Olivia Blacke has written a mystery with two mismatched investigators that is filled with humor. Ruby Young is newly arrived in Boston. She is rapidly running out of funds and seeking employment. Cordelia Graves is dead. Ruby moved into Cordelia’s apartment after her death. It still contains all of her possessions and one of Cordelia’s prized plants. Ruby has managed to kill all of the others. Jake Macintyre lived in the apartment across the hall. When he is murdered in front of their building the police call it a mugging and have no suspects. While Cordelia’s spirit has moved things around the apartment on occasion, she finally reveals her presence to Ruby and the two begin looking into Jake’s murder. Ruby can not see or hear Cordelia, which makes their cooperation difficult. Refrigerator magnets help, but the limited words that are available often leads to confusion. Communicating outside is even more difficult. Cordelia has a tendency to cause havoc with lights and appliances if she gets too close, burning out a good number of light bulbs and blowing out a computer. When lights flicker Ruby knows that she is near. Her ability to pass through closed doors also comes in handy.

Cordelia was in her forties and single, working as an office manager and having an affair with her married boss. She was also a heavy drinker. Her death was considered a suicide. With her recent death, her position is still open and she convinces Ruby to apply for the position. Meeting Cordelia’s co-workers gives her a better understanding of who she was. Cordelia finds Ruby perky and rather talkative, although their age difference sometimes causes a gap in communication. As they work together Cordelia becomes more protective of Ruby and they often begin to echo each others’ thoughts. Jake was a ladies’ man and loved to party. When they look into his friends they receive a warning to back off, leaving them to believe that the murderer was someone he knew. While Cordelia is already dead, they must catch the killer before Ruby becomes the next victim. Blacke’s story will leave you hoping that this duo will return soon and gives you a hint of things to come. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press - Minotaur for providing this book.

What a fun, unique take on a cozy mystery. I am picky about the ones I read, but one with a ghost as the main character had me intrigued. I liked how the two characters were forced to work together in such fun ways. It really added another layer to this story. It was fun, and the perfect read for fall.

This was perfect to read during the spooky season because it really lent itself to be cozy and wholesome but still had some spooky bits scattered within it. It was a great addition to the cozy mystery reads and I'm definitely gonna be recommending it to friends who are looking for this very specific vibe!

A New Lease on Death is an imaginative book that poses the question of what you would do if you were a ghost stuck in limbo. Cordelia seems doomed to passively haunt her apartment in death. Then a young woman named Ruby moves in and Cordelia decides to try to connect with one of the living. Desperate for a job, Ruby also starts to question some of the strange things related to her neighbor’s death. Is murder still lurking around the building?

It took a bit to hook me, but at a certain point I was fully invested in the shenanigans of Cordelia and Ruby. They have great banter together and some hilarious scenes as they work through the challenges of spirit communication. The twist at the end as to the real murderer was satisfying and well-thought out. I hope there are more adventures with Ruby and Cordelia to come! A New Lease on Death is a lighthearted cozy mystery that is perfect for spooky season.

Thank you to Olivia Blacke, Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

Ruby is trying to start fresh after a bad relationship and thankfully finds a fully furnished apartment in Boston. Only problem is it comes with a roommate who is a …….ghost. Cordelia, the ghost roommate, died in the apartment a few months ago and now there is another death of someone else in the building. A murder that this unlikely duo is going to try to solve together.

I really liked the very beginning of this book. But for some reason, it took me forever to read, and I just couldn’t get into it until like 80% in. Although I’m don’t think it’s the book I think it might be me or maybe when I chose to read it.

I had trouble understanding why the two cared so much about the murder of the person in their building. I did really like both of the main characters and their dynamic with each other. I didn’t like that book ended on a cliffhanger because I’m not sure I will pick up any more in the series or not. I do think a lot of people will like this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saint Martin’s press and Minotaur books for the advanced copy of this book.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this novel.

This was the perfect spooky season read. It was dark and funny and just a great read around Halloween. I loved the relationship between Ruby and Cordelia. The cosy mystery books are starting to become a favorite of mine.

A solid 4/5 stars

Synopsis:
In this darkly funny supernatural mystery about an unlikely crime-solving duo that launches a commercial, unique, and genre-blending series, death is only the beginning.

