A New Lease on Death follows Cordelia Graves, a newly dead ghost still living in her apartment, and Ruby Young, Cordelia's new "roommate". When they're across the hall neighbor turns up dead in an apparent mugging the unlikely pair work together to figure out who did it. The reader gets to follow along as Cordelia figures out how to be a ghost, Ruby figures out how to live on her own, and they figure out together how to communicate.

Overall this was a cozy murder mystery with a fun twist on a mystery solving duo what with the whole ghost thing. It was an easy a quick ready, but a lot of the plot ended up being set up for book two (a completely unrelated mystery) so the ending fell a little flat for me and seemed kind of rushed. I would still probably be interested in the next book to see where it goes as a series, TBD.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced e-copy of this book.

When Ruby Young impulsively decides to flee Baltimore for Boston, finding a cheap furnished apartment in practically no time at all feels like an answered prayer. While she does her due diligence – learning that the previous owner died unexpectedly from an overdose, hence the availability and affordability – the last thing she expects is for there to be an actual ghost living in the apartment with her. But because Ruby is a resilient twenty year-old, she takes a practical approach to having an invisible roommate, despite feeling bad about not being able to keep the former tenant’s many houseplants alive:

QUOTE
If there really was a ghost in this apartment, she probably hated me.

I hadn’t told anyone that my apartment was haunted. People already thought I was a flake. Whatever. Personally, I preferred “eccentric” but apparently, I wasn’t old enough or rich enough to be called eccentric. For now, I was just weird. It’s okay for weird people to believe in ghosts, but if they tell people there’s a ghost living with them, then they’re not weird. They’re not eccentric. They’re crazy. And not the socks-on-hands, aren’t-they-fun-at-parties kind of crazy, but the seriously-we’re-worried-about-you-Ruby crazy.
END QUOTE

Thing is, Ruby genuinely isn’t imagining things. Forty-something Cordelia Graves woke up one day to realize that she was dead, and has been trying to figure out what to do about it ever since. When she finds the murdered body of her across-the-hall neighbor, Jake MacIntyre, she’s hopeful that she can help him figure out this afterlife together. She doesn’t quite succeed.

Guilt-stricken, she decides to focus her energies on helping out the only other person who seems to care that she still exists, even if it’s only in ghost form. Communicating isn’t easy, though. There’s no handbook for the recently deceased, so Cordelia has to make it up as she goes along. Things get more urgent when Cordelia starts to worry that Ruby is getting perhaps a little too interested in Jake’s murder:

QUOTE
How could I warn Ruby that she might be in danger, too? Since she was the only person in the whole world that even realized I still existed, she was by default the closest thing I had to a friend. And as her friend, I had to protect her. I’d failed Jake miserably, but I wasn’t going to fail Ruby. I needed to scare her away before anything bad happened to her, but how? She actually thought that having her very own ghost was cool, which meant I had to put a lid on my friendly Casper routine and get down to business.

[I] thought a few books flying off some shelves would send the message to back off, but instead, she thought it was funny. Seriously, what was wrong with this girl?
END QUOTE

As the two women learn how to reach each other, they become not just friends but allies. Someone definitely killed Jake. Could that someone have been responsible for Cordelia’s death, too? She doesn’t remember what happened to her on the day that she died, or why anyone would want to harm her. But she does know that she would never have committed suicide.

Ruby, being a true crime aficionado, is more than game to investigate both deaths. As Cordelia guides her through Boston, the unlikely pair – so different in temperament and outlook yet united in their pursuit of justice – will do their best to ensure that justice is served while looking out for each other in the process.

A New Lease On Death was such a fun twist on the paranormal detective story! I loved Cordelia and Ruby’s friendship, and appreciated how Olivia Blacke let it develop naturally despite their sharply contrasting personalities. Each main character had her own distinct voice, upping the believability factor and making the reading experience that much more entertaining.

