A New Lease on Death: A Mystery

by Olivia Blacke

Overview

Death is only the beginning in Olivia Blacke's A New Lease on Death, a darkly funny supernatural mystery that introduces an unlikely crime-solving duo.

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, Cordelia, being dead herself, 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. As the roommates form an unlikely friendship and get closer to the truth about Jake's death, they also start to uncover other dangerous secrets.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250336675
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/29/2024
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	46,055
Product dimensions:	5.38(w) x 8.25(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

OLIVIA BLACKE (she/her) had her first encounter with a ghost when she was only five years old, but her first involvement with an active crime scene wasn't until much later, when she accidentally stepped into a chalk outline on a Manhattan sidewalk. Armed with a Criminology and Criminal Justice degree, she finally found a way to channel her love of the supernatural and passion for writing into darkly humorous supernatural mysteries. She is also the author of the Record Shop Mysteries and the Brooklyn Murder Mysteries. She still wants to be a unicorn when she grows up.

Reading Group Guide

Discussion Guide for A New Lease on Death: A Mystery by Olivia Blacke

1. The novel begins with Cordelia on the sidewalk outside her apartment building waiting for a dead man to sit up. Why do you think the author chose to start the story this way?

2. What were your first impressions of Cordelia and Ruby?

3. When readers first meet Ruby, she remarks, “Ever since I could remember, I’ve wanted to believe in ghosts. And not just ghosts. All sorts of paranormal creatures…” What about you? Do you believe in ghosts? The paranormal? Why?

4. In Chapter 13, Cordelia says "There were some secrets that I got to take to the grave." What kind of secrets do you think she’s hiding?

5. Cordelia didn't receive any instructions on how to be a ghost, and has to figure out the mechanics of being dead by herself. If you were a ghost, what is one thing you would want to do? Is there anything you’d struggle with?

6. Why do you think the author chose to alternate POVs between Cordelia and Ruby? How would it have been different if it was all told from one perspective?

7. Ruby and Cordelia—though not able to see each other—find ways to communicate and investigate the murder together. What are the different ways they communicate in A New Lease on Death? Are there any other ways they could talk to each other that they haven’t thought of?

8. Ruby and Cordelia are both haunted by their past and hoping to start anew. How are their pasts similar? How do they differ?

9. Why do you think that there are so few ghosts in Boston?

10. Given the ending, what do you see next for Ruby and Cordelia?

Editorial Reviews

Advance Praise for A New Lease on Death

“Bursting with cleverness and fun, A New Lease on Death is a detective novel with a twist. . . I can't wait to tell everyone about this book!" –Eliza Jane Brazier

Witty, fun, and propulsive, A New Lease on Death was an absolute delight. Blacke’s keen eye for detail really shines through!” –Amanda Jayatissa

"Absolutely addictive. . . I didn't want it to end." –Lyn Liao Butler

“Smart. Quirky. Suspenseful. Everything you could want in a whodunnit.” –Darcie Wilde

"My new favorite sleuthing odd couple. . . This delightfully dark mystery is well-crafted with humor and heart." –Celeste Connally

Olivia Blacke's Mysteries Are:

"Colorful [and] winning." -The New York Times Book Review

"Charming." - Elle Cosimano

"Fantastic." - Mia P. Manansala

From the Publisher