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Charlie & Rose Investigate #4
Dead Is Beautiful
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.
"Splendid -- the best book yet in one of today's best-written and most imaginative series. There's nothing like it." --Timothy Hallinan
"... wickedly entertaining, hardboiled supernatural deftness.”-Gary Phillips, author *Treacherous: Grifters, Ruffians and Killers"
"Like 'The Wire' meets 'The Tibetan Book Of The Dead,'"-Derek Farrell, author of the Danny Bird mysteries: *Death of a Diva, Death of a Nobody, Death of a Devil
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.
"Splendid -- the best book yet in one of today's best-written and most imaginative series. There's nothing like it." --Timothy Hallinan
"... wickedly entertaining, hardboiled supernatural deftness.”-Gary Phillips, author *Treacherous: Grifters, Ruffians and Killers"
"Like 'The Wire' meets 'The Tibetan Book Of The Dead,'"-Derek Farrell, author of the Danny Bird mysteries: *Death of a Diva, Death of a Nobody, Death of a Devil
273 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 13, 2019
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Jo Perry
21 books36 followers"...wickedly entertaining, hardboiled supernatural deftness."--Gary Phillips
"Wonderful, original, hilarious and brilliant..."
--Eric Idle
Jo Perry is the author of THE WORLD ENTIRE, PURE (June, 2021) chosen as one of Independent Fiction Alliance's BEST TRULY INDEPENDENT BOOKS OF 2022; EVERYTHING HAPPENS (novella) and DEAD IS BETTER, DEAD IS BEST, DEAD IS GOOD, and DEAD IS BEAUTIFUL, dark comic mysteries published by Fahrenheit Press. Perry's short stories have appeared in Pulp Modern, Retreats from Oblivion, anthologies and Fahrenheit Press's Fahrenzine series. Her short story, "The Kick the Bucket Tour," was a distinguished story in Best Mystery Stories of 2019 (Lethem/Penzler)/
Perry earned a Ph.D. in English, taught college literature and writing, produced and wrote episodic television, and has published articles, book reviews, and poetry.
Perry was the first woman invited to speak at the venerable Men of Mystery event in southern California. Her short story, "The Kick The Bucket Tour," made the 2018 Distinguished Mystery Stories list in Best American Mystery Stories.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, novelist Thomas Perry and two rescue dogs.
website: www.authorjoperry.com Twitter: @JoPerryAuthor
Listen to the podcast of Nancie Claire's interview on SPEAKING OF MYSTERIES: http://www.speakingofmysteries.com/po...
"Wonderful, original, hilarious and brilliant..."
--Eric Idle
Jo Perry is the author of THE WORLD ENTIRE, PURE (June, 2021) chosen as one of Independent Fiction Alliance's BEST TRULY INDEPENDENT BOOKS OF 2022; EVERYTHING HAPPENS (novella) and DEAD IS BETTER, DEAD IS BEST, DEAD IS GOOD, and DEAD IS BEAUTIFUL, dark comic mysteries published by Fahrenheit Press. Perry's short stories have appeared in Pulp Modern, Retreats from Oblivion, anthologies and Fahrenheit Press's Fahrenzine series. Her short story, "The Kick the Bucket Tour," was a distinguished story in Best Mystery Stories of 2019 (Lethem/Penzler)/
Perry earned a Ph.D. in English, taught college literature and writing, produced and wrote episodic television, and has published articles, book reviews, and poetry.
Perry was the first woman invited to speak at the venerable Men of Mystery event in southern California. Her short story, "The Kick The Bucket Tour," made the 2018 Distinguished Mystery Stories list in Best American Mystery Stories.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, novelist Thomas Perry and two rescue dogs.
website: www.authorjoperry.com Twitter: @JoPerryAuthor
Listen to the podcast of Nancie Claire's interview on SPEAKING OF MYSTERIES: http://www.speakingofmysteries.com/po...
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 18, 2019
Dead is Beautiful is the fourth book in this series, and its safe to say its another excellent installment. As always, the chapters begin with a quote about death. While some may find this morbid, I think it really suits the tone of the books.
In this one, Rose is the driving force in getting Charlie to one of his most hated places, “Beverly Fucking Hills”. There is a tree being cut down that is housing a protected species of owl, and Rose just can’t keep away. There is usually a motive for Rose hanging around so you just know the story is going somewhere. Charlie wasn’t expecting it to be straight into his brother’s life.
What follows is a dark and weird look at Beverly Fucking Hills and its inhabitants. Meeting some real characters along the way (looking at you, McGurk!!!), Charlie and Rose are drawn much deeper than they could ever have expected. Murder, corruption and cover-ups aplenty in this one.
It seems to me that Dead is Beautiful is almost a social commentary on the whole Beverly Hills “thing”. The affluence, the materialistic and shallow undertones, it is a dark and satirical look at what is usually portrayed in a positive light.
I really enjoyed Dead is Beautiful, and I’m already eagerly awaiting the next book in the series!
In this one, Rose is the driving force in getting Charlie to one of his most hated places, “Beverly Fucking Hills”. There is a tree being cut down that is housing a protected species of owl, and Rose just can’t keep away. There is usually a motive for Rose hanging around so you just know the story is going somewhere. Charlie wasn’t expecting it to be straight into his brother’s life.
What follows is a dark and weird look at Beverly Fucking Hills and its inhabitants. Meeting some real characters along the way (looking at you, McGurk!!!), Charlie and Rose are drawn much deeper than they could ever have expected. Murder, corruption and cover-ups aplenty in this one.
It seems to me that Dead is Beautiful is almost a social commentary on the whole Beverly Hills “thing”. The affluence, the materialistic and shallow undertones, it is a dark and satirical look at what is usually portrayed in a positive light.
I really enjoyed Dead is Beautiful, and I’m already eagerly awaiting the next book in the series!
