Dead is Beautiful – Jo Perry
“These books are weird, unique, funny and sad all at the same time.”
DEAD IS BEAUTIFUL, finds Rose leading Charlie from the peace of the afterlife to the place he hates most on earth, “Beverly Fucking Hills,” where a mature, protected tree harboring a protected bird is being illegally cut down.
The tree-assault leads Charlie and Rose to a to murder and to the person Charlie loathes most in life and in death, the sibling he refers to only as “his shit brother,” who is in danger.
Charlie fights-across the borders of life and death–for the man who never fought for him, and with the help of a fearless Scotsman, a beautiful witch, and a pissed-off owl,
Charlie must stop a cruel and exploitative scheme and protect his beloved Rose.
My thanks to Emma at Damppebbles for the chance to join the blog tour. I received a copy of Dead is Beautiful from the publisher – Fahrenheit Press.
The 4th book in the Charlie and Rose adventures and one of the most loved (and unusual) series which I follow. Here are the need to knows:
Charlie is dead. Shot in the chest and life extinct.
Rose is a dog. She too is dead. Left tied up with no access to food or water until life drained away.
Charlie and Rose can visit the living world if they choose to do so but cannot interact or influence anything which happens.
Dead is Beautiful can be read as a stand alone story but I’d urge you to read all the Charlie and Rose books as they are hugely enjoyable.
Now you’re caught up on the basics – lets consider Dead is Beautiful. Guided by Rose, Charlie finds himself in Beverly Hills or “Beverly Fucking Hills” as he calls it – this area seems to represent everything Charlie hated about society when he was alive.
The story begins with a tree being felled – Rose is a frenzy of spirited activity as she tries to prevent (ineffectively) the destruction of a protected tree which is home to an equally protected species of owl. Fortunately for Rose a very naked woman is also nearby and willing to put herself into harms way to save the owl from murder.
Needless to say the presence of an angry woman and the arrival of the police to investigate an attempted murder allegation grants both owl and tree some reprieve. However, there are people at work who need that tree gone and will not permit a small owl to thwart their plans – they consider there are much bigger priorities to address.
As you may have gathered, Dead is Beautiful takes a dark humoured view on society and our priorities. Charlie and Rose will watch events unfolding and guide the reader through the story, the reader learns what is happening as they do.
For Charlie the events in Dead is Beautiful will be personally challenging as this return to the real world sees him encountering his “shit brother”. Clearly there was no love lost between the brothers and Charlie finds it hard to be sympathetic to the problems his brother will face. Actually he rather enjoys quite a lot of the misfortune which shall befall his elder sibling.
Although they cannot interact with the real world there is a distinct threat for Charlie to face in Dead is Beautiful and the consequence of his failure was just too grim to consider. The fact ghosts can also be unpleasant bullies should (with hindsight) not have been too much of a shock but when a ghostly bully turns on our heroes I can’t say I enjoyed seeing them reeling.
I did very much enjoy the bonus appearance of an outspoken Scottish punk who was happy to have a vocal and very direct opinion on many things which were occurring. I always enjoy seeing a fellow Scot displaced from their native land and bringing a touch of “home” to far flung places! These scenes were joyous and had me grinning like a loon as I read them.
Jo Perry once again delivers a cracking story with her oddly paired protagonists. Dead is Beautiful is recommended – as are all the Charlie and Rose stories.
Dead is Beautiful is published by Fahrenheit Press in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: http://www.fahrenheit-press.com/books_dead_is_beautiful.html
Remember: if you order a paperback copy of a Fahrenheit Press book they also make sure you receive a digital copy of your purchase too.