Dead is the New Black
Paranormal Mystery/ Romance
Marlene Perez
Reviewed by B. Gradel
5 / 5 stars
“At first I thought the bathroom was empty, and badly in need of some cleaning. The aerosol odor was stronger in there, but mingling with that odor was another smell: sweet and stale perfume.
I turned to leave, but caught a glimpse of a cowboy hat lying on the floor in one of the bathroom stalls. And that’s when I found the body.”
Daisy Giordano lives with her mother and two older sisters. Her dad went missing a few years back, and everyone in town thinks he ran off with another woman. Her mom and sisters are psychic. Daisy is normal like her dad used to be. Daisy is an outcast everywhere. The only person she feels normal with is Ryan Mendez, her next door neighbor. They’ve been friends their whole lives…but that’s about to change…
On their first day of school, the most popular girl, Sam Devereaux, who is usually dressed in pink and glitter galore, is decked out in death. Her clothes are black and gray and she is paler than her usual tan self. Everyone is taken by surprise. Even the ‘Goth kids’ are horrified. They start wearing pink and glitter instead of being like Sam. Then girls from the cheerleading squad start falling ill with something that no one can cure. The squad is in desperate need of flexible people, so the coach, Ms. Fisher, gets Daisy to join the squad. Daisy suspects that the bracelets Sam has given out to everyone on the squad has something to do with the illness. She joins only to keep an eye on the Divine Devereaux. Then she hears about a death from a nearby town. The body goes missing. This ‘walking dead’ victim is seen all over. Daisy suspects something paranormal is taking place. Will Daisy and Ryan figure out what is going on… or did they bite off more than they could chew??
Marlene Perez does an amazing job adding exciting twists and turns to the story. I love how many metaphors and similes she uses. The writing is descriptive, yet kind of vague in a way. She doesn’t go into full detail, but adds just enough so that you feel like you’re in the story. She uses the power of friendship to add more to the story. She also adds in some romance between two life-long friends. Anyone who loves paranormal towns, romance, thrillers or mysteries and has never read this book will die unhappy.