June 29, 2019
One undead man and his undead dog in the Beverly Hills may not be an obvious choice when you are browsing the bookshelves for your next great read, but pull up a chair and let me tell this is exactly why you need to hunt these books down (ideally via Fahrenheit Press!)and let Charlie and Rose work their magic.
''My shit brother with a clenched fist for a heart as the suffocating shadow that doomed my shuffling, feckless, chubbed-out self to never catchup,to always lose, to trip over his extended foot and stumble, to twist and bruise a weak ankle, to cry over the milk he spilled on my mother's ne fur coat and for which he blamed me-already hiding-though no one ever looked for me-in the moth-cake-stink-filled airless blackness of the guest room closet.''
THIS is how Jo Perry writes! How immediately are you there, in the closet with Charlie, ghost in his on house, hiding but not needing to cos no one would ever come looking for him.
Charlie was shot to death outside a chicken and waffle shop, his death written off as the simple 'wrong place, wrong time' occurence that marked his entire existence. Beyond death, he has come back from the afterlife with his canine companion Rosie, who seems to have attached herself to him. Her death makes you ant to break things, another abandoned soul who starved to death-unwanted, unmissed and unloved.
And here is where Jo Perry excels, this could be maudlin and too sad to enjoy but you can feel righteous anger rise off the page as well as in your own heart as you read about lives being snuffed out and the world, well the world just keeps on doing what it does best. It turns and we bleed our lives onto its surface, to eventually become buried underneath it. His fury and anger keeps him here, his wanton lust to see his shit borther and awful harridan of a wife pay some price for their gilded life.
He finds himself coming to to the sound of a chainsaw at the beginning of the book, and Rosie half way up a magnificent tree. She is trying to draw his attention to what is nesting there, a rare owl and her baby. As the mother owl flies out to attack the tree feller, her baby falls to the ground where , bizarrely, a naked Amazonian woman has appeared from the nearest house. This oman is Eleanor Starfeather, house sitter and doula who calls the police to report the crime of a murdered tree. As expected, she is treated as a crazy hippy and reading this back it sounds comical, but it really isn't, the flagrant disregard hich humans have for nature and the dismissal of this bird begins the hole nature versus nurture arm of the story.
Eleanor is not only a magnificent creature, she happens to be house sitting for....Charlie's brother. Even what remains after rejecting the afterlife has a cosmic sense of humour.
''And the more I raged against the repeated extinguishing of this squat little light of mine, and the hotter my hatred smoldered for my always-triumphant subjugator,the more powerful and suren and handsome and mean my shit brother became. As if diminishing me,mocking me,cheating me, tricking me and hurting me muscled his strength and sharpened his gift for connivance and brutality.''
Following Eleanor, Charlie and Rose get to witness one of the most moving scenes I have read this year, a multi faith ceremony to remeber the abandoned dead. The idea that a person, a child, could move throught the world and leave no trace, be unremembered and unclaimed is genuinely heartbreaking. They memorialise on a patch of ground , the thousands of unclaimed bodies that are the forgotten of Beverly Hills.
And again, this is what Jo does supremely well, the contrast between the fakeness and uber 'relaity' of Beverly Hills versus two ghosts who have more substance than anyone occupying the mortal plain.
Rarely do you read such achingly precise descriptions, such hauntingly quiet and determined prose. The use of the word 'fuck' has never been more deliberate and accurately employed, it is a meditation on life and death and what we get to leave behind. The constant push to self aggrandise versus the actuality of how briefly we inhabit our physical shells, And how easily forgotten.
Charlie is Rose's amanuensis and Rose is Charlie's reminder that he can love, rage and be tethered to a place and time and have it not be something awful. Rose gives love and companionship like most dogs do-unflinching, unswerving and with all their heart.
We have an English Springer Spaniel who is a rescue dog with multiple issues which we are working through, slowly and in his own time, and the idea that anyone would deliberately hurt such peaceful, loving animals brings your rage to the fore. And I think that is why I related so much to Charlie and his need to protect Rose,as well as how he feels as a human. To be born and live as a literal ghost and then more impact as an actual ghost is a powerful image and one that lingers.
I genuinely cannot wait to read the other 3 books, and hopefully more in the future.
''My shit brother with a clenched fist for a heart as the suffocating shadow that doomed my shuffling, feckless, chubbed-out self to never catchup,to always lose, to trip over his extended foot and stumble, to twist and bruise a weak ankle, to cry over the milk he spilled on my mother's ne fur coat and for which he blamed me-already hiding-though no one ever looked for me-in the moth-cake-stink-filled airless blackness of the guest room closet.''
THIS is how Jo Perry writes! How immediately are you there, in the closet with Charlie, ghost in his on house, hiding but not needing to cos no one would ever come looking for him.
Charlie was shot to death outside a chicken and waffle shop, his death written off as the simple 'wrong place, wrong time' occurence that marked his entire existence. Beyond death, he has come back from the afterlife with his canine companion Rosie, who seems to have attached herself to him. Her death makes you ant to break things, another abandoned soul who starved to death-unwanted, unmissed and unloved.
And here is where Jo Perry excels, this could be maudlin and too sad to enjoy but you can feel righteous anger rise off the page as well as in your own heart as you read about lives being snuffed out and the world, well the world just keeps on doing what it does best. It turns and we bleed our lives onto its surface, to eventually become buried underneath it. His fury and anger keeps him here, his wanton lust to see his shit borther and awful harridan of a wife pay some price for their gilded life.
He finds himself coming to to the sound of a chainsaw at the beginning of the book, and Rosie half way up a magnificent tree. She is trying to draw his attention to what is nesting there, a rare owl and her baby. As the mother owl flies out to attack the tree feller, her baby falls to the ground where , bizarrely, a naked Amazonian woman has appeared from the nearest house. This oman is Eleanor Starfeather, house sitter and doula who calls the police to report the crime of a murdered tree. As expected, she is treated as a crazy hippy and reading this back it sounds comical, but it really isn't, the flagrant disregard hich humans have for nature and the dismissal of this bird begins the hole nature versus nurture arm of the story.
