Grave Expectations

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Mash together Knives Out and Midsomer Murders, add in some supernatural elements and some referential millennial humour and you've got Grave Expectations. There were times when the pacing was a bit variable, though it didn’t overly effect my appreciation of this promising debut. By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. It’s considerably harder to solve the mystery since they don’t know who was murdered, and there is a tonne of red herrings and other diversions. At the beginning I was not 100% sure, but very quickly got invested in the quirky characters and storyline.

What follows is an amateur detective cold case murder mystery with a rag tag group of rich relatives, unknown motives and a ghost bestie trying to help out. Great assurance in the writing--hard to believe it's a debut--and marvellous characters make this a highly entertaining comic detective romp. She can see ghosts and one ghost in particular who follows her around – her best friend Sophie who has been haunting her since she was murdered when they were teenagers. After spending several years in London, Alice now lives in Cork in Ireland, where she watches giant ships, makes crochet animals, and plays video games where you can set things on fire and make elves kiss.Claire is soon investigating a case of murder most foul alongside her resident spirit Sophie and several of the more favoured members of the country house party. But then she and her ghost-sidekick Sophie find out that someone was murdered by a family member at last year's party.

But if this is the start of a series (and I hope it is) they’re minor quibbles that can be ironed out in the sequel. Given her obsession with crime shows—not to mention Sophie’s ability to walk through walls—Claire decides they’re the best people to solve the case.

The teen vs adult and Gen Z vs millennial humour was truly on point, and for a broadly light hearted book, the way it dealt with those griefs too big and awful to look at directly really resonated with me. I’m so pleased to hear that author Alice Bell is writing a sequel, I adored these characters and want to see the next part of their adventures together! When she is Invited to an old university friend's country pile to provide entertainment for a family party, her best friend Sophie tags along. I love Claire and Sophie, Basher and Alex, and how their little Scooby gang develops as the story progresses from faceless mystery ghosts to a possible murder investigation within a rich and deeply dysfunctional family.

Andrea Mara An addictive, hilarious, rollicking debut - fresh, original and utterly brilliant, Alice Bell is a real talent to watch. When the pair arrive at The Cloisters it's clear this family is hiding more than just the good china, as Claire realizes someone has recently met an untimely end at the house.

However, I also see that many have enjoyed this book so maybe a few pages into the story will help you make a decision. All of the characters are wonderfully realised (even the ones who can walk through walls) and Alice Bell really masters the "show don't tell, but make it British colloquialism" tone of voice. Claire can see ghosts from the time her dead friend started making appearances ever since they were teenagers.