You’d Look Better as a Ghost

Claire, the protagonist in Wallace’s gripping comic thriller debut, joins a bereavement group to try and cope with her father’s recent death. Unbeknownst to the group, Claire is a serial killer and a budding artist. When Claire receives a letter informing her that one of her paintings is on the shortlist for a prestigious award, her ecstatic anticipation soon turns to seething anger when she learns that the letter was a mistake. Claire brutally murders Lucas, the man responsible for the error. As Claire continues killing people whom she decides deserve to die, listeners are drawn deeper into her world of violence and deception. An ironic twist at the novel’s end adds complexity to the story and almost lands Claire in jail. Claire’s cold and heartless personality is expertly captured by narrator Fiona Hardingham, who brings to life Claire’s lack of empathy and horrific actions with bone-chilling realism, making the nonchalant killings more terrifying.