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The Body at Auercliff
“We'll bury her so deep, even her ghost will have a mouth full of dirt!” When Rebecca Wallace arrives at Auercliff to check on her aged aunt, she's in for a shock. Her aunt's mind is crumbling, and the old woman refuses to let Rebecca stay overnight. And just as she thinks she's starting to understand the truth, Rebecca makes a horrifying discovery in one of the house's many spare rooms. A dead body. A woman. Old and rotten. And her aunt insists she has no idea where it came from. The truth lies buried in the past. For generations, the occupants of Auercliff have been tormented by the repercussions of a horrific secret. And somehow everything seems to be centered upon the mausoleum in the house's ground, where every member of the family is entombed once they die. Whose body was left to rot in one of the house's rooms? Why have successive generations of the family been plagued by a persistent scratching sound? And what really happened to Rebecca many years ago, when she found herself locked inside the Auercliff mausoleum? The Body at Auercliff is a horror story about a family and a house, and about the refusal of the past to stay buried.
335 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 2, 2016
348 people are currently reading
819 people want to read
About the author
Amy Cross
668 books1,699 followersAmy Cross writes novels and short stories in a number of genres, mainly horror, paranormal and fantasy. Books include The Farm, Annie's Room, The Island, Eli's Town and Asylum.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
February 4, 2026
“We'll bury her so deep, even her ghost will have a mouth full of dirt!” When Rebecca Wallace arrives at Auercliff to check on her aged aunt, she's in for a shock. Her aunt's mind is crumbling, and the old woman refuses to let Rebecca stay overnight. And just as she thinks she's starting to understand the truth, Rebecca makes a horrifying discovery in one of the house's many spare rooms. A dead body. A woman. Old and rotten. And her aunt insists she has no idea where it came from. The truth lies buried in the past. For generations, the occupants of Auercliff have been tormented by the repercussions of a horrific secret. And somehow everything seems to be centered upon the mausoleum in the house's ground, where every member of the family is entombed once they die. Whose body was left to rot in one of the house's rooms?
We have the makings of yet another good ghost story by Amy Cross...an old house and the many generations of the families that have lived there. There is enough drama in this book to satisfy all "ghost story junkies" of which I am one. It has dark buried secrets, love, jealously, murder, child stealing, a few dead bodies, insanity, and a ghost or two.... did I mention a few dead bodies? Actually, an entire basement full.
I discovered this author looking for a book to fit a challenge category and I have been hooked on her work ever since. This author knows how to do horror! Stephen King would be proud. I have read at least eight of Amy Cross' books now and all have been incredible reads. The Body at Auercliff is not the exception. The characters are brought to life...some maybe should have been left in the basement. I found it was nearly impossible to put down.
Years ago, Rebecca had visited the house, but after the traumatic visit, Rebecca's parents took her away and vowed never to return; but now Rebecca is back... back to look after her aunt and to put the horror of her past visit, hopefully behind her. However, she finds that the house that she remembers is no longer there. It's now a ruined and neglected monstrosity, and her aunt seems "a brick short of a full load"...lucid one minute and completely senile the next. Then Rebecca discovers a body in one of the rooms and her aunt has no idea who it is. Rebecca sets out to try and discover both the identity of the body as well as the secrets that the house has held for generations.
The story moves seamlessly through the years, so we learn about the past events which took place at Auercliff before the story returns to the present day enabling the plot to move along. I love this author's books. As I said she does indeed know how to do horror and produce nightmares. All of her books are so well worth the reading time. This story is completely chillingly engaging. There are parts of it that had the ability to make the reader feel that they were a part of what was happening. When Rebecca finds herself trapped in the mausoleum.... you are trapped along with her. Her description of the experience as it was occurring was brilliantly terrifying!
Overall... the reader hears the different point of views as told by characters belonging to several different time periods, and then we learn the detailed story of a crime... a tragedy, actually a twisted trail of many tragedies; and finally, we are allowed a happy ending! If you are a fan of any of these great horror and paranormal authors; Stephen King, Anne Rice, H.P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, Dean Koontz, Neil Gaiman, Richard Matheson, Peter Straub...to name a few; you may want to add Amy Cross to them.
