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Afterlife Adventures #1
Beyond Dead
Dead less than twenty-four hours, with a job that doesn’t pay, a fashion disaster for a uniform and more afterlife rules than she can shake a stick at, Bridget Sway thinks it’s as bad as it can get. And then she finds a dead ghost stuffed in her locker.
Since the police are desperate to arrest her for murder, Bridget’s new best friend convinces her the only way to save herself from an eternity in prison is to solve the murder themselves.
With a handsome parole officer watching her every move, an outlaw ghost befriending her and two persistent mediums demanding her attention, solving the murder is not quite as easy as it sounds. And when “murder” turns into “murders” Bridget needs to solve the case … before she becomes the next dead body stuffed in her locker.
Beyond Dead is the first book in a paranormal cozy murder mystery series set in a ridiculously bureaucratic afterlife. It is rife with cozy humor (or more accurately cosy humour) that cozy British mysteries are famous for.
The series follows the newly dead Bridget Sway as she tries to adjust to her new life as a ghost while solving the odd murder along the way. Bridget exhibits all the best virtues of cozy mystery women sleuths in terms of wit and humor but, as the amateur sleuth of a cozy ghost mysteries series, she is something most others are not – and that’s dead.
Since the police are desperate to arrest her for murder, Bridget’s new best friend convinces her the only way to save herself from an eternity in prison is to solve the murder themselves.
With a handsome parole officer watching her every move, an outlaw ghost befriending her and two persistent mediums demanding her attention, solving the murder is not quite as easy as it sounds. And when “murder” turns into “murders” Bridget needs to solve the case … before she becomes the next dead body stuffed in her locker.
Beyond Dead is the first book in a paranormal cozy murder mystery series set in a ridiculously bureaucratic afterlife. It is rife with cozy humor (or more accurately cosy humour) that cozy British mysteries are famous for.
The series follows the newly dead Bridget Sway as she tries to adjust to her new life as a ghost while solving the odd murder along the way. Bridget exhibits all the best virtues of cozy mystery women sleuths in terms of wit and humor but, as the amateur sleuth of a cozy ghost mysteries series, she is something most others are not – and that’s dead.
358 pages, ebook
First published March 5, 2016
1534 people are currently reading
1431 people want to read
About the author
Jordaina Sydney Robinson
38 books223 followersI was fourteen when I attempted to write my first novel. Half finished, riddled with spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and printed in pink ink, I gave it to my English teacher and asked her for feedback. A month later she handed it back to me and told me it was "good" without having read it.
How did I know she hadn't read it? The story was about an assassin for hire who disposed of her "kills" in her bathtub by dissolving their remains in sulphuric acid. I'm pretty sure if she had read it, one heck of a letter would have been sent home. I look back at this now and can see that the pink ink and poor spelling were the least of my problems.
With the lack of constructive criticism from my English teacher, I placed my novel writing on hold. I dallied mainly with typical teenage, angst-ridden poetry until several years later, on a romantic whim, I turned a boy I knew into a superhero, literarily (not literally) speaking. Because I'm super awesome, I included some of his friends and chronicled their superhero adventures as a birthday present to him.
My relationship with the superhero version of the boy lasted the completion of a dozen short stories. My relationship with the real life boy didn't. And I was writing pretty dang quick too!
There were a couple more plot twists but since they don't involve radioactive spiders, magical wardrobes or handsome Tolkien-esque elves they're not really worth talking about! So that's pretty much the yellow brick road to how I got here.
How did I know she hadn't read it? The story was about an assassin for hire who disposed of her "kills" in her bathtub by dissolving their remains in sulphuric acid. I'm pretty sure if she had read it, one heck of a letter would have been sent home. I look back at this now and can see that the pink ink and poor spelling were the least of my problems.
With the lack of constructive criticism from my English teacher, I placed my novel writing on hold. I dallied mainly with typical teenage, angst-ridden poetry until several years later, on a romantic whim, I turned a boy I knew into a superhero, literarily (not literally) speaking. Because I'm super awesome, I included some of his friends and chronicled their superhero adventures as a birthday present to him.
My relationship with the superhero version of the boy lasted the completion of a dozen short stories. My relationship with the real life boy didn't. And I was writing pretty dang quick too!
There were a couple more plot twists but since they don't involve radioactive spiders, magical wardrobes or handsome Tolkien-esque elves they're not really worth talking about! So that's pretty much the yellow brick road to how I got here.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 255 reviews
June 22, 2025
⚰ Plot:
Marketed as a cosy mystery set in the afterlife, I was a little surprised to discover that Beyond Dead is, in fact, not particularly cosy. The story offers a rather bleak and bureaucratic vision of life beyond death, where those who have passed on are assigned monotonous jobs, closely monitored by their guardian, and constrained by rigid rules. Rather than the immersive world-building one might hope for, this portrayal feels like a mundane extension of earthly drudgery — a kind of supernatural office environment rather than a fantastical realm. At times, one might wonder if the protagonist is actually trapped in hell itself, given the lack of any tangible upside to ghostly existence. The premise of an amateur undead sleuth solving mysteries had potential, but the setting’s lack of vibrancy undermines much of the intrigue.
⚰ Writing style:
The prose is straightforward and easy enough to follow, laced with humorous undertones. While the pacing remains steady, the narrative often feels weighed down by excessive exposition and a noticeable lack of atmospheric detail.
⚰ Characters:
The protagonist is an earnest and mildly rebellious amateur sleuth with potential for development as the series continues. Supporting characters flit in and out without leaving a lasting impression. The relationships feel somewhat surface-level, which detracts from the emotional investment the story might have achieved.
⚰ Impact:
While the concept suggested a fresh take on paranormal mystery, sadly this lacked the magic required to make it memorable. Discoveries that might have felt fantastical were handled with minimal depth, and failed to provoke much thought beyond the novelty value of its setting.
⚰ Entertainment value:
Despite a brilliant concept, Beyond Dead sadly manifested as a fairly average read. Its bureaucratic portrayal of the afterlife strips away the fantasy elements one might expect, leaving a story that feels more like a dreary day job than a supernatural adventure. Even so, those who enjoy light paranormal mystery may enjoy the quirks this book has to offer.
Genre:
⚰ Paranormal mystery
Tropes and Themes:
⚰ Amateur sleuth
⚰ Ghost protagonist
⚰ Bureaucratic hell
⚰ Life after death
⚰ Deadpan humour
⚰ Fish out of water
Marketed as a cosy mystery set in the afterlife, I was a little surprised to discover that Beyond Dead is, in fact, not particularly cosy. The story offers a rather bleak and bureaucratic vision of life beyond death, where those who have passed on are assigned monotonous jobs, closely monitored by their guardian, and constrained by rigid rules. Rather than the immersive world-building one might hope for, this portrayal feels like a mundane extension of earthly drudgery — a kind of supernatural office environment rather than a fantastical realm. At times, one might wonder if the protagonist is actually trapped in hell itself, given the lack of any tangible upside to ghostly existence. The premise of an amateur undead sleuth solving mysteries had potential, but the setting’s lack of vibrancy undermines much of the intrigue.
