Member Reviews

This might just be my favourite book of the year. I actually shed a few tears in the end. Miriam Price is a horrible person, she has done horrible things and treats people miserably. She is not the type of character you expect to care for but end up caring for anyways. And Winnie... I need a whole book with Winnie as the main character. She's delightful, vengeful in the funniest way and so resourceful. As Miriam progresses in the afterlife and learns how to become a better person, so do I as the reader realise a lot of things about regret. She did a lot of stuff in her lifetime that she shouldn't have done, but she embraces redemption and becomes empathetic and willing to make amends - amazing character development. Now, seriously, get Martin, Winnie and Miriam together and create a little afterlife crime-solving agency, I need to see that happening.

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Oh I loved this book. It made me laugh, cry and gave me food for thought. The premise is unusual, because the main charater is dead and currently in limbo.
The book kept my interest throughout, is entertaining and characters well portrayed, perhaps in places a little far fetched, but seeing the situation Miriam finds herself in, that is fairly acceptable!
Thanks to Net Galley for a great read in exchange for an honest review

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This is Maz Evan’s first book for adults. I have read and enjoyed all her children’s books so was excited to read this. I liked the cast of characters, and enjoyed seeing how they interlinked and the story wove together. I did guess the culprit quite early on but still enjoyed seeing it all play out. The character development was really good and it was a very satisfying ending.

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Dr Miriam Price is a brilliant A&E consultant in Westmouth who went missing the day before the book starts. She is also dead: found on the floor of the apartment she owned surrounded by empty bottles of vodka and pill pots. The police believe she killed herself, however, Miriam knows differently: she knows she was murdered (but was too drunk to remember whodunnit) and, if she is to make it from Limbo to Eternity, she is going to have to convince the coroner to return a verdict of murder instead of DBM (death by misadventure) as he is expected to. Not the easiest thing in the world to do when you're dead. Miriam's only hope lies in Winnie Campbell the neighbour with whom she never got on (to put it mildly!). As Winnie is the only person who can see and hear Miriam, she needs to convince Winnie to help her prove she was murdered and they need to do this in only a few days. The big question is, can two people who hated each other work together to prove how Dr Miriam Price really died?

It's really no secret that I'm a HUGE Maz Evans fan - her children's books are funny and wonderfully readable whilst conveying hugely important messages to readers, and I'll happily shout their praises until I have no voice left. Because of this, the announcement that she was writing a book for adults was incredibly exciting, and then managing to get my hands on an early electronic copy filled me with joy (full disclosure: I *may* have squealed!). It came at the perfect time and was exactly what I needed.

You discover at the end of chapter one that the book is being narrated by Miriam which gives it a more personal feel. It is clear that she is a rather troubled person who, despite being successful professionally, has had a contrasting personal life. She is blunt, abrasive and pulls no punches when she talks, taking no prisoners when she expresses her feelings; we see this especially when she realises Winnie can see and hear her and needs to persuade her to help. They've been at logger-heads for years and seem to take pleasure in making life miserable for each other, and this new development doesn't seem to change the way they deal with each other. The relationship between the pair is brilliant and an utter joy to read.

At its heart, Over My Dead Body is a murder mystery and, with Winnie channelling her inner Diagnosis Murder, there are twists throughout the book that will keep you guessing (they kept me guessing until the very end!). Combine that with Maz's portrayal of the afterlife and you have an exciting twist on a traditional type of novel.

The writing is a joy to read - dark, pacey and full of humour that will make you laugh out loud (much to my son's annoyance!) - it's Maz's simple observations of everyday life and the way she portrays them that makes the humour so genius ('Death, it appears, is like a perpetual IKEA.' 'This is very like every Premier Inn ever.'). But beware: amongst the laughs, there are poignant moments that will stop you in your tracks and I highly recommend having a tissue ready (I think this is a skill that Maz honed in her children's books!).

It's only March, and I already feel I've read one of the best books of the year (& it's not a children's book!). Over My Dead Body is a compelling and unique take on a murder mystery that will have you laughing, will make you cry and will leave you with a warm feeling in your heart. In short, I can't wait for the rest of the world to read this when it publishes on the 3rd August: it's going to make THE BEST summer read and I urge everybody to pre-order it immediately. Over My Dead Body is proof that Maz is just as brilliant at writing novels for adults as she is for children and I sincerely hope she is able to find the time to write more.

