Grave Expectations

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I enjoyed almost all of this except the ending which I really wasn't all that surprised about. To me it felt like just another version of the big "misunderstanding" that's always present in any novel featuring any type of romance. But in Grave Expectations we finally see Lincoln and Charlie commit to a serious relationship, the appearance of a serial killer targeting paranormal humans and the possibility that someone close to Lichfield Park is trying to harm Charlie. It was great to finally see the common thread connecting all the mysteries that the Ministry has encountered finally becoming evident, as the members confront kidnappings, betrayal and spirits from their past. Witty, addictive, and breathes some much needed (undead) life into the cosy crime murder mystery genre,' - Adam Simcox

Clever, unpredictable and a genuinely humorous modern day country house murder mystery which left me guessing. Perfect for anyone who fancies themselves as a detective. -- Nadine Matheson This book positively lit up my weekends with its cosy, affectionate, funny, awkward brand of ghostly crime-solving. Perfect for fans of BBC's Ghosts, Alice Bell has a keen eye for characterisation and the ridiculous, creating a story that will both send chills down your spine and wrap you up in a hug.' - Ally WIlkes, author of All the White Spaces

Corvus acquires Grave Expectations by Alice Bell

I had stated before that I like a slow-burning romance at times and with only very small steps taken in regards to Charlie and Lincoln’s relationship throughout the novels, imagine my surprise when Lincoln revealed that he thought that they were engaged – without ever saying anything about marriage to Charlie (except, of course, that he wasn’t the marrying kind). To compound this, when they finally do talk about marriage, it was rather a dull and anti-climatic moment. It felt so forced and implausible that it was hard to stomach. Funny, fast, sharp, original, and addictive... a unique breath of fresh air. Brilliant!' - Andrea Mara

The way that the ending is written, and judging that the next part of the story is a novella and NOT a full length novel of only Lincoln's point of view, leads me to believe that a true happy ending for Charlie (Charlotte) and Lincoln is impossible. This was a brilliant cosy, whodunnit murder mystery read. Claire is a medium and upon bumping into an old uni friend ends up being invited to a party in their family’s grand old house. Claire is accompanied to the party by her friend Sophie, although the twist to this is that Sophie has been dead since she was 17 and is now permanently haunting Claire. After a night at the house, they wake up to find one of the family members has died, however they have unfinished business to do and need Claire’s help to solve the crime. I found this to be a really fun read, all the characters played an integral part in sorting out the crime at hand. I especially enjoyed the friendship between Claire and Sophie. I felt like it was quite different to other murder mysteries I’ve read mainly down to the medium perspective. The humour was fabulous and an entertaining storyline”Alice Bell grew up in South West England, in the sort of middle-of-nowhere where teenagers spend their weekends drinking Smirnoff Ice in a field that also has at least one horse in it.

Mash together Knives Out and Midsomer Murders, add in some supernatural elements and some referential millennial humour and you've got Grave Expectations. Claire is a slightly crap medium—not because she's not actually psychic but because she's bad at making a living from it—who's invited to do a gig at the big crumbling country pile of a fairly frightful family of English toffs. Soon there's a death, and Claire finds herself determined to figure out what happened at the Cloisters, in the company of her dead best friend Sophie and toff family members Basher and Alex. 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. And as an added bonus, Claire has a secret past of her own that she doesn’t want her new friends to uncover, and the biggest event in Sophie’s teen life remains a mystery to her and Claire, which remains outstanding even after the book’s dramatic reveal.

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The charcaters are very cool and interesting. The cast of characters have great personality and when you read this series. You get so devoted to the characters and what they do in this book. This book encaptures you and you feel drawn to these characters. Redmond's development of 1835 London is rich in setting. The odors, along seedy streets or by the river's edge filled with sewage, are ripe in the telling. The sounds of horse hooves and bustling street markets are distinctly audible. The hand of fine silk or cotton batiste is richly textural and sumptuous to the touch. Kate's fresh and treasured strawberry jam is tasty down to its last bit. The fog of a smoky room is stifling and diminishes visibility. The reader richly experiences the mise en scène with all their senses. Together they must race against incompetence to find the murderer - before the murderer finds them... in this funny, modern, media-literate mystery for the My Favourite Murder generation. Claire is thirtyish and makes her living as a medium. She is helped in this by Sophie, who is seventeen. Twist? Sophie is a ghost which gives Claire a bit of an advantage in the spirit world. She is asked by an old friend, Figgy, to provide the entertainment at a party at Figgy''s family pile. While there, Claire discovers that there is an unsettled ghost who may have been murdered. She sets out to investigate this with the help of Basher and Alex, both family members. A really unique concept paired with whip-smart writing and lots of heart.' - Heather Darwent, author of The Things We Do to Our Friends