A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke

 A New Lease on Death

Book Summary

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.

My Thoughts

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.  

A New Lease on Death is available from Amazon*.  You can find Olivia Blacke's other books here. Thank you for joining me today.  Tomorrow I am a stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for Caught on Camera by Kara Lacey.  It is the first book in A Camera Club Mysteries.  I am off to fill out more paperwork for FEMA.  All this paperwork reminds me of when I worked for a nearby city government.  I hope that you have spooktacular day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book.  I am not required to leave a review.  The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

*This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you.  Thank you for supporting The Avid Reader.

Killer Content by Olivia Blacke

Book Summary

Killer Content by Olivia Blacke has Odessa Dean relocating to Brooklyn to apartment sit and babysit her aunt’s cat while she is traveling around Europe.  Odessa is working as a waitress at Untapped Books & Café.  Co-worker Bethany asks Odessa to cover for her while she runs to Domino Park.  Bethany fails to return, and Odessa soon learns why when she watches a video of a failed flash mob marriage proposal in Domino Park that has gone viral.  Odessa sees a flash of green in the background on the person who falls from a bridge.  Odessa rushes to the park where she sees the coroner taking away a woman who has a tattoo just like Bethany’s.  Odessa goes to the police station that evening and speaks with Detective Castillo.  She learns that Bethany’s death has been ruled an accident.  Odessa believes Bethany has been killed and sets out to prove it.  

My Thoughts

Killer Content by Olivia Blacke is the first A Brooklyn Murder Mystery.  Odessa Dean is from Piney Island, Louisiana who finds Brooklyn amazing and overwhelming.  She is cat and apartment sitting for her Aunt Melanie who is traveling through Europe.  Killer Content is written in the first person allowing us to see things from Odessa’s point-of-view.  We learn what she thinks about Brooklyn, the food, the microbrews, the people, etc.  Izzy Wilson is a co-worker and Odessa’s friend who ends up living with Odessa when the schoolhouse where she squats is being fumigated.  Izzy has a larger personality than Odessa and she could overshadow her.  Odessa is an okay character.  I just felt she faded into the background at times.  She let people take advantage of her (from her boss to Izzy).  The contradiction comes with Bethany’s death.  Odessa is positive that Bethany was murdered, and she will not stop until she proves it.  I felt that the whodunit was not the focus of the story.  More time seems devoted to Untapped Books & Café (the people, the food, the brews served).  There are a limited number of suspects.  Odessa questioned people and dug through trash looking for clues.  One piece of information is all that is needed to solve the case.  If you are like me and read cozies for the mystery, then you will be disappointed.  This is a character driven cozy mystery with the focus on Odessa.  I felt there were details that we did not need to know such what Odessa ate for each meal, the weather (it is hot as we are told a few times), the mess Izzy left in the bedroom, the amount of luggage Izzy brought with her).  I just felt that some of this minute details were not needed, and they slowed down the progress of the story.  There was a repetition of information as well.   I believe Killer Content will appeal to those readers in their twenties and thirties (obtain a sample to see if this story suits you).  The author did take the time to give needed background information on Odessa as well as the neighborhood (where Odessa lives and works).   I liked Rufus Talliwhacker (Aunt Melanie’s cat) plus the bookstore dog. Killer Content is a lighthearted cozy mystery with distasteful trash, flash mob fiasco, nasty neon green, a disobliging detective, a capricious roommate, and mouthwatering microbrews.

Killer Content can be obtained from Amazon*.  The next A Brooklyn Murder Mystery is No Memes of Escape which publishes October 5.  Thank you for reading my review today.  Next time I am featuring The Orchard House by Heidi Chiavaroli.  I hope that you have a rewarding day.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.