Alice Bell Will be a Guest at Murder One Festival!


Alice Bell‘s acclaimed debut novel, GRAVE EXPECTATIONS is out now in the UK (Corvus) and North America (Vintage). Next month, the author will be a guest at Ireland’s Murder One Festival. Specifically, Bell will be participating on the New Blood panel, on Saturday October 7th. It is a ticket event, so you’ll have to book if you want to attend — you can do that, here.

The UK paperback edition edition of GRAVE EXPECTATIONS is due to be published by Corvus, on October 5th. Here’s the synopsis…

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.

Here’s just a little bit of that aforementioned critical acclaim…

‘Fast, funny and furious, this book has bags of humour, bags of heart and a proper murder mystery at its core’ — Janice Hallett

‘Read this fabulous book — you will not regret it!’ — Ben Aaronovitch

‘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

‘Bell shines in her sharp, funny debut, a supernatural whodunit centered on medium-for-hire Claire Hendricks… The adroit plotting, which cannily plays with mystery tropes, is amply leavened with humor.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘As murder mysteries go, this one is certainly unique… A fun and surprising character-driven whodunnit.’ — Heat (UK)

‘Alice Bell weaves a fun, gripping murder mystery with a supernatural spin.’ — Woman’s Own (UK)

‘[T]he lightly acerbic style is a delight and the interaction between inept-but-dogged millennial Claire and eternal teenager Sophie – whose death remains a mystery – offers plenty of spooky fun. More, please.’ — Guardian

‘Knives Out vibes with added ghosts. Fresh, funny and hugely enjoyable.’ — Catherine Ryan Howard

‘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

‘Witty, addictive, and breathes some much needed (undead) life into the cosy crime murder mystery genre’ — Adam Simcox

Alice Bell’s GRAVE EXPECTATIONS Out Now in North America!


Alice Bell‘s critically-acclaimed debut mystery, GRAVE EXPECTATIONS is out now in North America! Published by Vintage on September 5th, here’s the synopsis…

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.

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.

The UK edition of the novel is published by Corvus, and out now!

Here are just some of the great reviews the novel has received so far…

‘Read this fabulous book — you will not regret it!’ — Ben Aaronovitch

‘Fast, funny and furious, this book has bags of humour, bags of heart and a proper murder mystery at its core’ — 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

‘Knives Out vibes with added ghosts. Fresh, funny and hugely enjoyable.’ — Catherine Ryan Howard

‘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

‘Witty, addictive, and breathes some much needed (undead) life into the cosy crime murder mystery genre’ — Adam Simcox

‘Bell shines in her sharp, funny debut, a supernatural whodunit centered on medium-for-hire Claire Hendricks… The adroit plotting, which cannily plays with mystery tropes, is amply leavened with humor.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘As murder mysteries go, this one is certainly unique… A fun and surprising character-driven whodunnit.’ — Heat (UK)

‘Alice Bell weaves a fun, gripping murder mystery with a supernatural spin.’ — Woman’s Own (UK)

‘[T]he lightly acerbic style is a delight and the interaction between inept-but-dogged millennial Claire and eternal teenager Sophie – whose death remains a mystery – offers plenty of spooky fun. More, please.’ — Guardian

North American edition of Alice Bell’s GRAVE EXPECTATIONS Out in Three Weeks!


The North American edition of Alice Bell‘s critically-acclaimed debut mystery, GRAVE EXPECTATIONS is due out in three weeks! To be published by Vintage on September 5th, here’s the synopsis…

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.

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.

The UK edition of the novel is published by Corvus, and out now!

Here are just some of the great reviews the novel has received so far…

‘Read this fabulous book — you will not regret it!’ — Ben Aaronovitch

‘Fast, funny and furious, this book has bags of humour, bags of heart and a proper murder mystery at its core’ — 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

‘Knives Out vibes with added ghosts. Fresh, funny and hugely enjoyable.’ — Catherine Ryan Howard

‘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

‘Witty, addictive, and breathes some much needed (undead) life into the cosy crime murder mystery genre’ — Adam Simcox

‘Bell shines in her sharp, funny debut, a supernatural whodunit centered on medium-for-hire Claire Hendricks… The adroit plotting, which cannily plays with mystery tropes, is amply leavened with humor.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘As murder mysteries go, this one is certainly unique… A fun and surprising character-driven whodunnit.’ — Heat (UK)

‘Alice Bell weaves a fun, gripping murder mystery with a supernatural spin.’ — Woman’s Own (UK)

‘[T]he lightly acerbic style is a delight and the interaction between inept-but-dogged millennial Claire and eternal teenager Sophie – whose death remains a mystery – offers plenty of spooky fun. More, please.’ — Guardian

Alice Bell’s GRAVE EXPECTATIONS is a BBC Radio 2 Book Club selection!


