Review: You'd Look Better As a Ghost by Joanna Wallace

Serial killer point-of-view books are becoming their own popular subgenre in the thriller-horror axis. Probably most famous is You by Caroline Kepnes, an amazing series of books, I would argue better than their well-known Netflix adaptations. But the subgenre has been growing, perhaps starting out with Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates, and running all the way up to this latest submission from Joanna Wallace. The surprising things about this subgenre is its capacity to not only horrify, but be funny. This is a tightrope Wallace walks to perfection.

You’d Look Better As a Ghost is told from the perspective of Claire, an artist who tends to take frustrations out of her grudges in imaginative and fatal ways. When Claire determines to kill a man who mistakenly told her she had won an art prize, Claire finds herself embroiled in a blackmail conspiracy bizarrely centred around a retirement home. The fiasco makes her start to question her murderous impulses.

This is an unlikely mystery novel. The premise is deepest darkest horror, and there is gore and sadism here — Claire can at times be a chilling narrator. But this book genre bends in unexpected ways when the heart of the story turns out to be a mystery. For all Claire is an excellent serial killer, she’s not the best detective. Although in fairness, the turn is delivered in a way I certainly didn’t expect!

And beyond the genre fiction, this book actually has quite an important message — something else I don’t necessarily expect from a book about a serial killer. Claire may lack empathy for almost everyone, but she also has an inherent (sometimes skewed) sense of justice. Her father recently died of Alzheimer’s, and Claire accordingly develops a righteous fury about the treatment of the elderly and infirm. Following her father’s death, Claire also joins a bereavement support group, and has some interesting thoughts on grief and handling it that might not be recommended for everyone.

You’d Look Better As a Ghost is recommended for anyone who likes a healthy dose of pitch-black humour with their horror. Fans of Kepnes will have a good time here, as will readers of Joe Hill or Grady Hendrix.

You’d Look Better As a Ghost by Joanna Wallace is released on 21st September, 2023, and can be pre-ordered here.

Review written with thanks to Viper Books and Netgalley.co.uk for providing an e-advanced review copy.