Joanna Wallace worked as a solicitor until an autoimmune condition took away some of her sight. She now volunteers at a charity helpline and runs a family business with her husband. She was partly inspired to write You'd Look Better as A Ghost following her father's diagnosis of early onset dementia. Joanna lives near London with her husband, four children and two dogs.
I absolutely loved this book. The combination of dark themes and black comedy is spot on -- Emma Curtis, author of ONE LITTLE MISTAKE This serial killer is deliciously dark with a sense of humour to die for, but is there more to Claire than her terrible past and bloodthirsty present? Joanna Wallace has created a multi-layered character who charms you even as you witness her crimes. An impressive debut -- Alice Clark-Platts, author of THE FLOWER GIRLS What a corker of a debut. Delightfully shocking and irreverently funny, this is a pitch-black comedy horror with a heart... of stone. Roll-up for your one-way ticket to the warped world of a glamorous psychopath and her relentless succession of hapless victims. I only took my eyes off the page to check Claire wasn't standing behind me. You'd Look Better as a Ghost is the darkest debut you'll read all year. Perfect for fans of Killing Eve -- Janice Hallett, author of THE APPEAL Monstrous and full of dark comedy and absolutely brilliant observations. Wonderful - everyone must read it -- Catherine Cooper, author of THE CHALET I loved this blackly comic serial-killer thriller, with its brilliant cat-and-mouse action and a plot that keeps you guessing at every razor-sharp turn. Witty, entertaining, clever and audacious, if Bret Easton Ellis ever went to grief counselling, this would be just the kind of brilliant book he'd write -- Philippa East, author of LITTLE WHITE LIES I loved it. I couldn't help but draw parallels with How to Kill Your Family and My Sister the Serial Killer. I think it sits proudly in this genre and had me laughing out loud in places! -- Melanie Golding, author of LITTLE DARLINGS Never in my life did I think I'd be rooting for a serial killer! This book is a black comedy triumph. I absolutely loved it -- Marion Todd, author of LIES TO TELL Wallace has the knack of spinning a bloody good yarn with gallons of humour, all with the deftest of touch. A true marvel from start to finish -- Jonathan Whitelaw, author of THE BINGO HALL DETECTIVES Droll and deadly - a dazzling debut by Joanna Wallace. Imagine if Eleanor Oliphant was completely murderous and laugh-out-loud funny. It's not often you're rooting for a serial killer to succeed, let alone hoping for a sequel -- D.V. Bishop, author of CITY OF VENGEANCE A terrific debut and a really exciting new voice - if Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine had a baby with Killing Eve, it would be something like this -- Tariq Ashkanani, author of WELCOME TO COOPER An extraordinary combination of wicked, laugh-out-loud humour, with a hefty slice of heart-breaking dark themes. This book is going to be big news -- J.M. Hewitt, author of THE LIFE SHE WANTS I Loved it. So fresh and twisty -- Nina Manning, author of THE GUILTY WIFE I have a new favourite serial killer. Claire dispatches her victims with style and a good dollop of humour. This book is a dark delight -- David Jackson, author of THE RESIDENT I was utterly hooked. Joanna Wallace's prose is scalpel-sharp, with one-liners that made me howl - trust me when I say that this is book is bloody funny -literally. Claire is a serial killer you can't help but love, while wondering if she could ever truly love you back... (picture Fleabag, but she's a blood-splattered psychopath wielding a hammer). I doubt I'll read a more original thriller this year -- Jack Jordan, author of DO NO HARM Dark, funny, clever, really, really good. Definitely one to look out for -- J.B. Mylet, author of THE HOMES What an amazing voice. This is such a clever twisty read with brilliant observations -- Sarah Lawton, author of ALL THE LITTLE THINGS Deliciously vicious and entertaining, Joanna Wallace has created a delightful and deranged protagonist that would give Villanelle a run for her money any day. I tore through this book gleefully, willing the heroine on to ever more dastardly deeds! -- Alison Belsham, author of THE TATTOO THIEF Wallace's slick, singular debut revels joyously in the possibility of following through literally on those fleeting murderous thoughts we all have -- Dominic Nolan, author of VINE STREET A deliciously dark tale. I absolutely loved Claire - someone to be amused by and scared of in equal measure -- Robert Scragg, author of WHAT FALLS BETWEEN THE CRACKS A wonderfully assured debut with a delightfully dark protagonist - a serial killer with a wicked sense of humour. Utterly amoral, her response to being crossed - whether grievously wronged or mildly annoyed - is the same: murder. Brilliant and funny! -- Guy Morpuss, author of BLACK LAKE MANOR Witty, cutting, and sharply observed. A brilliant exploration of the appearance of normality from a truly messed up yet oddly relatable anti-heroine. I loved it! This is the debut thriller to look out for in 2023 -- Sarah Bonner, author of HER PERFECT TWIN Finally, a serial killer we can all get behind. With an attitude as blunt as her favourite hammer and a wit sharper than a stiletto, Claire is opinionated, unreasonable and deadly, and you'll love her. Just don't wear open-toed sandals. You'd Look Better as a Ghost is an absolute delight, a dark and delicious stroll through the mind of a serial killer with a strong dislike for ordinariness and bad dress sense, and an inner dialogue that is as devastatingly witty as P.G. Wodehouse channelling his inner Brett Easton Ellis -- Chris Lloyd, author of THE UNWANTED DEAD Surreal, bonkers, snort-out-loud funny. A absolute delight! -- Sam Holland, author of THE ECHO MAN A perfect pitch-black amorality tale. Devilishly dark, laugh out loud funny, and full of twisted heartache, I've never rooted for a part-time serial killer more! -- Tim Glister, author of RED CORONA Dark, sharp, fast and funny. The kind of dark humour you get served on the end of a whip -- Jacqueline Sutherland, author of THE COFFIN CLUB Claire isn't any old serial killer, she's a serial killer with a sense of humour, absolutely no shame, and an indiscriminate hammer for people who piss her off. She's oddly loveable. We could all learn from Claire -- Jo Furniss, author of ALL THE LITTLE CHILDREN I'm not sure if I'm supposed to have so much fun reading about a serial killer but I absolutely loved Claire! Contrasting the killing with Claire's own grief is a stroke of genius on Joanna Wallace's part -- Joy Kluver, author of LAST SEEN A darkly funny romp with an incredible array of characters. I raced through it in two sittings, and was so gutted when it was over -- Chris McDonald, author of A WASH OF BLACK The most pitch-black of comedies - as witty and moving as it is horrifying. Claire has to be my favourite serial killer since Tom Ripley! -- Chris Curran, author of ALL THE LITTLE LIES Audaciously dark and incredibly funny - it makes you laugh and then question your own humanity for doing so -- Heather Critchlow, author of UNSOLVED I never expected a book about grief to make me laugh out loud - nor to find myself rooting for a serial murderer! Dexter meets Promising Young Woman, combined with a literary examination of the madness of grief that gets under your skin -- Daniel Sellers, author of MURDER IN THE GALLOWGATE