Title: Dead(ish)
Author: Naomi Kramer
Rating: 2 Stars
Genre: Humor, paranormal
Synopsis: Linda is dead. Well, mostly. She didn’t go to the great beyond, or whatever is supposed to happen when someone dies. She’s stuck as a ghost. And until she figures out how to move on, Linda will make every second count by pranking the man who killed her—Mike, her boyfriend.
My Thoughts: The cover hooked me. It’s so cutesy dark that I thought “I have to read this!” But make no mistake, that young adult style cover is misleading. Dead(ish) is an adult novel.
I really enjoyed the premise of this story. Linda pulls some hilarious pranks, like turning Mike’s skin orange. She also hires a private detective, Trent, to find her murdered body to try and find closure. The pranks and Linda’s relationship with the other characters are by far my favorite parts of this story.
My problems start with the fact that there is no setting. We are told in vague terms where we are, like “apartment” or “veranda,” but offered no details. When something changed in the environment, it didn’t feel significant, as that was the only detail I’ve seen. Kramer had many locations where physical details would have pulled me into the scene and deepened the story.
I also wasn’t sure who the characters were speaking to at times. Eventually it became clear that most of them were speaking to the reader. However, the story doesn’t start that way. It starts with characters talking to each other. I was confused when the fourth wall was broken. What is the situation that I am now part of this story? That question is sort of addressed with Linda thanking the reader for listening, but never fully answered.
Dead(ish) was a quick read (that only took me about an hour), consumed in between events during a busy day. I found it on the Kindle store for free. The premise was entertaining enough to keep me reading, but I probably will not read the sequel, (technically) Dead.Find Naomi Kramer online: website