In case you missed it, we’re very happy to report that Alice Bell‘s acclaimed debut, GRAVE EXPECTATIONS is a BBC Radio 2 book club selection! Alice was interviewed by Zoe Ball on her show — you can listen to the interview on their website now.

The novel is published in the UK by Corvus Books (out now), and is due to be published in North America by Vintage on September 5th (cover below). Here’s the synopsis…

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.

Here is just a small sample of the aforementioned acclaim…

‘Bell shines in her sharp, funny debut, a supernatural whodunit centered on medium-for-hire Claire Hendricks… The adroit plotting, which cannily plays with mystery tropes, is amply leavened with humor.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘As murder mysteries go, this one is certainly unique… A fun and surprising character-driven whodunnit.’ — Heat (UK)

‘Alice Bell weaves a fun, gripping murder mystery with a supernatural spin.’ — Woman’s Own (UK)

‘[T]he lightly acerbic style is a delight and the interaction between inept-but-dogged millennial Claire and eternal teenager Sophie – whose death remains a mystery – offers plenty of spooky fun. More, please.’ — Guardian

‘Read this fabulous book — you will not regret it!’ — Ben Aaronovitch

‘Fast, funny and furious, this book has bags of humour, bags of heart and a proper murder mystery at its core’ — 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

Out Now: UK Edition of Alice Bell’s “fabulous” GRAVE EXPECTATIONS!


Alice Bell‘s highly-anticipated debut novel, GRAVE EXPECTATIONS is out today in the UK! Published by Corvus, here’s the synopsis…

Claire and Sophie aren’t your typical murder investigators…

Claire Hendricks is a hapless 30-something true crime fan working as a freelance medium. When she 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 17.

When the pair arrive at The Cloisters it’s clear this family is hiding more than just the good china, as Claire realizes 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 reactionary 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.

Fans of mystery and the supernatural will definitely want to check this out! The novel has already received plenty of great responses and blurbs…

‘Read this fabulous book — you will not regret it!’ — Ben Aaronovitch

‘Fast, funny and furious, this book has bags of humour, bags of heart and a proper murder mystery at its core’ — 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

‘Knives Out vibes with added ghosts. Fresh, funny and hugely enjoyable.’ — Catherine Ryan Howard

‘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

‘Witty, addictive, and breathes some much needed (undead) life into the cosy crime murder mystery genre’ — Adam Simcox

The North American edition of the novel is due to be published by Vintage Books, on September 5th.

Alice Bell’s GRAVE EXPECTATIONS Out in Three Weeks!


In three weeks, Corvus are due to publish Alice Bell‘s highly-anticipated debut novel, GRAVE EXPECTATIONS! Due out on May 4th, it’s a fantastic blend of mystery and the supernatural. Here’s the synopsis…

Claire and Sophie aren’t your typical murder investigators…

Claire Hendricks is a hapless 30-something true crime fan working as a freelance medium. When she 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 17.

When the pair arrive at The Cloisters it’s clear this family is hiding more than just the good china, as Claire realizes 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 reactionary 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.

Fans of mystery and the supernatural will definitely want to check this out!

We’re also very happy to share the news that the novel has been selected as a BBC2 Book Club pick!

Here are just a few of the great responses GRAVE EXPECTATIONS has received so far…

‘Read this fabulous book — you will not regret it!’Ben Aaronovitch

‘Fast, funny and furious, this book has bags of humour, bags of heart and a proper murder mystery at its core’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

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

‘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

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

Coming Soon: GRAVE EXPECTATIONS by Alice Bell


In May 2023, Corvus are due to publish the debut novel from Alice Bell, GRAVE EXPECTATIONS! Today, in addition to the cover (above), we can also share with you the synopsis…

Claire and Sophie aren’t your typical murder investigators…

Claire Hendricks is a hapless 30-something true crime fan working as a freelance medium. When she 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 17.

When the pair arrive at The Cloisters it’s clear this family is hiding more than just the good china, as Claire realizes 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 reactionary 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.

Fans of mystery and the supernatural will definitely want to check this out!

Alice Bell’s GRAVE EXPECTATIONS Sells to Corvus!


Today, we wanted to share the news (in case you missed it) that Alice Bell‘s GRAVE EXPECTATIONS has been acquired (in a two-book deal) by Corvus Books in the UK! Described as a murder mystery ‘full of heart and humour’, it is Bell’s debut novel. The deal was announced last week in the Bookseller.

GRAVE EXPECTATIONS will be a lead title for Corvus in May 2023 (hardback, trade paperback and e-book). The paperback will follow in October 2023. Here’s a short synopsis for the novel…

How do you solve a murder when the ghost of a 17-year-old keeps telling you you’re doing it wrong?

Claire Hendricks is a hapless 30-something true crime fan treading water in the gig economy working as a medium. When she 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 17.

We’ll be sure to share more information as we have it (e.g., the cover). North American rights to the novel have also gone to Knopf.

Congratulations, Alice!