Corvus has landed Grave Expectations, a murder mystery "full of heart and humour" by debut author Alice Bell. Claire and Sophie are best friends, inseparable you might say. Unfortunately that’s because Sophie is a ghost & she’s been haunting Claire since her murder at 17. Claire can now see & speak to a multitude of ghosts, and is trying to earn a living as a professional medium carrying out seances.

Funny, fast, sharp, original, and addictive ... a unique breath of fresh air. Brilliant! -- Andrea Mara A very funny, entertaining, twisted take on the country house murder mystery. Wonderful." - S J Bennett Alice Bell grew up in South West England, in a sort of middle-of-nowhere where teenagers spend their weekend drinking Smirnoff Ice in a field that also has at least one horse in it. Despite this traumatic past, Claire and Sophie are still unprepared for what they encounter when they arrive at the manor: a ghost, tragic and unrecognizable, and clearly the spirit of someone killed in a rage at the previous year’s party. Given her obsession with crime shows—not to mentionSophie’s ability to walk through walls—Claire decides they’re the best people to solve the case. And with the help of the only obviously not-guilty members of their host family—sexy ex-policeman Sebastian and far-too-cool non-binary teen Alex—they launch an investigation into which of last year’s guests never escaped the manor’s grounds. As a debut novel it's very good. I will definitely look out for Alice Bell in the future, whether Claire and Sophie are part of it or not.Thus far, probably my favourite out of the series. I felt like the last three books have done very little in terms of moving the plot along with each one of them having a small mystery, which Charlie gets dragged into despite opposition from the Ministry and ends with either her in trouble or Lincoln 'supposedly' in trouble. Claire and Sophie team up with self-assured teenager Alex and sceptical ex-police officer Bash to try and work out who has died and who killed them. Yep I'm in tears. The next book will be a bit weird because it's told from lincoln which obviously I'm not used to. When Claire is hired to be the entertainment by an old ‘friend’ from University at a family gathering at their country pile, The Cloisters, she can’t afford to refuse. Things get complicated when Claire & Sophie realise someone has come to an untimely end at the house, and almost everyone seems to be hiding something.

Even though I've given 3 stars to each book in this series so far, this one is my favorite. I think that finally I am seeing some plot movement and character development. 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 is a mystery with a paranormal twist as several ghosts help out along the way. Claire & Sophie are still best friends even though one of them is dead & some of their conversations are like those conducted between slightly exasperated siblings. The mystery itself is rather thin, there's not a great deal of actual detecting even though Claire is a self-confessed crime show addict. There were one or two laugh out loud bits though - I particularly liked the misheard Spice Girls lyrics one. Yes, it lost its way a little in the middle but overall it was a nice little paranormal mystery with a humorous edge. 3.5 stars (rounded up)Funny, fast, sharp, original, and addictive ... a unique breath of fresh air. Brilliant!" - Andrea Mara Together they must race against incompetence to find the murderer before the murderer finds them, in this funny, modern, media-literate debut mystery for the My Favourite Murder generation. Clever,unpredictableand agenuinely humorousmodern day country house murder mystery which left me guessing.” The idea and the first few chapters were appealing to me. Yet it seems that the mystery is put on hold whenever the manhunt for the culprit gets serious. This book was a true gem, witty and amusing with likable characters. I adored Claire, a millennial, and Sophie, an everlasting teen. Bash grudgingly follows along with Alex’s cool, collected approach to everything as their passion for the inquiry spreads. I enjoyed all the characters, and it was entertaining and kept me on my toes. This could be just up your alley if you enjoy the idea of a contemporary take on the country home murder.

I’m so looking forward to waking the dead with Corvus and PRH in 2023 and beyond," she said. "To see Grave Expectations published at all is almost unbelievable, let alone getting to work with editors as smart and passionate as Sarah and Anna, who have helped bring Claire and Sophie to life, and un-life, in ways I never expected. It’s very invigorating to be so supported in my efforts to put more swearing, crying, and falling over into cosy crime.” 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. Selection panel reviewYou've never read a country house whodunit quite like Grave Expectations. Nor is there a generation gap quite as wide as the one between Claire and Sophie. Fast, funny and furious, this book has bags of humour, bags of heart and a proper murder mystery at its core. Alice Bell writes with real verve and crafts a preposterous premise into a sharp, well written and lively story that's at once out of this world and yet reassuringly real. As reader, you're along for the ride, and it's a runaway ghost train of a ride at that! Bell is one to watch. -- Janice Hallett I also thought the plot was very good. The fact that they don’t actually know who has been murdered makes solving the mystery much more difficult, and there are red-herrings and distractions galore. I really loved it. Witty, addictive, andbreathes some much needed (undead) life into the cosy crimemurder mystery genre.” The concept of Grave Expectations is nothing short of delightful and the novel shines best when it’s exploring the ramifications of being a medium and being one in the modern day. Tonally it reads like Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) meets Midsomer Murders (the show, not the much-darker books by Caroline Graham): charming, breezy, with moments of pathos and darkness scattered throughout what is a predominantly light book. C.J. Archer is the USA Today bestselling author of historical mystery and historical fantasy novels including the GLASS AND STEELE series, the CLEOPATRA FOX MYSTERIES, the MINISTRY OF CURIOSITIES and the FREAK HOUSE books.

This book grew on me the deeper in that I got. 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. Thus Claire now encumbered with a spirit begins her life as a medium. Sophie is by far the most interesting and funny character in this book. I'd be quite happy to read another book with this crime fighting duo in it. I loved Claire, she is just trying to make the best of her gift, there has been an incident in the past where she has used her gifts and it ended badly for her, so Claire is a little battered and bruised metaphorically but still plodding on.. I really want good things to happen to Claire. Fast, funny and furious, this book has bags of humour, bags of heart and a proper murder mystery at its core' Janice Hallett I thoroughly enjoyed this book. First things first, the concept of a medium and a ghost solving a murder really works for me. And it was executed perfectly.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 performing a seance for the family matriarch's 80th birthday. The pair have been friends since before Sophie went missing when they were seventeen. Everyone else is convinced Sophie simply ran away, but Claire knows the truth. Claire knows Sophie was murdered because Sophie has been haunting her ever since. The following review, will contain spoilers. If you haven't read the book or you just don't wanna be spoiled, don't read the rest of the text. Then guess what he does, sends her away to a school to become a lady. My OTP were finally together and then they just aren't together and I was devastated. Fast,funny, and furious, this book hasbags of humour, bags of heart, and a proper murder mystery at its core. Alice Bell is one to watch!” 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