⚰ Writing style:
The prose is straightforward and easy enough to follow, laced with humorous undertones. While the pacing remains steady, the narrative often feels weighed down by excessive exposition and a noticeable lack of atmospheric detail.
⚰ Characters:
The protagonist is an earnest and mildly rebellious amateur sleuth with potential for development as the series continues. Supporting characters flit in and out without leaving a lasting impression. The relationships feel somewhat surface-level, which detracts from the emotional investment the story might have achieved.
⚰ Impact:
While the concept suggested a fresh take on paranormal mystery, sadly this lacked the magic required to make it memorable. Discoveries that might have felt fantastical were handled with minimal depth, and failed to provoke much thought beyond the novelty value of its setting.
⚰ Entertainment value:
Despite a brilliant concept, Beyond Dead sadly manifested as a fairly average read. Its bureaucratic portrayal of the afterlife strips away the fantasy elements one might expect, leaving a story that feels more like a dreary day job than a supernatural adventure. Even so, those who enjoy light paranormal mystery may enjoy the quirks this book has to offer.
Genre:
⚰ Paranormal mystery
Tropes and Themes:
⚰ Amateur sleuth
⚰ Ghost protagonist
⚰ Bureaucratic hell
⚰ Life after death
⚰ Deadpan humour
⚰ Fish out of water
March 1, 2022
Let's just get this out of the way up front: there is nothing cozy about this story and the series setup mitigates against any future stories being even close. This is really bad marketing by the publisher. I'm not sure what I'd call it. Paranormal mystery, if I were making stuff up. Though I'd try to shoehorn "adventure" in there because this is more adventure story than mystery story.
I'm really conflicted about this story. I really liked Bridget and Sabrina and their never-say-die personalities. They're never too stupid to live and any time it got close, you could clearly see their motivations and they had explicitly decided that the probable consequences were worth it. Since the heart of this story is slavery (that's what they call a "strong reading", i.e. one the author doesn't come close to and I'll work on supporting that in a bit), there are lots of opportunities for them to exercise their personhood in the face of violations of autonomy.
The afterlife posited by the story is bureaucratic hell. Bridget even says so a couple of times and she isn't wrong. The dead have zero autonomy and self-determination is a complete no-go. It doesn't matter what you want to do, you do the job assigned to you. It doesn't matter how you want to live, you live where, and with whom, you are told. And your personal "guardian" is very much in the parental sense of "I get to make decisions for you". This is obscured a little bit because Oz, Bridget's guardian, is mostly a decent person. But that fact seems mostly an accident and we see plenty of abuses of the system to be more than a little skeptical of all the power structures of the worldbuilding. Add that the people assigned to teach newbs the rules are incompetent in the kindest reading and actively evil if you want to take their actions at the results and you have a situation where I can totally see someone with a strong moral code opting out and doing her own things as much as she is able.
So yeah, the dead are essentially slaves. You never see the people in charge, but whoever they are, their enforcers (both the police and the bigger, badder ghost police) are omnipresent, have no check in situ, have no appeal of their rulings, and impose draconian measures with zero remorse or hesitation. And they dictate every aspect of the afterlife from occupation to free time activities to living accommodations to association. Indeed, for the first decade, they put people in group homes with mandatory group activities. Which is my own version of hell. And then they grade on "acclimation" which you quickly learn is a malleable concept open to interpretation. Again with no appeal. So it serves essentially as an obedience training concept where those who go along with the rules and dictates of whoever the powers are receive the accolades. Note: not freedom. Nobody has freedom.
So it's a lot heavier than the marketing would support. But I liked Bridget and Sabrina so much that I was fully engaged in their dynamic-duo determination to get to the bottom of things and to make things right where they can. I liked that they have separate, but very useful, skillsets and I particularly like that Bridget, our viewpoint character, has a very subtle power set based largely on knowing who she is and what she wants. And keen organizational skills.
Oh right. The mystery. The investigation was interesting, though the antagonist was super lame once revealed. Frankly, it managed the pace it did by having a lot of contributing elements stepping on each other along the way. And I mean that in a good way because many of the side characters are variously aligned and are sometimes in conflict and sometimes allied and I liked that dynamic more than a little.
OH! I just realized that this story feels a lot like the 80s RPG Paranoia if you took away the guns and factional antagonism. Yes, I am a nerd. Why do you ask?
Anyway, this is four stars, though I'm not sure I can handle being in that world for more stories. The bureaucratic hell is way too oppressive for my taste.
A note about Chaste: There's no romance in the story, though it feels like Bridget is being setup for a slow-burn with Oz. Which I'm totally down for, though we need more development of him as a character for that to happen. I'm willing to go there if the author does, though.
I'm really conflicted about this story. I really liked Bridget and Sabrina and their never-say-die personalities. They're never too stupid to live and any time it got close, you could clearly see their motivations and they had explicitly decided that the probable consequences were worth it. Since the heart of this story is slavery (that's what they call a "strong reading", i.e. one the author doesn't come close to and I'll work on supporting that in a bit), there are lots of opportunities for them to exercise their personhood in the face of violations of autonomy.
The afterlife posited by the story is bureaucratic hell. Bridget even says so a couple of times and she isn't wrong. The dead have zero autonomy and self-determination is a complete no-go. It doesn't matter what you want to do, you do the job assigned to you. It doesn't matter how you want to live, you live where, and with whom, you are told. And your personal "guardian" is very much in the parental sense of "I get to make decisions for you". This is obscured a little bit because Oz, Bridget's guardian, is mostly a decent person. But that fact seems mostly an accident and we see plenty of abuses of the system to be more than a little skeptical of all the power structures of the worldbuilding. Add that the people assigned to teach newbs the rules are incompetent in the kindest reading and actively evil if you want to take their actions at the results and you have a situation where I can totally see someone with a strong moral code opting out and doing her own things as much as she is able.
So yeah, the dead are essentially slaves. You never see the people in charge, but whoever they are, their enforcers (both the police and the bigger, badder ghost police) are omnipresent, have no check in situ, have no appeal of their rulings, and impose draconian measures with zero remorse or hesitation. And they dictate every aspect of the afterlife from occupation to free time activities to living accommodations to association. Indeed, for the first decade, they put people in group homes with mandatory group activities. Which is my own version of hell. And then they grade on "acclimation" which you quickly learn is a malleable concept open to interpretation. Again with no appeal. So it serves essentially as an obedience training concept where those who go along with the rules and dictates of whoever the powers are receive the accolades. Note: not freedom. Nobody has freedom.
