Quick Synopsis – Ruby is running away from her cheating boyfriend and Cordelia is the ghost in Ruby’s new Boston apartment. When the across the hall neighbor is murdered in a mugging go wrong, Ruby and Cordelia work together to solve the murder.

Song This Reminds Me Of – Stay – Sugarland

Publication Date – Oct. 29, 2024

Content Notes – There is reference to off page suicide. There is some violence and blood.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐.5 out of 5

Review – I thought this was a cute little murder mystery. I did think that the book went a little heavy-handed into the metaphysics of what ghosthood was like. There were a lot of cheap explanations too. Like Cordelia could walk through walls because she believed she could walk through walls. It just didn’t really feel necessary to explain the ins and outs of being a ghost. I felt like more could have been done to develop Cordelia as a character.

I really liked the friendship between Ruby and Cordelia, but I hope that Ruby has opportunities to engage with other people in the next book. It was kind of sad that Ruby, who is meant to be around 20, had no friends or wasn’t trying to make friends in a city she had never been to before. I did like that Cordelia and Ruby were mirrored in a lot of ways. Ruby doesn’t drink, and Cordelia was an alcoholic when she was alive. Ruby’s boyfriend had cheated on her, prompting her relocation; Cordelia was in a long-term on-and-off relationship with a married man.

The mystery itself was also kind of fun. The police treated it as a regular mugging, so Ruby and Cordelia really had to dig into their neighbor’s life. Ruby and Cordelia figuring out how to communicate with each other and find clues was cute. Again, there is a theme of infidelity with the murder that I won’t spoil. I hope the next book will have a secondary storyline that doesn’t have to do with cheating. We get it. There are cheaters in this story.

Overall, this was a good rainy day read and could easily be read in one sitting. I’d recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press Minotaur Books for the advanced copy; all opinions are my own.