Eleanor is not only a magnificent creature, she happens to be house sitting for....Charlie's brother. Even what remains after rejecting the afterlife has a cosmic sense of humour.
''And the more I raged against the repeated extinguishing of this squat little light of mine, and the hotter my hatred smoldered for my always-triumphant subjugator,the more powerful and suren and handsome and mean my shit brother became. As if diminishing me,mocking me,cheating me, tricking me and hurting me muscled his strength and sharpened his gift for connivance and brutality.''
Following Eleanor, Charlie and Rose get to witness one of the most moving scenes I have read this year, a multi faith ceremony to remeber the abandoned dead. The idea that a person, a child, could move throught the world and leave no trace, be unremembered and unclaimed is genuinely heartbreaking. They memorialise on a patch of ground , the thousands of unclaimed bodies that are the forgotten of Beverly Hills.
And again, this is what Jo does supremely well, the contrast between the fakeness and uber 'relaity' of Beverly Hills versus two ghosts who have more substance than anyone occupying the mortal plain.
Rarely do you read such achingly precise descriptions, such hauntingly quiet and determined prose. The use of the word 'fuck' has never been more deliberate and accurately employed, it is a meditation on life and death and what we get to leave behind. The constant push to self aggrandise versus the actuality of how briefly we inhabit our physical shells, And how easily forgotten.
Charlie is Rose's amanuensis and Rose is Charlie's reminder that he can love, rage and be tethered to a place and time and have it not be something awful. Rose gives love and companionship like most dogs do-unflinching, unswerving and with all their heart.
We have an English Springer Spaniel who is a rescue dog with multiple issues which we are working through, slowly and in his own time, and the idea that anyone would deliberately hurt such peaceful, loving animals brings your rage to the fore. And I think that is why I related so much to Charlie and his need to protect Rose,as well as how he feels as a human. To be born and live as a literal ghost and then more impact as an actual ghost is a powerful image and one that lingers.
I genuinely cannot wait to read the other 3 books, and hopefully more in the future.
June 16, 2019
There are many rules when it comes to writing but the most universally recognised is probably 'Don't kill the dog'. Jo Perry proves she cares nothing for rules because to misquote Dickens, Rose is dead to begin with. So, for that matter is Charlie, her human companion. This is the fourth book in the Charlie and Rose series but each can be read as a standalone. The pair first linked up in Dead is Better following Charlie's premature demise after he was shot and Rose was left to starve to death. The manner in which a body enters the afterlife determines their post-death appearance, so Charlie is still riddled with the bullet holes which killed him and Rose is beautiful (obviously - she's a dog) but painfully emaciated.
There are numerous stories about the spirit world of course, and those of us of a certain age will recall the ghost detective in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) but in this series, everything you thought you knew about the afterlife is probably wrong. Charlie and Rose aren't able to make their presence known to the living and actually can't interact with them at all. This causes Rose to become frantically distressed when she leads Charlie to a tree which is being cut down. It turns out that the tree had a preservation order on it and housed a rare Spotted Owl and its owlet. Fortunately, the owls have another saviour in house-sitter and doula, Eleanor Starfeather. When Charlie sees Eleanor, he is smitten at first sight, which isn't surprising as she's naked at the time but before long he has more on his mind after he ends up bearing witness to a horrific murder and suspects that his brother, Mark is in danger.
Actually, Mark faces more than one adversary including an unhinged owl who really bears a grudge against him. Now, all owls are brilliant, just by being owls but this one is singularly memorable - albeit also terrifying. It should probably be clear by this point in my review that this is a series which doesn't take itself too seriously. The front cover and the presence of a ghost dog might suggest cosy crime but this is far removed from that genre - it's irreverent, blunt and positively dripping with black humour. It's also a hugely engaging and original read, with Charlie's first-person perspective used to great effect as he is able to perform the role of the omnipotent observer without being given the ability to directly manipulate proceedings. Rose is clearly the brains of the partnership and it is she who is able to sniff out trouble (metaphorically, of course, her sense of smell died when she did) but she needs Charlie to protect her when a particularly unpleasant newcomer to the spirit world takes an interest in her.
The short chapters mean this feels like a quick book to read but as I write this review, I'm reminded of how much actually happens here; seeing Mark's life spiral spectacularly out of control; corrupt deals and a deeply unpleasant businessman; a determined white witch; a no-nonsense, indomitable Scotsman, and a vengeful and demanding new ghost. It's dark, funny and - especially in a scene towards the end - grotesquely beautiful and really rather moving. Dead is Beautiful is a truly enjoyable book which dares to make crime fiction fun without losing any of its emotional impact. It succeeds marvellously and is a real breath of fresh air. I've read two books in the series now and it shouldn't come as any surprise to learn I'm looking forward to reading the rest soon.
There are numerous stories about the spirit world of course, and those of us of a certain age will recall the ghost detective in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) but in this series, everything you thought you knew about the afterlife is probably wrong. Charlie and Rose aren't able to make their presence known to the living and actually can't interact with them at all. This causes Rose to become frantically distressed when she leads Charlie to a tree which is being cut down. It turns out that the tree had a preservation order on it and housed a rare Spotted Owl and its owlet. Fortunately, the owls have another saviour in house-sitter and doula, Eleanor Starfeather. When Charlie sees Eleanor, he is smitten at first sight, which isn't surprising as she's naked at the time but before long he has more on his mind after he ends up bearing witness to a horrific murder and suspects that his brother, Mark is in danger.
Actually, Mark faces more than one adversary including an unhinged owl who really bears a grudge against him. Now, all owls are brilliant, just by being owls but this one is singularly memorable - albeit also terrifying. It should probably be clear by this point in my review that this is a series which doesn't take itself too seriously. The front cover and the presence of a ghost dog might suggest cosy crime but this is far removed from that genre - it's irreverent, blunt and positively dripping with black humour. It's also a hugely engaging and original read, with Charlie's first-person perspective used to great effect as he is able to perform the role of the omnipotent observer without being given the ability to directly manipulate proceedings. Rose is clearly the brains of the partnership and it is she who is able to sniff out trouble (metaphorically, of course, her sense of smell died when she did) but she needs Charlie to protect her when a particularly unpleasant newcomer to the spirit world takes an interest in her.