So it's a lot heavier than the marketing would support. But I liked Bridget and Sabrina so much that I was fully engaged in their dynamic-duo determination to get to the bottom of things and to make things right where they can. I liked that they have separate, but very useful, skillsets and I particularly like that Bridget, our viewpoint character, has a very subtle power set based largely on knowing who she is and what she wants. And keen organizational skills.
Oh right. The mystery. The investigation was interesting, though the antagonist was super lame once revealed. Frankly, it managed the pace it did by having a lot of contributing elements stepping on each other along the way. And I mean that in a good way because many of the side characters are variously aligned and are sometimes in conflict and sometimes allied and I liked that dynamic more than a little.
OH! I just realized that this story feels a lot like the 80s RPG Paranoia if you took away the guns and factional antagonism. Yes, I am a nerd. Why do you ask?
Anyway, this is four stars, though I'm not sure I can handle being in that world for more stories. The bureaucratic hell is way too oppressive for my taste.
A note about Chaste: There's no romance in the story, though it feels like Bridget is being setup for a slow-burn with Oz. Which I'm totally down for, though we need more development of him as a character for that to happen. I'm willing to go there if the author does, though.
February 25, 2018
My biggest gripe with this book is that the version I got called it a "COZY" mystery...
Has the author ever read a cozy mystery before? Because the book is closer to a hard-boiled mystery than a cozy one, just because they make jokes doesn't make a cozy mystery.
A cozy mystery is more light-hearted, more "PG", with death, violence and swearing set to the minimum amount you can get away with in a mystery novel, while this book has several violent deaths, sure they still happen "off page", but the death count is way too high. Also, the MC seems to WANT to break every law to solve this mystery.
Not to mention the MC is so whiny at the start of the story I'm not sure how I manged to finish the book.
The world that is introduced is barely explained, why do the dead have to get a job in the afterlife? Why does the MC have to move random items? And more importantly, why does she suddenly not care when she thinks she might be killing people with these random item movements?
The author failed at world building since she creates a whole new concept of afterlife and barely explains it, or what she does explain doesn't make sense like the special hospital for the dead who haven't realized they are dead yet. How does having both living and dead people help them at all? I'd just be confused if only some people could see me, maybe the author realized the idea didn't make that much sense because in the end a medium that knew the dead man just walks in and explains everything to him.
Oh right... the "other" mystery, a medium practically forces the MC to uncover how one of her clients died, only to find out he died in an accident and was not murdered by the victim's wife, like everybody suspected and to make things even more silly, the medium joins the woman she thought was a murderer in a new venture and sequel bait.
To sum it up, it's too hardboiled to be "cozy", the MC is insufferable, the world is not explained or justified and it's all a big mess... an entertaining mess, but still a mess.
Has the author ever read a cozy mystery before? Because the book is closer to a hard-boiled mystery than a cozy one, just because they make jokes doesn't make a cozy mystery.
A cozy mystery is more light-hearted, more "PG", with death, violence and swearing set to the minimum amount you can get away with in a mystery novel, while this book has several violent deaths, sure they still happen "off page", but the death count is way too high. Also, the MC seems to WANT to break every law to solve this mystery.
Not to mention the MC is so whiny at the start of the story I'm not sure how I manged to finish the book.
The world that is introduced is barely explained, why do the dead have to get a job in the afterlife? Why does the MC have to move random items? And more importantly, why does she suddenly not care when she thinks she might be killing people with these random item movements?
The author failed at world building since she creates a whole new concept of afterlife and barely explains it, or what she does explain doesn't make sense like the special hospital for the dead who haven't realized they are dead yet. How does having both living and dead people help them at all? I'd just be confused if only some people could see me, maybe the author realized the idea didn't make that much sense because in the end a medium that knew the dead man just walks in and explains everything to him.
Oh right... the "other" mystery, a medium practically forces the MC to uncover how one of her clients died, only to find out he died in an accident and was not murdered by the victim's wife, like everybody suspected and to make things even more silly, the medium joins the woman she thought was a murderer in a new venture and sequel bait.
To sum it up, it's too hardboiled to be "cozy", the MC is insufferable, the world is not explained or justified and it's all a big mess... an entertaining mess, but still a mess.
July 23, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The main character, Bridget Sway, has died, and not in a pretty way. Suffice it to say bus vs. young woman = not good for the young woman.
Finding herself in the afterlife, Bridget is in for a huge surprise. No angels on clouds. No beauty products that she relies on. No beautiful clothes for the girl who is a fashionista. In fact, she's handed a frumpy, horribly colored uniform that does nothing for her, and has (gasp) a job that doesn't pay her anything and more rules to follow than when she was a teenager. Don't expect privacy either, and don't expect those in charge to explain why you have to follow a bunch of nonsensical rules or face horrible consequences.
She does have, however, a fellow snarky friend to get into trouble with - and oh, how about a dead guy in her assigned locker within her first 24 hours there? As it turns out you can die - again - in the afterlife, and this one was indeed murdered.
This book is well written and has just enough twists and turns in the murder plot to hold your interest, and the new version of the afterlife was quite entertaining, and at times, comical.
The main character, Bridget Sway, has died, and not in a pretty way. Suffice it to say bus vs. young woman = not good for the young woman.
Finding herself in the afterlife, Bridget is in for a huge surprise. No angels on clouds. No beauty products that she relies on. No beautiful clothes for the girl who is a fashionista. In fact, she's handed a frumpy, horribly colored uniform that does nothing for her, and has (gasp) a job that doesn't pay her anything and more rules to follow than when she was a teenager. Don't expect privacy either, and don't expect those in charge to explain why you have to follow a bunch of nonsensical rules or face horrible consequences.
She does have, however, a fellow snarky friend to get into trouble with - and oh, how about a dead guy in her assigned locker within her first 24 hours there? As it turns out you can die - again - in the afterlife, and this one was indeed murdered.
This book is well written and has just enough twists and turns in the murder plot to hold your interest, and the new version of the afterlife was quite entertaining, and at times, comical.
July 21, 2022
This was a good fun read, it’s just taking me a while to warm up to the main character who comes across as a whiny brat. I do like the concept of ghost detectives, but I have to say the Bridget is way in over her head. There are lots of bodies in this first book and this is murder murder mystery than cozy mystery. Solving murders in the afterlife and being murdered in the afterlife is an interesting concept so I’m cool to see how it plays out in future books and if Bridget matured as she gets used to being dead. Overall not a bad read and interesting enough for me to pick up book 2 from the library :)
July 31, 2024
Will not go into the "cozy" debate too much. There are some aspects of a cozy but it is probably more urban. The afterlife the protagonist finds herself in is a bureaucratic hell with sort of dystopic 1984-vibes.
