When Ruby rents a fully furnished apartment, she doesn’t expect it to come with the ghost of the previous tenant too. When her neighbor across the hall winds up dead, and the police dismiss it as a mugging gone wrong rather than a murder, she and her deceased roommate decide to investigate.


I got this book through Netgalley and requested it primarily because of the cover and I wanted a mystery. It’s a decent mystery that was fun to read. I liked the main characters of Cordelia (my favorite), and Ruby. Ruby I thought at times was annoying, but I can’t explain why exactly. I think it was because she was so outgoing? Example, who in their right mind is gonna go to the murder victim’s work and interrogate his coworkers? What company would even allow this woman to walk on in and conduct an investigation in their break room. This is probably where I should say that this begins what I disliked about the book. Why in the world would all of Jake’s (the dead guy) coworkers answer this woman? She isn’t the police, she has no power or authority. There’s a bit later on when one of Jake’s girlfriends turns up at Cordelia’s and Ruby’s apartment to answer questions. What?! Why? Why would she do that. I can suspend my disbelief for ghosts, but I can not envision a world where a woman who seems to be so full of herself would travel to the apartment of some unknown woman to answer questions to help further along Ruby’s investigation. It doesn’t make sense.


Also, this book has me wondering if everybody in Boston is obsessed with beer and drinking? Because I would have thought that no, of course not, but this book has every character (besides Ruby) asking for a beer. I’m surprised the author didn’t write in the bus driver as drinking on the job.


I also liked some of the explanation on the ghost mechanics, like why ghosts don’t want to actually come in contact with a living person. That’s a great idea, make it painful for the ghost too. However, I did not care for the whole “if I believe it to be true, it suddenly is”. Need to make a whole garbage bag disappear, just will it to be so! Yet Cordelia struggles with floating, but can walk through the walls, and sink through the ground. I get that ghosts have magical abilities in a folklore sense, making things appear and disappear. I just thought explaining it away with simply thinking it’s true makes it true was a bit lazy. Furthermore, I would rather have not had it explained. Along with maybe a whole garbage bag disappearing. There has to be rules to this, right? If you can cover it with your ghostly hands it disappears, if you can’t wrap your whole body around an object it’s going to be visible. It’s just the way it is. I have read, watched, and listened to ghost stories, I’m a paranormal expert, 😛 Just kidding. I have no idea. But that’s just what I found annoying.


Overall, I enjoyed reading it. I liked the story line. I loved Cordelia’s character and look forward to reading the next one in this series.

So wanted to love this one! I loved the idea of a ghost and a living person being roommates, and trying to solve a murder together, but I'm afraid I had a really hard time connecting with the characters and the mystery. The prose/story really wandered, and I really struggled to get to the end. Also, there were moments I smiled, but I wouldn't say there was really humor!

Sad this was a miss for me, but grateful to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc!

Cordelia Graves died in her apartment- a few months later her neighbour ends up dead as well. Coincidence? Cordelia doesn't think so, with the help of her bubbly (living) 'roommate' Ruby, they look for answers in classic 'whodunnit' style mystery.
I enjoyed the premise of the novel- a supernatural murder mystery, but I feel like the humour aspect of it was lost on me. Marketed as a dark humour novel I feel like it is veered much more in the dark category as it covers a lot of more serious topics. Infidelity, domestic violence etc..
However, I really enjoyed the dynamic of Ruby and Cordelia - Cordelia being a curmudgeonly 40 year old and Ruby being a colourful Zillenial made for an interesting pair. Watching them find ways to communicate definitely made the age gap feel visceral.
Overall I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the story, the characters were entertaining- the novel felt a little oddly paced (I am not always a huge fan of the last 5% resolution). I think if you like cozy mysteries and are looking for something less romance focused and more mystery forward this is definitely for you!

To start, the cover art is everything to me. It’s primarily what drew me in, second being the title. The writing was witty as well as packed an emotional punch to it. I really felt connected to these characters lives by the end. As someone who works in the deathcare industry, there were numerous sections where I sat back and thought, “wow. what a perfect way to describe that”. It’s a great paranormal, cozy mystery that can also double as an easy going escape route for those grieving a loss in the real world. I’ll be featuring a review of this on my bookclubs insta for a “mortuary Monday” post I do.

A New Lease on Death is a humorous mystery with a spooky twist. Cordelia and Ruby have become housemates in very unusual circumstances. Cordelia is no longer alive, and Ruby has only recently moved into her apartment. When their neighbor Jake is murdered, Cordelia and Ruby work together to solve the case. This unusual team must devise novel means to communicate, such as refrigerator magnets, spilled drinks, and an etch-a-sketch. Each chapter is written from either Cordelia's or Ruby's point of view and is labeled at the top to make it easier to follow. Overall, I really enjoyed this book; I didn't expect the surprise at all. However, certain loose ends have not been tied, and the finale is abrupt.

