Cordelia Graves didn’t see who killed her neighbor Jake, but she was there after, sitting in the freshly fallen snow and waiting for him to start his afterlife. No one had been there for her when she woke up and found herself dead, so she thinks it will be nice for him to have someone there to help with the transition. She can teach him the ropes, or at least the ones she’s been able to figure out.

Cordelia liked Jake and she wants to help him. She wants to figure out who killed him. But there’s only so much she can do as a ghost. She needs someone else, someone who is still living, a breather, to help her with the investigation. So she goes to the place where she is most comfortable. She goes home.

Ruby Young moved to Boston to get away from a bad relationship, and she doesn’t have much. She doesn’t have a job. She doesn’t have much money. But she did find a furnished apartment that she could afford. It’s not perfect, since the elevator doesn’t work, and she’s on the fourth floor. But it will help with her heating bills, as the heat will rise from the apartments below. And she doesn’t need a gym membership, since she’s walking up and down four flights of stairs all the time.

All Cordelia has to do is to introduce herself to Ruby and ask for her help investigating Jake’s death. But first, she has to figure out how to communicate with her. And to get Ruby to stop killing her plants. And to help her find a job. That should be easy enough, right? Except that whenever Cordelia gest close to electronics, they fail. Cell phones, computers, lights, appliances. Cordelia isn’t sure why, but she needs to find a way to talk to Ruby that’s analog, old school, and apparently not in cursive either, as Ruby never learned to read it.

But slowly, Cordelia finds ways to communicate with Ruby. And Ruby, who is interested in true crime, is excited to get started. She talks to neighbors and friends of Jake to try to figure out who could have wanted him dead. He had a steady stream of girls through his apartment, he gambled, and he spent a lot of nights at the bar. That gives them some good places to start. But the more Ruby asks questions, the closer she gets to a cold-blooded killer. Does Cordelia have enough energy to keep Ruby safe? Or will Ruby end up as a ghost as well?

A New Lease on Death is a new cozy mystery from Olivia Blacke. The paranormal twist offers up interesting plot twists and relationship challenges. The learning curve for both ghost Cordelia and breather Ruby makes for comedic moments in this unusual mystery. The story is well plotted, but it’s the characters who steal the show.

I loved A New Lease on Death. The chemistry between Cordelia and Ruby is electric, and reading this book was just so much fun. I love the unusual problems Cordelia comes up as a ghost, and Ruby’s cheerfulness is relentless. There is even a very Boston trip to Dunkin’ Doughnuts. This story is clever, funny, and smart, and I can’t wait for the next book to come out.

Egalleys for A New Lease on Death were provided by Minotaur Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.