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The Groundskeeper: Have A Dead Night: A Cozy Supernatural Mystery
As the cold rain falls on Belleview cemetery, Apprentice mediator Chloe Brandt is shifting from raking fallen leaves to solving mysteries for the living and the dead. If it's not one thing, it's another as a fallen tree, a new case, and an unexpected result all collide with a summons from a colleague. Now Chloe and her boss Mr. Cruor are headed for the deep hollers of Appalachia, to attempt the unraveling of a fifty-year-old tragedy, and they are walking right into an ambush. One wrong step, and the dead stay restless forever.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 30, 2025
About the author
Cedar Sanderson
130 books62 followersAuthor, illustrator, perennially inquisitive. Urban fantasy with pixies, cozy supernatural sleuthing, & sci-fi twists. Books & art at http://cedarwrites.com
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 2, 2025
With the reading of this story it marks 29 times I have read a book or published short story by Sanderson, not counting her contributions to anthologies. I first encountered the works of Cedar in Cracked: An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories, and after reading her piece there knew I had to track down and read something else from her pen. The first story in this series was that next piece I read and since then I have been slowly working through all of Sanderson’s published works. In that first book Sanderson states:
“This book is dedicated to the Junior Mad Scientist, my pastel goth. May you find your happy place, dear heart.”
Written and dedicated to her own daughter the story is spun off from a chance real life event. The dedication in this volume states:
“To my baby bat, as always, and may you find your own path in life.”
The story is very well written. It was a humorous read with a dark twists. The book and whole series really grabs your attention and keeps you hooked. I picked up the book as soon as it released and read it in a couple of sittings over a day and a half. The description of this offering is:
“As the cold rain falls on Belleview cemetery, Apprentice mediator Chloe Brandt is shifting from raking fallen leaves to solving mysteries for the living and the dead. If it's not one thing, it's another as a fallen tree, a new case, and an unexpected result all collide with a summons from a colleague. Now Chloe and her boss Mr. Cruor are headed for the deep hollers of Appalachia, to attempt the unraveling of a fifty-year-old tragedy, and they are walking right into an ambush. One wrong step, and the dead stay restless forever.”
The chapters in this offering are:
1. Nightlife
2. Morning Meeting
3. Derp Kitty Dear
4. Side Quest
5. Root and Branch
6. The Little Old Lady
7. Curiosity and the Cat
8. Sky and Trees
9. Road Trip
10. Weeping Bride Creek
11. An Expedition
12. Old Ghosts
13. Cave of the Dead
14. Missing Ghosts
15. Bigfoot
16. Unravelling
17. Remembrance
18. Postscript
The story follows Chloe as she continues to transition into a new role at Belleview Cemetery, a role that is much more series and has further reaching consequences. She has known for a while that life at Belleview was different, and she took it all in stride. Now she has accepted a vocation, a vocation of the work of mercy of burying the dead, and in this case helping them to transition if needed.
This story moves at a quick pace and a lot of events transpire. We are also given a lot of information about Mr. Cruor, the gnomes, and the organization Chloe is now a part of. They assist on a few cases; one local and one at a remote end of the state. We have encounters with a few of those we met in previous installments. We get to see Chloe settling into her new role, and finding her place in that role.
In this volume Mr. Cruor reveals some more information about his past. Chloe’s relationships with Della and Trunk are blooming. Though in this one lessons with Trunk keep getting g put off. A lot happens in this small volume. Chloe is building a team to take over some of the caretaking work so she can take on other duties. And needs to reach out for extra assistance after a story first damages a tree, and then it is completely uprooted.
This is another masterfully written story. Great characters both alive and dead. And in this one a real true villain. An excellent read a very serious edge. I love this book and series, I want to know what else happens to Chloe and the residents we have encountered and those we have yet to meet at Belleview Cemetery and further beyond. This series is really shaping up. Each time a new story comes out I end up going back and rereading them all. I can easily recommend this book and series. A most excellent read!
“This book is dedicated to the Junior Mad Scientist, my pastel goth. May you find your happy place, dear heart.”