The short chapters mean this feels like a quick book to read but as I write this review, I'm reminded of how much actually happens here; seeing Mark's life spiral spectacularly out of control; corrupt deals and a deeply unpleasant businessman; a determined white witch; a no-nonsense, indomitable Scotsman, and a vengeful and demanding new ghost. It's dark, funny and - especially in a scene towards the end - grotesquely beautiful and really rather moving. Dead is Beautiful is a truly enjoyable book which dares to make crime fiction fun without losing any of its emotional impact. It succeeds marvellously and is a real breath of fresh air. I've read two books in the series now and it shouldn't come as any surprise to learn I'm looking forward to reading the rest soon.
June 15, 2019
*I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the author and to Emma Welton of damppebbles blog tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Dead is Beautiful is the fourth book in the Charlie and Rose Investigate series, but the only one I have read to date so I can confirm that it does work as a standalone novel. However the situation and characters are somewhat unusual so I would personally recommend reading the series in order to get the bigger picture.
You see, Charlie and Rose are dead. But they’re mostly okay with it. Rose is a traumatised dog and Charlie is a very angry man, and they keep each other company and keep an eye on the goings on in the world below them from their perch in the not-quite-afterlife. Actually, Rose keeps an eye on things and Charlie mainly gets towed along, complaining, behind her.
Which is how he somehow ends up investigating the series of unfortunate events concerning his hated brother and despised wife. Oh, and a rather delightful house-sitting doula!
Charlie’s simmering rage and disgust with most of humanity (unless they happen to have violet eyes and dripping, naked curves) should make him an unlikable main character – I certainly got fed up with him constantly referring to his brother as ‘my s**t brother’ throughout! – but his love and protection towards Rose are redeeming and reveal him to be all bluster, hiding a soft and squishy centre.
This is an unusual premise, especially as Rose and Charlie are physically unable to interact with events and therefore limited to observation for their investigation, but it is well-written and easy to read (with very short chapters), and the characters add humour and pathos, even the relatively minor ones.
If you’re looking for a murder mystery that is out of the ordinary and unpredictable then this series may be right up your boulevard!
Once I was like you–
Warm.
Loud and turbulent.
Solid.
Okay, I’ll admit it–not just “solid”.
Fat.
I was a fat, thirty-eight-year-old Caucasian male, Ashkenazi Jewish resident of Hollywood, California named Charles–no middle name–Stone.
Now I’m something else.
– Jo Perry, Dead Is Beautiful
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
Dead is Beautiful is the fourth book in the Charlie and Rose Investigate series, but the only one I have read to date so I can confirm that it does work as a standalone novel. However the situation and characters are somewhat unusual so I would personally recommend reading the series in order to get the bigger picture.
You see, Charlie and Rose are dead. But they’re mostly okay with it. Rose is a traumatised dog and Charlie is a very angry man, and they keep each other company and keep an eye on the goings on in the world below them from their perch in the not-quite-afterlife. Actually, Rose keeps an eye on things and Charlie mainly gets towed along, complaining, behind her.
Which is how he somehow ends up investigating the series of unfortunate events concerning his hated brother and despised wife. Oh, and a rather delightful house-sitting doula!
Charlie’s simmering rage and disgust with most of humanity (unless they happen to have violet eyes and dripping, naked curves) should make him an unlikable main character – I certainly got fed up with him constantly referring to his brother as ‘my s**t brother’ throughout! – but his love and protection towards Rose are redeeming and reveal him to be all bluster, hiding a soft and squishy centre.
This is an unusual premise, especially as Rose and Charlie are physically unable to interact with events and therefore limited to observation for their investigation, but it is well-written and easy to read (with very short chapters), and the characters add humour and pathos, even the relatively minor ones.
If you’re looking for a murder mystery that is out of the ordinary and unpredictable then this series may be right up your boulevard!
Once I was like you–
Warm.
Loud and turbulent.
Solid.
Okay, I’ll admit it–not just “solid”.
Fat.
I was a fat, thirty-eight-year-old Caucasian male, Ashkenazi Jewish resident of Hollywood, California named Charles–no middle name–Stone.
Now I’m something else.
– Jo Perry, Dead Is Beautiful
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
February 22, 2019
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
And failing Rose actually seems to be something that can happen here -- we've seen Charlie and Rose interact with other ghosts before, but not for long -- somehow, this time there's a ghost that they have prolonged -- and repeated -- interaction with. This other ghost has threatened Rose -- despite seemingly being unable to do anything to her, the intent and tone of voice used, scares Rose. And the one thing that's definitely changed about Charlie post-death is his commitment to this dog, his ability to care for her.
But before we meet this ghost -- and see the gruesome, horrific way they become one -- we see another killing. The killing of a protected tree. What's worse, this tree is home to an Spotted Owl and her owlet. While the tree is being (illegally) removed from a plot of land, the owlet falls out and is injured. It was these events that brought Rose, and therefore Charlie, to this area. Coming to the defense of the tree and the owls is a very naked and tattooed woman. She brings in the authorities, and sets off a chain of events that I won't try to summarize, because you wouldn't believe me and Perry does a better job than I would in a sentence or two.
This woman, it turns out is named Eleanor Starfeather (really). She's a doula (birth and death, which is a thing that I just learned exists) and a house sitter -- among other things. The house she's currently sitting belongs to Charlie's brother and his wife. Charlie's brother, we already know, is not anyone you want to know. Greedy, superficial, arrogant, vain and uncaring -- and his wife is worse. The bulk of the book's action revolves around these three as they deal with the fall-out from the removal of this tree, the removal of the owlet and the mother owl's reaction to both being gone. But it also involved a development company -- which is developing the land next to Charlie's brother and a property where Charlie used to live -- not that you can tell that anymore.
