Strife After Death Books in Order

Strife After Death has one of Mara Webb's more unusual premises. Cora Hart is already dead when the series begins, or close enough to dead that the distinction barely helps. An ancient coven offers her a deal, temporary life in exchange for solving murders, and Cora takes it because the alternative is worse.

That bargain gives the books their shape. Cora is working cases on borrowed time, which means every mystery carries personal stakes. If she fails, the victim gets no justice and Cora risks being stuck in limbo forever. She is also not a naturally sunny sleuth. Cora comes across more like a lone hunter than a cozy shopkeeper, and that slightly rougher edge makes the series stand out.

Leap Point is still a small-town paranormal setting, though, so you get the pleasures that come with that. Hidden histories, suspicious locals, enchanted businesses, and a town where nearly everybody seems to be keeping something back. The books balance that supernatural bargain with more familiar murder-mystery pleasures, cursed objects, bitter rivalries, and suspects with layered motives.

If you want a Mara Webb series with a stronger fantasy twist and a heroine literally racing against the clock of her own second chance, Strife After Death is a good one to pick up.