Charles Stone is pretty sure he's dead. He has bullet holes in his chest, and there's a ghostly dog that seems to be his new companion. Unable to interact with the world of the living other than watching and listening, he and the dog-whom he names Rose-have nothing to do and all the time in the world to do it. When Charles and Rose try to unravel the circumstances of Charles's death, they uncover a criminal who is raking in millions of dollars by cruelly exploiting, and sometimes killing, his victims. But what difference can a ghost make? And what does the dog have to do with all of this?

Dead is Better

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Perry, Jo

Mystery

Genius Book Company

"It's weird, unique, funny and sad all at the same time. An emotional read, but a bloody great story! I can’t wait to read the follow up, Dead Is Best!" Charles Stone has just woken up dead. Well he’s pretty sure he’s dead, what with the bullet holes in his chest and all. He also appears to be totally alone in the after-life except for the ghostly dog who seems to be his new companion. Unable to interact with the world of the living other than watching and listening, he and the dead dog (whom he names Rose) have nothing to do and all the time in the world to do it. When Charles and Rose try to unravel the circumstances of Charles's death, they uncover a criminal who is raking in millions of dollars by cruelly exploiting, and sometimes killing, his victims. But what difference can a ghost make? And what does the damn dog have to do with any of this? "Perry’s prose here is blunt, clean, simple and sharp. It's Charlie’s voice, but it's also Philip Marlow, and, at times,the combination of direct language and surreality overlaying worlds unsaid makes this feel like a Noir novel by Sam Beckett." "Jo Perry's novel got under my skin and just wouldn't turn me loose" "Deep, dark edges that still somehow let in the light, which is in turn harsh and silvery and, as in one of the quotations, “bonewhite…like death, behind all things." I love this story— of redemption, of love, of connection— and I love this book."

Dead Is Better (Charlie & Rose Investigate)

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

“A wonderful, original, hilarious and brilliant book. I really enjoyed it. I think you’ll like it very much indeed… A must read.” Eric Idle Charlie and Rose are back in their much anticipated new adventure. Charlie’s step daughter lies dying on a beach. She needs help. Some serious help. But how did she get there and what can on earth can a dead guy and his dead dog do? Plenty as it turns out. As Charlie &amp; Rose ride to the rescue in their own unique way it soon becomes clear that the body on the beach was only the beginning…. “like a Noir novel by Sam Beckett” “Weird, unique, funny and sad all at the same time. An emotional read, but a bloody great story” “I loved it. It made me think. It made me laugh. What more could I want?” “Smart, funny, original story. Oh, did I mention funny. Take it to the beach with you this summer”

Dead Is Best (Charlie & Rose Investigate)

"This splendid collection of border fiction is haunting and intense. Bravo to San Diego Sisters in Crime." --T. Jefferson Parker, Edgar Award-winning author of The Last Good Guy Good stories start with characters crossing borders and finding themselves in worlds filled with hurt, harm, and danger. In Crossing Borders, the first anthology from Partners in Crime, the San Diego Chapter of Sisters in Crime, fifteen stories capture moments before, during and after characters cross borders and find themselves stumbling around strange lands that abound with saints, sinners, and monsters. Crossing Borders explores that liminal space--the place where people cross from not just from one place to another, like national boundaries, but the dividing line between life/death, stability/insanity, or innocence/guilt. This anthology contains stories that look at the duality of our lives, as we cross borders between people, values, and beliefs. Join us as we explore crossings, where a character, involved somehow in a crime, must pass over a border, literally or figuratively. As Rachel Howzell Hall says in our foreword: "Be prepared to hold your breath" as we enter that special space of crossing, transitioning, change, and death. Welcome to the border. Contributors: Lauren Avenius, Greta Boris, Pam Clark, Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, Cornelia Feye, Cheryl Garrett, B. J. Graf, S.J. Haworth, Kim Keeline, Kathy Krevat, Melinda Loomis, Gerald Martin, Jo Perry, Barrie Summy, and Carl Vonderau.

Crossing Borders

Literature & Fiction

Brackmann, Lisa

Summy, Barrie

DeMarco-Barrett, Barbara

Krevat, Kathy

Keeline, Kim

Vonderau, Carl

Short Stories & Anthologies

Down & Out Books

The future's so bleak, we got to throw it some shade Pulp Modern teams up with the premiere crime fiction journal, Switchblade, to bring you Tech Noir, a special edition loaded with nine science fiction stories chosen by guest editor Scotch Rutherford. Featuring contributions by the hottest independent writers today, including Tom Barlow, C.W. Blackwell, Deborah L. Davitt, Angelique Fawns, Nils Gilbertson, J.D. Graves, Zakariah Johnson, Jo Perry, and Don Stoll. Alec Cizak provides chief editing duties. Richard Krauss continues his outstanding work as art director. And Ran Scott delivers cover-to-cover illustrations to help make this a must-have for fans of science fiction everywhere.

Pulp Modern: Tech Noir

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Barlow, Tom

Graves, J.D.

Fawns, Angelique

Blackwell, C.W.

Davitt, Deborah L.

Gilbertson, Nils

Science Fiction

Uncle B. Publications

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*

Dead Is Beautiful (Charlie & Rose Investigate)

Fahrenheit Press

"Faultlessly imagined and beautifully written, this is one of the best novels I've read all year." –Timothy Hallinan, author of the acclaimed Simeon Grist seriesCaught in a pincer movement between the sudden death of Evelyn (her favourite aunt) and the Corona virus, Ascher Lieb finds herself unexpectedly locked down in her aunt’s retirement community with only Evelyn’s grief-stricken dog Freddie for company.As the world tumbles down into a pandemic shaped rabbit-hole Ascher is wracked with guilt that her aunt was buried without the Jewish burial rights of purification.In order to atone for this dereliction of familial duty, Ascher – in her own words ‘a profane, unobservant, atheist Jew, frequent liar and grieving loser’ –volunteers to become the newest member of Valley Haverim Chevra Kadisha, a Jewish burial society on-call twenty-four-seven during lockdown and performing Mitzvot at no cost to the bereaved.What follows is a journey through the insanity of lockdown in Los Angeles as Ascher attempts to bring peace to a troubled soul, and perhaps in the end redemption for herself.In the hands of a lesser-writer a novel set in the time of covid could lead to a cliché ridden trope-fest, but instead with the skill and grace we’ve come to expect from Jo Perry she has delivered a book that is wise and beautiful and uplifting.Praise for Pure"Pure is an immersive, twisting and turning metaphysical murder mystery set in the L.A. of 2020 with its Covid lockdowns, conspiracy theories and ethnic hatreds. Highly recommended." –Seth Lynch, author of the 3rd Republic mysteries.Perry’s mysteries never fail to mesmerize...With Pure she’s outdone herself..." –Jeffrey Siger, author of the celebrated Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis novels"Jo Perry's Pure is a beautiful story you will savor. Ascher's journey, a fusion of dark and light and mystifying gray, is compelling all along the way. Set against the backdrop of Covid, Pure poignantly explores solitude in a way that transcends this pandemic and makes us think about the loneliness we carry through our lives. Ghosts may be the loneliness of our hearts, or they be the chaperones of our destiny; the spiritual inhabits Perry's novel as she deftly camouflages mystery against themes of grief, guilt, love and reconciliation. The mystery will get under your skin, for sure, but the humanity of this novel will resonate far beyond the page." –Steven Cooper, journalist and author of the Gus Parker and Alex Wills series.

Pure (Ascher Lieb Investigates)

World Literature

Charles Stone has just woken up dead. Well he's pretty sure he's dead, what with the bullet holes in his chest and all. He also appears to be totally alone in the after-life except for the ghostly dog who seems to be his new companion. Unable to interact with the world of the living other than watching and listening, he and the dead dog (whom he names Rose) have nothing to do and all the time in the world to do it. When Charles and Rose try to unravel the circumstances of Charles's death, they uncover a criminal who is raking in millions of dollars by cruelly exploiting, and sometimes killing, his victims. But what difference can a ghost make? And what does the damn dog have to do with any of this?\n"A wonderful, original, hilarious, and brilliant book. I really enjoyed it. 
I think you'll like it very much indeed... A must read." --Eric Idle﻿﻿\n"Beautiful. Lyrical. Unexpected."--Linda L. Richards\n"Jo Perry has crafted a detailed mystery thriller with incredible heart and the real punk rock spirit ..." --It's An Indie Book Blog\n"It's funny, foul mouthed, almost heartbreakingly sad in the way Charlies impotence in the face of suffering reflects our own, yet, like all the best crime novels, it's satisfying in its denouement, and hope - a fragile, uncertain hope, but hope nonetheless- left me wanting more of my new favourite detecting duo. 
Perry's prose here is blunt, clean, simple and sharp. It's Charlie's voice, but it's also Philip Marlow, and, 
at times, the combination of direct language and surreality overlaying worlds unsaid makes this feel like a 
Noir novel by Sam Beckett. Which can not be a bad thing. Recommended for lovers of quirky crime, dark humour, Chandler (Raymond, not Bing) and the afore mentioned Hammett." --Derek Farrell, author of Death Of A Diva\n"DEAD IS BETTER is a total delight, a terrifically original, always surprising, very funny..." --Timothy Hallinan, award-winning author of For The Dead, The Fear Artist, Crashed, Little Elvises, The Fame Thief\n"DEAD IS BETTERis not just beautifully written but weirdly moving and funnier than death should be and with a dog like Rosie, the afterlife is sweeter than I could have ever hoped for." --Jervey Tervalon, author of Monster's Chef, Lita: A Novel, Understand This, and Dead Above Ground\n"What a wonderful book! It's witty and wise, and sometimes poignant. It's one of those rare books that made me think, 'How in the world did she think up something like that!' As one of her quotes in the books says, 'Even in the grave, all is not lost...'" --Terry Shames

Dead Is Better

Charlie and Rose are back in their much-anticipated new adventure. Charlie's step-daughter lies dying on a beach. She needs help. Some serious help. But how did she get there and what can on earth can a dead guy and his dead dog do? Plenty as it turns out. As Charlie & Rose ride to the rescue in their own unique way it soon becomes clear that the body on the beach was only the beginning.\n"DEAD IS BEST... knocked my feet out from under me AGAIN. Short chapters, great characters, razor-sharp writing, and a lot of heart."--Timothy Hallinan\n"..Never have two characters, alive or dead, gained my trust so implicitly. They are beautifully drawn and poignantly captured. They continue to grow as characters despite the fact that they're relegated to the afterlife. They will be your guides. They will observe and impart wisdom. They will be a force of light in an otherwise dark tale. Despite what Charles thinks of himself, you will like him. You will redeem him because you, unlike others who shared his time on earth, will value him. As for Cali, you will be heavily invested in her journey and her fight for survival. You will not rest until she finds her salvation. 
A mix of snark and suspense, humor and humanity, Dead is Best is a fast-paced read with a powerful payoff that is richly satisfying. Ten out of five stars."--Steven Cooper\n"Deadly entertaining." --Larry Kahaner\n"Death is different for everyone, but Jo Perry has written yet another book that gives death the finger. Charlie and Rose might be dead, but they are super cool with it."--Bibliophile Bookclub.

Dead Is Best

The World Entire (Ascher Lieb Investigates)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Perry, Jo. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Perry, Jo