We have the makings of yet another good ghost story by Amy Cross...an old house and the many generations of the families that have lived there. There is enough drama in this book to satisfy all "ghost story junkies" of which I am one. It has dark buried secrets, love, jealously, murder, child stealing, a few dead bodies, insanity, and a ghost or two.... did I mention a few dead bodies? Actually, an entire basement full.
I discovered this author looking for a book to fit a challenge category and I have been hooked on her work ever since. This author knows how to do horror! Stephen King would be proud. I have read at least eight of Amy Cross' books now and all have been incredible reads. The Body at Auercliff is not the exception. The characters are brought to life...some maybe should have been left in the basement. I found it was nearly impossible to put down.
Years ago, Rebecca had visited the house, but after the traumatic visit, Rebecca's parents took her away and vowed never to return; but now Rebecca is back... back to look after her aunt and to put the horror of her past visit, hopefully behind her. However, she finds that the house that she remembers is no longer there. It's now a ruined and neglected monstrosity, and her aunt seems "a brick short of a full load"...lucid one minute and completely senile the next. Then Rebecca discovers a body in one of the rooms and her aunt has no idea who it is. Rebecca sets out to try and discover both the identity of the body as well as the secrets that the house has held for generations.
The story moves seamlessly through the years, so we learn about the past events which took place at Auercliff before the story returns to the present day enabling the plot to move along. I love this author's books. As I said she does indeed know how to do horror and produce nightmares. All of her books are so well worth the reading time. This story is completely chillingly engaging. There are parts of it that had the ability to make the reader feel that they were a part of what was happening. When Rebecca finds herself trapped in the mausoleum.... you are trapped along with her. Her description of the experience as it was occurring was brilliantly terrifying!
Overall... the reader hears the different point of views as told by characters belonging to several different time periods, and then we learn the detailed story of a crime... a tragedy, actually a twisted trail of many tragedies; and finally, we are allowed a happy ending! If you are a fan of any of these great horror and paranormal authors; Stephen King, Anne Rice, H.P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, Dean Koontz, Neil Gaiman, Richard Matheson, Peter Straub...to name a few; you may want to add Amy Cross to them.
December 31, 2017
Fantastic! I haven't read a ghost story yet that I thought was as good as The Haunting of Maddy Clare but this one came close.
September 26, 2016
Okay, my third book from Amy Cross... Is it safe to say her work is just fantastic? I think so.
Just like the other books I've read so far from her, the story starts off kinda slow. But that's okay because it's totally worth the anticipation!
The characters... Ugh the characters.
Okay, you have one who is a complete and utter bitch who I kept wanting to slap in the face.
One who's illness was slightly annoying at the beginning of the book because you didn't know quite how to feel about it all yet.
And then the others who were all just alright for me.
You have mystery! Mystery and ghosts and suspicious sounds and all that good stuff. A unidentified dead person too! And then we get the awesome jaw dropping twists and turns (which seems to be a main aspect of Amy's books *awesome!*)
I love reading her books because there's always an underlying mystery to be known and other bits of "OMG" moments. I am just addicted to her stories.
Yes, there are always mistakes in the author's books and even some name change mistakes but her stories are so damn good (in my opinion) that I can tolerate them. So, yeah, on to another Amy Cross book!
Just like the other books I've read so far from her, the story starts off kinda slow. But that's okay because it's totally worth the anticipation!
The characters... Ugh the characters.
Okay, you have one who is a complete and utter bitch who I kept wanting to slap in the face.
One who's illness was slightly annoying at the beginning of the book because you didn't know quite how to feel about it all yet.
And then the others who were all just alright for me.
You have mystery! Mystery and ghosts and suspicious sounds and all that good stuff. A unidentified dead person too! And then we get the awesome jaw dropping twists and turns (which seems to be a main aspect of Amy's books *awesome!*)
I love reading her books because there's always an underlying mystery to be known and other bits of "OMG" moments. I am just addicted to her stories.
