Series debut
A New Lease on Death, by Olivia Blacke, is the first in her Supernatural Mysteries series. I have read a lot of cozies that contain supernatural elements, especially either a ghost detective or companion detective. I was pleasantly surprised to find Olivia Blacke managed to find a spin on it that was entirely new, at least to me. Two main characters star in A New Lease on Death and switch perspective every few chapters or so. Our living detective is Ruby Young, an optimistic new tenant of a cheap and fully furnished apartment in Boston. Our ghost is the apartment’s previous tenant, Cordelia Graves. Cordelia does not remember the details of her death, or really why she is hanging around as a ghostly entity, but she is not pleased that Ruby has moved in and is systematically murdering all of her beloved plants. Ruby is blissfully unaware of Cordelia for the most part, just curious why her light bulbs keep dying and her electronics often go on the fritz. What puts these two on a collision course is the death of their neighbor Jack Macintyre, who is shot outside of their apartment and left alone in a blizzard for someone to call the police.
Ruby is content to let sleeping dogs lie, desperately focusing on getting a job so she can continue to pay rent and maybe afford the luxury of food. Cordelia, on the other hand, is curious and has nothing but time on her non-corporeal hands. However, there are some major roadblocks for her, such as not being able to talk to any of the living or touching computers to run a basic search on Jack. So, despite her annoyance with Ruby, she reaches out to try and enlist her unwitting roomie. Luckily, Ruby not only believes in ghosts but is also completely jazzed at the idea of a haunted apartment and spooky roommate. The two run into several issues such as how to really communicate effectively as well as Ruby’s need to be employed. Luckily, Cordelia has a few tricks up her sleeve that she is more than willing to use to help Ruby out a little bit. It soon becomes clear, however, that things are a little more sinister than a mugging gone wrong. The two women are determined to get answers not only for poor Jack, but also for their own peace of mind about their apartment. Their sleuthing doesn’t go unnoticed, and soon they realize they need to move quickly to avoid Ruby joining Cordelia as a spectral resident.
I really enjoyed A New Lease on Death, and especially the ghostly mechanics that Olivia Blacke creates. For example, a ghost needing to be fully okay with the very concept of being a ghost, and doubting it even for a second could cause you to dissipate into nothing. Ghosts as beings of energy isn’t a new idea, but how they interact with electronics and the living was a new to me. Electronics obviously do not love random electronic forces moving around them. Also, a ghost and living person intersecting causing actual physical harm and distress to both specter and living was really interesting. There are a lot of twists and turns in A New Lease on Death, as readers learn alongside Cordelia and Ruby not only who the killer could be, but also what exactly being and, in turn, living with a ghost entails. 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. I’ll be keeping my eye out for the next novel as Olivia Blacke ends A New Lease on Death on a bit of a cliff hanger, though she does it in a way that leaves readers with a sense of anticipation instead of frustration. – Carla Schantz