Ruby Young's new Boston apartment comes with all the usual perks. Windows facing the brick wall of the next-door building. Heat that barely works. A malfunctioning buzzer. Noisy neighbors. A dead body on the sidewalk outside. And of course, a ghost.

Since Cordelia Graves died in her apartment a few months ago, she's kept up her residency, despite being bored out of her (non-tangible) skull and frustrated by her new roommate. When her across-the-hall neighbor, Jake Macintyre, is shot and killed in an apparent mugging gone wrong outside their building, Cordelia is convinced there’s more to it and is determined to bring his killer to justice.

Thoughts:

Not only was this a perfect book to read during the Halloween season, it was just fun book overall! The author did a great job of mixing in the fun and cute moments with the relatable struggles. The book is the definition of a fun, cozy mystery!

OK. That was fun and I cannot wait to see what really happened to Cordelia. As for what happened to Jake, that was a well told story. There were a lot of clues and a lot of options, but the truth became suddenlynn apparent to the Cordelia and me at the same time. I love it when that happens. I hate when the character either makes leaps we could never have made due to some information the author kept to themselves or we get it long before and are practically screaming at the book about how stupid they character is. I’m not sure which is worse.

What I liked:
The city of Boston was a perfect landscape to paint this story upon. I mean, if Ruby thinks the winters are unbearable I really want to hear what she thinks of summer! Boston has the history but also the reputation to set these tales of murder against.

I loved that Cordelia and Ruby were so perfectly flawed. Neither was too perfect and yet neither was unlikable. I’d never thought of having The Odd Couple set as a ghost/living mystery solving team. It absolutely works.

The humor. It’s nice when a dead person can have a sense of humor about their own afterlife.

What I didn’t like:
The ending. Not finding out about the dead body we first see in the street. That was satisfying. But what about the other one? How long do I have to wait to finish solving the mysteries of this book? So not fair!

A New Lease on Death is a cutesy little mystery perfect for right around Halloween, which is luckily when I read it! Who doesn't love a ghost helping their very much alive "roommate" solve the murder of the frat-boy who ends up dead right outside?

I do think this would have been a little more satisfying if it wasn't built up to be a sequel? But I still enjoyed the cliffhanger, and would be interested in picking up the next installment!

I'm becoming more of a fan of the cozy mystery genre. It allows me to indulge my crime obsession, but the stories don't give me nightmares. This is a really cute mystery about a ghost who befriends the living girl who inhabits her old apartment. They decide to solve the murder of a neighbor, but working together is tricky because they can't communicate in traditional ways (because she's a ghost, obvi). There were some parts of the story that felt repetitive, but that's pretty much the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars. Loved the characters and the premise, and I would definitely check out the next book in this series (especially since this one left off on a cliffhanger!).

Unfortunately this didn’t capture like my attention like I hoped it would after trying to read it for a few weeks. I think it may be something I come back to at another time because the synopsis is interesting and I made it about 35% in before not finishing and putting off to the side for now. Glad to have a copy of this because I will revisit.

This is a solid beginning to a new paranormal cozy mystery series. I found the two main characters, Cordelia, the ghost, and Ruby, the new tenant, engaging and relatable. There’s still plenty to uncover about both of them, and I hope to see that explored further in the next installment. My main frustration was their struggle to communicate more effectively, which seemed to drag on longer than necessary. Overall, I’d rate it 3.5 stars, rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The plot was intriguing but it all fell flat when it ended with zero resolution for the main character. Felt like it was a waste of time. I feel like there’s a second book but not a fan of how this cliff hanger was done. It felt incomplete.

A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke this was a new author for me, overall this was a decent read for me but not a great one. I had high hopes for the book, it just never reached those hopes. I would still recommend it to others because I know everyone does not enjoy the same things.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Cordelia Graves is dead, and Ruby Young is not. But that doesn't stop them from being roommates-sort of.
Cordelia, a recent ghost, is the former tenant, while Ruby is the new renter who just needed a place to live.
When their neighbor Jake is found dead with a bullet in his head, the police dismiss it as a mugging gone wrong, leaving Cordelia and Ruby to solve the case themselves. The only problem? Cordelia, being a ghost, can't speak to or be seen by Ruby.
The story takes creative advantage of their communication barriers, from Etch-A-Sketch messages to fridge magnets, and the unique perspectives of each character bring plenty of laughs.
This is a delightful, well-plotted mystery with a sweet found-family element. I loved the dynamic between Cordelia and Ruby-seeing Cordelia (who was in her 40s when she died) guide 20-something Ruby through life's challenges was heartwarming. And Ruby's eccentric, unapologetically joyful personality added so much charm.
The book does end on a cliffhanger, hinting at a second installment, which I'm now eagerly awaiting! With its smooth flow and engaging storyline, this is the kind of mystery you'll want to devour in a single sitting.

