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About this item
Highlights
- 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.
- About the Author: OLIVIA BLACKE (she/her) had her first encounter with a ghost when she was only five years old, but her first involvement with an active crime scene wasn't until much later, when she accidentally stepped into a chalk outline on a Manhattan sidewalk.
- 352 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Mystery & Detective
- Series Name: Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries
Description
Book Synopsis
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.
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. Unfortunately, Cordelia, being dead herself, can't solve the mystery alone. She has to enlist the help of the obnoxiously perky, living tenant of her apartment. Ruby is twenty, annoying, and has never met a houseplant she couldn't kill. But she also can do everything Cordelia can't, from interviewing suspects to researching Jake on the library computers that go up in a puff of smoke if Cordelia gets too close. As the roommates form an unlikely friendship and get closer to the truth about Jake's death, they also start to uncover other dangerous secrets.Review Quotes
Advance Praise for A New Lease on Death
"This pair of amateur detectives just works, and readers will root for them and the friendship they're building." -Booklist "This clever take on hauntings, with tinges of that old classic Topper, and the newer television series Ghosts, puts both haunter and hauntee into some unique and entertaining situations. . . This novel is by turns funny and tingly scary, with a bit of gumshoe work thrown in." -New York Journal of Books "A lot of twists and turns. . . I highly recommend A New Lease on Death for readers who enjoy paranormal novels, as well as a detective duo with vastly conflicting but complementing personalities." - Aunt Agatha's "A fun, supernatural mystery." -Red Carpet Crash "Droll, a touch maudlin, and featuring two outstanding characters." -First Clue "Bursting with cleverness and fun, A New Lease on Death is a detective novel with a twist. . . I can't wait to tell everyone about this book!" -Eliza Jane Brazier Witty, fun, and propulsive, A New Lease on Death was an absolute delight. Blacke's keen eye for detail really shines through!" -Amanda Jayatissa "Absolutely addictive. . . I didn't want it to end." -Lyn Liao Butler "Smart. Quirky. Suspenseful. Everything you could want in a whodunnit." -Darcie Wilde "My new favorite sleuthing odd couple. . . This delightfully dark mystery is well-crafted with humor and heart." -Celeste Connally Olivia Blacke's Mysteries Are: "Colorful [and] winning." -The New York Times Book Review "Charming." - Elle Cosimano "Fantastic." - Mia P. ManansalaAbout the Author
OLIVIA BLACKE (she/her) had her first encounter with a ghost when she was only five years old, but her first involvement with an active crime scene wasn't until much later, when she accidentally stepped into a chalk outline on a Manhattan sidewalk. Armed with a Criminology and Criminal Justice degree, she finally found a way to channel her love of the supernatural and passion for writing into darkly humorous supernatural mysteries. She is also the author of the Record Shop Mysteries and the Brooklyn Murder Mysteries. She still wants to be a unicorn when she grows up.Dimensions (Overall): 8.25 Inches (H) x 5.38 Inches (W) x 1.0 Inches (D)
Weight: 1.0 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 352
Genre: Fiction + Literature Genres
Sub-Genre: Mystery & Detective
Series Title: Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Theme: Women Sleuths
Format: Paperback
Author: Olivia Blacke
Language: English
Street Date: September 30, 2025
TCIN: 94429401
UPC: 9781250336699
Item Number (DPCI): 247-29-4074
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
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Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 1 inches length x 5.38 inches width x 8.25 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 1 pounds
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3.0 out of 5 stars with 1 reviews
0% would recommend
1 recommendations
A slow paced story!
3 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
- 5 months ago
I was looking forward to reading A New Lease on Death. I liked the idea of a ghost and her living roommate working together to solve a mystery. I found A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke to be a slow starter. The pacing was unhurried and there were repetitive details (Cordelia zaps electronics if she gets near them, it is very cold in Boston, Cordelia died in the tub, Ruby has nosy neighbors with a morbid curiosity, the dead neighbor loved pizza, ghost abilities). The job duties for the front desk position at TrendCelerate are listed at least three times. I did not warm up to Ruby or Cordelia. I read A New Lease on Death, but I could not get into the story (I found myself struggling to get through it). There are some fun, quirky elements (such as how Ruby and Cordelia communicated). The mystery is lackluster. It needed some zip and zing (a zap of electricity to bring it to life). It is a simple whodunit to solve. While the story is mostly lighthearted, it does touch on serious topics (murder, alcolhism, depression, suicide, domestic violence). I did not feel that the sensitive topics fit into the story, and they should not be taken lightly. The book ends with a cliffhanger. My interest is not piqued enough for me to pick up the next book in the series. A New Lease on Death left me discontented.