What’s not to love about a somewhat curmudgeonly ghost (Cordelia), stuck in middle age, a ratty tee and sweats, and Boston, connecting with a twenty-something (Ruby) starting life over in a new place after a bad relationship as they share the same apartment? Cordelia and Ruby are center-stage in this book, providing me with two main characters to enjoy, while the murder victim and his cohort provided the basis on which these women learn to work together and appreciate one another. I especially enjoyed how the author explored different ways they could try to communicate - what worked and what didn’t provided joy and humor as we watched Cordelia progress in her afterlife skills. Another strength was the slow reveal of both women’s backgrounds and how they impacted their views and actions. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next as Cordelia becomes more adept at moving between worlds and Ruby becomes more settled and established in her new town.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books,and the author for early access to this charming mystery.

The premise is fun, with two women—one alive and one a ghost—teaming up to solve a murder.

Overall, though, I wasn’t wowed.

I liked both characters, and I enjoyed the dialogue, for the most part. I thought the constant references to their age gap (ages 20 and 40) were way overdone, but otherwise I enjoyed the banter.

But by midway, I was pretty bored.

The story is drawn out, with not a whole lot happening. The investigation doesn’t really become the focus until the final quarter. Pacing is sluggish, and content tends to be repetitive.

As with many cozy mysteries of this sort, the cops are missing and, apparently, inept. The case should have been quick for them to solve, if they’d bothered. Of course, this is often the nature of cozies.

I know I’m grumbling. While this wasn’t a favorite for me, I’m sure cozy fans who like a little ghostly presence will enjoy it.

*Thanks to Minotaur books for the free eARC, provided via NetGalley.*

* A New Lease on Death* is an entertaining and quirky cozy murder mystery that delivers a unique twist on the genre. The story follows Ruby, a quirky and unemployed young woman, who moves into an apartment still haunted by its former tenant, Cordelia—a recently deceased ghost who may or may not have died by her own hand. When their neighbor, Jake, is mysteriously shot in front of their building, Ruby and Cordelia form an unlikely detective duo to solve the crime. I loved the playful dynamic between them, the mix of supernatural elements, and the exploration of Cordelia’s ghostly tricks, which added a fun spin to the traditional amateur sleuth story. The story's humor, quirky characters, and multiple POVs kept me engaged, making it a cozy, light-hearted mystery perfect for a relaxing evening. However, I felt the plot could have benefited from a bit more development, and while the cliffhanger sets up the series, it wasn’t particularly memorable for me. Still, I’m intrigued enough to check out the sequel. 3.5 stars!

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

I love plants, murder mysteries, and spooky season vibes. This book had all of those. Cordelia and Jake made such a great (ghostly) team, their story was so interesting. I’d definitely recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

**3.5/5 Stars**
*A New Lease on Death* by Olivia Blacke is a cozy mystery with a charming small-town vibe and a touch of humor. The protagonist is relatable and quirky, and the mystery keeps you guessing with plenty of red herrings. However, the pacing can drag in places, and some secondary characters feel underdeveloped. Despite this, the engaging writing and satisfying twists make it a solid choice for fans of lighthearted whodunits.

Rating: 3 stars!

I feel like the premise behind the book is awesome, but the execution felt slow. If you want a fun ghosty read, I definately recommend checking it out.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fun, refreshing, funny and cozy read and I'm eager to read more.
Cordelia is in her 40s, has an annoying roommate who's let all her plants die and is sitting outside waiting on her neighbor Jake to wake up as a ghost.

Oh yeah, did I mention that Cordelia is a ghost?? Yep, a ghost who still hangs out in her old apartment and dealing with Ruby. Who doesn't quiet know she's got a ghost friend hanging out. That is until a green sweater proves her theory of Cordelia haunting the place.

Together they try to figure out how to work together to solve Jake's murder. They aren't your typical crime solving duo, but they sure do make it work in their own way. I really liked watching Ruby and Cordelia work together. It has it's perks having a ghost a friend, even more so with Cordelia being kind to Ruby and watching Ruby grow on her, even if she did destroy nearly all her plants.

Overall this was the kind of cozy mystery that can be read by the fire, snowed in or whatever reason. A quick read that it sure to keep you asking all the questions and wanting more of this lovely duo.

After dying in her plant-filled apartment, Cordelia Graves keeps hanging around. She’s annoyed with Ruby, the young girl who moved in to Cordelia’s fully furnished place. Ruby is scatterbrained and forgets to water Cordelia’s plants, but when Jake, a neighbor, is stabbed to death in front of the building, Cordelia and Ruby team up in order to solve the mystery.

This was a cute story, different from the murder mysteries I usually read. I thought some of the scenarios Ruby found herself in were a bit unbelievable though I liked both Ruby and Cordelia. I am curious to see what’s next for Ruby since the book ended on a cliffhanger.

I really enjoyed this book. It was such a unique story about a relationship between a ghost and her current tenant sleuthing together to solve a murder of the neighbor across the hall. I felt it was funny, endearing, cozy and quirky. Perfect for spooky season or really any time you’re looking for something special and fun to read.

A New Lease on Death is a humorous mystery with a spooky twist. Ghost roommates solving a murder mystery together. Some fun communication between them. If you like ghosts, cozy mystery, alternating points of view, this is a good one! thank you to Netgalley and the author for the chance to read.

Ruby moves into an apartment that is too good to be true. It’s furnished and the rent is cheap but she soon learns why. Cordelia, the previous tenant has passed but is still present. They build a friendship as well as a human and a ghost can and really work together to find out what happens when their neighbor is found murdered.

