This is an endearing, cozy mystery that keeps you wanting to keep reading!

Ruby Young, a tenant in her new Boston apartment, finds herself contending with the typical inconveniences of city living—faulty heating, a malfunctioning buzzer, and noisy neighbors. However, her less-than-ordinary living situation takes a bizarre turn when a lifeless body appears on the sidewalk outside her building, followed by the unexpected company of a ghost.

The ghost in question is Cordelia Graves, a former tenant who passed away in the apartment several months prior. Unwilling to let death stop her from seeking justice, Cordelia becomes embroiled in the mystery surrounding the shooting death of Jake Macintyre, a neighbor across the hall. Convinced that Jake's demise is not simply the result of a botched mugging, Cordelia vows to uncover the truth behind his murder.

Despite her ghostly limitations, Cordelia forms an unlikely partnership with Ruby, her living and somewhat clumsy successor. At twenty years old, Ruby is exuberant but accident-prone, with an uncanny knack for turning any houseplant into a casualty of her care. However, her vitality and resourcefulness complement Cordelia's spectral presence, enabling the pair to tackle the investigation in ways neither could achieve alone. As they dig deeper into Jake's death, they not only unravel the truth behind the murder but also uncover dangerous secrets that may pose a threat to both the living and the dead.

I cannot wait for the second book in this series to come out. This was such a cozy read. Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

eARC Review
3.5 🌟
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Tropes:
• Supernatural
• Murder mystery
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_A New Lease on Death_ is book one in the Supernatural Mysteries series. This book gives off amateur detective vibes, and I enjoyed every moment of it. I did feel like some parts were a bit slow-paced and made the book feel longer than it really was.
_If judging a book by its cover was a person. It would be ME!_ I love this book cover. I would buy the book just for the cover alone.
Release: Oct. 29
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Thank you, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for the (eARC) eBook for my honest review..

This was an interesting and funny take on murder and ghosts. It def falls in the cozy mystery category. I found the "dynamic" being that Cordelia can only communicate with essentially parlor tricks a bit cumbersome. Bit the means to which the "roommates" Cordelia and Ruby, attempt to communicate hilarious. They sort of gave me a Homes and Watson feel but make it with women. Oh and make one of them dead. The two mismatched pair are pushed together to solve another neighbors untimely death and maybe get to the bottom of what happened to Cordelia too...maybe. Overall it was a fun cozy read I will probably pick up the second to see what happens next.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery! We are following two women, Ruby and Cordelia. Cordelia recently passed and Ruby moved into the apartment. These two start to build a friendship through a variety of unique communication routes as they try to solve the murder of their next door neighbor.

I really enjoyed the building of the relationship throughout the book between Ruby and Cordelia. Ruby is so bubbly and enduring that you can’t help but love her. Cordelia is quiet and mysterious but a very kind woman. I am very curious about Cordelia, and I really want to know more about her in the next book. The side characters in the apartment were interesting to learn about too, and I’m curious to see what we learn about them in the future.

The mystery within the book was good and kept me entertained. The reveal and explanation was satisfying to me. There was a good balance of intensity, humor, and coziness within. If you are season specific reader person, this would be great in the winter. Overall, I really want to continue this series.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for an eARC in exchange for a review.

Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC! I really enjoyed this! Very cool concept. Also loved the overall vibes of this book. Definitely will read more from the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

NOOO WHAT KIND OF ENDING IS THAT ???? We're left on a cliffhanger of what might have really happened to Cordelia Graves. I want to know!

Ok spoilers below:

I never figured out who had killed Jake. I had a feeling it was delivery related because of what he was wearing when he died, but I didn't expect it to be because of Shannon. I didn't think Shannon was the cheater too. The watch and the search around it was a red herring.

I enjoyed the dynamic between Cordelia and Ruby. I think if there is another book, that it'll look into the mysterious "suicide" of Cordelia. I think Adam and his money covered up the suicide. He was probably the man being seen leaving her apartment. But I want to know for sure ugh!

Some parts felt like ramblings of the girls' thoughts, which I didn't enjoy. I just wanted to know who had done it.

If there is another book, I will be reading it to know what Ruby finds out about Cordelia.

A fully furnished apartment with a live-in ghost maid? Sign me up!

When Ruby moves into her new apartment she doesn't expect it to come with a supernatural roommate, or for her nextdoor neighbor to be murdered under mysterious circumstances. With the help of the ghost of her apartment's former tenant, Ruby sets out to to solve the murder, but that may not be the only mystery lurking beneath the surface.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Ruby and Cordelia. I loved all of the creative ways that they communicated and how, despite their differences, they became good friends. I also thought the cover was adorable.

I wasn't particularly compelled by the central mystery of the story. I was far more interested in what happened to Cordelia than Jake, and I wish this book had resolved those loose ends. That being said, I can only assume that there will be a sequel, and I intend to read it when it comes out.