Charlie and Rose witness a murder near that second property and are pushed into trying to figure out who was behind that murder. Our ghostly pair are hovering around the areas of overlap between the Venn diagram describing these people, company and properties. And slowly, a full picture emerges allowing them to figure out who was behind the murder. Along the way, we (via Charlie and Rose) get to watch the fall-out -- involving city politics, real estate development, lawyers, a vengeance-seeking bird, a séance, a mini-Cooper driving Scotsman, and a natural disaster -- oh, yeah, and Charlie's brother having several of the worst days of his life in a row.
This all primarily takes place, where else could it, in Beverly Hills. A place that Charlie clearly has strong opinions about:
Which adds a different feel to the book than we've had in the series. We've bounced around from place to place in this series, but I don't knows that I've had such a strong sense location before (I'm not suggesting the earlier books were missing anything, but this has added something). We do spend some time in Charlie's old neighborhood, but not that much.
It's possible that Charlie refers to the city with the two words that most people use, but I think it's always his special elongated form. Ditto for his older sibling, or as he seemingly always refers to him, "my shit brother." Maybe one reason that Charlie and Rose are still hanging around is that Charlie still holds such determined thoughts and passionate feelings about things like his brother and this city.
In Dead is Good, we got to witness Charlie realize how much someone meant to him, in ways hadn't really seen in life. In Dead is Beautiful, we get to witness Charlie smitten with a woman -- of course, it'll be unrequited (and would've likely been if he was flesh and blood, too), but he is fixated on Eleanor. It's a side of him that's nice to see. It's also helpful for there to be people he actually likes involved with everything he's witnessing, so he can be positive about some of what happens. By the end of the novel, Charlie does realize a few things about his brother and the way he thinks about him -- I'm not sure there's growth there, but there's self-awareness, which is almost as good.
We also get a few more clues about the nature of the afterlife and how things work for the souls of the deceased (man or beast...at least dog), but no real answers. I'm okay with that, I don't think I want answers, I like not getting this afterlife, as long as Charlie and Rose are figuring out what the living are up to.
Last week, when I reposted what I'd written about the first three books, I felt awkward about my frequent references to "funny." When I think back on these books, I don't think about funny -- I think about the crimes, the victims, the reflections on society and death that these books focus on. But I felt vindicated reading this, because it's a very funny book. There's slapstick all over the place -- even when the events depicted aren't that funny, they're told in a way that clearly tells the reader to smile and chuckle. Just that description of Beverly Hills above demonstrates the oft-comedic voice.
But it's not all funny -- there's a reverence toward death, toward life, toward the relationship between people and dogs. The fate and well-being of the tree and owls are treated seriously and with care. The comedy comes in Charlie's observations of and reactions to the events he witnesses. His first exposure to Alexa, for example, made me laugh out loud.
As Charlie (ever so gradually) evolves (Charlie of the first two books doesn't treat the other ghost the way this Charlie does), as we spend more time in this world, Perry keeps improving -- this is one of those series that improves as it goes on. These unique protagonists get us to look at life and events in a different kind of way, while reading very different kind of mysteries. I hope I get to keep spending time with them for a long time to come -- and I strongly encourage you to join in the fun.
---
I can’t explain how death works––I can’t explain cruelty or love––and I don’t know anything for certain except that I failed at life.
Well, I refuse to fuck up my death any more than I already have––
And whatever it means or requires––I won’t fail Rose.
And failing Rose actually seems to be something that can happen here -- we've seen Charlie and Rose interact with other ghosts before, but not for long -- somehow, this time there's a ghost that they have prolonged -- and repeated -- interaction with. This other ghost has threatened Rose -- despite seemingly being unable to do anything to her, the intent and tone of voice used, scares Rose. And the one thing that's definitely changed about Charlie post-death is his commitment to this dog, his ability to care for her.
But before we meet this ghost -- and see the gruesome, horrific way they become one -- we see another killing. The killing of a protected tree. What's worse, this tree is home to an Spotted Owl and her owlet. While the tree is being (illegally) removed from a plot of land, the owlet falls out and is injured. It was these events that brought Rose, and therefore Charlie, to this area. Coming to the defense of the tree and the owls is a very naked and tattooed woman. She brings in the authorities, and sets off a chain of events that I won't try to summarize, because you wouldn't believe me and Perry does a better job than I would in a sentence or two.
This woman, it turns out is named Eleanor Starfeather (really). She's a doula (birth and death, which is a thing that I just learned exists) and a house sitter -- among other things. The house she's currently sitting belongs to Charlie's brother and his wife. Charlie's brother, we already know, is not anyone you want to know. Greedy, superficial, arrogant, vain and uncaring -- and his wife is worse. The bulk of the book's action revolves around these three as they deal with the fall-out from the removal of this tree, the removal of the owlet and the mother owl's reaction to both being gone. But it also involved a development company -- which is developing the land next to Charlie's brother and a property where Charlie used to live -- not that you can tell that anymore.
Charlie and Rose witness a murder near that second property and are pushed into trying to figure out who was behind that murder. Our ghostly pair are hovering around the areas of overlap between the Venn diagram describing these people, company and properties. And slowly, a full picture emerges allowing them to figure out who was behind the murder. Along the way, we (via Charlie and Rose) get to watch the fall-out -- involving city politics, real estate development, lawyers, a vengeance-seeking bird, a séance, a mini-Cooper driving Scotsman, and a natural disaster -- oh, yeah, and Charlie's brother having several of the worst days of his life in a row.