This was such a fun and unique story! I really enjoyed the premise and characters. It definitely had its moments of corniness, but overall it was an enjoyable read. The ladies made such a great team and I loved their friendship.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Minotaur Books, and Olivia Blacke for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This published on October 29th.

The concept of this was super intriguing to me - a woman dies and her ghost lives in her old apartment. A neighbor dies, and she attempts to communicate with the new tenant to find out what really happened.

Overall, it was fun. At times it felt like it moved a little slow and fell flat. I think I just wanted more - but a lovely mystery to enjoy during spooky szn!

This was a fun read! Like Ghost meets Murder She Wrote! I love the characters and their dynamic. I look forward to reading more about Ruby and Cordelia’s adventures.

This leaves some loose threads hanging, so the story will be continued!

👉🏻 For my friends looking for a light paranormal mystery with an age-gap friendship.

A NEW LEASE ON DEATH by Olivia Blacke

Thanks, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, for the advanced review copy via NetGalley. (Available now)

When Ruby rented Cordelia’s completely furnished apartment, it wasn’t just the couch and books left behind when the previous tenant died. Cordelia is still there, too. She has trouble communicating with her younger new roommate since Ruby can’t read cursive (Cordelia attempts to message her via bathroom mirror steam), but they work through it. After all, this new crime-solving duo has to come together to solve their neighbor’s murder.

This was a light and fun read full of unlikely hijinx and “how is she going to get herself out of this one” situations. I liked Ruby’s sunshiny and gullible personality and identified with Cordelia’s “older sentiment” since I, too, spell out words and use proper grammar, even while texting. I will admit the “Cordelia is SO OLD” jibber jabber got old fast, as she was only 40. But to a 20-year-old, I guess that is so ancient she’s practically dead. Oh, wait. She is.

This is a cute mystery book that will be part of a series. As I was reading it, I thought to myself that it would make the perfect series, and then I saw in the description that this is book 1, so the author does a really good job of setting it up to continue. The main character lives in Boston. She has just moved into a new apartment. She got a great deal on it because the previous owner died in the apartment. And then her neighbor dies too. And suddenly she finds out that the ghost of the woman who lived there previously is still hanging around and they can communicate. And together they try to solve the neighbor’s death. Oh, and the chapters switch back and forth so you get the ghosts perspective too. Such a cute idea!

Thank you to Minotaur books for a gifted copy!

Loved the cover, which is what initially drew me in. I loved the relationship between the two main characters, a curmudgeony dead recent tenant and the new lively young tenant. They work together to solve a crime and I can't wait for the next book where, hopefully they solve the death of the dead tenant. A little bit dark with some mystery and humor.

A New Lease on Death is the first ghostly mystery in the new Supernatural Mysteries series. Ruby Young has recently moved to Boston to escape a bad breakup, but the last thing she expected to find was a ghost haunting her new apartment. The former occupant, Cordelia Graves, died in the apartment and still hangs around. When Ruby’s across the hall neighbor turns up murdered, Ruby teams up with ghostly Cordelia to figure out what really happened. This unlikely duo may just be able to do something the Boston PD can’t.

This premise of this book interested me because I’ve enjoyed the few books I’ve read that seem similar to this. I think this book did a good job setting the scene for a series and I enjoyed getting to know Ruby and Cordelia. Following along as they stumbled about solving the mystery was entertaining, but something was missing for me in this book. I can’t put my finger on what it was exactly, but it could have had something to do with the pacing of the story and all of the background info. I know the background info is importantly, but the story might I’ve gotten a little lost for me in it. I am definitely open to reading the next book in this series to see how it progresses though. I think this series is just finding its footing and I really would like to see how Ruby and Cordelia team up in the future. If you think a mystery solving ghost seems cool this book is one to check out.

A New Lease on Death, by Olivia Blacke, is the first book in the new Supernatural Mysteries series. This story is fun and fast with just enough mystery and hijinks to keep it engaging. The story is not necessarily a cozy mystery, though the cover may appear to reflect that. It has some darker, more detailed aspects to the story that make it more graphic and lend it gravitas, but it’s also humorous and unusual with its paranormal aspects. It is entertaining, surprisingly thought-provoking, and the mystery is not easily solved making it quite captivating. I recommend A New Lease on Death for a unique, comedic, cozy mystery-esque story.

Olivia Blacke caught me off with the the first few pages of her new novel - A New Lease on Death. Well, with the title and the image on the cover, you might have an inkling of what you’re going to find inside…

Ruby moves into a Boston apartment that’s advertised as fully finished. It is, but the last tenant died in the bathtub. And all her items are still there. There’s another death and Ruby decides to investigate as the police don’t seem to think it is a crime.

I really liked Ruby as our lead character. She’s determined to do the right thing. But along the way she gets herself into some sketchy situations. Our supporting player is Cordelia and she’s a bit harder to get to know. She doesn’t talk much in the beginning of the book but things change for her too. And we know much more about her life as the book progresses.

A New Lease on Death is a mix of amateur detecting, supernatural elements, friendship and doing the right thing. I enjoyed the detective parts. I did wonder about Rudy's reasoning for and the impetus for her jumping in both feet. The who dunnit was a good one and it was one I hadn’t considered. Nicely done.

A New Release on Death is also setting up everything for a new novel using these characters. And there’s a burning question that I would love to know the answer to. All in all, it was an entertaining story. 3.5

I love a good Cozy Mystery and this was just that. Not on was it Cozy but it was also comedic
I see that this is the first in a series so I am hoping that we will get the next instalment soon

3.5 Stars