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Bloomin' hilarious!

Quick witted, fast paced and what a great premise. A murder mystery with a fabulous twist... the victim's ghost is out to discover whodunnit.

Loved it!

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Loved the concept of how do you solve your own murder when you’re dead, but wasn’t expecting it to be so hilarious! The quick wit of both central characters and development of their frienemy-ship helped to move this along at fast pace with a good twist at the end I didn’t see coming!

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I loved it! It was funny and heartwarming, despite some sad moments.  Like if you combined Ghosts with The Good Place. I cannot wait to recommend this to all my customers.

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Over My Dead Body

Well that’s torn it - it’s only March and I have definitely read one of the best, funniest books of 2023.

Blurb:
I’m Dr Miriam Price . . . and I’m dead.

The local police, who couldn’t investigate their own nostrils, think I drank myself into an early grave. I was murdered. I was just too plastered to know whodunnit, that’s all.

I have to find my killer – but I can’t communicate with any living human.
Well, there’s one, but she barely qualifies . . . Winnie – my neighbour and nemesis.

Suspects? My saintly husband, who’d reached his limit? My best friend, who was anything but? My secret lover, or his wife? My disgruntled colleague? The mother who wrongly holds me responsible for her child’s death? Professor Plum? Your guess is as good as mine.

Review:

From page one this debut adult novel from one of my favourite children’s authors doesn’t pull a punch. It’s heroine is spiky, unlikeable and caustic and therefore, delightful.

Evans has placed her protagonist in a richly imagined afterlife with conditions, levels and rules that never feel too exposition heavy purely because of her lightness of touch and devilish humour.

Make no mistake this is laugh out loud, ‘husband thinking you’ve gone a bit weird on the sofa’ kind of funny. I started highlighting funny lines to capture for the review. But there was at least one on every page so I stopped.

The plot doesn’t suffer either - there is a compelling murder mystery plot mixed in with the afterlife hijinks that builds to a cinematic conclusion.

As soon as I finished, I was ready for more adventures in Evan’s world with her dark humour and observations on life.

Also, you’ve not lived until you’ve giggled at a pensioner doing an undercover drugs buy from an octogenarian doorman, and I never thought I would cheer a toddler taking a shit on a bus before, but here we are.

Out in August, pre order now - LIKE LITERALLY NOW - oh, and ignore the inevitable Thursday Murder Club comparisons. If Osman is the new Daddy of the crime genre then Evans is the cooler wicked Aunt who teaches you to swear and buys you MD20/20 for your mates.

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I enjoyed the first 25% of the story, I like stories that have an element of ghosts! It was quick witted and I enjoyed the interaction between the character and her neighbour. For some reason though I just got bored and didn't finish. A shame but personal opinion.

Thank you for the advance copy

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Over My Dead Body by Maz Evans is the story of Dr Miriam Price, a recovering alcoholic surgeon with a caustic tongue. A childhood of barbed comments from her mother and the untimely death of her father turned her into a cynical human and that’s before the death of her beloved cat at the hands or rather wheels of her former friend and neighbour Winnie. Miriam’s one true friend Dan passed away years before leading to Miriam’s now teetotal state (1 year dry) but on meeting again in Limbo it turns out Fun Dan, rather like Fun Bobby from the tv series Friends, isn’t fun at all when they’re both sober. He’s also got a lot to answer for with little remorse. Then there’s Christian and Neil, her protective and reliable brother and his husband who gave their hands full with their brood. Stuck in a ‘loveless marriage’ and lonely Miriam has an affair with a guy who’s surname she doesn’t know and is in the process of leaving her husband Nav for, believing she’d finally found a human she could trust. But on the eve of her new start she is found dead in her apartment. Everyone believes it to be suicide but knows otherwise. But how can she prove this when she is caught in limbo - literally! A verdict of death by misadventure means a further 50 years of limbo land, a proven murder victim she could move past limbo. Only one person can help her - Winnie - but after years of antagonistic behaviour towards each other is she prepared to let bygones be bygones?
This book made me laugh out loud. The author’s humour was so in tune with mine. I’ve read other Cody crime solving from beyond the grave books recently but this tops them all. Great characterisation, fun rapport and a clever murder too. Highly recommended and a 5 star read for me. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
Thank you to Netgalley, Headline publishing and Max Evans for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

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This book pushed me out of a reading slump - I couldn't put it down - and I am very grateful to have been granted an ARC of this fantastic book.

