Description
* WINNER OF THE CRIME FICTION LOVER BEST DEBUT NOVEL AWARD * 'An absolute roller-coaster of a read' - DAILY MAIL 'The most fun you're ever likely to have with a hammer-wielding maniac' - DAILY EXPRESS 'Refreshingly original and laugh-out-loud funny' - CLARE MACKINTOSH I have a gift. I see people as ghosts before they die. Of course, it helps that I'm the one killing them. The night after her father's funeral, Claire meets Lucas in a bar. Lucas doesn't know it, but it's not a chance meeting. One thoughtless mistyped email has put him in the crosshairs of an extremely put-out serial killer. But even before they make eye contact, before Claire lets him buy her a drink, before she takes him home and carves him up into little pieces, something about that night is very wrong. Because someone is watching Claire. Someone who is about to discover her murderous little hobby. The thing is, it's not sensible to tangle with a part-time serial killer, even one who is distracted by attending a weekly bereavement support group and trying to get her art career off the ground. Claire will do anything to keep her secret hidden - not to mention the bodies buried in her garden. Let the games begin... Dexter meets Killing Eve in this superb thriller, perfect for fans of How To Kill Your Family and My Sister, the Serial Killer. 'A welcome addition to darkly humorous female serial killer novels' - GUARDIAN 'Delightfully shocking and irreverently funny' - JANICE HALLETT 'If Bret Easton Ellis ever went to grief counselling, this would be just the kind of brilliant book he'd write' - PHILIPPA EAST
A darkly funny and compulsive thriller, introducing your new favourite part-time serial killer
About the Author
Joanna Wallace studied Law at Birmingham University before working as a commercial litigation solicitor in London. She now runs a family business and lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband, four children and dog. She was partly inspired to write You'd Look Better as a Ghost, her debut, following her father's diagnosis of early onset dementia. Joanna's second novel, The Dead Friend Project, will be published in 2024.
Reviews
A welcome addition to the burgeoning subgenre of darkly humorous female serial killer novels... This one will be a treat: a pacey page turner, written in an enjoyably deadpan style * Guardian *
This darkly comedic thriller turns serial killer convention on its head, mainly because you can't help but root for protagonist Claire as she follows through on murderous thoughts that would be fleeting fantasies in anyone else... Utterly unique and an absolute roller-coaster of a read * Daily Mail *
Splendidly funny and buoyant [with] some deliciously ingenious twists... First-class escapist entertainment - the most fun you're ever likely to have with a hammer-wielding maniac * Daily Express *
Horrifying and hilarious in equal measure * Woman and Home *
Intelligent and witty and for most of the novel the tone is lighthearted, allowing the deaths to feel thoroughly satisfying * Literary Review *
[Wallace] writes like a dream, with an easy flow and sharp wit. She is skilled at writing fast-paced, authentic dialogue, summing up her characters best by simply letting them talk * Big Issue *
Refreshingly original and laugh-out-loud funny, this is a superb debut -- Clare Mackintosh, author of I LET YOU GO
What a corker of a debut. Delightfully shocking and irreverently funny, this is a pitch-black comedy horror with a heart... of stone. Roll-up for your one-way ticket to the warped world of a glamorous psychopath and her relentless succession of hapless victims. I only took my eyes off the page to check Claire wasn't standing behind me. You'd Look Better as a Ghost is the darkest debut you'll read all year. Perfect for fans of Killing Eve -- Janice Hallett, author of THE APPEAL
I was utterly hooked. Joanna Wallace's prose is scalpel-sharp, with one-liners that made me howl - trust me when I say that this is book is bloody funny - literally. Claire is a serial killer you can't help but love, while wondering if she could ever truly love you back... (picture Fleabag, but she's a blood-splattered psychopath wielding a hammer). I doubt I'll read a more original thriller this year -- Jack Jordan, author of DO NO HARM
I absolutely loved this book. The combination of dark themes and black comedy is spot on -- Emma Curtis, author of ONE LITTLE MISTAKE
Monstrous and full of dark comedy and absolutely brilliant observations. Wonderful - everyone must read it -- Catherine Cooper, author of THE CHALET
Will have you curling your toes with both laughter and horror. So dark, so funny. A brilliant debut -- Lia Middleton, author of WHEN THEY FIND HER
I loved this blackly comic serial-killer thriller, with its brilliant cat-and-mouse action and a plot that keeps you guessing at every razor-sharp turn. Witty, entertaining, clever and audacious, if Bret Easton Ellis ever went to grief counselling, this would be just the kind of brilliant book he'd write -- Philippa East, author of LITTLE WHITE LIES
This serial killer is deliciously dark with a sense of humour to die for, but is there more to Claire than her terrible past and bloodthirsty present? Joanna Wallace has created a multi-layered character who charms you even as you witness her crimes. An impressive debut -- Alice Clark-Platts, author of THE FLOWER GIRLS
I loved it. I couldn't help but draw parallels with How to Kill Your Family and My Sister the Serial Killer. I think it sits proudly in this genre and had me laughing out loud in places! -- Melanie Golding, author of LITTLE DARLINGS
Awards
Winner of Crime Fiction Lover Awards 2023 (UK).
