by Joanna Wallace
SYNOPSIS
I have a gift. I see people as ghosts before they die.
Of course, it helps that I'm the one killing them.
The night after her father's funeral, Claire meets Lucas in a bar. Lucas doesn't know it, but it's not a chance meeting. One thoughtless mistyped email has put him in the crosshairs of an extremely put-out serial killer. But even before they make eye contact, before Claire lets him buy her a drink, before she takes him home and carves him up into little pieces, something about that night is very wrong. Because someone is watching Claire. Someone who is about to discover her murderous little hobby.
The thing is, it's not sensible to tangle with a part-time serial killer, even one who is distracted by attending a weekly bereavement support group and trying to get her art career off the ground. Claire will do anything to keep her secret hidden - not to mention the bodies buried in her garden. Let the games begin...
Dexter meets Killing Eve in this superb thriller, perfect for fans of How To Kill Your Family and My Sister, the Serial Killer.
REVIEW
When Claire struggles after the death of her father, her doctor suggests a grief support group. However, for Claire this just highlights the inane lives of the other attendees and the fact that breathing techniques just aren’t going to cut it. Claire has a more proactive solution - Murder. Firstly anyone who generally irritates her, then anyone who gets in her way and finally she plans revenge on the types of people who took advantage of her father in the lead up to his death.
I have to say, the tone of the writing and the story is perfectly pitched. I reached the end of chapter 2 and just laughed because it’s SO dark but in a hilarious way - events occur which in your head you know you probably shouldn’t be enjoying, but you’re secretly loving it. I just knew from that point on that this was going to be a brilliant book.
In all seriousness though, there are some topical and hugely important elements to the story. The fact that elderly people in the care system are forgotten, overlooked and can be taken advantage of. It explores grief, abuse, trauma, suicide and invisibility, but despite this it never feels depressing. It’s more of a rallying call, making the reader take note and think about what is happening in the story and how these issues should be tackled in real life.
Basically, what begins as a novelty, dark comedy about a serial killer quickly turns into something much more poignant. It takes the helplessness that many people feel regarding the care system and propels the main character Claire in there all guns blazing to take back some of that control. It’s still a dark and twisted revenge thriller, just not in the way it initially presents itself.
The most interesting part for me was the way that my impression of Claire kept changing. I switched between seeing her as a complete psychopath but then by the next scene, thinking she might actually be the sanest person in the room. I guess the moral of the story is that if you ever consider doing something cruel, something unfair or anything that might upset another person - read this book and you might have second thoughts!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joanna Wallace worked as a solicitor until an autoimmune condition took away some of her sight. She now volunteers at a charity helpline and runs a family business with her husband. She was partly inspired to write You'd Look Better as A Ghost following her father's diagnosis of early onset dementia. Joanna lives near London with her husband, four children and two dogs.
Thanks to Random Things Tours - @RandomTTours, Joanna Wallace @JoWallaceAuthor and Viper Books - @ViperBooks for the opportunity to read and review.
Publisher: Viper Books Genre: Ghost Horror / Dark Comedy / Serial Killer
ISBN: 978-1800811294
Pages: 336pp
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