As the first person narrator presents herself as a hardboiled cookie with little empathy I was wondering whether her afterlife is some sort of purgatory where she has to learn something, a task she has to complete, a character development she has to undergo. Maybe I am too idealistic to look for a raison d'être. But the whole afterlife does not make a lot of sense, like the narrator the reader feels sort of lost.
What will the narrator and reader learn from all this? Make the best out of what life throws at us? I am not sure... Although the mystery plot does not convince me that much I'd like to find out more about the afterlife according to Bridget!
As the first person narrator presents herself as a hardboiled cookie with little empathy I was wondering whether her afterlife is some sort of purgatory where she has to learn something, a task she has to complete, a character development she has to undergo. Maybe I am too idealistic to look for a raison d'être. But the whole afterlife does not make a lot of sense, like the narrator the reader feels sort of lost.
What will the narrator and reader learn from all this? Make the best out of what life throws at us? I am not sure... Although the mystery plot does not convince me that much I'd like to find out more about the afterlife according to Bridget!
July 21, 2016
On the day Bridget died her life was the worst day ever, not only did it finish in her dying but moments before she had discovered her boyfriend cheating on her and when she walked out of her house she was hit by a bus when crossing the road. Now in limbo - Bridget has discovered that even in death, you have to work for a living as everyone is assigned jobs. Turns out though that being dead isn't actually fun as Bridget is about to discover that not only has she rules , a curfew and a guardian who acts like their parole officer - the dead have police and the GB's which are like the FBI version and guess what - yep you can officially die more than once as someone is out there killing ghosts and it seems that Bridget is the number #1 suspect. With the help of her new friend - also recently deceased and a former PI can they solve the crime of who is killing the ghosts and making them deader and who wants to frame Bridget and why, especially for the fact that she has only just turned up dead and has no reason, that she knows of for being framed of Ghost-Murder . Beyond Dead was a mixture of Romantic Comedy, Chick Lit and Paranormal romance and was a fun read .
April 23, 2018
If you like your romances misogynistic and full of holes, then this is the novel for you. If you like to see your 21st Century heroines treated like 18th Century pleasure-properties rather than strong, independent women, then walk this way. If you like your heroes to think that a woman’s place in the bedroom rather than the boardroom, then follow me as we delve into this world that should empower its female protagonist rather than set her up as a potential date-rape victim of the male support act.
Look, don’t get me wrong, there is stuff to like about this work. For one thing, the crime angle is rather clever and I enjoyed reading the parts where Bridget tries to solve the murder of a fellow in-mate (I’ll get to that term later. Stay with me for now.)
Furthermore, I really enjoyed the relationship between Bridget and her BFF, Sabrina. Their lines and actions were dynamic and interesting, to the point where I groaned with frustration every time Oz appeared and split them up. Oz was dead-weight around Bridget’s 21st Century neck and kept her back from her real potential as a dead person, while Sabrina encouraged Bridget’s potential at every turn. Honestly, I kept wishing that Oz would turn out to be the real murderer (after all, he had the most to gain by taking dead-bloke’s place, didn’t he?) so Bridget and Sabrina could ignore the men and ride off into the sunset together as the real 'ship in the story.
Thirdly…
Thirdly…
Thiiiiiiirdly…
No, wait that’s it. They’re the two good points about the novel.
One of the things I really hated (beyond the ‘romance’ angle between Bridget and Ox, I mean Oz), was the world building. It should have been good, after all, not many detective novels take place in the afterlife with dead-dead bodies turning up amongst the living-dead. I should have been interested but, alas, I was left infuriated. One line, people. One quote. One sentence would have made this entire farce of a world seem logical.
“The wages of sin is death.”
This one biblical quote would have made the prison-like system of the world make sense. You committed crimes, felonies and sins when you were alive that you never paid for. You’ll spend X amount of years working those off and living in a safe-house with others just like you before we allow you to join the general public.
No. Instead, the dead die and then are treated as slaves AND prisoners AND recalcitrant teenagers throughout the many thousand words that make up this death-continent FOR NO GOOD REASON THAT IS EVER EXPLAINED. (I believe this may be why the main male protag is Australian. Land of the Ned Kelly mentality, home of deaths in custody).
“THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH.” There’s your reason, lovey. Use it.
What’s more, this system is there to further enable white male privilege. Oz uses his role as a parole-officer (the author’s word, not mine) to further denigrate and subjugate the person in his charge. He affords her ‘privileges’ (make up, shampoo, accessories) in order to make her to comply to his will. However, I cannot imagine a time when Oz was subjected to these bribes. Nor can I imagine a time when a woman totally dominated him and made him do her bidding as a new inmate. He uses his position as a man and as a supervisor to intimidate Bridget into compliance and then he punishes her when she fails to fall into line. Rather than face a tribunal over this, HE IS SUPPORTED BY THE POWERS THAT BE.
I wanted to like this book. There were reasons to like this book. I wanted to hate this book. There were many, many, many reasons to hate this book. In the end I put it down in disgust because I think there IS the possibility of a story in there, but the author's desire to make it a romance ruined all enjoyment for me.
Look, don’t get me wrong, there is stuff to like about this work. For one thing, the crime angle is rather clever and I enjoyed reading the parts where Bridget tries to solve the murder of a fellow in-mate (I’ll get to that term later. Stay with me for now.)
Furthermore, I really enjoyed the relationship between Bridget and her BFF, Sabrina. Their lines and actions were dynamic and interesting, to the point where I groaned with frustration every time Oz appeared and split them up. Oz was dead-weight around Bridget’s 21st Century neck and kept her back from her real potential as a dead person, while Sabrina encouraged Bridget’s potential at every turn. Honestly, I kept wishing that Oz would turn out to be the real murderer (after all, he had the most to gain by taking dead-bloke’s place, didn’t he?) so Bridget and Sabrina could ignore the men and ride off into the sunset together as the real 'ship in the story.
Thirdly…
Thirdly…
Thiiiiiiirdly…
No, wait that’s it. They’re the two good points about the novel.
One of the things I really hated (beyond the ‘romance’ angle between Bridget and Ox, I mean Oz), was the world building. It should have been good, after all, not many detective novels take place in the afterlife with dead-dead bodies turning up amongst the living-dead. I should have been interested but, alas, I was left infuriated. One line, people. One quote. One sentence would have made this entire farce of a world seem logical.
“The wages of sin is death.”
This one biblical quote would have made the prison-like system of the world make sense. You committed crimes, felonies and sins when you were alive that you never paid for. You’ll spend X amount of years working those off and living in a safe-house with others just like you before we allow you to join the general public.
