Waking Up Dead by Nigel Williams

Published in the UK as R.I.P. in 2015; published by St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books on August 23, 2016

Waking Up Dead is a murder mystery told from the perspective of one of the victims. That’s been done before, but the “dead victim solves his own murder” plot has probably never produced as many laughs as Nigel Williams conjures in this novel. This murder mystery, told as a tongue-in-cheek ghost story, is surprisingly funny.

George Pearmain, a retired banker, has little interest in getting out of bed, even when his shrieking wife proclaims the death of his mother. George rarely has an interest in getting out of bed -- his post-retirement life isn’t thrilling -- but on this occasion, he seems physically incapable of moving. The novel’s title explains George’s problem, although, while perhaps not in peak condition at his age, George doesn’t feel dead. He thinks, therefore he is, but what is he? Dead, as it turns out.

Still, death is a refreshing relief from responsibility, a state George embraces with equanimity. Death gives George the freedom to say whatever he likes, even if he cannot be heard. On the other hand, George can also hear what people are saying about him, most of which is less than flattering.

Why George might be dead is no mystery to him (65, drank too much, exercised too little). A greater mystery is the suggestion that his mother might have been murdered on the day she turned 99. She is found in the kitchen with a fractured skull next to a broken window. But the suggestion that George might have been murdered leads to a comical coroner’s inquest, where George learns how many of his family members might have welcomed his death.

George’s demise comes during a family gathering to celebrate his mother’s birthday, giving Williams ample opportunity to develop odd and entertaining characters, including George’s sons and siblings and grandchildren. A New Age believer in the healing power of herbs, an interviewer who hosts a popular radio program, a wife who dedicated herself to arguing with George, an incompetent doctor, a nosy caregiver, and a detective inspector who emulates Sherlock are among the many characters who enliven the novel.

Most of the characters are eccentric, some are batty, and a few of them might indeed be murderous. Those who seem relatively normal are shallow or self-absorbed. Perhaps the funniest character is George’s dead dog, the only character who can see dead George. But as the story turns into a murder-fest, the reader is challenged to decide which character(s) did away with George and/or his mother and/or later victims. As the police attempt to answer those questions, George provides commentary that is rich with sarcasm, satire, irony, and every other literary device that can be counted on to provoke laughter.

Waking Up Dead brought to mind a blend of Kingsley Amis and Monty Python. The novel has its share of slapstick (a triple funeral provoked several laugh-out-loud moments) but most of the humor has the restrained quality for which the British are justly famous. A consistent stream of throw-away phrases like “her brief and unsuccessful attempt at childhood” assures frequent chuckles. Williams pokes fun at racism, nationalism, smartphones, officious police detectives, squabbling families, ambition, greed, lust, envy, and other deadly sins while delivering a fun, offbeat mystery. The ending is both sweet and sad, a nice counterpoint to the humor that precedes it.

RECOMMENDED