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* WINNER OF THE CRIME FICTION LOVER BEST DEBUT NOVEL AWARD *

‘A welcome addition to darkly humorous female serial killer novels’ – GUARDIAN
‘Utterly unique, an absolute rollercoaster of a read’ – DAILY MAIL
‘Splendidly funny and buoyant’ – DAILY EXPRESS

I have a gift. I see people as ghosts before they die.
Of course, it helps that I’m the one killing them.

The night after her father’s funeral, Claire meets Lucas in a bar. Lucas doesn’t know it, but it’s not a chance meeting. One thoughtless mistyped email has put him in the crosshairs of an extremely put-out serial killer. But even before they make eye contact, before Claire lets him buy her a drink, before she takes him home and carves him up into little pieces, something about that night is very wrong. Because someone is watching Claire. Someone who is about to discover her murderous little hobby.

The thing is, it’s not sensible to tangle with a part-time serial killer, even one who is distracted by attending a weekly bereavement support group and trying to get her art career off the ground. Claire will do anything to keep her secret hidden – not to mention the bodies buried in her garden. Let the games begin…

‘Refreshingly original and laugh-out-loud funny’ – CLARE MACKINTOSH
‘Delightfully shocking and irreverently funny’ – JANICE HALLETT
‘I doubt I’ll read a more original thriller this year’ – JACK JORDAN

Publisher Review

This darkly comedic thriller turns serial killer convention on its head, mainly because you can’t help but root for protagonist Claire as she follows through on murderous thoughts that would be fleeting fantasies in anyone else… Utterly unique and an absolute roller-coaster of a read * Daily Mail * Splendidly funny and buoyant [with] some deliciously ingenious twists… First-class escapist entertainment – the most fun you’re ever likely to have with a hammer-wielding maniac * Daily Express * Refreshingly original and laugh-out-loud funny, this is a superb debut — Clare Mackintosh, author of I LET YOU GO A welcome addition to the burgeoning subgenre of darkly humorous female serial killer novels… This one will be a treat: a pacey page turner, written in an enjoyably deadpan style * Guardian * Horrifying and hilarious in equal measure * Woman and Home * Intelligent and witty and for most of the novel the tone is lighthearted, allowing the deaths to feel thoroughly satisfying * Literary Review * [Wallace] writes like a dream, with an easy flow and sharp wit. She is skilled at writing fast-paced, authentic dialogue, summing up her characters best by simply letting them talk * Big Issue * What a corker of a debut. Delightfully shocking and irreverently funny, this is a pitch-black comedy horror with a heart… of stone. Roll-up for your one-way ticket to the warped world of a glamorous psychopath and her relentless succession of hapless victims. I only took my eyes off the page to check Claire wasn’t standing behind me. You’d Look Better as a Ghost is the darkest debut you’ll read all year. Perfect for fans of Killing Eve — Janice Hallett, author of THE APPEAL I was utterly hooked. Joanna Wallace’s prose is scalpel-sharp, with one-liners that made me howl – trust me when I say that this is book is bloody funny – literally. Claire is a serial killer you can’t help but love, while wondering if she could ever truly love you back… (picture Fleabag, but she’s a blood-splattered psychopath wielding a hammer). I doubt I’ll read a more original thriller this year — Jack Jordan, author of DO NO HARM I absolutely loved this book. The combination of dark themes and black comedy is spot on — Emma Curtis, author of ONE LITTLE MISTAKE