Quarter Finalist

Assessment:

Plot/Idea: This attention-grabbing story starts with a bank heist gone wrong, quickly jumping forward 15 years to present times, where the authors interlace a paranormal investigator, a skeptical ex-cop, a lost treasure, and a freshly released convict whose wife happens to be a ghost, into a well-ordered, suspenseful novel. The story keeps interest throughout, and the ending has a reveal that will satisfy mystery fans. Readers will be eager for more in this series.

Prose: Strong, simple prose makes this well-crafted mystery as easy to read as it is engaging. The style builds tension slowly while also allowing readers to glean information from the more character-driven moments in the novel.

Originality: What sets After Life apart is the novel’s play on the dead helping solve crimes of the living. The authors construct believable interactions between the book’s supernatural beings and living characters, and Maureen—the resident phantom with keys to the story’s hidden treasure—is gifted a strong, meaningful voice.

Character/Execution: Nate and Jennifer, both facing the fallout from their previous careers, are an unconventional couple: he’s still shaking off an injury from his police days—and convinced every psychic is a fraud—while she’s rebuilding her reputation as a professor interested in paranormal investigations. The two blossom throughout the story, and the authors add in a supporting cast that resonates.

Date Submitted: August 15, 2024