This all primarily takes place, where else could it, in Beverly Hills. A place that Charlie clearly has strong opinions about:
Leave it to the City of Beverly Fucking Hills to have “Beverly Hills” engraved twice on its police badges just to emphasize that their black necktied, highly trained, buff, and attractive Beverly Fucking Hills peace officers protect and serve the plastic surgery-altered, chemically peeled, hairlines suture-tightened, Botox-injected, Viagra-aroused, personally trained, lifestyle-coached, professionally organized, blow-dried, sixteen-thousand-dollar blinged-out handbag cultists and their Orc boyfriends and husbands here in this omphalos of malignant narcissism, this authentic-human-emotion-sucking manicured vortex with its fluffy cashmere clouds scudding across the Tiffany-blue vacancy that hangs above the abomination known the world over as Beverly Fucking Hills.
Which adds a different feel to the book than we've had in the series. We've bounced around from place to place in this series, but I don't knows that I've had such a strong sense location before (I'm not suggesting the earlier books were missing anything, but this has added something). We do spend some time in Charlie's old neighborhood, but not that much.
It's possible that Charlie refers to the city with the two words that most people use, but I think it's always his special elongated form. Ditto for his older sibling, or as he seemingly always refers to him, "my shit brother." Maybe one reason that Charlie and Rose are still hanging around is that Charlie still holds such determined thoughts and passionate feelings about things like his brother and this city.
In Dead is Good, we got to witness Charlie realize how much someone meant to him, in ways hadn't really seen in life. In Dead is Beautiful, we get to witness Charlie smitten with a woman -- of course, it'll be unrequited (and would've likely been if he was flesh and blood, too), but he is fixated on Eleanor. It's a side of him that's nice to see. It's also helpful for there to be people he actually likes involved with everything he's witnessing, so he can be positive about some of what happens. By the end of the novel, Charlie does realize a few things about his brother and the way he thinks about him -- I'm not sure there's growth there, but there's self-awareness, which is almost as good.
We also get a few more clues about the nature of the afterlife and how things work for the souls of the deceased (man or beast...at least dog), but no real answers. I'm okay with that, I don't think I want answers, I like not getting this afterlife, as long as Charlie and Rose are figuring out what the living are up to.
Last week, when I reposted what I'd written about the first three books, I felt awkward about my frequent references to "funny." When I think back on these books, I don't think about funny -- I think about the crimes, the victims, the reflections on society and death that these books focus on. But I felt vindicated reading this, because it's a very funny book. There's slapstick all over the place -- even when the events depicted aren't that funny, they're told in a way that clearly tells the reader to smile and chuckle. Just that description of Beverly Hills above demonstrates the oft-comedic voice.
But it's not all funny -- there's a reverence toward death, toward life, toward the relationship between people and dogs. The fate and well-being of the tree and owls are treated seriously and with care. The comedy comes in Charlie's observations of and reactions to the events he witnesses. His first exposure to Alexa, for example, made me laugh out loud.
As Charlie (ever so gradually) evolves (Charlie of the first two books doesn't treat the other ghost the way this Charlie does), as we spend more time in this world, Perry keeps improving -- this is one of those series that improves as it goes on. These unique protagonists get us to look at life and events in a different kind of way, while reading very different kind of mysteries. I hope I get to keep spending time with them for a long time to come -- and I strongly encourage you to join in the fun.
July 11, 2020
This is my favorite new series, hands down. Jo Perry's style is beautiful, fast, and evocative. Charlie and Rose are the ultimate duo. This is book four - and the last so far. So I'm left waiting for new books in the series as they come out. These are mystery books, but so much more. These are stories about redemption, about the power of dogs to save us, and all of them tell the tales of animals humans so callously disregard. I highly recommend all of the Dead is series by Jo Perry.
February 15, 2021
Dead is Beautiful is the fourth outing for Charlie and Rose. Still as dead as ever, the pair are drawn from the afterlife when a protected tree is cut down, destroying the home of a rare owl.
Poor Charlie doesn't really want to return to Beverly Hills, his least favourite place in the world. However once he is there, the reasons to hang around start piling up, and before he knows it he is enmired in another investigation. As usual he is constantly frustrated by his inability to do anything to help in the real world, while Rose appears to have an innate instinct that guides them wherever they need to go.
I love this series and I hope there will be a fifth coming soon.
Poor Charlie doesn't really want to return to Beverly Hills, his least favourite place in the world. However once he is there, the reasons to hang around start piling up, and before he knows it he is enmired in another investigation. As usual he is constantly frustrated by his inability to do anything to help in the real world, while Rose appears to have an innate instinct that guides them wherever they need to go.
I love this series and I hope there will be a fifth coming soon.
February 11, 2021
The dinner hour at the Perrys must really be something. They are such original standalones as writers, Jo and Thomas. And these Charlie Stone stories are really unlike anything Thomas has written -- and pretty much anyone else has written. The little meditations or epigrams on Death to begin each section are really worth the price of admission in themselves, but one just cannot resist falling in love with the dead Charlie and Rose. I never want them to disappear from my life. Funny and wise and full of heart, both of them. Reading this series has been one of the good things I have done with my life this Plague Year. Mrs. Perry has done the world a big favor. Now, do yourself one, and read these stories.
September 6, 2020
This is an awesome book series.
June 10, 2019
Dead Is Beautiful is the fourth book in Jo Perry’s series about Charlie and Rose – both are dead with Charlie being accompanied by Rose the dog in the afterlife. A unique premise to a book I’m sure you’ll agree
If you are coming to this series as a new reader then Dead is Beautiful is best read after the first in the series, Dead is Better as it gives the full background as to what brought Charlie and Rose together. It also gives some background on one of the main players in this book, Charlie’s ‘shit brother’.
Rose takes Charlie to the one place he absolutely despises, Beverley Hills where they find a protected tree being killed and hacked to the ground along with the owl who lives inside of it. It turns out that the tree is part of a development of expensive, high-end properties. Also, Charlie and Rose witness the murder and become involved in finding out who the perpetrators ar. This is the catalyst for a chain of events that Charlie could never have predicted, having to protect Rose and also in ‘contact’ with his ‘shit brother’ who Charlie still despises, even after death.
