After what feels like a run of novels featuring endlessly passive, drippy, self-pitying protagonists, this book was an absolute breath of joyous fresh air. Claire remains one of the most entertaining narrators I've come across in a long time. She's completely unhinged, morally questionable, but somehow far more practical and capable than many fictional heroes. Spending time in her head is an absolute joy.

The premise is ridiculous: a serial killer who has lost her enthusiasm for killing suddenly finding herself investigating murders she didn't commit. The result is a darkly comic and very readable. There's a great balance between humour and crime. So entertaining

Another great read from this talented author.
Dark humour galore, if that's your thing your going to love this.
A storyline to make your toe's curl.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Absolutely brilliant!

This is one of the only times when I've thought the sequel to be even better than the first! And that is high praise because that was a bloody good debut.

The author's writing style is fantastic. The characters are hilarious. The hijinks are jolly good fun.

These books really help to fill the hole that Sweetpea left behind. And I don't say that lightly.

Please tell me Claire will return...?

Best of the series so far! The local pub, the heart of the community, and the perfect place for a serial killer in a dry spell to rediscover her mojo...

I could rave on about these books all day - snarky and hilarious (murder aside) they always make me smile, and I'm often trying to anticipate who will be next. The incomer on her patch was a brilliant surprise, as well as some of the progression Claire made in her own understanding of herself and her relationships.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this. I throughly enjoyed You’d Look Better As a Ghost so when I saw The Art of Getting Hammered available to request it was a no brainer. I didn’t want to put my kindle down!

Claire is the best type of FMC in my opinion - she is funny, ever so slightly psychotic but in an understandable way (?). She dishes out justice for the correct reasons…. Some may not use a hammer for this but to each their own!

I really loved Claire’s inner monologue, it made me laugh out loud at times especially when dealing with Mrs Davis.

I really don’t want to put any spoilers here as I think this book should be read to be really appreciated, but I will say that this was so well-written and the TWIST oh my god I kept going back and forth with my suspicions but I still didn’t guess right! Such a good read with plenty going on but not too much where it felt confusing.

I have for sure got myself a new autobuy author - I was already a fan after YLBAAG but to have a sequel which is as funny and gripping it’s a huge yes from me!!!

I have to admit that I was greedy and got both the digital copy and the audio of this novel! But they both stand out in different ways. I have to admit that it takes a lot for me to actually find a novel funny but this book had me chuckling out loud even as I wondered if it was correct to agree so much with Claire’s observations on society. Claire is going through a dry patch but her local pub and the regulars who frequent it soon help with that! I’m not sure if I’ll ever get the patio scene out of my head..no spoilers you will have to read the book. A book full of dry humour and witty observation of the human state and the irritants within society. The audio book is cleverly read and the characters are brought to life by the great narrator Imogen Church. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review

It was wonderful to catch up with Claire and her hammer in this next instalment of her life. However, all is not how it seems as Claire has lost her murdering mojo. Claire discovers there is someone encroaching on her patch when bodies start dropping dead. So, she decides to use her skills to investigate these crimes to unmask the killer. It was entertaining, full of twists, funny, great characters, great storyline, mysterious and thrilling. The big reveal came as a total surprise as I never that coming.

I really enjoyed this book. Packed with chortle-worthy narrative, characters you can both love and loathe, and a serial killer intent of setting things right by uncovering a serial drink spiker and, potential, fellow serial killer. Given protagonist Claire's propensity for shortening the future of those she finds irksome, is it possible that this time around she may have met her match? Can a job in a pub really lead to a renewal of her recently lost murderous tendencies? And is Claire really the kind of person you should lean on to help find a missing dog...?

Well, to find out the answer to any of those questions, it really would be a good idea to read this book as I'm not going to tell you. What I will tell you is that the book brought a smile to my face from the very start, a kind of tee-hee glee from knowing that in her own, understated and yet ultimately final way, Claire was going to find her own unique brand of entertainment and inspiration in untimely, and often quite messy, death. Yes, Claire is an artist, with a side line in murder by way of blunt force trauma utilising an very common place, but effective, household object. I'll let you draw your own conclusions here if you haven;t read the first book, You'd Look Better As A Ghost, but I think the title, and the cover, speak volumes.

It's not essential that you have read the first book to appreciate Claire's raison d'être, but I do think you are missing out on a real treat if you haven't because it's a cracking read in its own right, and it does go someway to explaining the unlikely, and somewhat complex, friendship with Helen. It also gives a little more context to Claire's 'hobby', and her very unique artistry. The book launches right into the middle of one of Claire's sessions with her first muse/victim of the book, and you can get a real feel for how the remainder of the book will go from here. It's not a book that takes itself too seriously, and yet one that actually covers some pretty important subjects in a way that doesn't seek to make light of them - ie drink spiking - but which doesn't leave you feeling overly depressed either, if only because you know Claire is there with her own brand of justice.

