Interesting zombie premise

“You know you’re having a bad day when you wake up in a chalk outline.”

When Robbery Homicide Detective Richelle Dadd wakes up in an abandoned warehouse with a chalk outline around her body, she assumes she’s been the victim of a prank at the hands of her fellow officers. After realising she’s been shot through the heart, however, she pieces together that she must have been lured to the warehouse and murdered - but by who and why? Most importantly, how is she still able to walk around despite being perpetually cold, with no pulse or beating heart and the ability to see ghosts?

As Richie tries to solve her own murder, she grasps that the shooter could have been someone in her own department. No longer able to trust her boss or her partner, Richie finds an unlikely ally in Bull McGuinness, a tag along ghost/partner who used to be a detective once upon a time. Bull not only does most of the legwork in solving her case, but also helps her to adjust with the afterlife.

It soon transpires that the reason Richie in limbo is down to a gypsy clan who reanimated her in order to turn her into a zombie assassin - and she is not the only one of her kind. Now she must face off against gypsy shamans, double crossing ghosts, a partner she can’t trust while trying to hang on to her house in a bitter divorce battle with her ex as well as her humanity.

Dead Detective is the first offbeat instalment of the Dead Detective series by JR Rain and Rod Kierkegaard and was my first introduction to both authors. The book starts off with an interesting premise which is told from the point of view of an undead police detective after being shot to death. She wakes up and initially thinks she’s the target of an elaborate prank. Her thought processes as she struggles to adjust to her new situation and retain some semblance of normality while simultaneously trying to solve her own murder were relatable.

The world building was exceptional and I was impressed by the authors unique approach on the usual zombie lore I’m accustomed to. Although weakened by sunlight, Richie is in control of her faculties and is able to eat and drink as normal, minus any unusual cravings. Her only vulnerability seems to be at night when she’s susceptible to the gypsies mind control. On the up side though, her ability to see and talk to ghosts as well as auras and shades of buildings from yesteryear was an interesting twist and I enjoyed the intertwining world between the dead and the living. I did struggle to grasp the concept of Romani Gypsy curse lore. The idea that a ‘hakkno mulo’ curse was used to create a ‘muli’ (Richie) in order to conceive a ‘moroi’ a kind of undead vampire-like creature born of the union between a human and muli.

I also felt that the pace of the book suffered as a result of several subplots occurring at the same time. We have a protagonist who despite undergoing couples therapy, is on the brink of a divorce from her cheating ex who is intent on keeping their house and cat. She has to deal with her new status as a zombie as well as her fear of being exposed. Her mother, in between trying to set her up with a lesbian, finally sees fit to reveal her gypsie heritage just as Richie learns that her reanimation is the result of a gypsy curse. Then we have said gypsies using her as well as other undead cops to carry out a spate of murders while a couple of ghosts use her to carry out a heist. Oh, and then there’s the creep who wants to use her as a baby incubator. Who’s a girl to trust?

Richie was an appealing and relatable protagonist who the readers will instantly root for. She’s had a traumatic childhood but has emerged stronger and wiser for it. I did wish however, that she was more assertive with those around her who seemed to take advantage of her. The secondary characters were equally well drawn and interesting, my favourites being Malena, Tamara and of course, Bull.

The book doesn’t take itself too seriously which is evident in the black humour. I loved Richie’s wit and sense of irony. Her quips as well as her overall outlook on life had me smiling on many occasion.

All in all I felt that the story had an interesting premise with a strong beginning that draws the reader in from the offset. It did kind of lose its way in the middle but it’s saving grace were the intriguing characters. There’s still room for potential for a detective who is able to navigate the world of the dead as well as the living. The surprise revelation at the end has piqued my interest into picking up the second instalment.

Ideal for fans of paranormal mysteries, noir police detective dramas, zombies, ghosts, gypsie curses, the occult, organised crime.

I listened to this book in audible form which was narrated by Ilyana Kadushin. I was impressed by the way she was masterfully able to bring each character to life with their own unique voice, switching effortlessly between characters and accents.

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5 people found this helpful

Gave up and probably won't finish

This book just isn't for me. Thought it might be ok but started to listen and have given up after a a few chapters. The American narration is ok ...in fact pretty good...but the storyline is a bit too 'out there' for my taste. (from someone who likes this sort of thing normally). A ghost who isn't really a ghost and talks with people who see her as normal. Mmmm I might try again sometime and at least it is free so nothing to lose

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A really good tale

Amazing. Clever premise. Clever and interesting plot lines. I couldn't put it down. Definitely recommended.

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Different supernatural story

I listen to a lot of this genre. This is different. Quirky. I enjoyed it. Give it a try. Am going onto the next book.

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4 people found this helpful

Innovative story

This was an entertaining and unusual idea; at least since Randall & Hopkirk Deceased in the early 70s. (In the UK)
I enjoyed the story but couldn’t warm to the main character. She was quite cold I felt (pun not intended). I liked Bull best. The ending was interesting.
The narrator was excellent.

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1 person found this helpful

Enjoyed narrator

Enjoyed characters and narration, narrator enjoyable, pleasant tone, added body to characters,, look forward to listen to more narations

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What a weird book...

I could just about cope with the zombie cop ... but then the weird set scenes were just a bit blurgh...

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utter drivel

the narrator was fine but the story was terrible - I just couldn't bring myself to finish it, which is something that I never do.

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2 people found this helpful

A good story but spoiled by the characterisation

I managed to get to chapter 9 of this as the story was good, fresh and told at a good pace. Unfortunately the authors are male, writing a female character and haven't quite got the tone of voice right. It's always there in the background, and can be mostly ignored, but it does start to become quite jarring in places, and I have reluctantly had to quit.
The main character is written as a hard-nosed cop, but seems to spend a lot of her time checking her appearance, and worrying about how attractive people around her are. The reference to everyone 'PMSing' as a way to express frustration at the direction of her thoughts wasn't what finally did it for me, but it is illustrative of how hard it is to read.
If you are perhaps less sensitised to these sorts of comments in the writing I really think this is a good story. Probably.

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1 person found this helpful

Promising Concept Poorly Executed

Nice idea for a story which grabbed my attention. However, it was poorly delivered. The writing is all over the place with plot enhancements added as a afterthought to explain the story line. The narrator was one of the worst I’ve heard and I had to abandon the story after a few chapters. Very disappointing.

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1 person found this helpful