This is the first book in a paranormal mystery series, taking place mainly in modern-day L.A. and Hollywood. The main character, Charlie, the fat, rich son of a late movie star, is dead. He doesn't know why he's dead, but he is, with six bullet holes in him. And then there's the dog. He doesn't know why the dog is there dead with him, but she is, and he doesn't mind the company because there doesn't seem to be anybody else around. Her name, he decides, is Rose. Together they wander around California, trying to find the meanings behind both of their senseless deaths. In the process, they uncover some shady goings on at the local hospital, and need to find a way to help those still living before it's too late. Which is hard to do when nobody can see, hear, or feel you.

This short book is divided into 81 chapters, some of which are less than a page long, and all of which are headed by interesting quotes by famous people on the subject of death. The book was written in a descriptively blunt manner, and takes a sardonic look at both life and the lack thereof. The characters are simple and in some ways relatible through their flaws. The blunt logic of Charlie, the narrator, provides a dry touch of humor to an otherwise heavy story, and the playfulness of Rose adds a touch of sunshine to the dark undertones. I like very much the unique, dry writing style Perry chose to use. These are two of my favorite examples:

"The dog and I are back inside this smooth, blurry kingdom of quietness like fetuses adrift in amniotic fluid or crystals inside a geode’s darkness."

"Huge bougainvilleas vomit their pink against both sides of the peach-colored three-story faux French castle on a little manicured green hill above Sunset Boulevard from which I hear the traffic’s whisper and the angry buzz of nectar-drunk hummingbirds. I hover like a fat puff of steam above the dog."

There were two negative comments I have about the book, however. I felt that that foul language was a little overwhelming, to the point that it distracted from the story, with at least 80 F-words and more than 50 other uses of vulgarities. Secondly, the book was poorly edited and had many typos and errors that slipped through. This, however, can be easily remedied.

Still, the story was entertaining, and I look forward to seeing what happens next. ( )

This is a fairly short novel featuring a dead guy called Charlie and a dog he meets in the afterlife (non-life?) and decides to call Rose. As ghosts, they can't interact with the living world, but they can move around and witness what's going on.
Charlie wants to solve the mystery of why he died—and by being shot, at that. Rose may or may not be there to help him (she's not, like, a *talking* dog or anything), and their developing relationship is one of the highlights of the story.
Charlie picks up information about his death as well as clues to a larger nefarious scheme. But what can he and Rose do about it? Can they prevent an ongoing crime?
I enjoyed Charlie's self-deprecating humour and his unapologetic dislike for his family. His frustration at being unable to affect events came through clearly. At no point did the author bend or break the rules of the world to make Charlie's task easier, and the ending was suitably satisfying.
The prose was clean and easy to read although I spotted a few typos, and some of the punctuation towards the end looked peculiar. Nothing that significantly broke immersion.
I see this is the first book in a series. I wonder if later books will overturn the neatly wrapped up ending of this one or if they'll go off in a different direction.
Well worth a look.

“I was a failure as a living man. And so far I’m one massive f➿k up at being dead”.

If you could see Charlie Stone, the first thing you’d probably notice are the bullet holes. Six of them. That’s how he ended up dead. One minute he was getting CPR, the next he woke up in a quiet, featureless place with a dog. What the hell….

But no one can see Charlie or Rose (as he’s named the dog). He has no recollection of why or where he was shot which quite frankly is ticking him off. He was just your typical middle aged businessman with 4 ex-wives. Right. He decides the best way to start his investigation is to attend his own funeral & see who shows up. Rose graciously agrees to be his plus-one.

It’s the beginning of one of the more off-the-wall, quirky crime novels you’ll read. As we hear Charlie’s story it’s soon apparent he was not the most dependable or likeable guy. His search heads off in directions he could never have imagined as he haunts police stations, hospitals & homeless shelters looking for answers. When he stumbles across some alarming information, Charlie has to wrestle with the possibility that it might not be all about him. That maybe he’s supposed to be helping someone else find their answers. Huh…what a concept.

Short chapters & economical prose keep the story moving. And just a heads-up…Charlie has a bit of a potty mouth. As for Rose, no worries. She doesn’t curse once. Silent & supportive, she accompanies Charlie on his journey & periodically nudges him in a different direction. There are plenty of surprises in store especially as we get Rose’s history. The ending may be a bit out there but hey this is fiction…fiction with ghosts! And by that time, there was one character I so badly wanted to see get what he karmically deserved that I didn’t care how it happened. Just as long as he went DOWN. And I’m confident all dog lovers will agree with me.

This is the beginning of a trilogy (so far). Although initially published elsewhere, it’s found a home with Fahrenheit Press which makes complete sense to me. By the end Charlie gets some answers & more importantly, is a slightly better man no doubt due to Rose’s influence.

It’s an offbeat, different take on the genre I enjoyed & I’ll be picking up book #2 to see what Charlie & Rose get up to next. ( )

This was quite entertaining and certainly kept me wondering how ghost detectives Charlie and his dog Rose would solve the case when they are not able to interact with the world of the living. The solution was cleverly done.

Unfortunately the book is marred by the number of typos and the sense that it is padded by adding an epigraph to every single chapter (most of which don't seem to relate to the chapter specifically). Without those epigraphs the book is probably only of novella length.

The most embarrassing instance is the epigraph for Chapter 22: "Know one knows whether death, which people fear to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good."-Plato. How do you copy/paste a quote of Plato's and add a typo in the process? ( )

Jo Perry's novel got under my skin and just wouldn't turn me loose. Dead Is Better (the title is a partial quote from Stephen King's Pet Sematary) unfolds in short bursts, like someone who's found an old-fashioned projector, screen, and a carousel of slides and is clicking his way through them. It's a pace that takes a few chapters before it becomes comfortable, but it does.

Charlie continually describes himself as unlikable, but readers soon learn that his actions prove that to be a lie. It's this unveiling of Charlie's true character that makes us want to find out why someone would want to kill him. And Rose? Just as we learn about Charlie, we can see that she's more than just a dog-- but neither is she a canine angel nor Lassie.

Something I seldom mention but feel I have to do so here is the appalling lack of proofreading in this Kindle version of what is an imaginative and well-written book. Many misspelled words and grammatical errors kept jerking me back to reality when I wanted to stay immersed in Perry's story.

The paranormal angle was interesting and well-done. Do Charlie and Rose bring the killer to justice? I will spill the beans and admit that they do, but what I won't tell you is how they do it. Very nice-- and I'm looking forward to reading another book featuring these two characters (even if one of them cannot speak)! ( )