I really liked the portrayal of the characters in this book, even if not all were actually likeable in themselves. Claire is an obvious winner, so wonderfully drawn, unable to really understand the simplest of social clues and so dry in her observations it's almost impossible to laugh. She says and thinks everything we probably all do too, but are too polite to give voice to. Helen is so positive and so oblivious to the fact that Claire is of an exceedingly dark mind that they compliment each other in the way of all the best comedy duos, but with a few less cracking one liners (although never dismiss Claire for the chance of pithy observations).

Then you have Claire's neighbour, and owner of the aforementioned missing dog, Mrs Davis, her Nephew, the eternally put upon publican, Angus, his irrepressible marketing obsessed fiancée, Samira, and his partner in business, the very grumpy and dissatisfied, Mac. They, and the other customers of The Red Lion make for a cracking cast who kept me amused, and waiting with great patience to see who might be the next victim of the potential killer(s), Claire included. They all help to keep the story fresh, and had me completeky invested in their story.

The book is perfectly paced, and brilliantly narrated by the wonderful Claire. There are moments when we get to experience the perspective of the 'other' killer in their midst, but largely it is Claire's point of view we share and this determines how quickly we are able to uncover the identity of other ne'er-do-wells. There are plenty of surprises along the way, and a few less surprising moments too where I arrived at certain conclusions just a shade ahead of Claire. But that is no issue in this book. You are not meant to be a budding Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, although mystery is rife should you wish to play that role. This is a book that has that element of investigation, but is heavy on entertainment value, with witty dialogue that hits the mark as surely as Claire's weapon of choice.

If you enjoyed book one, then you are in for a real treat with this trip back into Claire's world. I ate it up, tearing through the pages at quite the clip, wondering if Claire could make like a Canadian Mountie and 'get her man'. A brilliantly entertaining read perfect for a summers day, and for anyone who has ever envisioned 'dealing' with those people who try your patience, but lack the psychotic and amoral tendencies to do so.

Claire might just be one of my favourite morally questionable protagonists ever... because somehow I'm always rooting for the serial killer. 🔨😂

Claire is in a bit of a slump. She's lost her enthusiasm for murdering irritating people (a real crisis, obviously), but when she starts working at the local pub and discovers someone is spiking drinks, she finds herself investigating a string of murders she *didn't* commit. Watching a serial killer get annoyed that someone else is killing on her patch is every bit as entertaining as it sounds.

Joanna Wallace has absolutely nailed that perfect balance between laugh-out-loud humour and genuinely gripping crime. Claire's internal monologue is wickedly funny, her logic is completely unhinged, and yet... it somehow makes perfect sense when you're inside her head. I found myself laughing one minute and desperately trying to piece together the mystery the next.

What I love most about this series is that it never asks you to forgive Claire for who she is—it simply invites you along for the ride. The mystery kept me guessing, the twists genuinely surprised me, and I flew through the pages because I simply had to know what was going on.

Tropes:
🔨 Morally grey (okay... morally black) FMC
🔍 Amateur sleuth
🍺 Small-town pub setting
🖤 Dark comedy
🔍 Murder mystery
🤯 Twisty plot
📖 Unreliable narrator

Recommended for fans of Sweetpea by C.J. Skuse, and anyone who enjoys crime fiction that's as hilarious as it is murderous.

Dark, sharp, outrageously funny, and impossible to put down. Claire remains one of the most bizarrely lovable protagonists I've ever read—and I really hope this isn't the last we've seen of her. I'm eagerly awaiting Joanna Wallace's next book!

Claire is redefining her killer urges, she seems to have lost her enthusiasm for her deadly art, and has now become engrossed in painting, mainly abstract art, portraits of people that reveal their hidden secrets and the face that they prefer to keep hidden from the world at large.
Not until she gets a part time job at her local pub, does her suppressed urges start to surface, there are so many people who don’t deserve life, drunk drivers, drug pushers and dognappers, where to start?
But there is a hitch, Claire is finding out that she sets the plan in motion, the victim is chosen , but someone else is quietly finishing off the job!!! Is there another killer about, and what do they know about Claire?.
The conclusion takes both the reader and Claire by surprise. Will the meek inherit a certain patch of earth?.
A darkly comedic read, and some fantastic characters, a typical pub group. Claire remains a fascinating person, yes, she has rules, but is flexible if the need arrives. She is also trying to be a more measured and reflective person, but this only goes so far.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Serpent’s Tail/ Viper/ Profile Books for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review. A five star rating.
I will leave a copy to Goodreads and Amazon UK later.