No. Instead, the dead die and then are treated as slaves AND prisoners AND recalcitrant teenagers throughout the many thousand words that make up this death-continent FOR NO GOOD REASON THAT IS EVER EXPLAINED. (I believe this may be why the main male protag is Australian. Land of the Ned Kelly mentality, home of deaths in custody).
“THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH.” There’s your reason, lovey. Use it.
What’s more, this system is there to further enable white male privilege. Oz uses his role as a parole-officer (the author’s word, not mine) to further denigrate and subjugate the person in his charge. He affords her ‘privileges’ (make up, shampoo, accessories) in order to make her to comply to his will. However, I cannot imagine a time when Oz was subjected to these bribes. Nor can I imagine a time when a woman totally dominated him and made him do her bidding as a new inmate. He uses his position as a man and as a supervisor to intimidate Bridget into compliance and then he punishes her when she fails to fall into line. Rather than face a tribunal over this, HE IS SUPPORTED BY THE POWERS THAT BE.
I wanted to like this book. There were reasons to like this book. I wanted to hate this book. There were many, many, many reasons to hate this book. In the end I put it down in disgust because I think there IS the possibility of a story in there, but the author's desire to make it a romance ruined all enjoyment for me.
April 9, 2017
Interesting. A good book one. Once Briget accepts that she's dead she's assigned a 'parole officer', and had to attend GA meetings and work. On top of all that weird stuff starts happening and sm she is involved whether she likes it or not.
June 16, 2018
This book was a delight to read. The main character, Bridget, is newly dead, but that doesn’t slow her down a bit. The afterlife is every bit as busy and fashion challenged, and even ghosts can be murdered. Who woulda thunk it.
I had a rip snort of a read. Loads of snark, which I love, fun characters galore, and a challenging mystery to solve, all added up to a ghostly good time. I feel for this one and moving on to the next.
I had a rip snort of a read. Loads of snark, which I love, fun characters galore, and a challenging mystery to solve, all added up to a ghostly good time. I feel for this one and moving on to the next.
April 22, 2017
Beyond Dead is a funny, unique and original. It is the first book in the series following newly dead Bridget Sway's adventures while adjusting to the afterlife. Kudos to Ms. Robinson to have successfully created a whole new (extremely bureaucratic) setting for her characters to interact in while trying to solve the murders. She will have you laughing for the whole book. Highly recommended!
October 2, 2019
F-U-N Fun!
There were a few inconsistencies but I had a great time reading this book! The characters are wise-cracking, and the story moved right along. I can hardly wait to read the next installments!
There were a few inconsistencies but I had a great time reading this book! The characters are wise-cracking, and the story moved right along. I can hardly wait to read the next installments!
August 30, 2023
It was such a weird book but very entertaining. Wish I could read more of the same sort! Loved the friendship between main character and Sabrina!
May 20, 2019
Bridget just died. After catching her financé cheating on her, she walked in front of a bus. Unfortunately, she isn't immediately transported to the pearly gates but ends up in an afterlife that is like a ghost world intermixed with the real world. She gets a parole officer and has to spend the next ten years living in a halfway house, attend meetings to help her acclimate to her new existence, and even has a job. To add insult to injury she has to adhere to an indefinite number of rules that no one really tells her about. For a woman, who has been her own boss for quite a while, that takes some getting used to. Being suspected of murdering her former parole officer doesn't exactly help either.
The book is sort of a mixed bag. The best part is the interaction between Bridget and Sabrina, the PI helping her with solving the murder she is accused of. I didn't warm to the story until the last third of the book when the worldbuilding finally made some progress.
From the point of view of a crime novel, this book was rather average. I guessed who the culprit was and even why he/she did it but was of the opinion that not all false leads were neatly tied up. Furthermore, Bridget was the Watson to Sabrina's Sherlock, and even that is giving her too much credit, as she was mostly a dead weight that just happened to overhear an important conversation that cracked the case.
At the beginning of the novel, her character was a little uneven. While she was nice for most of the time and managed to quickly make a few friends, she altered between the behavior of a moody teenager and an angry toddler (mostly when Oz was around). While I understood her frustration at being kept in the dark about the afterlife, e.g. the purpose of her job, her reaction was annoying. Combined with what little we know about her before her death - event planner, problems with authority and a fiancé of the "yes dear" variety - her being so nice didn't exactly fit.
The author mainly used Bridget's behavior, including her not paying attention to the information meetings, to very slowly impart information about this afterlife. Based on the little information I think that this is one of those Purgatory scenarios, where the main character wasn't a homicidal maniac, but a normal person that didn't lead a spotless life, e.g. she never appreciated her employees and treated them badly. And thus, they now have to make up for their failings by working e.g. as a guardian angel.
I don't know whether withholding most of the information about this world is to keep the suspense up or because the author hasn't really figured it out yet. In its current form, it doesn't add anything to the story, as everything is mundane and it only gets Sabrina and Bridget to act like teenagers trying to stick it to their parents and teachers. As they mostly eavesdrop on mediums that can perceive them anyways, taking the afterlife premise out of the story, wouldn't change it one bit. With the exception of having to find another excuse of why Bridget is (supposed to be) tightly monitored and living in a halfway house.
As the story did pick up in the last third, I might give the second novel a chance. Maybe the author did a little bit more with her premise and therefore improved the storytelling.
The book is sort of a mixed bag. The best part is the interaction between Bridget and Sabrina, the PI helping her with solving the murder she is accused of. I didn't warm to the story until the last third of the book when the worldbuilding finally made some progress.
From the point of view of a crime novel, this book was rather average. I guessed who the culprit was and even why he/she did it but was of the opinion that not all false leads were neatly tied up. Furthermore, Bridget was the Watson to Sabrina's Sherlock, and even that is giving her too much credit, as she was mostly a dead weight that just happened to overhear an important conversation that cracked the case.
At the beginning of the novel, her character was a little uneven. While she was nice for most of the time and managed to quickly make a few friends, she altered between the behavior of a moody teenager and an angry toddler (mostly when Oz was around). While I understood her frustration at being kept in the dark about the afterlife, e.g. the purpose of her job, her reaction was annoying. Combined with what little we know about her before her death - event planner, problems with authority and a fiancé of the "yes dear" variety - her being so nice didn't exactly fit.
The author mainly used Bridget's behavior, including her not paying attention to the information meetings, to very slowly impart information about this afterlife. Based on the little information I think that this is one of those Purgatory scenarios, where the main character wasn't a homicidal maniac, but a normal person that didn't lead a spotless life, e.g. she never appreciated her employees and treated them badly. And thus, they now have to make up for their failings by working e.g. as a guardian angel.