I have enjoyed Maz Evans' works for children, and she has bought the same panache and irreverence into her first adult book. The main character, Miriam, essentially has to work out who killed her - and it is a cosy but sweary mystery. It was an easy read, that deftly dealt with ideas of death / loss/ grief in a sensitive but often hilarious way.

I read another review that mentioned "The Good Place vibes" - and that hits the nail on the head, but I think I prefer this as an exploration of the after-life and coming to terms with your post-death fate! Great writing, great story, great character development... great book. Will definitely be picking up a physical copy when it's published, and recommending to a number of friends.

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Unfortunately I DNF'd thus book, I liked the premise but I just couldn't get into it. The writing was really good, there was great character development, but I just found the pace too slow to continue.

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Having been a fan of Maz Evans' books for children for some time, I was intrigued to see whether she could bring the same level of humour and emotion to a book for adults. I needn't have worried - Over My Dead Body is a perfect blend of mystery, humour and emotion.

When Dr Miriam Price wakes up dead, she is furious. Everyone thinks her death was a misadventure - a mixture of drugs and alcohol - but Miriam knows she has been murdered. She just doesn't know who killed her because, well, she was drunk at the time. However, a verdict of misadventure means she is condemned to a life in Limbo until the time that she would have died naturally, and that is not what Miriam wants. When she realises that her former enemy - neighbour Winnie - can see, hear and talk to her, she sets about persuading Winnie to help her find her murderer. It helps that Winnie is a huge fan of Diagnosis, Murder. However, there appear to be rather a lot of people who would quite like to have seen the end of Miriam - can this unlikely crime-fighting duo find the murderer before time runs out?

I truly loved this book - the characters, the events, the descriptions of Limbo and what happens there - everything just fell into place. The completely mis-matched characters of Miriam and Winnie worked perfectly with each other. I laughed out loud reading this (got a few strange looks in the gym) and shed tears as well.

I hope Maz finds time to write more novels for adults alongside her offerings for children - I would certainly read them.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

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This is a quick, fun read with a more light-hearted unique spin on a murder mystery. The only downside was I didn't find it very funny, I think this just was not my type of humour, however many other people have highly reviewed it so it works for a lot of other people. I did enjoy the writing style and plot I just think it is for another audience, maybe slightly younger than adult.

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Clever, full of wit, humour and gradually deepening, this is a cracking read. Miriam is dead, but she has to prove she was murdered. The only person who can see her is her neighbour she has been in a feud with for years. It starts in fun and as we find out more about Miriam, we find out who she really is, and even though she is dead, she also begins to change to become someone she likes better. Wonderful and original

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Absolutely brilliant book by an author I already adore as a children’s writer. You can hear her marvellous voice shining through the pages. Love it!

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I thoroughly enjoyed Maz Evan’s children’s series about the Greek gods and was eager to read this debut novel for adults. Written with the same flair and sense of humour, this is a quick and enjoyable read. Miriam is dead but stuck in Limbo until she can prove that she has been murdered. With the help of her neighbour, Winnie, with whom she is still able to interact, Miriam sets out to escape Limbo.

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This was a hilarious read! Maz Evans' author debut has not disappointed and shows her versatility in both adult and children's writing. Miriam is very annoying at times, but you can forgive her for her humour and character development.

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I've never read a book just like this before! There isn't anything higher than I can give for this either! Over my dead body makes death and the afterlife funny and adventurous (I hope it's something similar to this!), the main character just emits sarcasm and one liners without fail, her friendship with an elderly woman called Winnie was so sweet and I just loved everything about this book. Short story, it follows a woman who has just died but she is stuck in limbo because her death was announced as suicide whereas it was actually a murder but she has to prove it to be able to move onto eternity. Trust me you don't want to miss this book! It's one of those where you can read it anywhere, anytime and through every single season. It is timeless! I will definitely be picking up a copy when it is released.

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I loved this! Funny and serious in the right amounts, this book tells the story of Miriam who is trying to find out how she died. Hard to put down and a brilliant read. A great idea for a story that I thoroughly enjoyed!

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