In fact, Sophie rarely leaves Claire's side, because she's been haunting her ever since she was murdered at the age of 17. Mash together Knives Out and Midsomer Murders, add in some supernatural elements and some referential millennial humour and you've got Grave Expectations. They all felt completely realistic even with their various eccentricities and there were some parts that made me genuinely laugh out loud.

It all adds an emotional realism that makes me invested enough to want to read the next book in the series when it comes out. Claire runs herself ragged up and down the south coast of England looking for a posh murderer, and the cast of characters and ghosts she meets along the way are fabulous. Teaming up with the least unbearable members of the family, Claire and Sophie determine to discover who was killed, why, and by whom. There are some extremely comic scenes which lift the narrative but not too many as to make the book silly.Another murder mystery pick this week – but after a forgotten classic last week, this week it’s a new release – and a debut at that. Too much swearing, too many annoying characters especially Sophie, too much smoking of weed and cigarettes. 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. Picked this up being a fan of Alice Bell from Rock, Paper, Shotgun so perhaps a little bias but really enjoyed everything about this story.

Figgy has asked her to provide the 'entertainment' at her grandmother's birthday party as Claire works as a medium so a paid séance is in the offing. That's there, and it's competently done (as far as I can tell, having little to compare it to), but straight-up character work is what occupies most of the book. Although the story is primarily a mystery, it is very character driven and we spend a lot of time with the characters as their relationships develop. Utterly delightful - like the BBC show Ghosts mixed with Cluedo -- Simon Toyne Clever, unpredictable and a genuinely humorous modern day country house murder mystery which left me guessing.Thank you the author Alice, Atlantic Books and NetGalley for the ARC, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion. It’s been a long time since a book made me LOL (check out the book) but I can honestly say it really made me laugh. Hired by a rich family for their Nana’s birthday party, Claire and Sophie find themselves drawn into the mystery of an unquiet spirit who, they believe, was murdered by a member of the family. Teaming up with the least unbearable members of the Wellington-Forge family - depressive ex-cop Basher and teenage reactionary Alex - Claire and Sophie determine to figure out not just whodunnit, but who they killed, why and when. I always say that I don't like ghost stories and yet the comedy series on BBC, Ghosts, is one of my favourite shows.

I couldn’t have loved this more and would urge any mystery reader to settle down for the weekend with this, as you won’t want to put it down! Claire Hendricks and her dead friend Sophie come to conduct a seance for a party and get involved in a murder mystery. Except that at the party they find an unquiet ghost and set out to discover what happened with the two least unbearable members of the family to help them (neither of them are Claire’s uni mate) despite some scepticism. At first I thought it was an interesting (but not unique premise) Claire being a young woman whose best friend, Sophie, disappeared at the age of 17 and then reappeared as a spirit. Claire is 30 but her friend is still 17 and amidst all the things that the story had to offer, their banter was given an important space.Almost-authentic medium Claire and her best friend, Sophie, agree to take on a seemingly simple job at a crumbling old manor in the English countryside: performing a seance for the family matriarch’s 80th birthday. When she discovers a ghost that has some unfinished business at the party house, Claire decides to solve the murder.