DISPLEASURE ISLAND, Alice Bell‘s follow-up to the widely-acclaimed GRAVE EXPECTATIONS, is out today in the UK! Published in hardcover and eBook by Corvus, here’s the synopsis…
‘There are apparently a lot of ghosts on Spike Island,’ said Basher. ‘So perhaps one more can’t hurt.’
Claire sighed and looked at Sophie. She was standing in the sunlight beaming through the windows, so she was washed out and almost see-through – but still very clearly sticking her tongue out at Claire. ‘Oh,’ said Claire, ‘I think you’d be surprised.’
Professional medium turned detective Claire, her best friend Sophie (a 17-year-old ghost) and their pals are enjoying a much-needed cheap holiday in an unfinished hotel on Spike Island off the coast of Ireland. Claire is flattered to be asked by the local ghost of a pirate captain to investigate the theft of treasure from the shipwreck that stranded him there several hundred years ago.
But just when she thinks she is closing in on the culprit, a murder takes place, and Claire and her friends quickly become the chief suspects. Can they recover the treasure, solve the murder and clear their names before all is lost?
The novel has received a few great early responses, too! Here’s just one example…
‘What a cracking romp of a read! A bunch of self entitled millennials, a troop of pirate ghosts, a treasure hoard, a whole slew of secrets and at its heart an engaging and satisfying murder mystery – Agatha Christie meets Ghosts came to mind! I loved the way Alice Bell effortlessly dealt with the problems that beset mystery writers today. i.e. blanket technology- the results was a sort of ‘locked island’ mystery. As before I love the main protagonist chaotic Claire, and her sardonic sidekick (who just happens to have been dead for some fifteen years) It was great to see them both back in action again.’ — J. M. Hall
DISPLEASURE ISLAND is also due to be published in North America, by Vintage, on September 3rd. (We’ll share more details and the cover, as soon as we can.) GRAVE EXPECTATIONS is out now in paperback, in the UK (Corvus) and North America (Vintage).
Here are just a few of the many great reviews the first novel received…
‘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
