DEATH AT THE DOOR (Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries #2), just plain ol' fun!

DEATH AT THE DOOR (Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries #2)
OLIVIA BLACKE
Minotaur Books (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$14.99 ebook, preorder for delivery tomorrow

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: The odd couple of crime-solving returns in Olivia Blacke’s Death at the Door, where a ghost and her living roommate find another mystery on their doorstep.

Ruby Young is slowly adjusting to her new life in Boston. A big part of that is her unexpected roommate—the ghost of the woman who lived there before. For Cordelia Graves, she may no longer be breathing, but it’s still her apartment and Ruby is the somewhat unwanted houseguest. They’re both happy they’ve managed to become friends, which is a miracle considering they struggle to communicate with each other. Cordelia even set Ruby up with her old job.

When Ruby discovers the body of a delivery guy at work, the new life she’s been building hangs in the balance. The last time Cordelia dragged Ruby into a murder investigation, it was almost two ghosts living in the apartment, not one. Determined to protect Ruby, Cordelia tries to shield her from the investigation, but Ruby has other ideas. It will take both of them working together to navigate the fine line between the dead and the living to bring a killer to light.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: I read the first one last #Deathtober and was amused and entertained. When this one swam past me, I gill-netted it for an amusing afternoon's reading.

Ghost partners make crime solving funny. How Ruby, a pretty naïve "breather" in the first place tries to explain how she knows things she shouldn't is kind of funny but often devolves into absurdity. Cordelia's taken the child under her, um, wing shall we say so keeps trying to get her up to Cordelia's speed. It's not going great, it does sometimes grate on my nerve, but really...don't pick up a comedy cozy and expect to solve a fair-play puzzle.

Ruby as comic relief seems too un-self aware to get away with the gag for another book. Holmes' Watson got the fact that Holmes was talking down to him. It doesn't feel to me like Ruby's got that in regard to her striking off on her own during the part of the investigation into Marty the dead guy's last hours...Cordelia's got a different idea, conveyed by their usual Etch-A-Sketch avenue of communication (one of the main reasons I come back, honestly, it just tickles me so hard!) and, as Ruby's learning, Cordelia will just up and leave if she's pissed off and "there's nothing worse than being ghosted by an actual ghost."

Don't put Denise Mina-level expectations on the story, stay light of accusatory-finger, twiddle your Etch-A-Sketch softly and this is fun. It's silly, it doesn't take it's premise either seriously enough to make it embarrassing or so condescendingly it's irritating...finding a pitch and singing in it is a rare enough gift it should be celebrated.

I needed chuckles and a grin or two. I'm really happy that I got them here. (Please...stop telling me breathers can't hear ghosts' chats. I got it.)