Death at the Door by Olivia Blacke

Item: Death at the Door
Rating: 3
Author: karenbaron

Posted December 10, 2025 by karenbaron in Mystery, Review / 0 Comments

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Death at the Door

by Olivia Blacke

Series: Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries #2
Series Rating:

Published by Minotaur Books on October 21, 2025
Setting: Boston, Massachusetts
Genres: Cozy Paranormal Mystery
Pages: 352
Format: Audible Audiobook, Hardcover, Kindle
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon

The odd couple of crime-solving returns in Olivia Blacke’s Death at the Door, where a ghost and her living roommate find another mystery on their doorstep.

Ruby Young is slowly adjusting to her new life in Boston. A big part of that is her unexpected roommate―the ghost of the woman who lived there before. For Cordelia Graves, she may no longer be breathing, but it’s still her apartment and Ruby is the somewhat unwanted houseguest. They’re both happy they’ve managed to become friends, which is a miracle considering they struggle to communicate with each other. Cordelia even set Ruby up with her old job.

When Ruby discovers the body of a delivery guy at work, the new life she’s been building hangs in the balance. The last time Cordelia dragged Ruby into a murder investigation, it was almost two ghosts living in the apartment, not one. Determined to protect Ruby, Cordelia tries to shield her from the investigation, but Ruby has other ideas. It will take both of them working together to navigate the fine line between the dead and the living to bring a killer to light.

Death at the Door by Olivia Blacke has Ruby and Cordelia solving another mystery.

Who had the best motive to kill the delivery guy?

Ruby Young

Ruby Young is one of our protagonists and is a living, breathing human. She is doing her best to adjust to her new life away from her family while also getting better at adulting. Ruby has a job, an apartment, and is slowly making friends, which is better than most young people are doing. I like that Ruby sees the world in a positive way, but some things about how the author (along with both Ruby and Cordelia) describes her as being young, innocent, and naive kind of drove me a bit nuts. I think that Ruby has the potential to be a good sleuth.

Cordelia Graves

Cordelia Graves is the ghost of the apartment’s former owner and the old receptionist at the tech company. This is the tech company where Ruby currently works. Okay, so basically, Cordelia is trying to get Ruby to live her old life, but not really to that extent. Cordy had a tough life, and it didn’t make matters better as she grew up. I’m not too sure if I like Cordelia, but at least she is trying to be a good person, or well, ghost, to Ruby.

The Mystery

Cordelia tries not to let Ruby see the dead body of the delivery guy, but it still ends up happening. Ruby then decides to look into the delivery guy’s death to bring the killer to justice. Cordelia doesn’t like this but eventually gives in when she sees that Ruby isn’t willing to give up. I have to say, I was very confused about how the investigation happened. The killer wasn’t someone that I was expecting, either.

Three Stars

My rating for Death at the Door by Olivia Blacke is three stars. Ms. Blacke’s writing is good if you have read the previous book, since it picks up a bit after that first book. I did like the book, but it isn’t one of my favorites. Also, I had a hard time connecting to the characters at the beginning.

Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Death at the Door by Olivia Blacke.

Happy Reading!

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About Olivia Blacke

Mysterious, Spooky, Cozy & Kooky! Olivia Blacke (she/her) is the Anthony Award-winning author of the Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries, as well as the cozy Record Shop Mysteries and the Brooklyn Murder Mysteries. She had her first ghost encounter when she was five, but wasn’t involved with an active crime scene until much later, when she accidentally stepped into a chalk outline on a Manhattan sidewalk. Armed with a Criminology degree, she channels her love of the supernatural and passion for writing into darkly humorous supernatural mysteries. She wants to be a unicorn when she grows up.

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