I think this will make a very fun fall read upon publishing and I would recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries and spooky (but not scary) vibes. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

A very fun paranormal murder mystery! I loved the characters and had a great time reading this one. A perfect cozy read for autumn.

I think I accidentally clicked on this book, I got about 1/3 of the way and just couldn’t get into the writing:

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC of this book!

This is the story of a recently deceased 40-something woman and her attempt, along with the young woman who moved into her apartment, to solve the mystery of the murder of her neighbor. I liked it, but didn't love it, and I was kind of thinking I would love it. I love ghost stories, and I felt like the book was setting up the mystery of her death (it clearly was), but I think in order to set up for the second book. So, while I really didn't care about the murder of her neighbor, I AM curious about her death, and I liked both the main characters, so I have been swept up into this. Looking forward to the sequel!

Delightful cozy mystery that showcases Olivia Blacke's talent for crafting engaging and heartwarming stories. With its well-developed characters, intriguing plot, and charming setting, the novel is a standout in the cozy mystery genre. It offers a perfect escape for readers looking for a mix of humor, mystery, and small-town charm.

A New Lease on Death is a cozy mystery that takes place in Boston. Cordelia is a ghost who died alone in her apartment. There are no other ghosts in her vicinity, and she hangs out in her old apartment, learning about the apartment's new resident, Ruby. After her neighbor, Jake, is found shot and murdered, Cordelia begins to communicate with Ruby and, together, they are determined to investigate the murder. Although it's a short book, it was hard for me to get into at first. There were some unanswered questions for me, and some things that didn't make sense. This seems to be the first in a series, so I'm interested in seeing what direction the series will take. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the ARC.

This story opened very strong and with a great premise. I liked the idea of a ghost and her "roommate" investigating a death together while having to find unconventional ways to communicate. The more I read though, the more the characters started to feel very stereotypical to their generation. As someone who is in Gen Z it felt like the author just googled stereotypes about us and gave as many as she could to Ruby, which felt icky IMHO. There is also mention of an affair between a main character and someone. I felt this was unneeded. It added to my dislike of this character because the affair was downplayed and brushed off as no big deal. I also think the dialogue became repetitive overtime which took away from the story for me. Overall, it was a fun paranormal mystery it just wasn't my perfect cup of tea.

If you're a fan of cozy supernatural mysteries with quirky characters this book is for you. There were many story lines that I felt were a little unnecessary but the main mystery was engaging. We're left on a cliff hanger so hopefully this will be the start of a series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking for a light mystery to read on the plane on my way to and from vacation and this fit the bill nicely. I enjoyed the concept of ghost-and-human crime solving team. I liked that the "team up" was made more challenging by the fact that the two can't communicate directly, which led to some creative work arounds and challenges for the duo. However, beyond that premise the book was just ok. None of the characters made more than a surface impression on me, and the crime-solving was basically just Ruby (the "living") wandering around asking questions. Neither ghost nor human had any particular crime solving skills, and so there isn't much to the investigation. The mystery didn't hook me much either, and the "twist" at the end to set up for the next installment was pretty clearly telegraphed throughout the book. All in all, it was a fine light mystery read with a supernatural twist, but it didn't interest me enough to continue on with the series.

A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke is a captivating read. This witty, fun, and propulsive mystery novel was an absolute delight to read. The story is well-crafted, blending humor and heart in a delightfully dark way. Thank you to the publisher and author for allowing me to share my thoughts on an ARC copy of this book.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

This was a fun murder mystery that featured a 40 year old ghost helping a 20 year old. Cordelia (love the name), died in her apartment and now she is a ghost. She is not just any ghost but a ghost who has the ability to move things although she can't be seen or heard. Ruby has just moved into an apartment that was fully furnished due to the former tenant (Cordelia) dying with no one to take her stuff. It is Ruby's first time away from home and she is excited to live on her own except she has barely any money and no job. Things go from bad to worse when there is a corpse outside her apartment building that turns out to be another tenant. Ruby and Cordelia decide to team up and find out why their neighbor died as it seems the police have given up on his death.

This book had lots of cute moments. I loved the idea that a forty year old ghost could be friends with a 20 year old as well as be able to solve crime. There were some funny moments but also moments that made one think. The author also set up the ending so that you want to read the next novel in this series. Overall, this book was very well done and an enjoyable read. If you love crime, mystery, or paranormal books, this will be a great read for you.

Thank you to Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Unique dual POV between Ruby the new tenant and Cordelia the old and very much dead tenant. A murder mystery, with many characters and lots of fumbled communications between amateur detectives! Ends with a setup for the next book which I will definitely read because I want to know what happened!

I enjoyed this. It was a light mystery involving a woman who dies and becomes a ghost who then befriends the new tenant in her apartment. They try to solve some murders together. There were some twists I didn't see coming. Check it out. :)