A freelance medium and her best friend put their little grey cells to good use in Bell's deliciously humorous and magnificently addictive modern-day country house murder mystery.
Claire and Sophie aren't your typical murder investigators...
When 30-something freelance medium Claire Hendricks is invited to an old university friend's country pile to provide entertainment for a family party, her best friend Sophie tags along. In fact, Sophie rarely leaves Claire's side, because she's been haunting her ever since she was murdered at the age of seventeen.
On arrival at The Cloisters it quickly becomes clear that this family is hiding more than just the good china, as Claire learns someone has recently met an untimely end at the house.
Teaming up with the least unbearable members of the Wellington-Forge family - depressive ex-cop Basher and teenage radical Alex - Claire and Sophie determine to figure out not just whodunnit, but who they killed, why and when.
Together they must race against incompetence to find the murderer - before the murderer finds them... in this funny, modern, media-literate mystery for the My Favourite Murder generation.
Publisher: Atlantic Books
ISBN: 9781838958398
Number of pages: 400
Weight: 619 g
Dimensions: 234 x 153 x 28 mm
Edition: Main
MEDIA REVIEWS
'You've never read a country house whodunit quite like Grave Expectations. Nor is there a generation gap quite as wide as the one between Claire and Sophie. Fast, funny and furious, this book has bags of humour, bags of heart and a proper murder mystery at its core. Alice Bell writes with real verve and crafts a preposterous premise into a sharp, well written and lively story that's at once out of this world and yet reassuringly real. As reader, you're along for the ride, and it's a runaway ghost train of a ride at that! Bell is one to watch.' - Janice Hallett
'A delicious mashup of grisly murder, country house and semi-helpful ghosts - imagine a really cockeyed game of Cluedo heavily seasoned with whimsy... it's a lot of fun.' - Stuart MacBride
'Read this fabulous book - you will not regret it.' - Ben Aaronovitch
'Knives Out vibes with added ghosts. Fresh, funny and hugely enjoyable.' - Catherine Ryan Howard
'A very funny, entertaining, twisted take on the country house murder mystery. Wonderful.' - S J Bennett
'Funny, fast, sharp, original, and addictive... a unique breath of fresh air. Brilliant!' - Andrea Mara
'An addictive, hilarious, rollicking debut - fresh, original and utterly brilliant, Alice Bell is a real talent to watch. I cannot WAIT for the next book!' - Sam Blake
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