I don't know whether withholding most of the information about this world is to keep the suspense up or because the author hasn't really figured it out yet. In its current form, it doesn't add anything to the story, as everything is mundane and it only gets Sabrina and Bridget to act like teenagers trying to stick it to their parents and teachers. As they mostly eavesdrop on mediums that can perceive them anyways, taking the afterlife premise out of the story, wouldn't change it one bit. With the exception of having to find another excuse of why Bridget is (supposed to be) tightly monitored and living in a halfway house.
As the story did pick up in the last third, I might give the second novel a chance. Maybe the author did a little bit more with her premise and therefore improved the storytelling.
June 30, 2017
Bridget Sway is a fashion conscious party planner who gets hit by a bus and winds up as a bureaucrat in the afterlife, delivering “messages” between the afterlife and life. She’s got a smart mouth, and a complete disregard for rules that do not serve her well when she finds a dead dead guy in her work locker and she becomes suspect No. 1.
I liked this book so much more than I thought I would. Reading it did require a suspension of disbelief on some of the “ghostly” elements, but the parts about working in a bureaucracy are spot on, and watching Bridget adjust to the afterlife is entertaining. Bridget has to contend with a new BFF who keeps leading her astray, a guardian angel/parole officer who watches her every move, two living mediums who won’t let her rest, and a 10-year sentence in a group home (to help the newly dead adjust), all while trying to learn the ropes of the afterlife and clear herself of murder charges.
The settings are well-described, the dialogue frequently laugh-out-loud funny, and the cast of characters endearing. The book has a nice balance of mystery, paranormal, humor, and possible romance. I liked this storyline enough that when I came to the end of Book 1 in the series, I immediately bought (and read) Book 2.
I liked this book so much more than I thought I would. Reading it did require a suspension of disbelief on some of the “ghostly” elements, but the parts about working in a bureaucracy are spot on, and watching Bridget adjust to the afterlife is entertaining. Bridget has to contend with a new BFF who keeps leading her astray, a guardian angel/parole officer who watches her every move, two living mediums who won’t let her rest, and a 10-year sentence in a group home (to help the newly dead adjust), all while trying to learn the ropes of the afterlife and clear herself of murder charges.
The settings are well-described, the dialogue frequently laugh-out-loud funny, and the cast of characters endearing. The book has a nice balance of mystery, paranormal, humor, and possible romance. I liked this storyline enough that when I came to the end of Book 1 in the series, I immediately bought (and read) Book 2.
April 1, 2017
Scarborough. Herb (20+) informed Bridget Sway (ghost), Mr. Salier would be her guardian/parole officer.
Eleanor is the host for After Life Arrivals.
Bridget, Jenny (45+, housewife), & Sabrina Shaw were the newbies.
Attendance is mandatory at all meetings.
Barry’s dead (client). Porscha fiancé, had found him.
They think Bridget killed him.
What is Operation Bluebottle?
Now Bertha was killed also.
What is Madame Zorina planning on doing?
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written ghost book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great ghost movie, animated cartoon or better yet a mini TV series. To be continued. It was pretty cheesy so I will only rate it at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free; instafreebie; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
Eleanor is the host for After Life Arrivals.
Bridget, Jenny (45+, housewife), & Sabrina Shaw were the newbies.
Attendance is mandatory at all meetings.
Barry’s dead (client). Porscha fiancé, had found him.
They think Bridget killed him.
What is Operation Bluebottle?
Now Bertha was killed also.
What is Madame Zorina planning on doing?
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written ghost book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great ghost movie, animated cartoon or better yet a mini TV series. To be continued. It was pretty cheesy so I will only rate it at 4/5 stars.
Thank you for the free; instafreebie; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
November 16, 2020
Will I have to say that if the After Life is like that in the story then I am all for it. Just finished up reading Beyond Dead book#1 in A Bridge Shaw Paranormal Mystery that will have you on the edge of what ever you are sitting on. Being dead is not what Bridge Shaw wanted at that moment, but that is what she got and a Afterlife with a Hunk of a Parole Officer as a Parole Officer and Guardian let's just say Bridge IS NOT A HAPPY GHOST AT ALL. So when the bodies start showing up in her locker and the Police and probably a few GB men think she is a MURDERER ; it's up the Bridge and her friends to find out who killed these Ghost People before Bridge is hailed to the after life jail house or to a worse place then that. With twist and turns and RULES RULES RULES RULES ; what's a gal suppose to do........... FIND THE KILLER of Curse.
October 4, 2017
This is the first book in the series about a 27 year old woman that has tripped and died under a bus. She is sent to the "afterlife" with so many rules and regulations that it will give you a headache just reading about them. This is a funny story that catches you at the beginning and keeps you glued to the book until the end. I love the world the author has created for the dead in the afterlife. I don't want to live there, but I love her concept. The two main characters, Bridget and Sabrina, are very well done. I was cheering them on the whole way. The supporting characters were all believable. I have known many of these people in real life.This was an enjoyable story. I am looking forward to the next one.
February 18, 2020
This boon really surprised me. I have no idea why I picked it up, as I haven’t read a paranormal book in years, but I was in a slight reading slump & needed something different.
This book was almost 4 stars, but there was so much info dumping at times that it was overwhelming. I’m not sure if it’s because I hadn’t read a world building book in forever or not, but it was a lot to take in I also wouldn’t classify this as a cozy mystery, but it still a great mystery that kept me guessing & I really hope there’s some kind of romance between Oz & Bridget in future books.
This book was almost 4 stars, but there was so much info dumping at times that it was overwhelming. I’m not sure if it’s because I hadn’t read a world building book in forever or not, but it was a lot to take in I also wouldn’t classify this as a cozy mystery, but it still a great mystery that kept me guessing & I really hope there’s some kind of romance between Oz & Bridget in future books.
December 10, 2021
2021 bk 371. This should have been a 3 1/2 stars. It felt very close to a television show of a few years ago - but with a mystery. I remember enjoying while I read it, but after a few night's sleep - cannot remember the details. I will possibly read the second to see if Bridget remains so, so, so.... words fail me.
January 31, 2018
Loved it! Imaginative and fun
I like the characters, they kept me guessing good, bad, what WERE they going to do next!?
Interesting concept and Bridget and Sabrina are couple of ladies I'd love to know. Definitely going to follow this series.
I like the characters, they kept me guessing good, bad, what WERE they going to do next!?
Interesting concept and Bridget and Sabrina are couple of ladies I'd love to know. Definitely going to follow this series.
September 16, 2020
Depressing, but well written
I hope to everything in this universe that the afterlife is nothing like what this author has described. But she can write a great story with very likable and hilarious characters so it kinda makes up for the depressing thought of having to work a thankless job and wear ugly jumpsuits in the hereafter.
