THE KEY TO A KILLER, third Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries #Deathtober treat

THE KEY TO A KILLER (Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries #3)
OLIVIA BLACKE
Minotaur Books (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$14.99 ebook, available now

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: A woman and her ghost roommate investigate their most personal case yet in Olivia Blacke’s The Key to a Killer, the next book in the Anthony Award winning Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries.

When Ruby Young discovered that her Boston apartment was haunted, she did what any reasonable person would do: befriend the ghost. Their relationship overcame a shaky start—Cordelia Graves never wanted a roommate in life, she certainly didn’t want one in death. After working together to solve a few murders, the two are close friends, but there’s a lingering question neither of them have been able to answer: what led to Cordelia’s death?

Lately things have been adding up that suggest foul play. And when Cordelia’s memories of that day start to come back, the roommates can’t ignore it anymore: Cordelia was murdered. Ruby and Cordelia are going to have to piece together what Cordelia’s final days looked like—otherwise a killer could go free.

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

My Review: Every #Deathtober I get a lovely present from Minotaur Books: a funny, fun mystery about two poorly-assorted roommates who solve crimes together. Their skill sets mesh well. They do far better together than either does apart.

Oh, and one's alive. The other isn't.

This time around the spin cycle of Life, which even the dead have, they're going after the solution to Cordelia's death. This is not a drill, this is the big one, y'all. Cordelia, in life, would've completely rejected Ruby and her youth with a curt dismissal. Now the dirtnapped fortysomething has, over two previous investigations, learned to respect and value Ruby, who returns the sentiments. As Cordelia's memories of her death are absent and as Ruby's learned more about her, she's become sure Cordelia was killed.

Cordelia can't remember if anyone wanted to murder her, or think of a reason anyone might. With fridge-magnet letters, the two go over the facts and Ruby gets a twinge of an idea. She's going to get a job at Cordelia's old firm.

Now here's where I say The Formula℠: Don't start here, or a lot of the really strange established-relationship stuff will feel arbitrary and weird instead of cute and endearing. Ruby gets UGS (United Ghost Service) delivery service of things she needs but can't afford by means I'd just rather not look into so I can keep thinking Cordelia's a mensch. I know she's a mensch because Ruby's arachnophobia means Cordelia's just assumed the role of de-spidering their environment. And Ruby's become convinced foul play that needs addressing took her pal's life before she was through living it.

See how one hand washes the other here? Then, as is reasonable and customary in our US lives in this year of our lord twenty twenty six, Cordelia's newly-released brother Ian, formerly imprisoned for, well never mind, begins breaking into the apartments in their building to search for clues to Cordelia's death.

I boggled a bit at this. As the story flowed on smoothly I allowed my hackles to relax. Ian discovers that he, oddly enough, still has his dead sister's number on a weird kind of speed dial. All us mystery series readers know the scoobygroup is most of the fun of a story in that particular storyverse and Ian is one of the most interesting ones in Ruby and Cordelia's. I'm hoping as time goes on Ian will learn from his oddly ameliorated loss to be a more mature character...I typed and erased "person" a couple times, so you see how my idea of the series is heading.

As a resolution to Cordelia's present unaliveness impends, I was struck by an uncomfortable realization: Cordelia, with her fragments of memory returning, was getting the absolute most abysmal exit interview conceivable. Ruby at her side she was going through hard-to-stomach realizations about the life she thought she was living not matching the one that was really happening. Cordelia has a lot to think about. Luckily she has a lot of leisure time to do it in. And a close supportive friend, maybe also brother, to be there as she does it.

I was a bit...um...the ending had an impact on me. That's IT? I asked my Kindle screen. No matter what the lady next door says I did NOT scream, and who asked her anyway. It's resolved, it makes sense, and I will be hornswoggled if I buy for one instant that this is the last we will hear about this.

Spending a few hours alternating between Cordelia and Ruby's PoVs gave me a real feeling that I was in the room with them as the investigations made progress. I was always happy to see Ian, I think Tosh the neighbor's a sweet nebbishy guy on course to get his heart broken, and truly enjoy the slightly edgier-than-before banter between the now more equal friends. It's been more and more fun to get to know them.

I'm not joking, though. This book's the reward for investing eyeblinks into Ruby and Cordelia. Taking a shortcut to get here won't make it more exciting to be here but less. And it really is worth it for these evolved versions of good people.

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.)