Written and dedicated to her own daughter the story is spun off from a chance real life event. The dedication in this volume states:
“To my baby bat, as always, and may you find your own path in life.”
The story is very well written. It was a humorous read with a dark twists. The book and whole series really grabs your attention and keeps you hooked. I picked up the book as soon as it released and read it in a couple of sittings over a day and a half. The description of this offering is:
“As the cold rain falls on Belleview cemetery, Apprentice mediator Chloe Brandt is shifting from raking fallen leaves to solving mysteries for the living and the dead. If it's not one thing, it's another as a fallen tree, a new case, and an unexpected result all collide with a summons from a colleague. Now Chloe and her boss Mr. Cruor are headed for the deep hollers of Appalachia, to attempt the unraveling of a fifty-year-old tragedy, and they are walking right into an ambush. One wrong step, and the dead stay restless forever.”
The chapters in this offering are:
1. Nightlife
2. Morning Meeting
3. Derp Kitty Dear
4. Side Quest
5. Root and Branch
6. The Little Old Lady
7. Curiosity and the Cat
8. Sky and Trees
9. Road Trip
10. Weeping Bride Creek
11. An Expedition
12. Old Ghosts
13. Cave of the Dead
14. Missing Ghosts
15. Bigfoot
16. Unravelling
17. Remembrance
18. Postscript
The story follows Chloe as she continues to transition into a new role at Belleview Cemetery, a role that is much more series and has further reaching consequences. She has known for a while that life at Belleview was different, and she took it all in stride. Now she has accepted a vocation, a vocation of the work of mercy of burying the dead, and in this case helping them to transition if needed.
This story moves at a quick pace and a lot of events transpire. We are also given a lot of information about Mr. Cruor, the gnomes, and the organization Chloe is now a part of. They assist on a few cases; one local and one at a remote end of the state. We have encounters with a few of those we met in previous installments. We get to see Chloe settling into her new role, and finding her place in that role.
In this volume Mr. Cruor reveals some more information about his past. Chloe’s relationships with Della and Trunk are blooming. Though in this one lessons with Trunk keep getting g put off. A lot happens in this small volume. Chloe is building a team to take over some of the caretaking work so she can take on other duties. And needs to reach out for extra assistance after a story first damages a tree, and then it is completely uprooted.
This is another masterfully written story. Great characters both alive and dead. And in this one a real true villain. An excellent read a very serious edge. I love this book and series, I want to know what else happens to Chloe and the residents we have encountered and those we have yet to meet at Belleview Cemetery and further beyond. This series is really shaping up. Each time a new story comes out I end up going back and rereading them all. I can easily recommend this book and series. A most excellent read!
March 5, 2026
Cedar Sanderson is a talented artist and author, who as an author primarily works in urban fantasy, fantasy and science fiction genres. I first discovered Sanderson as the illustrator of Raconteur Press anthologies, and I believe the first story of hers that I came across was in one of these anthologies. She does an excellent job with black ink sketches/drawings, and this volume is nicely illustrated.
This is the fifth in the Groundskeeper series, with Chloe, a young woman that can talk to the dead, who is hired originally as a cemetery groundskeeper, and eventually is recruited into the brotherhood whose task is to moderate this world and the dead.
The book is a nice cozy fantasy, well written, and stresses the ability of a young woman to navigate the weird. Other characters include troll, goblins, a brownie, a skeleton, and ghosts. This story draws on Appalachian traditions.
This is the fifth in the Groundskeeper series, with Chloe, a young woman that can talk to the dead, who is hired originally as a cemetery groundskeeper, and eventually is recruited into the brotherhood whose task is to moderate this world and the dead.
The book is a nice cozy fantasy, well written, and stresses the ability of a young woman to navigate the weird. Other characters include troll, goblins, a brownie, a skeleton, and ghosts. This story draws on Appalachian traditions.
November 6, 2025
Great series by great author!
Cedar Sanderson has a gift for telling tales. Her series start off strong and grow even better as characters evolve. Well done, Cedar!
Cedar Sanderson has a gift for telling tales. Her series start off strong and grow even better as characters evolve. Well done, Cedar!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews