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Dead Edna
Social climber Maggie Pall insists that her family move into her dream house in a trendy Chicago neighborhood. But her accountant husband says the creepy house is not a sound real estate deal. Her surly baseball-obsessed son would rather live in a tent. While they argue, a sex-crazed but sleazy resident ghost named Edna manipulates Maggie into seducing a handsome podiatrist. Their Thanksgiving housewarming goes awry when (oops!) someone ends up dead. Now a fumbling police force, a charming ex-husband ad writer and a brash novice lawyer pivot an amusing paranormal mystery into a courtroom drama. Going home for Thanksgiving reaches a whole new level in this darkly humorous satire of American upper-middle-class greed and lust, set in pre-social-media 1996.
- GenresGhosts
408 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 6, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 27, 2024
This writer has been on my radar for a while. I like her quirky, insightful posts on social media and I was excited to see what kind of a book Dead Edna would be.
Maggie is a determined, upwardly mobile woman of the nineties who always gets what she wants whether by fair means or foul. As a character she is delightfully flawed but admirably determined.
When she finds the house of her dreams nothing is going to stop her getting it. Not the reservations of her ex or the point blank refusal of her current husband. Not the longer commute to work or the aged demographic of the neighbourhood. Not moody tantrums from her teenage son. Not a funny smell in the basement. Not the single bathroom or the clammy air of one of the turrets. Not a sitting tenant, no, not even a ghost.
The first half of the book reads like a hilarious sitcom as Maggie railroads everyone, moves house, come to terms with nosey, mischievous, lonely Edna and prepares to wow her friends with the Victorian elegance of her new home. The culmination of her plans is an excruciating Thanksgiving dinner, a wonderfully written set-piece of comedic brilliance, when a mismatched medley of friends and relations, work colleagues and neighbours trade razor sharp jibes across the elegantly arranged dinner table.
But then, in a twist I definitely didn’t see coming, things take a dark and not at all comedic turn. As thoroughly as I’d been carried along with the farcical events of the first half of the book, just as completely was I sucked down the rabbit hole of Maggie’s grief and confusion, guilt and fear, and through that, into a surreal denouement where pathos and the ridiculous were as well blended as the perfect martini.
It was as though the writer had twisted a kaleidoscope, turning shimmer and glitz into shadow and portent. Suddenly, Dead Edna was much less about Edna and much more about death, and it wasn’t funny at all but it was extremely clever and completely compelling because the writer had performed that special alchemy. She had made me care.
Maggie is a determined, upwardly mobile woman of the nineties who always gets what she wants whether by fair means or foul. As a character she is delightfully flawed but admirably determined.
When she finds the house of her dreams nothing is going to stop her getting it. Not the reservations of her ex or the point blank refusal of her current husband. Not the longer commute to work or the aged demographic of the neighbourhood. Not moody tantrums from her teenage son. Not a funny smell in the basement. Not the single bathroom or the clammy air of one of the turrets. Not a sitting tenant, no, not even a ghost.
The first half of the book reads like a hilarious sitcom as Maggie railroads everyone, moves house, come to terms with nosey, mischievous, lonely Edna and prepares to wow her friends with the Victorian elegance of her new home. The culmination of her plans is an excruciating Thanksgiving dinner, a wonderfully written set-piece of comedic brilliance, when a mismatched medley of friends and relations, work colleagues and neighbours trade razor sharp jibes across the elegantly arranged dinner table.
But then, in a twist I definitely didn’t see coming, things take a dark and not at all comedic turn. As thoroughly as I’d been carried along with the farcical events of the first half of the book, just as completely was I sucked down the rabbit hole of Maggie’s grief and confusion, guilt and fear, and through that, into a surreal denouement where pathos and the ridiculous were as well blended as the perfect martini.
It was as though the writer had twisted a kaleidoscope, turning shimmer and glitz into shadow and portent. Suddenly, Dead Edna was much less about Edna and much more about death, and it wasn’t funny at all but it was extremely clever and completely compelling because the writer had performed that special alchemy. She had made me care.
June 30, 2025
Only a true indie could write something so wonderfully wild and inventive. D.J. Runnels "Dead Edna" is not only a funny and engaging read, but it's sprinkled throughout with characters so believable one easily accepts the screwball situations they find themselves in. And just when you think the book can't get any more crazier, it does, with laughs and smiles keeping the reader quickly turning the pages, while wanting more by the time it's over.
Books like this are the most fun going in blind, so as to not spoil the ride, all I will reveal is that this is a haunted house story like no other.
Last year I read Runnels other book, "Dead Mona" and thought it was possibly the funniest book I'd ever read. Now I believe "Dead Edna" may give it stiff competition for that title. I would have to read them back to back to declare a winner. One doesn't need to read them in any particular order, but if I could do it again I think I would read "Dead Edna" first, only because there is one character that is in both novels, and you get to know him better in "Edna." But either way, it won't take away from the enjoyment of either book.