Dead is Beautiful is a dark novel into the world of those who inhabit Beverley Hills interspersed with a lot of dark humour through Charlie’s observations of what’s happening around him. The author’s writing is on-point and brings Charlie and Rose to life from the page (of the irony seen as they are dead characters!!). I found it frustrating that Rose couldn’t tell Charlie what she wanted/where she wanted him to go and why (she is a dog after all!!) so I can only imagine Charlie’s frustration knowing that she’s trying to tell him something but he’s got to work it out for himself!
An intriguing and unique series – I implore you not to fall in love with Rose and bond with Charlie!
If you are coming to this series as a new reader then Dead is Beautiful is best read after the first in the series, Dead is Better as it gives the full background as to what brought Charlie and Rose together. It also gives some background on one of the main players in this book, Charlie’s ‘shit brother’.
Rose takes Charlie to the one place he absolutely despises, Beverley Hills where they find a protected tree being killed and hacked to the ground along with the owl who lives inside of it. It turns out that the tree is part of a development of expensive, high-end properties. Also, Charlie and Rose witness the murder and become involved in finding out who the perpetrators ar. This is the catalyst for a chain of events that Charlie could never have predicted, having to protect Rose and also in ‘contact’ with his ‘shit brother’ who Charlie still despises, even after death.
Dead is Beautiful is a dark novel into the world of those who inhabit Beverley Hills interspersed with a lot of dark humour through Charlie’s observations of what’s happening around him. The author’s writing is on-point and brings Charlie and Rose to life from the page (of the irony seen as they are dead characters!!). I found it frustrating that Rose couldn’t tell Charlie what she wanted/where she wanted him to go and why (she is a dog after all!!) so I can only imagine Charlie’s frustration knowing that she’s trying to tell him something but he’s got to work it out for himself!
An intriguing and unique series – I implore you not to fall in love with Rose and bond with Charlie!
November 25, 2019
Wow. This was quite a trip. I've enjoyed all of Jo Perry's masterful novels in the Charles and Rose series, but nothing prepared me for the knockout punch of Dead is Beautiful. It is sublime in every way. A pleasure to read, hard to put down, sad to let go. At once a cautionary tale of fame and wealth, a portrait of family estrangement, an indictment of greed and sprawl, Dead is Beautiful is a speeding bullet of snark that pierces through the layers of Beverly Hills bullsh-t and, somehow, magically, poignantly, gets to the heart of humanity. I know, snark and poignancy make for opposing forces, but Perry deftly orchestrates the two into an extraordinary soundtrack of modern day LA-- soundtrack, because everything is showbiz until the glitter fades. On this outing, Charles and Rose encounter greedy developers, corrupt politicians, a new age woman on a quest to save the world, and a homeless owl who might as well be the symbol of homelessness everywhere until a homeless ghost shows up. And a landslide. A disastrous, poetic, perfect landslide. What is so brilliant here is that, while this is a story narrated from the afterlife, this isn't really a story about the afterlife. It's a story about life. It's about the perspective that death affords us and, with the ultimate objectivity, the possibility for reconciliation. Unvarnished, scathing, and loving, at the same time, it works, as the title suggests, beautifully. Throw in emotional suspense, a tightrope of tension, and you get a heart attack of a read and a lullaby, all the same. Read the whole series. Highly recommended!
June 10, 2019
This is #4 in the Charlie and Rose investigate series, but I found it easy to read as a stand-alone.
Charlie and his beautiful dog Rose are just floating about, when Rose starts barking and Charlie has to follow her….
She’s upset at a tree being felled, and a poor little owl family in distress. Running to defend the tree and the owls, is the naked, Eleanor Starfeather, house sitter, doula and witch.
However the house she is sitting, belongs to Charlie’s ‘shit brother’ and his wife and he is drawn back to a place he doesn’t want to be.
Charlie and Rose then witness the murder of Kim, a foul, vicious woman who demands Charlie finds out who murdered her or she will make his and Rose’s life hell…..and so it begins…
All sorts of crazy mishaps and marvellous characters, from an owl on a revenge mission, a mini driving Scot and Charlie’s shit brother….
There is a lot of humour, but also a murder mystery, with politics, housing developments and conservation in this unique, entertaining tale of the afterlife and not wanting to let go…..
Thank you to Damppebbles Blog Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.
Charlie and his beautiful dog Rose are just floating about, when Rose starts barking and Charlie has to follow her….
She’s upset at a tree being felled, and a poor little owl family in distress. Running to defend the tree and the owls, is the naked, Eleanor Starfeather, house sitter, doula and witch.
However the house she is sitting, belongs to Charlie’s ‘shit brother’ and his wife and he is drawn back to a place he doesn’t want to be.
Charlie and Rose then witness the murder of Kim, a foul, vicious woman who demands Charlie finds out who murdered her or she will make his and Rose’s life hell…..and so it begins…
All sorts of crazy mishaps and marvellous characters, from an owl on a revenge mission, a mini driving Scot and Charlie’s shit brother….
There is a lot of humour, but also a murder mystery, with politics, housing developments and conservation in this unique, entertaining tale of the afterlife and not wanting to let go…..
Thank you to Damppebbles Blog Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.
May 18, 2019
Ghostly noir DEAD IS BEAUTIFUL is beautiful. And riveting. Razor sharp. And funny, but not hahahahaha oh that’s hilarious kind of funny, this is the kind of funny that is also heartbreaking—yes life is tragic—or that is also despairing—yes humans can be irredeemably horrible. Charlie—self-deprecating, no, self-loathing but better-than-he-knows Charlie—is a ghost, trapped in the afterlife in his bullet-riddled body, and Rose the ghost dog is not just his companion but his conscience. In this, Book 4 (after DEAD IS BETTER, DEAD IS GOOD, and DEAD IS BEST) Jo Perry places Charlie and Rose on a quest that persists in adhering to what is lovely and true. Perry notes the wrongs of how we live now—from seemingly minor (celebrity worship, style over substance, mindless consumerism) to major (cruelty to animals; corruption in politics and business; the unrepentant criminal rapacity of real estate developers). All this and entertainment, too. You can and probably will read DEAD IS BEAUTIFUL straight through without stopping. It’s that good.
