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thechemicaldetective's review
5.0
“When death tells a story you really have to listen.” Markus Zusak
I downloaded this book based on a twitter recommendation, and I’m so glad I did. Quirky and witty, I read it at a chuckling gallop. Don’t be deceived, it takes consummate skill to write such fluid prose. And then it packs an unexpected punch.
This book is a treat for animal lovers.
Super short chapters preceded by pithy quotations on death, the story is narrated by ghostly grumpy Charles as he and Rose, a “skinny, mistreated”, “intelligent, patient and gentle” liminal dog try to help a troubled teenage girl from beyond the grave.
With shades of Holes by Louis Sachar, this book is page turning treat.
I downloaded this book based on a twitter recommendation, and I’m so glad I did. Quirky and witty, I read it at a chuckling gallop. Don’t be deceived, it takes consummate skill to write such fluid prose. And then it packs an unexpected punch.
This book is a treat for animal lovers.
Super short chapters preceded by pithy quotations on death, the story is narrated by ghostly grumpy Charles as he and Rose, a “skinny, mistreated”, “intelligent, patient and gentle” liminal dog try to help a troubled teenage girl from beyond the grave.
With shades of Holes by Louis Sachar, this book is page turning treat.
snoakes7001's review
5.0
I'm really enjoying Jo Perry's Dead is... series. In this second outing for Charlie and Rose, Charlie's stepdaughter Cali is in trouble. But Charlie and Rose are dead and all they can do is observe the world of the living, so they are powerless to help.
As it happens, they do eventually manage to help Cali, albeit in their own unique way. After all, there wouldn't be a story if they couldn't. It's fun seeing the inventive ways Jo Perry is finding to put Charlie and Rose to work.
I love the format of these books - lots of really short chapters make the story fly along (although be warned, as that means there is always time for just one more chapter making these books really hard to put down). Every chapter is also preceded by a short quote about death from an amazing range of sources from Tom Waits to Plato.
Can't wait to read the next one.
As it happens, they do eventually manage to help Cali, albeit in their own unique way. After all, there wouldn't be a story if they couldn't. It's fun seeing the inventive ways Jo Perry is finding to put Charlie and Rose to work.
I love the format of these books - lots of really short chapters make the story fly along (although be warned, as that means there is always time for just one more chapter making these books really hard to put down). Every chapter is also preceded by a short quote about death from an amazing range of sources from Tom Waits to Plato.
Can't wait to read the next one.
sarahs_bookish_life's review
5.0
Dead is Best is the second book in the Charlie and Rose Investigate series. I think it reads well as a stand alone though highly recommend reading Dead Is better as well, mainly because it's also a great book.
The Charlie and Rose Investigates series is so different to any other crime books out there. Each chapter has a short quote to do with death as well as the chapters being very short which has you reading it in no time as there's always that one more chapter before you put it down, then the next thing, your at the end!
The story unfolds gently and slowly which I loved as believe me I just wanted to savour every word I was reading as I didn't want to get to the end as that's how mush I love these books.
You can very much feel the surprise as well as not being overly happy to see his step daughter Cali when she briefly turns up in his and Rose's world.
Cali is your typical teen, she is totally against any parental control and likes to push boundaries and is a bit of a nightmare. Charlie and Cali obviously never really got on when he was living and now Charlie finds himself in a position to leave her to get on with her messed up life or to keep an eye on her.
Luckily for Cali, Charlie and Rose stay with her, which is good as they seem to be the only ones that have her best interests at heart.
When Cali finds herself being forced into some sort of rehabilitation centre, it actually very much reminded me of the film Holes, though think the kids in the film got treated way better than the children where Cali is.
It felt like there was a morale to this story and that with a guiding hand we can all do good and positive things with our lives.
A great series and can't recommend highly enough.
The Charlie and Rose Investigates series is so different to any other crime books out there. Each chapter has a short quote to do with death as well as the chapters being very short which has you reading it in no time as there's always that one more chapter before you put it down, then the next thing, your at the end!