Yes, there are always mistakes in the author's books and even some name change mistakes but her stories are so damn good (in my opinion) that I can tolerate them. So, yeah, on to another Amy Cross book!
October 26, 2022
Wow, will definitely read more from this author.
Loved how the characters were written and the story was a wild ride. Although it took a while reading it, it gripped me tight, I was often thinking about the book, and I love when books can do that.
Loved how the characters were written and the story was a wild ride. Although it took a while reading it, it gripped me tight, I was often thinking about the book, and I love when books can do that.
October 21, 2016
So good! I am totally having an Amy Cross moment this month! Loving her books and this one was an absolutely engaging and unputdownable read. Loved it so much!
April 5, 2017
A very enjoyable ghost story
This was a very good, traditional, ghost story. It was well constructed and kept me enthralled to the end. Highly recommended.
This was a very good, traditional, ghost story. It was well constructed and kept me enthralled to the end. Highly recommended.
November 26, 2017
This was a very interesting book. I liked how the author told the story by showing different people's viewpoints at different times in history. At first I thought it might be confusing, but it wasn't at all. The only reason I didn't give it a little higher rating was because the ending was pretty predictable and lost some of the suspense the rest of the book had. But overall, a good read!
July 20, 2018
Interesting mystery with a twist ending. I definitely wasn't expecting. Slow in some parts but the characters are well developed and interesting. A good ghost story. #thebodyatauercliff
November 18, 2018
A slow burn that explodes again and again. Cross thrills and chills with this story. A twist you see coming halfway through, but the twists and turns it provides are exciting and of course, explosive.
January 6, 2024
At first I was annoyed. It keeps going back in time and from a different character’s viewpoint. But somehow by telling the story this way it made me even more invested in the characters and the story. What a grand tale and an amazing book.
August 4, 2020
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
September 15, 2017
Curse or haunting?
This story is about an old house and the generations of the families that lived their. You can find enough drama in this book that should satisfy everyone. It has dark buried secrets, love, jealously, murder, child stealing, a few dead bodies, insanity, and a ghost or two.
Amy Cross knows how to tell a good story, and I could not put this one down until I finished it.
Dianna
Prescott, AZ.
This story is about an old house and the generations of the families that lived their. You can find enough drama in this book that should satisfy everyone. It has dark buried secrets, love, jealously, murder, child stealing, a few dead bodies, insanity, and a ghost or two.
Amy Cross knows how to tell a good story, and I could not put this one down until I finished it.
Dianna
Prescott, AZ.
October 19, 2017
What a tightly constructed and layered book. I was really impressed at how well Cross was able to keep this story in a clear, straight line despite essentially going backwards for much of the book. The mystery is intriguing and it only gets more so as the book goes on. The ultimate twist at the end is actually similar to one she has used before but considering the massive amount of books Cross has written, I think this can be forgiven. And taken contextually, it works very well for this story.
August 23, 2018
Entertaining, but all of Amy's books seem to follow a formula, have a lot of the same elements. While scenes practically repeated in some cases.
And it's sometimes painfully obvious that she is a British writer... not that that's a bad thing! But when her books are set in the States, certain terms just don't fit in and may have some Americans scratching their heads.
That said, I still read quite a few of her books, as I said before, still entertaining!
And it's sometimes painfully obvious that she is a British writer... not that that's a bad thing! But when her books are set in the States, certain terms just don't fit in and may have some Americans scratching their heads.
That said, I still read quite a few of her books, as I said before, still entertaining!
April 9, 2023
Yawn
This was an okay read. A niece who is,A medical doctor check on her elderly reclusive aunt. The aunt is suffering from dementia, impaired vision and a leg injury. Her beautiful mansion is neglected. But strange things start happening and a mummified body is found. The truth takes the niece on a journey that challenges her sanity.