Olivia Blacke has written a darkly humorous supernatural mystery, A New Lease on Death, starring Ruby Young and Cordelia Graves. Ruby Young has just moved into a fully furnished Boston apartment that comes with noisy neighbors and the ghost of its former owner, Cordelia Graves. When neighbor Jake Macintyre is shot outside their building, Cordelia is determined to bring his killer to justice. Naturally, she needs to find a way to gain the help of Ruby. She can move things, but can’t be heard or seen.
This is a perfect book for spooky season. It is a cozy murder mystery that I could not put down. I love the multiple POV, the supernatural elements that gave us some insight on what's like to be a ghost and all the tricks and abilities that came along with it. I loved the inner thoughts of the characters that was shared throughout the book. I really helped with character development in my opinion. This is an enjoyable read and I look forward to the second book, to find out the cliff hanger from the end of the first book.

Thank you to Netgalley, St.Martin's Press and Minotaur for this digital advance readers copy.

What a great cozy ghost story mystery! This was the perfect read to end out October/beginning of November with!
Cordelia’s a 40-something year old ghost who still hangs around her if-y Boston apartment. She kept to herself for the most part while she was still alive, so having Ruby, her new “roommate” so to speak in her old apartment is taking some getting used to. Ruby is 20 & looking for a fresh start in the city. It all seems to be going okay until the neighbor across the hall, Jake Macintyre, is found shot to death with the bullet hole directly in his forehead. He was wearing his flannel pj’s, fuzzy socks & a Bruin’s hoodie…in the middle of a snowstorm.
Soon Ruby finds out about Cordelia & she convinces Ruby to help find Jake’s killer. Especially because the police just rule his death as a “mugging.”
The writing was really easy to follow, the characters were weird, but in the best way possible! & the story was just all around fabulous. I was only bummed at the ending & that’s just because I was left wanting more and it ended on a cliffhanger.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, & the author for a copy of this wonderful ARC! I look forward to reading more by this author. 😍💀👻🎃

2 roommates but one is a ghost. Cordelia has not left her apartment because she is dead. Ruby is the new tenant. She is a full of life, loves to talk, 20 year old. She lucked into a furnished apartment but needs a job and a way to communicate with the ghost. And why has another tenant on the same floor died. Are the 2 deaths related?
What a fun book! The story is full of humor and a mystery of Jake's death. And what about that last paragraph? Now I need to read the next book to find out if Cordelia really killed herself.

Cordelia died a few months ago
But she’s glad she doesn’t live alone
Ruby moved in to the apartment
Where Cordelia met her bitter end
A dead body appears on the sidewalk outside
It’s Jake - their neighbor - a nice enough guy
Can Cordelia and Ruby team up to solve the case
To make sure the killer gets locked away?

What a fun and fresh story! I absolutely LOVED it. It was a total blast to read. Cordelia and Ruby were both such unique, dynamic characters. I loved that we got to read both of their perspectives, and they both felt distinctly different.
The mystery was well done, too. And the background mystery (that I totally saw coming and was thrilled to be validated) will prove a delight in later books. I’m so happy that there will be more in this series! I can’t wait to see what these gals get up to next and what clues they uncover.

This was such a fun book! I knew from the start that I was going to like the characters of Cordelia and Ruby. I loved the idea of a paranormal mystery where a ghost, Cordelia, is helping a "breather" as they are called, which is Ruby, solve a murder case. I thought it was definitely well done and appreciated the character development the reader got for both narrators. While the reader did have to suspend some belief, I thought elements of the book were so unique, like how Cordelia and Ruby communicated. I appreciate that the book ended where it did, because it obviously set us up for another book which I am so excited for. It was a little quirky and a lot of fun, and I definitely recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.