The story unfolds gently and slowly which I loved as believe me I just wanted to savour every word I was reading as I didn't want to get to the end as that's how mush I love these books.
You can very much feel the surprise as well as not being overly happy to see his step daughter Cali when she briefly turns up in his and Rose's world.
Cali is your typical teen, she is totally against any parental control and likes to push boundaries and is a bit of a nightmare. Charlie and Cali obviously never really got on when he was living and now Charlie finds himself in a position to leave her to get on with her messed up life or to keep an eye on her.
Luckily for Cali, Charlie and Rose stay with her, which is good as they seem to be the only ones that have her best interests at heart.
When Cali finds herself being forced into some sort of rehabilitation centre, it actually very much reminded me of the film Holes, though think the kids in the film got treated way better than the children where Cali is.
It felt like there was a morale to this story and that with a guiding hand we can all do good and positive things with our lives.
A great series and can't recommend highly enough.
verityw's review
4.0
This is a disturbing and believable mystery (sort of) around a troubled young rich girl and what happens to her when she gets sucked into the criminal justice system in America, seen through the eyes of a dead man and his (equally dead) adopted dog.
That sounds weird I know, but its actually really readable, albeit slightly darker than I'm looking for at the moment in my reading matter. It also fits perfectly with the sort of thing that Fahrenheit are doing - quirky, non typical crime/mystery.
That sounds weird I know, but its actually really readable, albeit slightly darker than I'm looking for at the moment in my reading matter. It also fits perfectly with the sort of thing that Fahrenheit are doing - quirky, non typical crime/mystery.
bibliophilebookclub's review
5.0
I’ve had this on my kindle for too long, and I couldn’t leave it any longer. I broke my TBR rules to squeeze this beauty in and I wasn’t disappointed. Charlie and Rose are the coolest, deadest crime fighting duo on the block. And Dead is Best is proof of just how great they are.
Preceding each chapter is a quote about Death, and I absolutely love it because it’s morbid but brilliant at the same time. Death is different for everyone, but Jo Perry has written yet another book that gives death the finger. Charlie and Rose might be dead, but they are super cool with it.
In Dead is Best, Charlie and Rose are confronted with his stepdaughter, who is alive… isn’t she?
Caught up with bad kids, and a bank rolled lifestyle, Cali is in trouble. Big trouble. The kind that you end up dead because of. Someone gets an attack of conscience though, and Cali is brought back from the brink. But that’s not the end. Because that would be to easy right? Goddamn right!
What follows is yet another harrowing journey through both life (Cali) and the afterlife (Charlie and Rose) and it was one which I wasn’t prepared for. Something about the #DeadDog book make me get a little emotional. They touch on some tough subjects, even though they are dealt with really well, they can be a little sad to read.
I cannot recommend these books highly enough. If you haven’t read them, you really should. Different, brilliant and all round awesome, this series just gets better and better. I can’t wait for book three!!!
As Fahrenheit are prone to say, “just read the damn books”
Preceding each chapter is a quote about Death, and I absolutely love it because it’s morbid but brilliant at the same time. Death is different for everyone, but Jo Perry has written yet another book that gives death the finger. Charlie and Rose might be dead, but they are super cool with it.
In Dead is Best, Charlie and Rose are confronted with his stepdaughter, who is alive… isn’t she?
Caught up with bad kids, and a bank rolled lifestyle, Cali is in trouble. Big trouble. The kind that you end up dead because of. Someone gets an attack of conscience though, and Cali is brought back from the brink. But that’s not the end. Because that would be to easy right? Goddamn right!
What follows is yet another harrowing journey through both life (Cali) and the afterlife (Charlie and Rose) and it was one which I wasn’t prepared for. Something about the #DeadDog book make me get a little emotional. They touch on some tough subjects, even though they are dealt with really well, they can be a little sad to read.
I cannot recommend these books highly enough. If you haven’t read them, you really should. Different, brilliant and all round awesome, this series just gets better and better. I can’t wait for book three!!!
As Fahrenheit are prone to say, “just read the damn books”
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