Supernatural 'whodunnit?' for young adults

Denis was killed five years ago. At least he thinks he was. He definitely died - he's currently roaming the afterlife with his grandfather, and vaguely remembers his death... possibly his murder.

He decides he needs to return to help his suffering family, his 12-year-old twin brother and father who are having trouble letting go and moving on, his silently pained mother. Can he communicate with Matt and work out just how he died and why?

I was reminded of The Lovely Bones listening to this - a story about a dead child, possibly killed, the identity of the killer unknown, and the victim trying to help his grieving family move on. Like that book, this is not for young children, despite being narrated by a pre-teen.

Denis delves into his own death, moving back to the night of his murder and works with his twin to solve it and put himself and his family at peace.

Denis's voice is well-created by the narrator, he sounds young, keen and quite accustomed to his situation. The audio format suits the telling, and it is easy to follow.

The story itself is sad, though I found the plot a little convoluted at times to follow. I was worried about graphic death/murder scenes, but there is nothing that means a mature child/teenage reader couldn't enjoy this, despite the genre and content.

The portrayal of a grieving family is quite heart-rending, and even for someone more than dubious about an afterlife, the rules and vision of Denis's are intriguing and don't detract.

Personally, I think a 9 year old will find this a little much, I would say 11-14 year olds and even adults will connect best with the subject matter and twins.

With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.

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