogue. It felt a bit clunky to read. I also thought the plot was generally fine, but it had a hard time keeping my focus. I kept putting my kindle down to go do other things and finding myself not excited to pick the book up. It was just a fine read.

I was looking for a more cozy read, and this delivered on that. I think I may have had too high of expectations, because while I enjoyed the coziness, the story itself was very forgettable.

A murder mystery involving a ghost and her humans roommate? Yes please! I read dozens of mystery/thrillers a year and their plots and characters often run together. A New Lease On Death is a standout novel. I loved the great characters and a complicated enough plot. I will be anxiously awaiting the sequel!

thank you netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. i cannot wait for the other books that may come in the future for this series. never read a book or seen a movie with this idea. i thought it was well written and the story kept focus.

While the idea of having a ghost for a roommate is fun, this book was not as exciting as I thought it would be. There was a lot in this book that just did not work for me. Although I liked the MCs, Cordelia and Ruby, I did not care for many of the other characters. A lot of them felt unnecessary, like Jake's coworkers and Harp. Harp is another ghost, and when he was introduced, I thought he would have played a significant role, however, he did not. I also did not like how the weather was mentioned several times in every chapter. It was unnecessary. We get it, Boston gets cold. I also didn't love the constant mention of the cheating. At one point, I felt the author started trauma-dumping and adding as many toxic experiences as she could in, and I'm not quite sure of the reasoning behind it. Also, the houseplant. The houseplant seemed important to Cordelia and closer to the end she mentioned a secret, but we never got that secret. And then there's the ending itself. It was not jaw-dropping, I was not left on the edge of my seat. I'm pretty sure all readers assumed this from the start of the book. I actually thought we were going to find out exactly what happened to Cordelia when we learned what happened to Jake (which was also no surprise), however that was not the case. (Most readers can probably conclude what happened to her though, after the conversation with Millie and Ruby.) I liked the fact that Cordelia was still around even after her death (of course, that made the book), but I could not get with her being able to only talk to people when they were falling asleep or intoxicated. It just feeled a little odd and not thought through.
The book was alright, but by the end I found myself wishing it gave more. 2.5 stars
Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Olivia Blacke for this ARC.

Too slow. I was bored out of my mind and dreaded picking it up in the evenings. Dialogue is stilted and clunky and Ruby is all over the place. She's a mess, very chaotic and not in a cute and endearing way. Too many pointless details and yet at the same time it's too repetitive. Not for me. If this is how all "cozy mysteries" are I will still clear of the genre.

When Cordelia finds a body on the sidewalk in front of her apartment building she decides it's up to her to investigate. There's only one small problem, it's minor really; she's dead. She must team up with the new tenant, Ruby that has moved into Cordelia's apartment, because you know, dead. This was a cute cozy murd€r mystery with an unexpected ending. Ghost Cordelia is a great friend to have! I really enjoyed that perky Ruby grew on her and Cordelia came to feel responsible for her and took her under her wing. It was a fun twist to the found family trope. I had my suspicions leading up to the cliffhanger and look forward to the next book to learn more on that. 3.5 stars rounded up.

*3.5 stars rounded up.

How's this for a fun cozy mystery plot? 'I moved into a haunted apartment, but the ghost is real nice. She got me a job and now I'm helping her solve a mystery.'

When Ruby Young moves to Boston from Baltimore, she rents a furnished apartment AS IS. She soon realizes 'the furnishings' include the ghost of the woman who owned them, Cordelia Graves. When Jake, the neighbor across the hall, is found shot to death in front of their building, the Boston police seem to write it off as a mugging. But why was Jake out there in his pj bottoms and fuzzy socks in the middle of a snow storm? Cordelia convinces Ruby to help her find his killer.

Looking for a fun ghost story for the Halloween season? This cozy mystery is so delightfully quirky and humorous. I enjoyed meeting these two characters and will look forward to more from this zany duo. Maybe next time they can figure out the truth of how Cordelia died.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for offering me an arc via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.