Dead Is Better (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781914475214)

Charles Stone has just woken up dead. Well he's pretty sure he's dead, what with the bullet holes in his chest and all. He also appears to be totally alone in the after-life except for the ghostly dog who seems to be his new companion. Unable to interact with the world of the living other than watching and listening, he and the dead dog (whom he names Rose) have nothing to do and all the time in the world to do it. When Charles and Rose try to unravel the circumstances of Charles's death, they uncover a criminal who is raking in millions of dollars by cruelly exploiting, and sometimes killing, his victims. But what difference can a ghost make? And what does the damn dog have to do with any of this?

"A wonderful, original, hilarious, and brilliant book. I really enjoyed it.

I think you'll like it very much indeed... A must read." --Eric Idle

"Beautiful. Lyrical. Unexpected."--Linda L. Richards

"Jo Perry has crafted a detailed mystery thriller with incredible heart and the real punk rock spirit ..." --It's An Indie Book Blog

"It's funny, foul mouthed, almost heartbreakingly sad in the way Charlies impotence in the face of suffering reflects our own, yet, like all the best crime novels, it's satisfying in its denouement, and hope - a fragile, uncertain hope, but hope nonetheless- left me wanting more of my new favourite detecting duo.

Perry's prose here is blunt, clean, simple and sharp. It's Charlie's voice, but it's also Philip Marlow, and,

at times, the combination of direct language and surreality overlaying worlds unsaid makes this feel like a

Noir novel by Sam Beckett. Which can not be a bad thing. Recommended for lovers of quirky crime, dark humour, Chandler (Raymond, not Bing) and the afore mentioned Hammett." --Derek Farrell, author of Death Of A Diva

"DEAD IS BETTER is a total delight, a terrifically original, always surprising, very funny..." --Timothy Hallinan, award-winning author of For The Dead, The Fear Artist, Crashed, Little Elvises, The Fame Thief

"DEAD IS BETTER is not just beautifully written but weirdly moving and funnier than death should be and with a dog like Rosie, the afterlife is sweeter than I could have ever hoped for." --Jervey Tervalon, author of Monster's Chef, Lita: A Novel, Understand This, and Dead Above Ground

"What a wonderful book! It's witty and wise, and sometimes poignant. It's one of those rare books that made me think, 'How in the world did she think up something like that!' As one of her quotes in the books says, 'Even in the grave, all is not lost...'" --Terry Shames