Thank you NetGalley!

A New Lease on Death is a lighthearted mystery with some supernatural elements.

Cordelia and Ruby have become roommates under some interesting circumstances. Cordelia is dead and Ruby just moved into her apartment. When their neighbor Jake, gets murdered, Cordelia and Ruby team up to try to solve the case. This unlikely duo must find interesting ways to communicate, such as, refrigerator magnets, spilling drinks and an etch a sketch.

Each chapter is told from either Cordelia or Ruby’s point of view and is marked at the top, making it easy to understand. Overall I really enjoyed this book, I didn’t see the twist coming at all. However, there are some loose ends not tied up and the ending is pretty abrupt. Hopefully that means we will get a sequel.

A New Lease on Death comes out just in time for Halloween reading! If you’re looking for a fun twist on a murder mystery and like supernatural elements this one is for you!

Thanks to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The cover of this book is what peaked my interest and I ended up really enjoying this book. The book follows a grumpy, recently deceased ghost and her new, annoyingly perky living roommate as they form an unlikely alliance and put aside their considerable differences to solve a series of seemingly unrelated murders in their Boston neighborhood. I thought the idea of this book was fun and I enjoyed reading the relationship between the dead and alive. It was a quick read that kept me engaged. I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, St. Martin's Press.

I loved the cover! I loved the start of this book as well! I was super engaged but about halfway through, I started to lose interest. It’s still a good story but I think I wished there was a little more character development?

A cozy mystery with a ghost. I love a good cozy mystery and with a ghost, all I can think of is casper the friendly ghost lol. I loved that it was dual POV and honestly this was just a lot of fun/refreshing. It was a nice palette cleanser from some of the more serious thrillers that I have been reading. I am hoping there will be a sequel as I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author.

I wanted to love this book so badly. The cover & the premise had me eagerly jumping on an advanced reader's copy -- but I was quickly bored by the mystery component which left me disappointed overall.

Cordelia Graves is an unassuming forty year old single woman lived a quiet life to herself in a small apartment in a not so great part of Boston. When she dies in her bathtub it takes a week for anyone to find her -- and thanks to forces she hasn't quite managed to understand yet she's still hanging around as a ghost.

Ruby is a twenty year old woman has just moved to Boston to start over after a cheating ex at home. She is stoked to find a fully furnished apartment in her price range and doesn't ask too many questions about it.

She isn't freaked out to have a paranormal roommate, but when their neighbor down the hall is found shot in the head on the street outside, the two try to investigate his death together.

This book started off so strong but I quickly became disengaged with the weak mystery plot. I really enjoyed Cordelia and Ruby's POVs, but wish the book itself was a little meatier. I'm almost mad that this book is going to be a series because the plot line I was really intrigued by -- the circumstances surrounding Cordelia's death -- are definitely going to be basis of book two and now I have to wait for it!

Entertaining and fun read!
This book has all the right characters to make this cozy mystery a must read. A lonely ghost trying to solve a murder with the new living tenant of her former apartment. A sketchy neighbourhood that could only lead to trouble, and a secret guarded by the main character.
I hope there is a second instalment soon. Can’t wait to follow on this story and will definitely check out the previous books by this author :)

I was really hoping to like this book, unfortunately, I did not enjoy it.
The story is too dark for a cozy mystery, I prefer something lighter and there was nothing I found humorous at all, so this book is a no for me.

I really like Olivia Blacke's Record Shop Mysteries and was so excited to read her new book but unfortunately it was a miss for me.

It's billed as being "darkly funny" but I didn't find anything funny in the book. There is darkness -- domestic violence, adultery and references to suicide. I didn't like either of our main characters.

The premise is really cool though.

The main mystery resolves but the book leaves things wide open for a sequel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, St. Martin's Press.

I’m starting to get a taste for comedic murder mysteries with witty female characters that are either amateur detectives or good hearted serial killers.

“A new lease on death” falls into the amateur detective category and follows room mates Ruby and Cordelia, only Cordelia is a recently departed from this world ghost, who has taken to lingering in her old tiny apartment and watching the new tenant Ruby unintentionally murder her vast plant collection.

When their neighbour is killed in an apparent robbery gone wrong, there seems to be more to the story and the funny duo team up to solve the case.

I enjoyed the multiple POV, the supernatural elements that delve into what it’s like to be a ghost and all the tricks and abilities that come along with it.

This is more of a fun cosy mystery read than a thriller but I enjoyed it nonetheless. A perfect read for an easy relaxing evening, cozying up on the sofa whilst getting your detective glasses on.

Thank you to Olivia Blacke, St martins Press and NetGalley for the EARC.

Publish date: 29th October