A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke: Book Review

A New Lease on Death is the first in Olivia Blacke’s new cozy mystery series. With a release date of October 29, 2024, it introduces readers to a new mystery-solving duo. Cordelia finds a dead man outside of her apartment building. Unfortunately, she can’t do anything to help him. Why? Because she is dead. Ruby is the new resident in the apartment building, but how can she help Cordelia?

I want to thank Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of A New Lease on Death. All opinions presented here are solely mine.

CW/TW: discussion of suicide, domestic abuse

Synopsis from Goodreads

In this darkly funny supernatural mystery about an unlikely crime-solving duo that launches a commercial, unique, and genre-blending series, death is only the beginning.

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, being dead, Cordelia 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. The roommates form an unlikely friendship as they get closer to the truth about Jake’s death…and maybe other dangerous secrets as well.

My Opinions

A New Lease on Death is the first book I’ve read by Olivia Blacke, but it won’t be the last. Blacke’s writing style does take a bit of getting used to. Or maybe it was the fact that I wasn’t able to give myself over to the story as much as I had hoped. How dare life get in the way of reading!

This book is set in Boston, and many details to help sell the setting. Many of these are through the conversations between the characters. You can pick up on the inflections when they talk about Jakey, Markie, and Scotty. There are also a few references to being a “Southie,” which is how someone from the neighborhood known as South Boston is often referred to. And, of course, there’s mention of Dunkin’ being everywhere and the best place for coffee and donuts.

The story is told from Ruby and Cordelia’s point of view. It is easy to know who you are seeing things from, as each chapter is labeled with their name. This is especially useful when Ruby starts working at the company Cordelia worked for before her death.

Who should read A New Lease on Death? Everyone! But especially if you enjoy reading books with unexpected characters. How many cozy mysteries have you read with a ghost as one of the people working to solve the mystery? As such, the story has a darker vibe, but it’s still a cozy mystery people should read.

Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.