So if you're looking for a ghost story that replaces scares with laughs, then look no further than the writings of D.J. Runnels. But be warned, they may put your imagination on overload.
Books like this are the most fun going in blind, so as to not spoil the ride, all I will reveal is that this is a haunted house story like no other.
Last year I read Runnels other book, "Dead Mona" and thought it was possibly the funniest book I'd ever read. Now I believe "Dead Edna" may give it stiff competition for that title. I would have to read them back to back to declare a winner. One doesn't need to read them in any particular order, but if I could do it again I think I would read "Dead Edna" first, only because there is one character that is in both novels, and you get to know him better in "Edna." But either way, it won't take away from the enjoyment of either book.
So if you're looking for a ghost story that replaces scares with laughs, then look no further than the writings of D.J. Runnels. But be warned, they may put your imagination on overload.
May 1, 2025
At first, you wonder if there's any connection to Dead Mona. Well... slightly. Doesn't matter, though. This is a great book on its own. Different flavor from Dead Mona because the circumstances and the characters are totally different.
Still, we have a ghost. Then, more ghosts. Edna (ghost) is a hoot. Overly self-involved Maggie (living person) is the perfect person for Edna to haunt, uh, contact. The cast of characters is diverse and multi-dimensional. Eventually. At first they come across quite one-dimensional but do change as the story moves forward.
The only thing that bothered me were the seemingly endless internal ruminations of Maggie and her ex-husband. Oh! And the cliffhanger ending. I hate those. But I am very invested now in the various storylines and can't wait for the next book, so the author gets a pass on this one.
Still, we have a ghost. Then, more ghosts. Edna (ghost) is a hoot. Overly self-involved Maggie (living person) is the perfect person for Edna to haunt, uh, contact. The cast of characters is diverse and multi-dimensional. Eventually. At first they come across quite one-dimensional but do change as the story moves forward.
The only thing that bothered me were the seemingly endless internal ruminations of Maggie and her ex-husband. Oh! And the cliffhanger ending. I hate those. But I am very invested now in the various storylines and can't wait for the next book, so the author gets a pass on this one.
March 27, 2024
I'm long over due to post about Dead Edna by D.J.Runnels. Edna? SHE'S DEAD, and she knows it. This book is full of hilariously dysfunctional people that nonetheless have a certain je ne sais quoi that makes them loveable. The great thing about reading satire is how oddly enjoyable it is to have the worst parts of yourself reflected back and still call it a hobby. My opinion? Great read full of 90's charm (and ignorance), and well worth it to find out what goes down in this spooky old house with its starved-for-connection, tacky, resident ghost.
July 20, 2023
Dead Edna, A Review. LAS
This is a great story. I was sucked in at the very beginning and finished it in two reading sessions. I would have liked the ending to have been filled in a little more. It was left to the reader's imagination, but the story was so well written I wanted to hear it in the writer's words, not my imagination. One of the best stories I've read in a long time. I'll look for more written by this author.
This is a great story. I was sucked in at the very beginning and finished it in two reading sessions. I would have liked the ending to have been filled in a little more. It was left to the reader's imagination, but the story was so well written I wanted to hear it in the writer's words, not my imagination. One of the best stories I've read in a long time. I'll look for more written by this author.
April 20, 2025
Oh My...this was a terrific read!
Wasn't sure starting out, that I would like this one. But my facebook reading groups all had positive things to say about it, so I bumped it up my reading list, and here we are. Turns out, it is a terrific read. Well developed characters and plot lines. Funny where it should be and sad where it should be. It was a thoroughly enjoyable book, and yes, I recommend it without reservation.
Wasn't sure starting out, that I would like this one. But my facebook reading groups all had positive things to say about it, so I bumped it up my reading list, and here we are. Turns out, it is a terrific read. Well developed characters and plot lines. Funny where it should be and sad where it should be. It was a thoroughly enjoyable book, and yes, I recommend it without reservation.
August 30, 2023
Funny, Sad, Suspenseful, Ghosts...did I say funny? I was so pleased that this wasn't the same old plot with different characters that I've read over and over. Loved each and every one of the people in this book, even the ones I didn't like. You really think you know where the story is going and then it twists and makes it more fun to read. Can't wait for another one!
December 30, 2023
A very well-written book that has it all - humor, death, sex, intrigue, and plot-twists aplenty. Runnels somehow takes a MC who seems deeply unlikeable at first, and turns her into someone who you'll be rooting for by the book's end. Really looking forward to reading more from this author!
December 28, 2024
Engaging story, well-drawn characters, lots of twists and turns, funny, absurd but never unbelievable, well-written and easy to read, ghosts, murders, and one very chaotic Thanksgiving — all in all, a fun read!
May 18, 2023
Fantastic book, made me laugh and cry. Perfect book to sit by the fire and get lost in.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews