Dead Mona

by D.J. Runnels

Isn’t it bad enough I was murdered? And then “welcomed” to the afterlife by an incompetent girl with the brains of a game show host? Now I have to suffer through an interrogation by a drill sergeant in a concrete cell. I tried to escape once. Didn’t go well. So, okay. I’ll answer their questions about my life’s history if it speeds up my murder investigation. I’m Mona, born in Chicago, 1950. My father died the same day as JFK. (Coincidence?) My mother remarried before his corpse was cold and was a key player in my high school “incident” which led to more death. But here’s what’s so ironic. The United States endures three assassinations, the Vietnam War, hippies burning draft cards and the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Yet my wish to marry my boyfriend is somehow a problem because we have different religions. Priorities, people! This story spirals into the gutter of urban decay. Yet they insist on knowing every decadent detail before we can solve my murder. I can’t convince Officer Prachtor that it was my ex, the Charles Manson murder cult clone, who snuffed me out and turned me into a ghost. So I’m going to game the system. I see now the afterlife is a bureaucratic trap of bribery and illusion in a dimension where time doesn’t exist. I demand to speak to a manager. And I’ll even do lunch with God if I have to. Somebody’s gotta pay for my murder.

326 pages, Paperback

Published May 29, 2024

Reviews

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a humorous murder mystery with ghosts.

Mona Hardesty was having a bad day. First, the third wife of her drug-dealing, wife-beating, deadbeat ex-husband gave her a hard time at work, then she got fired, and then someone murdered her. The next thing she knew, she was on her way to heaven, with a layover in the after-life Department of Departures for a lengthy interview to make sure she was worthy.

From the blurb, more or less:
Isn’t it bad enough I was murdered? And then “welcomed” to the afterlife by an incompetent girl with the brains of a game show host? And what’s with the interrogation by Mrs. Prachtor who has the demeanor of a drill sergeant? I can’t be dead, I’m only thirty-six! The last thing I remember was going to bed with a headache and all these people in the afterlife (they don’t say ghosts here) tell me it says suicide on my cause of death. No, it was murder and I’ve got to prove it!

Yet Officer Prachtor insists on knowing every decadent detail before we can solve my murder. I can’t convince her that it was my ex, the Charles Manson murder cult clone, who snuffed me out and turned me into a ghost. So I’m going to game the system. I see now the afterlife is a bureaucratic trap of bribery and illusion in a dimension where time doesn’t exist. I demand to speak to a manager. I’ll even do lunch with God if I have to. Somebody’s gotta pay for my murder.
End blurb

I loved this book! It made me laugh with its snarky, dry, wit. It made me cry when the life-toughened Mona let her guard down long enough to express her feelings. And it lifted me up with the profound advice from the experienced Officer Practor.

Though nearly every living person Mona knew was a suspect, I thought I had the murderer pegged and I was so very wrong. The author expertly built the plot with twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing to the end. And what an end it is. I may have cried a little here too because I grew to like the fiesty Mona Hardesty. If you liked the television series, The Good Place, you will love this book. I hope there is a sequel in the works.

[Mike Trippiedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One could call "Dead Mona" a murder mystery, or a ghost story, or a farce, but I'll cut right to the chase and call it, FUNNY. In fact, there is a laugh on practically every page. This high energy, fast-paced, character driven tale of a dead woman searching for her killer, is the book equivalent of a mad-capped, door-slamming, stage farce, full of flawed characters, hidden secrets, pregnant women, ex-husbands, curious ghost, adultery, religion, the after-life, and so much more. Author D.J. Runnels has created a comic masterpiece where the humor seamlessly goes from intelligent, to silly, to absurd, before finishing off with brilliance. Truly one of the funniest books I've ever read.

[Alinar Den · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book! Tone, mystery, humor...
The story is well written, perfectly balanced, and so ridiculously sarcastic and funny.
All the twists and turns are unpredictable and breathtaking.
Hats off for the last couple of chapters and the ending. Simply spectacular! 🤩
Just for the record, Mona is one of my favorite characters from now on. 😏
Well, obviously, I highly recommend it!

[Eli Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in two sittings. Engaging from the first page. Mona's narrative voice is what you call "a real hoot". She's one part kind of awful and two parts likeable nonetheless. She's fun to root for, even when her worst enemy is herself. Lot of fun secondary characters, too. This book can be read on its own, but if you've read Dead Edna, this story does tie-in and some characters you know from the first book make notable appearances.

[Perrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was absolutely delightful. Humorous. Sad. Full of character. Totally loved it.

[Tamara Sellman · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great funny read for anyone needing adventure and a break from the horror of the real world. You'll be laughing out loud the whole way!

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

More development from the midpoint to the end are absolutely needed for this book to be salvageable.