I also enjoyed how the main mystery was neatly wrapped up in this novel, even as the overarching plot involving what really happened to Cordelia left a terrific cliffhanger off of which to launch the next book in the series. Ms Blacke’s storytelling skills have definitely grown more sophisticated with each book she writes. This is definitely my favorite of her novels so far, and I can’t wait to read what happens next!

3.5 stars rounded up. This was a cute book. I loved Cordie's character, and really enjoyed seeing her whole process of learning how to be a ghost. I liked Ruby slightly less- she was ok though. The ending felt a little rushed/not as put together as the rest of the book to me, but overall I enjoyed it.

Rounded down from 3.5 stars! This was such a unique novel that I haven't seen done before. I absolutely loved the dynamic between Ruby and Cordelia.

It did feel a little slow at times, or like not much was happening, but I did enjoy the mystery of it all.

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

A New Lease on Death is the first book in a new cozy paranormal series by Olivia Blacke. Released 29th Oct 2024 by by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 336 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.

This is a light cozy with some darker moments. There are themes of substance abuse, alcoholism, lots of mentions of suicide, infidelity (long term), financial irregularity, domestic violence, and some not-quite-cozy descriptions of violence and murder.

It -is- a cozy, however, with a very strong central paranormal theme (one of the main characters is a ghost). It's sort of a "buddy caper" with a duo of women, one of whom is living challenged. The writing is light and easy to read, and the character driven action flows well. The dialogue isn't always very well polished and there were a few issues with pacing throughout. It mostly felt like a setup for future series books, and whilst that isn't a deal-breaker, it did lead to some frustration with the here-and-now of the mystery in *this* volume on which the two main characters are supposed to be concentrating.

The denouement and resolution felt a bit deux-ex-machina and were pulled out of nowhere. Again, not a deal breaker, but not ideal.

It's warm and humorous and a definite comfort read. It would make a good choice for a weekend buddy read for fans of paranormal cozies. There is one *glaring* plot problem with the world building which will likely annoy readers who notice it (view spoiler), but otherwise a fun and undemanding read. Some of the "features" of ghost-Cordelia's existence were a bit lazy (she can do anything she *believes* she can do), but again, probably ok inside the parameters of the genre.

Three and a half stars. It will be interesting to see this series develop.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

“For most people, the best part of being dead would be not ever having to go to work again.” ‼️‼️

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. 👻

This was a fun and funny cozy-ish mystery that is the first is a new clever and supernatural series. Cordelia is a hoot and I loved her antics and humor throughout. Ruby grew on me as an initially timid and skeptical character but one that seemed to come into her own.

If you enjoy friendly ghost stories tied in with murder mysteries and sprinkled with a little humor then I think you will really enjoy A New Lease On Death!

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, and @OliviaBlackeAuthor for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Other side must be really boring for Cordelia to hang out in her old apartment and recruit new tenant Ruby to solve a murder of their next door neighbor. Cordelia was only sticking around to confirm Ruby wouldn't kill her houseplant but now she got more interesting stuff to do.

Jake was murdered in front of the building. He was a party boy who ate a lot of pizza and went through girlfriends like they were his morning coffee. Cordelia guided him to the other side but he forgot to ask the crucial question: who pulled the trigger on him. Now she had to make sure Ruby was asking those questions, interview people, and collect evidence (as if police was not there).

As the information piled up, Cordelia and Ruby found out that the killer was not someone they didn't know. Not being able to hold any job, Ruby with help of Cordelia now could do more sleuthing and support police.

This cozy mystery is wonderful! Olivia Blacke merges a cozy mystery with supernatural elements making it a unique and fun read. I am so thrilled this will be a series! Can't wait for book two! Thank you, NetGalley.

I really think that I would have enjoyed this book more had I known it was a series going into it. I found myself checking how long was left in the book because we were no closer to finding answers to some of our questions.

Beyond that, I enjoyed the dynamic between our two main characters-very buddy cop but in a really fun and different way. However, one other thing that gave me a little bit of pause was the whole reliance on and relationship with alcohol. I found at times it was handled a little laissez- faire for my tastes.

All that being said, I am more likely than not going to read book I When it comes out because I need answers! so, know that this is part 1 of a series and that you wont get all (or half) your questions answered in book one, but know that you can definitely enjoy the story anyways.

This one surprised me. I went in not knowing anything about it. Sometimes that’s the best thing to do.
I really enjoyed this one. It gave me the movie Just Like Heaven vibes. But without the romance. And that ending. Ugh! I cannot wait for book two.
I really liked the concept of a ghost helping solve a murder.

A haunting and quirky ghost tale of two women trying to make it in a tough world. Solving a murder is never easy, especially when it’s your own, but Cordelia gets caught up in another killing when her neighbor turns up dead and her roommate, depressingly not dead Ruby, is able to bridge the gap between their worlds to help her in her quest for the truth. A fun mystery with great women for women vibes and lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

This was the perfect cozy rainy day read. The whole ghost roommate turned murder solving team element was hilarious and thoroughly entertaining. The merry band of weirdos as the side cast was also a delicious element. I was very drawn into the dual POV and how it gave us the opportunity to see what being a ghost really looks like for Cordelia. Super fun, I am excited for the series to continue!

A truly fun read!Cordelia is a ghost and is trying to find out why her neighbor Jake was killed. Her apartment is rented to Ruby who soon realized Cordelia is trying to communicate with her. They are unlikely roommates investigating his death together. Lots of interesting twists and turns. A real page turner and a must read!

Thank you to Minotaur Books for the digital copy to review.

What a fun cozy mystery, the first in a new series! I am enjoying cozies lately, including this one. I really enjoyed the duo of Ruby and Cordelia, their banter, and how they worked together, although it was definitely bumpy at times. Told in both of their POVs, I loved getting each of their perspectives, and thought the second book is set up nicely at the end.

*A New Lease on Death* by Olivia Blacke is the first book in the *Brooklyn Murder Mystery* series. It follows amateur sleuth Mia, who moves to Brooklyn and gets caught up in solving a local murder. The book blends humor and suspense, with quirky characters and twists that keep readers guessing. While the pacing is a bit slow at times, the focus on character development and cozy setting makes it an enjoyable read for fans of cozy mysteries.r it. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries with a bit of humor and lots of heart, *A New Lease on Death* should be an enjoyable read.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc of this book.

This was a surprisingly cute and funny murder mystery.
Cordelia is relatable for me (solitary book/plant lady) who works a menial job and winds up dead by “suicide”
Ruby moves in Cordelia’s abandoned, fully furnished apartment and they develop a quasi relationship as ghost and friend of ghost trying to solve a murder of their neighbour across the hall.
These two ladies couldn’t be more different but they’re kinda opposites attract in their friendship and it’s charming and witty.
The pacing was good and kept me interested. The characters were likeable and the ending was satisfying. I would read any subsequent book to this as the ending left off open ended.

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.

I really enjoyed this story and was entertained throughout! Many of the reviews say it's a great "spooky read" but I would have picked this up any time of the year. It's set in the winter, and it's a cozy mystery, so there's really not a bad time to read it!

I will say that suicide is discussed multiple times, so be aware of that and check for any other content warnings before reading. None of the content bothered me, but we are all different (and that's okay).

There were times where I felt things were a bit repetitive, but overall I thought the dynamics between Cordelia and Ruby were great and the storyline flowed well. I also appreciated that it wasn't the same ghost story we've all read before. There were new "rules" of sorts.

I'll be looking for the sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

normally I would just DNF but I did want to give this author and genre a shot . Overall it’s just not my jam but I’m hopeful others will enjoy it more!

I did find this a pretty quick read, and one that held my attention. But at the same time, it also wasn’t really for me.
Ghosts, murderers, and an unknown death.
There was quite a bit going on, and the relationship between ruby and cordy was just a bit off.
Also, the part where the family watch has been stolen and then found. It seemed like a big chunk of the story and until it just wasn’t anymore. It kind of just stopped being brought up and that was it.
A lot of unexplained things: and by the way it ended, it seems like there should be another one coming.