I hope to everything in this universe that the afterlife is nothing like what this author has described. But she can write a great story with very likable and hilarious characters so it kinda makes up for the depressing thought of having to work a thankless job and wear ugly jumpsuits in the hereafter.
dnf
May 21, 2022DNF@11%
March 19, 2017
Bridget Sway is dead, has been given a job she doesn't want, roommates she doesn't want, a thousand rules she doesn't want, and a dead guy is in her locker.
It should be a great setup for a great book, but I couldn't really connect with Bridget. She was irritating rather than sassy. And whiny.
Having said that, I read the entire book and the reveal did not give me the murderer I expected, so as a murder mystery, it was good.
It should be a great setup for a great book, but I couldn't really connect with Bridget. She was irritating rather than sassy. And whiny.
Having said that, I read the entire book and the reveal did not give me the murderer I expected, so as a murder mystery, it was good.
June 13, 2020
Reminds me of the Undead series by MaryJanice Davidson. Same sort of humor, but here we are dealing with ghosts, not vampires.
The Afterlife Bridget Sway finds herself in after being hit by a bus is quite complicated. There's a lot of laws and rules to keep up with, and they are not disclosed all at once. The hunt for the murderer seems bland and not that intriguing, yet I felt somewhat entertained while listening to the audiobook. Not sure if I will continue this series or not.
The Afterlife Bridget Sway finds herself in after being hit by a bus is quite complicated. There's a lot of laws and rules to keep up with, and they are not disclosed all at once. The hunt for the murderer seems bland and not that intriguing, yet I felt somewhat entertained while listening to the audiobook. Not sure if I will continue this series or not.
September 1, 2017
Bridget Sway is not having a good dead life. She has to live in a group home for a decade. That includes chores! Like making meals, cleaning up, and all sorts of disgusting things. She has mandatory movie night, housemates that aren't of her choosing, and a cranky guardian that won't get her list of necessities-or even a hair dryer and proper make-up. Are you sure she isn't in hell? If all this isn't bad enough, they each have to work and go to special classes. And there is her guardian who is always checking up on her...
Bridget's work doesn't get off to a good start on the first day when she opens her assigned locker and a dead man falls out. Turns out he was he guardian angel when she was alive and he was supposed to train her in her new job. After police questioning, she finally has a new partner/teacher and he takes her out and is unbelievably strange as he tells her to figure out what she is supposed to do. By the second day she has learned that most of what he has told her is wrong, and she gets to work ready to let him know that the games are over. However, when he falls out of her locker, she panics and blows the whistle to summon her guardian. Ooops he isn't dead and now he is in trouble because of that stupid trick. This only makes the day worse. If I tell you the next morning he again falls out of the locker, would you believe me? Well Bridget didn't really believe it either until after many minutes passed and she finally realized that this time he was dead for sure.
Of course Bridget comes under suspicion and she and her new friend Sabrina (a PI in her life) decide to solve the murders and clear Bridget's name. People who had been friendly are suddenly seen in different situations and before long it was unclear who could or couldn't be trusted. And of course Bridget and Sabrina were breaking about every rule in existence, so they kept stumbling into more trouble. Add to that Bridget's job, psychics who can call her to them (horribly unpleasant experience), another murder, a rogue ghost, a ghost who doesn't know he's dead, and...the list goes on and on. Suffice to say that things aren't getting any better for Bridget in the after death life she is in. But hey, at least she has a good friend "helping" her.
This is one of the most preposterous yet winning books I have ever read! Bridget and Sabrina are a hoot to watch as they plan and execute their plans without thoughts of any consequences. I never dreamed anyone could take death and make it a such an enjoyable topic! What a hoot! I have to say (and I am someone who normally is shall we say uncertain/possibly afraid of death) that Ms Robinson has certainly taken the taboo out of death and made it a subject that I can't wait to read about again in the next book of the series! Kudos to the author for a great start to this series!
Bridget's work doesn't get off to a good start on the first day when she opens her assigned locker and a dead man falls out. Turns out he was he guardian angel when she was alive and he was supposed to train her in her new job. After police questioning, she finally has a new partner/teacher and he takes her out and is unbelievably strange as he tells her to figure out what she is supposed to do. By the second day she has learned that most of what he has told her is wrong, and she gets to work ready to let him know that the games are over. However, when he falls out of her locker, she panics and blows the whistle to summon her guardian. Ooops he isn't dead and now he is in trouble because of that stupid trick. This only makes the day worse. If I tell you the next morning he again falls out of the locker, would you believe me? Well Bridget didn't really believe it either until after many minutes passed and she finally realized that this time he was dead for sure.
Of course Bridget comes under suspicion and she and her new friend Sabrina (a PI in her life) decide to solve the murders and clear Bridget's name. People who had been friendly are suddenly seen in different situations and before long it was unclear who could or couldn't be trusted. And of course Bridget and Sabrina were breaking about every rule in existence, so they kept stumbling into more trouble. Add to that Bridget's job, psychics who can call her to them (horribly unpleasant experience), another murder, a rogue ghost, a ghost who doesn't know he's dead, and...the list goes on and on. Suffice to say that things aren't getting any better for Bridget in the after death life she is in. But hey, at least she has a good friend "helping" her.
This is one of the most preposterous yet winning books I have ever read! Bridget and Sabrina are a hoot to watch as they plan and execute their plans without thoughts of any consequences. I never dreamed anyone could take death and make it a such an enjoyable topic! What a hoot! I have to say (and I am someone who normally is shall we say uncertain/possibly afraid of death) that Ms Robinson has certainly taken the taboo out of death and made it a subject that I can't wait to read about again in the next book of the series! Kudos to the author for a great start to this series!
September 5, 2016
This is my first book by this author and it's probably the most different cozy mystery I have ever read. You really got to suspend the disbelief and just let it be and then you will enjoy it.
Bridget is newly dead, but not so dead that she gets to meet her maker. I am guessing this is where those who need a second chance get to live even though they are dead. Bridget soon finds out that you don't get to rest even when your dead and that she has a job. On her first day at work she finds a dead ghost (now this means that he has gone to meet his maker).
Before she knows it she is being questioned about the man's death and learning that being a ghost has a lot of rules and seems like more things you can't do than can. She meets Sabrina who used to be a private investigator in her former life and they form a bond over trying to find the murder. Though hunting for the murder means disobeying a lot of rules that could get them in a lot of trouble.
When the guy who is training her is killed she hears that some people think her section is a hot ticket item and so now she fears that someone might want to killer her next. She was even told she has a death shroud upon her by one ghost and a medium calls it a shadow. If Bridget and Sabrina can't figure things out soon she might have a very short afterlife.
