Grave Expectations

About the book

A fast-paced and hilarious debut crime novel, in which a burnt-out Millennial medium must utilize her ability to see ghosts and team-up with a band of oddball investigators to figure out which member(s) of a posh English family are guilty of murder.

‘This book has bags of humor, bags of heart, and a proper murder mystery at its core.’ -Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal

Almost-authentic medium Claire and her best friend, Sophie, agree to take on a seemingly simple job at a crumbling old manor in the English countryside: performing a seance for the family matriarch's 80th birthday. The pair have been friends since before Sophie went missing when they were seventeen. Everyone else is convinced Sophie simply ran away, but Claire knows the truth. Claire knows Sophie was murdered because Sophie has been haunting her ever since.

Despite this traumatic past, Claire and Sophie are still unprepared for what they encounter when they arrive at the manor: a ghost, tragic and unrecognizable, and clearly the spirit of someone killed in a rage at the previous year's party. Given her obsession with crime shows-not to mention Sophie's ability to walk through walls-Claire decides they're the best people to solve the case. And with the help of the only obviously not-guilty members of their host family-sexy ex-policeman Sebastian and far-too-cool non-binary teen Alex-they launch an investigation into which of last year's guests never escaped the manor's grounds.

What follows is somewhat irregular detective work involving stealing a priest's cassock, getting too drunk to remember to question your suspect, and of course, Chekhov's sparkly purple dildo. As Claire desperately tries to keep a lid on the shameful secret that would definitely alienate her new friends, the gang must race against their own incompetence to find the murderer before the murderer finds them.

Praise for this book:

"Read this fabulous book - you will not regret it." - Ben Aaronovitch

"A very funny, entertaining, twisted take on the country house murder mystery. Wonderful." - S J Bennett

"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

"A really unique concept paired with whip-smart writing and lots of heart." - Heather Darwent

"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 clever and playful contemporary cosy mystery by Cobh-based debut author, the talented Alice Bell. Think Ghosts meets Knives Out." - Catherine Kirwan

"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

"Funny, fast, sharp, original, and addictive... a unique breath of fresh air. Brilliant!" - Andrea Mara

"Clever, unpredictable and a genuinely humorous modern day country house murder mystery which left me guessing. Perfect for anyone who fancies themselves as a detective." - Nadine Matheson

"Knives Out vibes with added ghosts. Fresh, funny and hugely enjoyable." - Catherine Ryan Howard

"Witty, addictive, and breathes some much needed (undead) life into the cosy crime murder mystery genre." - Adam Simcox

"A great read, with great characters, lots of humour, some misty-eyed moments and lots of swearing. Utterly delightful - like the BBC show Ghosts mixed with Cluedo." - Simon Toyne

"This book positively lit up my weekends with its cosy, affectionate, funny, awkward brand of ghostly crime-solving. Perfect for fans of BBC's Ghosts, Alice Bell has a keen eye for characterisation and the ridiculous, creating a story that will both send chills down your spine and wrap you up in a hug." - Ally Wilkes