Caretaker of the Dead

by Kevin Lucia, Darkly Dreaming Press

Paul Olson is the new mortician in Clifton Heights, New York. After his studies and internships, he feels confident that he's prepared to fill the shoes of his predecessor, Henry Atkins, who is finally retiring. What he's not prepared for, however, is Clifton Heights itself. A strange little town where there's more to everything than meets the eye, and the dead don't rest easy. Here, Paul Olson will learn what it really means to be the caretaker of the dead.

"Kevin Lucia's writing is both scary and smart, a lethal cocktail that makes for mesmerizing storytelling." - Tosca Lee, New York Times Bestselling Author of A Memoir

"Lucia is a true craftsman of the horror story, with a fine sense of the genre's best traditions." - Norman Prentiss, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Invisible Fences and In the Porches of My Ears

213 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2025

About the author

Kevin Lucia is the ebook and trade paperback editor at Cemetery Dance Publications. His short fiction has been published in many venues, most notably with Clive Barker, David Morell, Peter Straub, Bentley Little, and Robert McCammon.

His first short story collection, Things Slip Through, was published by Crystal Lake Publishing in November, 2013. He's followed that with the collections Through A Mirror, Darkly, Devourer of Souls, Things You Need, October Nights, and the novellas Mystery Road, A Night at Old Webb, and The Night Road.

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.

I love stories that center around Clifton Heights! This one had many of the elements (and some character mentions) that I particularly enjoyed. The story itself was interesting and worked well for those familiar with other Clifton Heights tales.

I think where it felt "off" for me were the constant hints of something that happened, then backtracking: "I'm getting ahead of myself", or "I'll tell you about that later". Personal pet peeve as it takes me away from the moment/momentum of the story, and then I don't feel the narrative as "lineal" as I would like. The flashbacks to earlier times are fine, but I think in this case it was the narrator stating things, and then going back to something else.

If you love Clifton Heights stories, this is defiinitely worth reading. Personally, some of my favorites are from the novella collections--the depth and characters of the community really stand out.

[Lisa Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caretaker of the Dead is a Clifton Heights novella by Kevin Lucia. This chilling supernatural tale is a quieter horror than other Clifton Heights stories, flowing with dark intrigue, breath-stopping suspense, and the gripping atmosphere of dread that comes with a haunted mortuary.

But it also has evocative characters and depth. The first-person perspective creates and air of mystery surrounding the events and other characters, but it also allows for a very impactful introspective on death and the deceased as the story progresses and the main character evolves. I found it on the whole to be emotionally and intellectually moving as well as incredibly and wonderfully creepy!

On a side note, on of the key characters is the Shopkeeper, who is an enigmatic and fascinating recurring character throughout the Clifton Heights series. Since the books can be read in any order, I have not yet read the one that focuses on the Shopkeeper (Things You Need), but after the part he plays in this one, I promptly acquired it and added it to my TBR list (pile, hill, mountain).

I thoroughly enjoyed Caretaker of the Dead. It’s compelling, entertaining, mentally stimulating, and has the perfect level of supernatural horror creep-factor. It’s an excellent story, a quick and fun read, and I cannot recommend it enough.

A Bibliophilia Templum review
https://bibliophiliatemplum.wordpress.com/2025/10/04/caretaker-of-the-dead/

[Ali O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caretaker of the Dead by Kevin Lucia
🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is an interesting and creepy supernatural/horror novella. It kept me on engaged and my toes from start to finish.
Clifton Heights is a small little town where Paul and his wife Ashley decide to move to, as Paul is offered a mortuary position.
Clifton Heights is a different type of town and they seem to notice this right away. Moving during Halloween time also made for an interesting first impression on the town.

This story is very unique and is an entertaining read. It’s exciting to see what happens after the new move and with Paul’s new job! There’s definitely lots going on in this shorter story.
I was lucky to get an arc of this entertaining story! I found the book to be well written and I recommend checking it out!!

*It comes out October 10th!*

[Amanda S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a creepy tale! Imagine working in a haunted funeral home/mortuary. I think I would go mad. The supernatural elements throughout this story and beautifully written. The reverence shown for the dead is refreshing. The small flashbacks that give us insight into the MC's experience with hauntings just adds something a little extra to the story.

Thank you, Kevin, for the privilege of being on your ARC team. Always a pleasure.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.

I am always happy to go back to Clifton Heights. I always know I'm in for a good story and a good time. This book is told interview style, first person, which is a bit different from the other Clifton Heights tales I've read. I found the job description of the Caretaker really interesting and enjoyed the almost folksy (but well-written) style. 3.5 stars

[Dan Mckeithan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this small quiet horror tale. Love that Kevin keeps us inside the same town as in other stories. Having the story told from the perspective of the events after they have happened lended a creepier vibe to the story and the mortician as the protagonist was a great way into the story.

[the.horror.girl.27 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book and really enjoyed the concept and story. I thought the story was interesting with different aspects playing into it. I enjoyed Kevin’s writing style a lot. His character building and descriptions of events and places are through and I can imagine being there. Looking forward to reading more of his books!