Reviewed by Chris and Taylin
TITLE: Not Dead Yet
SERIES: Not Dead Yet #1
AUTHOR: Jenn Burke
PUBLISHER: Carina Press
LENGTH: 270 pages
RELEASE DATE: February 4, 2019
BLURB:
Dying isn’t what it used to be.
Wes Cooper was dead. Then he wasn’t—though he’s not exactly alive, either. As an immortal not-ghost, he can transition between this world and the otherplane, which makes him the perfect thief for hire. For seventy years he’s made a “living” returning items to their rightful owners, seeing his fair share of the bizarre in the process. But he’s never witnessed murder. Until now.
His latest mission brings him more than he bargained for: a very-dead actor who is definitely going to stay that way. It’s just Wes’s luck that his ex-boyfriend, Detective Hudson Rojas, is assigned to the case. Hudson broke Wes’s heart years ago—and could again, given he’s rocking a hot silver-fox look that shouldn’t be legal.
As they work together to track down the murderer before anyone else gets hurt, it becomes clear Wes and Hudson have unfinished business. And when a secret Hudson’s been keeping threatens more than just their happiness, it might mean the end of their not-life together—permanently
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CHRIS’ REVIEW
A thief by any other name…
Wes Cooper has been a “recovery specialist” for a very long time–for nearly as long as he has been not-quite-dead. Killed by a lover in the early 1930’s, and brought back to semi-life by a witch not long after, Wes has been making a living, as it were, recovering objects that don’t rightly belong to their current owners. Being able to move in and out of the spiritual plane without being seen, heard, or noticed in any way has made it the perfect job for Wes. And, for the most part, it is a satisfying career that fits him perfectly so he has few regrets.
Until one day his perfect job turns into a perfect nightmare when he walks through a wall and finds a woman being murdered. Shocked and unsure, he does not act till too late, and the guilt of not being able to help is only slightly lessened by his call to the cops soon after to report the murder. He can’t get away from the sight of her being strangled, though, while he stood there and watched. He does not feel any better to find out the man in charge of the case, Detective Hudson Rojas, was a very old friend of Wes’. A man who has had, and still has, more than a few things to say about how Wes lives his life. But it might not be Wes’ past that comes back to bite them, but Hudson’s.
…So, I guess 2019 is going to be the year where I just read and fall in love with a multitude of thieves. And, yeah, two does not a pattern make, but you can’t argue with the fact that the first two book I read and reviewed this year both share a certain criminality in their protagonists, as well as a 5-star rating. I won’t be too broken up if this trend continues, is all I’m saying.
When it comes down to it, I found this to be a wonderfully crafted mystery/cop-drama mixed with an ever increasing paranormal element that worked in seamlessly to the plot and world building. You start out the story with not-dead Wes and his witchy best friend, but as the story goes along, and the investigation into the dead women’s murder gets more and more complicated, you (and Wes) start to see that nothing is nearly as simple as it had seemed. And despite the fact that Wes is pushing 100, the world is much more complex, dangerous, and wonderful than even he could imagine. The way that these things are revealed is done extremely well. It lets us, the readers, get to know the world as the same time as Wes…but it never once felt like it was talking down to anyone. I have an extreme dislike of stories that feel that all things must be explained as if we are 5 years old and must be told, repeatedly, every little fact in the most glaring detail. That didn’t happen here.
This story ended up being one I deeply enjoyed reading. The twists were not obvious, and when I realized what was happening in certain scenes I was so happy that I didn’t see them coming. But in retrospect everything still made sense. Which is how twists should work. And even outside the twists this story has so many great characters that I truly had a blast getting to know them all. Wes and Hudson were of course good, but I didn’t think I would end up liking the secondary characters as much as I did. Lexi, Wes’ best friend, is usually the kind of character I find grating, but she actually grew on me. And a certain someone who comes into play later in the story could have easily been such a flat, non-character, but I really liked them and truly empathize with their rather shitty situation.
When it comes down to it, this was a world that I am really glad I got to be introduced to, and I am really looking forward to what comes next. The mystery was…well, mysterious. The characters were charming and relatable, and the more paranormal aspects have me excited to know more. I can’t help but highly recommend this.
RATING: 
TAYLIN’S REVIEW
It was 1933 was when Wes died was and resurrected by a witch. The spell mostly worked, leaving him with two side effects. One, he could make himself invisible, and two, he was essentially immortal. Given his unique magical circumstances, he chose to be a retrieval specialist – a thief for hire that returned goods rather than sold them for profit. This line of work didn’t sit well with his cop boyfriend of the time, and the two parted ways breaking Wes’s heart.
Visually in his twenties, technically in his eighties and thirty-three years after breaking up with Rojas, Wes witnesses a murder. The only person he can give a truthful report to without awkward questions is Rojas. The call opens a new can of worms and unresolved personal issues. Their first meeting after thirty-odd years was weird and somewhat confrontational. Despite Rojas alternating between hot and cold towards Wes. The sexual tension between the two jumps off the page, and unfinished sentences almost reveal deeper feelings.
Guilt over freezing in the face of murder, made Wes want to help in any way he could. This entailed him using his unique skills snooping after the fact, dredging up the past with Rojas and discovering more than a few secrets and surprises of the paranormal kind.
Not Dead Yet is a detective story with a bit of a difference. I loved the idea of a living ghost who was also a thief. I found it to be a variation on Robin Hood with a hint of Johnny Depp’s, The Nine Gates. The story contained the traditional female best friend, who was also a witch and a wider cast that was pocket sized enough to not be confusing.
Told in the first-person Wes often talks as though his body parts have minds of their own. Usually, without qualifiers, autonomous body parts would be an issue, and these references are on the cusp. I can understand why they are being used, but I can’t help thinking the phrasing could have been better. Such as where Wes says, e.g. my feet wouldn’t move, a better wording would be, I couldn’t make my feet move.
The drama is well-written, convincing, and the dialogue is excellent. Throughout, there are many scenic descriptions. While detailed and add to the overall picture, occasionally they got in the way of the unfolding drama.
Nevertheless, Not Dead Yet is a story that draws in the reader. In the beginning, it grabs the attention and is an engaging read. Then that little something happens that makes you glued to the page, eager find out what happens next.
RATING: 
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