Welcome back, friend! Earlier in the week, I shared about A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke. This was a unique book for me as it featured an unforgettable crime-solving duo in a page turning whodunnit. I am thrilled to bring you this interview with Olivia and learn about the book, her inspiration, her supernatural experiences and much more!
A New Lease on Death
Olivia Blacke | Goodreads | Supernatural Mysteries #1 | Review
In this darkly funny supernatural mystery about an unlikely crime-solving duo that launches a commercial, unique, and genre-blending series, death is only the beginning.
Ruby Young’s new Boston apartment comes with all the usual perks. Windows facing the brick wall of the next-door building. Heat that barely works. A malfunctioning buzzer. Noisy neighbors. A dead body on the sidewalk outside. And of course, a ghost.
Since Cordelia Graves died in her apartment a few months ago, she’s kept up her residency, despite being bored out of her (non-tangible) skull and frustrated by her new roommate. When her across-the-hall neighbor, Jake Macintyre, is shot and killed in an apparent mugging gone wrong outside their building, Cordelia is convinced there’s more to it and is determined to bring his killer to justice.
Unfortunately, Cordelia, being dead herself, can’t solve the mystery alone. She has to enlist the help of the obnoxiously perky, living tenant of her apartment. Ruby is twenty, annoying, and has never met a houseplant she couldn’t kill. But she also can do everything Cordelia can’t, from interviewing suspects to researching Jake on the library computers that go up in a puff of smoke if Cordelia gets too close. The roommates form an unlikely friendship as they get closer to the truth about Jake’s death…and maybe other dangerous secrets as well.
Get to know the author: Olivia Blacke
Hi Olivia! It is a pleasure to have you on Armed with A Book. Please tell me and my readers a bit about yourself.
Hi and thanks for having me! I’m Olivia Blacke (she/her). I had my first ghost encounter when I was only five years old, but my first involvement with an active crime scene wasn’t until much later, when I accidentally stepped into a chalk outline on a Manhattan sidewalk. Armed with a Criminology and Criminal Justice degree, I finally found a way to channel my love of the supernatural and passion for writing into darkly humorous supernatural mysteries. I am also the author of the cozy Record Shop Mysteries and Brooklyn Murder Mysteries. I still want to be a unicorn when I grow up.
What inspired you to write a paranormal mystery with such a unique crime-solving duo—a ghost and a young tenant?
I’m a lot like my character Ruby Young in that I want to believe in ghosts. And bigfoot. And the Jersey devil. I haven’t had much luck with finding sasquatch, but I have experienced some things that may have been ghosts. As a mystery writer, there’s nothing quite as fun as channeling something I really enjoy, like the idea of ghosts, into a story.
You’ve written other mystery series like the Record Shop Mysteries and Brooklyn Murder Mysteries. How does A New Lease on Death differ from your previous works?
The Record Shop Mysteries and Brooklyn Murder Mysteries are true cozies – no cursing, no gore, very light hearted mysteries with a cute hook. A New Lease on Death is a little darker, and a lot snarkier. Even with the ghost elements, it leans more toward “sweet and funny” than “keep you up at night spooky,” but there are heavier themes and more adult situations than you would find in a typical cozy.
Cordelia and Ruby’s investigative methods are quite unconventional, especially with Cordelia being a ghost. How did your criminology studies influence how they go about solving Jake’s murder?
I love this question! One of the most important things I learned in my criminology studies is that I’m not cut out to be a criminologist. I also learned that most victims knew their killers, and while forensics are used to convict a perpetrator, most crimes are solved by asking the right questions. So why can’t a ghost (and her living roommate, of course) be the one asking the questions?
Cordelia and Ruby have such different personalities. How did you approach writing their interactions and building their unlikely friendship?
Like any odd couple, Cordelia and Ruby wouldn’t have become friends in any other situation. They’re both lonely and need each other. Their friendship grows out of necessity—both to solve a crime and figure out a way to “live” with each other—until there’s a true connection there.
What’s your favorite part about writing supernatural elements, and how did you come up with Cordelia’s ghostly abilities and limitations?
Cordelia’s ghost powers are a double-edged sword. If she doesn’t believe she can do something, she fails. If she over exerts herself, she’s no good to anyone. But when she has faith in her own abilities and takes time out for self-care, she’s unstoppable. I don’t think Cordelia is self-aware enough to realize those are lessons that would have helped her significantly in life, but now that she’s learned them, things are going better for her now—even if she is dead.
Your depiction of Boston feels gritty and edgy. Was there anything specific from your personal experience that helped you create such a realistic backdrop for the mystery?
The neighborhood where Ruby and Cordelia live is a perfect analogy for how they view the world. On one hand, there’s young, naïve Ruby who overlooks little things like the heat in the building not working, because she’s happy to have an affordable apartment of her own. Then there’s Cordelia, who notices outsiders lock their doors when driving down her street. They’re both looking at the same apartment, in the same building, and seeing two very different places.
Do you have a favourite quote or scene in A New Lease on Death that you find yourself going back to?
You asked about the mechanics of the ghost world earlier, and one of my favorite lines is Cordelia trying to psych herself up to overcome an obstacle. I love this because it sums up how much we all let the voices in our heads tell us what we cannot do, when we shouldn’t be listening to them:
A tiny voice in the back of my head told me that it didn’t work that way. That it was impossible. The laws of physics and yadda, yadda, yadda. I told the tiny voice to shut the hell up.
Given your fascination with both crime and the supernatural, do you find it more challenging to write the ghostly, paranormal elements or the gritty, realistic crime aspects?
Going back to your earlier question about criminology, I think for me the real challenge is not writing a realistic crime scene. I try to stay far away from the guts and gore and focus instead on the human side of why people do bad things, not how many times they stabbed someone or how icky the scene was. If I got too bogged down the details, I might end up convincing myself that there’s no such thing as ghosts, and where’s the fun in that?
What is something you would like the readers of this book to take away or ponder?
I think that most people are too quick to dismiss bumps in the night as the house settling, when they should be considering the real possibility that it could be a ghost trying to remind you to water your plants.
As someone who’s experienced both the supernatural and a real-life crime scene, what does the genre of paranormal mysteries have to offer to the world of literature?
I personally read (and write) for entertainment, so I’m all about fun books that just so happen to have a little murder and a ghost or two in them as well.
For readers who enjoyed your book, what should they pick up next?
Obviously, the next book in the series! It’s not up for preorder yet, but it should be out October 2025. Keep an eye on my socials or sign up for my newsletter for more information as it is available.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
If you ever find yourself with a ghost roommate, remember that they’re generally quieter, cleaner, and more unobtrusive than most of the roommates I’ve ever had, so count yourself lucky.
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me and share with my readers.
Thank you for inviting me!
Thanks for joining us! Connect with Olivia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or check out her website OliviaBlacke.com.
I hope you will check out A New Lease on Death on Goodreads.
Many thanks to Minotaur Books for giving me a chance to highlight this book on my blog in exchange for an honest review. 🙂
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