So I have a teeny-tiny confession to make: I’ve been deliberately avoiding one of my reading challenges. Specifically, I owe a paranormal cozy mystery for my Cruisin’ Thru the Cozies Challenge. But I have simply… not read any this year. In large part this is because I already find myself so frustrated by the lack of mastery in so many cozies – I keep finding that they act as adventures with a thin mystery shell. The idea of adding ghosts to an already dramatic mix… scared me quite a bit, if I’m honest.

Until I found Grave Expectations by Alice Bell. Which I am now obsessed with – whatever Alice Bell writes next, I’m in.

So what about this book makes it so great – not just for a paranormal mystery, but a mystery, period? There are layers to this recipe. It starts with a classic mystery formula, and envelops that with a paranormal framing device that actually add to the story. And then at the heart of that mystery is a great cast with chemistry and real emotional tension. Truly, a mystery work of art.

A classic mystery form

Let’s start with the basics of the mystery. Without going too far into spoilers, Grave Expectations follows – and instantly parodies – the classic closed-circle manor house mystery. When an old school mate invites Claire, our protagonist, to her family’s country estate, she’s expecting a simple weekend of acting as “the entertainment.” Instead, she stumbles across a cold case – a murder that took place with the same attendees, at the same party, one year prior.

As far as mysteries go, this is a tale as old as time. But it’s clear that Bell knows what she’s writing, and she avoids all the typical writing traps for this kind of mystery. No random solution with a character only introduced in the last act. No sneaky under-investigated character who ends up being the murder through sheer technicality. And no discovery-based solution that requires Claire to survive a kidnapping and a fire before she learns the truth.

Instead, Claire (and her eventual supporters Basher and Alex) take the systematic route, working through all possible leads. Every character is investigated, their possible motives and means laid bare. And the solution, when it comes, is fairly clued and reasonably put together. A fair play mystery! In this day and age? Of course I’m obsessed.

Not only that, but we get a double-mystery. Before Claire figures out whodunnit, she’s got to work out who got got. Because her cold case is one that’s been revealed entirely by ghosts, and the poor traumatized murder victim isn’t really identifiable…

A great ghostly framing device

What truly blew me away with this whole setup is how important Claire’s psychic powers are to the plot, how well they integrate. They’re the reason she’s at the manor in the first place – she’s been hired to give a séance. They allow her to meet Nana’s ghost, who clues her in on the prior murder. They allow her to speed up her investigation, finding information that may otherwise have been tricky – but not impossible – to unearth. As an investigation tool, they’re invaluable. (Bell does make sure to establish some rules to prevent them from being simply over-powered witnesses.)

Beyond simply tooling, Bell makes sure that the ghosts have personalities. It’s rare that I walk away from a book like this remembering specific ghosts’ names. But I’m still thinking fondly of Sophie and Alf and The Monk, their unique struggles and personalities. The ghosts are written with just as much care as the people, and it makes the whole world feel realized. These aren’t ghosts written as plot devices – at least, it doesn’t feel that way.

A cast with chemistry – and with heart

This impression is bolstered by Bell’s exploration of what it means to live as a medium, with a ghost tethered to you. Claire’s been followed by her teenage best friend’s ghost for over a decade, and that’s clearly isolated her. That isolation comes through at so many different levels – her narrative voice, her actions and lack of trust in others, even her social uncertainty. Ghost Sophie keeps Claire company – but she’s the only company Claire gets to have.

So when she starts to make friends with Basher and Alex, two members of the family, you can’t help but feel hopeful. It helps that Bell takes great care in writing all of these characters and their interactions. You can see and understand their walls coming down, Claire’s hope and trust building up. It’s truly heartwarming when they talk to Sophie like they can see her, when they open up their circle to an invisible friend. It’s a beautiful blossoming of a friendship – and it makes it so much more devastating when they lose trust and disappear.

I know this is a plot device that happens in so many books, and it makes it so much more remarkable to me that I actually cared in this book. There’s a weird sense of catharsis in living this worst of social nightmares vicariously – you truly feel for Claire in these moments. And it’s a testament to the chemistry that Bell creates that you believe Claire’s reactions. And for me, it’s this well-realized, risky exploration of friendship and isolation that takes this story over the top.

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Truly, I am obsessed with this book. Grave Expectations is a wonder of modern mystery literature! And a perfect miracle of paranormal storytelling. The perfect start to spooky season…

Until next time, stay cozy and stay curious!