Book Information
ISBN 9781800811294
Author Joanna Wallace
Format Hardback
Page Count 336
Imprint Viper
Publisher Profile Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 543g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 162mm * 38mm
A darkly funny and compulsive thriller, introducing your new favourite part-time serial killer
About the Author
Joanna Wallace studied Law at Birmingham University before working as a commercial litigation solicitor in London. She now runs a family business and lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband, four children and dog. She was partly inspired to write You'd Look Better as a Ghost, her debut, following her father's diagnosis of early onset dementia. Joanna's second novel, The Dead Friend Project, will be published in 2024.
Reviews
A welcome addition to the burgeoning subgenre of darkly humorous female serial killer novels... This one will be a treat: a pacey page turner, written in an enjoyably deadpan style * Guardian *
This darkly comedic thriller turns serial killer convention on its head, mainly because you can't help but root for protagonist Claire as she follows through on murderous thoughts that would be fleeting fantasies in anyone else... Utterly unique and an absolute roller-coaster of a read * Daily Mail *
Splendidly funny and buoyant [with] some deliciously ingenious twists... First-class escapist entertainment - the most fun you're ever likely to have with a hammer-wielding maniac * Daily Express *
Horrifying and hilarious in equal measure * Woman and Home *
Intelligent and witty and for most of the novel the tone is lighthearted, allowing the deaths to feel thoroughly satisfying * Literary Review *
[Wallace] writes like a dream, with an easy flow and sharp wit. She is skilled at writing fast-paced, authentic dialogue, summing up her characters best by simply letting them talk * Big Issue *
Refreshingly original and laugh-out-loud funny, this is a superb debut -- Clare Mackintosh, author of I LET YOU GO
What a corker of a debut. Delightfully shocking and irreverently funny, this is a pitch-black comedy horror with a heart... of stone. Roll-up for your one-way ticket to the warped world of a glamorous psychopath and her relentless succession of hapless victims. I only took my eyes off the page to check Claire wasn't standing behind me. You'd Look Better as a Ghost is the darkest debut you'll read all year. Perfect for fans of Killing Eve -- Janice Hallett, author of THE APPEAL
I was utterly hooked. Joanna Wallace's prose is scalpel-sharp, with one-liners that made me howl - trust me when I say that this is book is bloody funny - literally. Claire is a serial killer you can't help but love, while wondering if she could ever truly love you back... (picture Fleabag, but she's a blood-splattered psychopath wielding a hammer). I doubt I'll read a more original thriller this year -- Jack Jordan, author of DO NO HARM
I absolutely loved this book. The combination of dark themes and black comedy is spot on -- Emma Curtis, author of ONE LITTLE MISTAKE
Monstrous and full of dark comedy and absolutely brilliant observations. Wonderful - everyone must read it -- Catherine Cooper, author of THE CHALET
Will have you curling your toes with both laughter and horror. So dark, so funny. A brilliant debut -- Lia Middleton, author of WHEN THEY FIND HER
I loved this blackly comic serial-killer thriller, with its brilliant cat-and-mouse action and a plot that keeps you guessing at every razor-sharp turn. Witty, entertaining, clever and audacious, if Bret Easton Ellis ever went to grief counselling, this would be just the kind of brilliant book he'd write -- Philippa East, author of LITTLE WHITE LIES
This serial killer is deliciously dark with a sense of humour to die for, but is there more to Claire than her terrible past and bloodthirsty present? Joanna Wallace has created a multi-layered character who charms you even as you witness her crimes. An impressive debut -- Alice Clark-Platts, author of THE FLOWER GIRLS
I loved it. I couldn't help but draw parallels with How to Kill Your Family and My Sister the Serial Killer. I think it sits proudly in this genre and had me laughing out loud in places! -- Melanie Golding, author of LITTLE DARLINGS
Awards
Winner of Crime Fiction Lover Awards 2023 (UK).
Book Information
ISBN 9781800811294
Author Joanna Wallace
Format Hardback
Page Count 336
Imprint Viper
Publisher Profile Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 543g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 162mm * 38mm