May 30, 2019
More excellence from Jo Perry.
Car crash families don't get any easier after death. Neither does 'life' get any easier for our enjoyably sour narrator. A particularly horrible murder victim might take his canine companion away! Relentlessly greedy villains exploit the weak and vulnerable, including birds, trees and even a natural catastrophe.
Death allows our narrator unusual vantage points - drone shots, maybe - although the novel is itself a panoramic view of contemporary Los Angeles and its extremes of wealth and deprivation
As usual there’s quoted wit and wisdom at the start of each chapter. Good to see Saira Viola included, wise and poetic as ever. (I’ve wasted a ridiculous amount of time debating whether to use ‘epigraph’ here. Fuck it. It’s staying in.)
A thrilling and also thought provoking story, with a rich after life - just like Charlie and Rose. This uniquely innovative series keeps surpassing itself.
Car crash families don't get any easier after death. Neither does 'life' get any easier for our enjoyably sour narrator. A particularly horrible murder victim might take his canine companion away! Relentlessly greedy villains exploit the weak and vulnerable, including birds, trees and even a natural catastrophe.
Death allows our narrator unusual vantage points - drone shots, maybe - although the novel is itself a panoramic view of contemporary Los Angeles and its extremes of wealth and deprivation
As usual there’s quoted wit and wisdom at the start of each chapter. Good to see Saira Viola included, wise and poetic as ever. (I’ve wasted a ridiculous amount of time debating whether to use ‘epigraph’ here. Fuck it. It’s staying in.)
A thrilling and also thought provoking story, with a rich after life - just like Charlie and Rose. This uniquely innovative series keeps surpassing itself.
February 15, 2019
Full disclosure: I've been married to this author for many years, have worked in universities with her, and have written and produced prime time network television shows as her partner. Her novels are written by her, and mine by me.
Dead is Beautiful is, as the title hints, beautiful. It's also extremely funny, suspenseful, insightful, and exciting at various points. It's the fourth in a series, and I think it's the best so far. The main achievements of the earlier books were the introduction of the late Charlie Stone and the dog he meets in the afterlife and names Rose. In spite of being dead, both are incredible characters, and both fully engage us in an ongoing exploration of life, death, love, hatred, good, and evil, time and the world.
Dead is Beautiful also introduces some new characters that are unlike any you have read about before.
Dead is Beautiful is, as the title hints, beautiful. It's also extremely funny, suspenseful, insightful, and exciting at various points. It's the fourth in a series, and I think it's the best so far. The main achievements of the earlier books were the introduction of the late Charlie Stone and the dog he meets in the afterlife and names Rose. In spite of being dead, both are incredible characters, and both fully engage us in an ongoing exploration of life, death, love, hatred, good, and evil, time and the world.
Dead is Beautiful also introduces some new characters that are unlike any you have read about before.
October 14, 2019
Charlie & Rose just keep getting more and more wonderful. As expected, book number 4 in the series did not disappoint!
No spoilers from me here, but this one not only involves our dead heroes working hard to right more wrongs in the world, but also introduces a heavy dose of irony for Charlie as he embarks on his latest mission. Charlie’s disdain for himself seems even more palpable in Book 4, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s linked to the irony of his latest mission. But, thankfully, Charlie brings enough smiles to help balance out the sadness he leaves us with. Like when he gets to meet Alexa for the first time.
We also come across some new ghosts in this story, as well as an interesting Scotsman (although my ‘interesting’ is probably redundant here because, well, aren’t they all?”). Naturally, Rose loves him, too.
Jo’s stories always reach to the core of the depravity of humanity, and this one is no different. Yet, somehow she manages to buffer these often deeply distressing topics with her unique humour (“Tell the truth, Mark. Is the Tesla ok?”) and some gentle character twists. So, all in all, instead of finishing the book with a huge sense of despair, you emerge feeling hopeful.
If you’re new to the party, a dead man and a dead dog may seem like the most unlikely heroes at first glance, but I’m here to tell you they’re absolutely the heroes you never even knew you needed. All the so-far 4 books work fine as standalone stories, but you’ll get a better handle on the character development if you read them in order.
So go ahead and buy all of them (you deserve a treat), but start with Book 1.
Can’t wait for Book 5!
“We’re all going to die, all of us, what a circus! That alone should make us love each other, but it doesn’t.” —Charles Bukowski.
No spoilers from me here, but this one not only involves our dead heroes working hard to right more wrongs in the world, but also introduces a heavy dose of irony for Charlie as he embarks on his latest mission. Charlie’s disdain for himself seems even more palpable in Book 4, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s linked to the irony of his latest mission. But, thankfully, Charlie brings enough smiles to help balance out the sadness he leaves us with. Like when he gets to meet Alexa for the first time.
We also come across some new ghosts in this story, as well as an interesting Scotsman (although my ‘interesting’ is probably redundant here because, well, aren’t they all?”). Naturally, Rose loves him, too.
Jo’s stories always reach to the core of the depravity of humanity, and this one is no different. Yet, somehow she manages to buffer these often deeply distressing topics with her unique humour (“Tell the truth, Mark. Is the Tesla ok?”) and some gentle character twists. So, all in all, instead of finishing the book with a huge sense of despair, you emerge feeling hopeful.
If you’re new to the party, a dead man and a dead dog may seem like the most unlikely heroes at first glance, but I’m here to tell you they’re absolutely the heroes you never even knew you needed. All the so-far 4 books work fine as standalone stories, but you’ll get a better handle on the character development if you read them in order.
So go ahead and buy all of them (you deserve a treat), but start with Book 1.
Can’t wait for Book 5!
“We’re all going to die, all of us, what a circus! That alone should make us love each other, but it doesn’t.” —Charles Bukowski.
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