Beyond Dead was interesting and has a very complex set of rules for those poor ghosts that was too much to explain so you just need to check the book out. Briget is a fun character and I totally get her and feel sorry for her because she is so confused at first about everything and I don't think I could live ten years in a house with strangers. I would probably rebel a bit like she does.
The secondary characters are a lot of fun as well. Sabrina cracks me up! I probably like her more than the MC.
[su_note note_color="#f6feb1" radius="8"]"Madame Zorina wants me to help her solve a murder. And by 'me' I mean 'us'."
Sabrina stared at me for a long moment then flung her arms around me in a tight hug. "The very first moment I saw you, I knew we'd be the best of friends."[/su_note]
I think it was there that I knew I was going to enjoy this novel. :)
Oz is another fun character and he is Bridget's hunky parole officer. He is in charge of her care for the first ten years and boy does he have his hands full. I don't think he minds much, though...lol.
It had a good mystery and a lot of potential killers and it kept me guessing.
If you like cozy mysteries that are paranormal in nature and different then you will enjoy this one.
Bridget is newly dead, but not so dead that she gets to meet her maker. I am guessing this is where those who need a second chance get to live even though they are dead. Bridget soon finds out that you don't get to rest even when your dead and that she has a job. On her first day at work she finds a dead ghost (now this means that he has gone to meet his maker).
Before she knows it she is being questioned about the man's death and learning that being a ghost has a lot of rules and seems like more things you can't do than can. She meets Sabrina who used to be a private investigator in her former life and they form a bond over trying to find the murder. Though hunting for the murder means disobeying a lot of rules that could get them in a lot of trouble.
When the guy who is training her is killed she hears that some people think her section is a hot ticket item and so now she fears that someone might want to killer her next. She was even told she has a death shroud upon her by one ghost and a medium calls it a shadow. If Bridget and Sabrina can't figure things out soon she might have a very short afterlife.
Beyond Dead was interesting and has a very complex set of rules for those poor ghosts that was too much to explain so you just need to check the book out. Briget is a fun character and I totally get her and feel sorry for her because she is so confused at first about everything and I don't think I could live ten years in a house with strangers. I would probably rebel a bit like she does.
The secondary characters are a lot of fun as well. Sabrina cracks me up! I probably like her more than the MC.
[su_note note_color="#f6feb1" radius="8"]"Madame Zorina wants me to help her solve a murder. And by 'me' I mean 'us'."
Sabrina stared at me for a long moment then flung her arms around me in a tight hug. "The very first moment I saw you, I knew we'd be the best of friends."[/su_note]
I think it was there that I knew I was going to enjoy this novel. :)
Oz is another fun character and he is Bridget's hunky parole officer. He is in charge of her care for the first ten years and boy does he have his hands full. I don't think he minds much, though...lol.
It had a good mystery and a lot of potential killers and it kept me guessing.
If you like cozy mysteries that are paranormal in nature and different then you will enjoy this one.
October 25, 2017
This fell into the category of books that I wasn't quite sure I was going to bother finishing, but still wanted to see what came next. It is the first in a series, and left me considering whether I want to invest the time reading takes to assuage my curiosity.
I like the premise- exploring an after death world which is much like, and overlaps our own. I figure the barrage of rules that are enforced but neither warned about before they are broken nor explained after, although many other seemingly pointless rules are, lessons that are supposed to teach you how to cope with the world but mostly consist of you working it out for yourself while being harassed by bullies, combined with typical fictional coincidences, and Bridgit's shallow concern for clothes and make-up indicate that this is aimed at high school students. Frankly, if I woke up dead in that afterlife, I'd want to have a second death to get out of it as soon as possible. I certainly hope it's better organized! It does address the way there seem to be many and contradictory versions of how ghosts, haunting, mediums, etc. are "supposed" to work- only without actually doing it helping at all.
I can assume that she's going to get romantically involved with Oz, her parole officer. Her trouble seeking friend Sabrina hasn't been locked up, nor have they caught the "outlaw" ghost, so there's a potential for ongoing characters. There are apparently four books in the series, and I started with a free electronic version, it's not available from the library, and I don't know that it's worth spending money on the next book(s).
I like the premise- exploring an after death world which is much like, and overlaps our own. I figure the barrage of rules that are enforced but neither warned about before they are broken nor explained after, although many other seemingly pointless rules are, lessons that are supposed to teach you how to cope with the world but mostly consist of you working it out for yourself while being harassed by bullies, combined with typical fictional coincidences, and Bridgit's shallow concern for clothes and make-up indicate that this is aimed at high school students. Frankly, if I woke up dead in that afterlife, I'd want to have a second death to get out of it as soon as possible. I certainly hope it's better organized! It does address the way there seem to be many and contradictory versions of how ghosts, haunting, mediums, etc. are "supposed" to work- only without actually doing it helping at all.
I can assume that she's going to get romantically involved with Oz, her parole officer. Her trouble seeking friend Sabrina hasn't been locked up, nor have they caught the "outlaw" ghost, so there's a potential for ongoing characters. There are apparently four books in the series, and I started with a free electronic version, it's not available from the library, and I don't know that it's worth spending money on the next book(s).
May 12, 2016
5 stars
Huge thanks to Jordaina Sydney Robinson and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
Now I'm not sure if this is classed as a cosy mystery but that's how it read for me and I thought it was wonderful!
Dead people being murdered, newly dead people given their jobs and mysteries to be solved, perfect.
The humour is like mine, sarcasm, gotta love it! The characters are well developed and fun, some are slightly self important but I can ignore that and they're quite happy to break all the rules to solve the mystery.
I love this book and am eagerly awaiting more in this series!
Huge thanks to Jordaina Sydney Robinson and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
Now I'm not sure if this is classed as a cosy mystery but that's how it read for me and I thought it was wonderful!
Dead people being murdered, newly dead people given their jobs and mysteries to be solved, perfect.
The humour is like mine, sarcasm, gotta love it! The characters are well developed and fun, some are slightly self important but I can ignore that and they're quite happy to break all the rules to solve the mystery.
I love this book and am eagerly awaiting more in this series!
December 31, 2017
Is it possible to give a book just the tip if the star? You know, that no one really wants unless they can have the whole thing?
This book was such a bad read. Bridget was so stupid. Like...she didn't know how to think so just didn't try. Sabrina didn't help matters either. I think I hated everyone in this book. Bridget, Sabrina, Pete, Oz, Charlie. Oh...well I did like Edith.
This book was such a bad read. Bridget was so stupid. Like...she didn't know how to think so just didn't try. Sabrina didn't help matters either. I think I hated everyone in this book. Bridget, Sabrina, Pete, Oz, Charlie. Oh...well I did like Edith.
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