This was not especially scary or suspenseful. It was actually fairly predictable. The horror portions were standard fair. Disappointing.
This was an okay read. A niece who is,A medical doctor check on her elderly reclusive aunt. The aunt is suffering from dementia, impaired vision and a leg injury. Her beautiful mansion is neglected. But strange things start happening and a mummified body is found. The truth takes the niece on a journey that challenges her sanity.
This was not especially scary or suspenseful. It was actually fairly predictable. The horror portions were standard fair. Disappointing.
June 12, 2017
Creepy and good!
This book kept me reading way into the night and sometimes spooking myself! There were a few mistakes but not so many that it became annoying. Really thought the book was a fun read and like most of this authors books was really well written! Read this book I think you will like it.
This book kept me reading way into the night and sometimes spooking myself! There were a few mistakes but not so many that it became annoying. Really thought the book was a fun read and like most of this authors books was really well written! Read this book I think you will like it.
July 13, 2018
Excellent
Amy Cross keeps writing such good books, I want to keep on reading. This book is a great ghost story, with bodies and noises and other scary things. Amy has the ability to make the reader start looking around to make sure there are none around them! I think Amy Cross is one of the best writers I've ever read.
Amy Cross keeps writing such good books, I want to keep on reading. This book is a great ghost story, with bodies and noises and other scary things. Amy has the ability to make the reader start looking around to make sure there are none around them! I think Amy Cross is one of the best writers I've ever read.
May 29, 2019
No rest for the living or the dead
Returning to the house where her aunt lives Rebecca is shocked by her aunt’s demand that she stay at the pub. Unaware of the haunting things the family has suffered she wants to help her as she is frail now. The truth is almost too unbelievable. Can she solve the problems? The shocking truth is hard to believe.
Returning to the house where her aunt lives Rebecca is shocked by her aunt’s demand that she stay at the pub. Unaware of the haunting things the family has suffered she wants to help her as she is frail now. The truth is almost too unbelievable. Can she solve the problems? The shocking truth is hard to believe.
July 10, 2023
Wonderful story with a twist.
This book, as I've found in all of Amy Cross's Haunted House collection, is so well written. I love the stories and the characters. I plan to read every last one! Once I start, I can't put these books down! If you love good old fashioned ghost stories, these books are definitely for you!!
This book, as I've found in all of Amy Cross's Haunted House collection, is so well written. I love the stories and the characters. I plan to read every last one! Once I start, I can't put these books down! If you love good old fashioned ghost stories, these books are definitely for you!!
February 10, 2024
A great sequential story
I really liked the progression of the story about the family lineage of the house. It was creative although borrowing consistencies from other "haunting" stories.
I do recommend this book.
I would give it more like a 3.7 stars. Some parts of the story dragged a little too long.
I really liked the progression of the story about the family lineage of the house. It was creative although borrowing consistencies from other "haunting" stories.
I do recommend this book.
I would give it more like a 3.7 stars. Some parts of the story dragged a little too long.
December 25, 2016
Great read
A good, old fashioned ghost story. Scary, with great characters and a wonderful story line - but not bloody and gory. I really enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it. What a great read!
A good, old fashioned ghost story. Scary, with great characters and a wonderful story line - but not bloody and gory. I really enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it. What a great read!
June 4, 2017
I wanted to read a good ghost story but this was much more. It had a villain who I hated in a good way. And lots of good, slightly crazy, likable characters. This was not a scary story but more heartwarming than anything. Family ties can't be broken even after death.
July 9, 2017
A good story
It is a well written story, too many chapters dedicated to back story which could have been written in as second person. I did enjoy the main story, easily figured out the other stories. Because it was well written I give it 3 stars.
It is a well written story, too many chapters dedicated to back story which could have been written in as second person. I did enjoy the main story, easily figured out the other stories. Because it was well written I give it 3 stars.
October 3, 2017
A twisted family
Another gripping story by Amy Cross. Family secrets haunt this family for generations and need to be corrected so that the dead can rest. Love her books and this one is one of the best so far.
Another gripping story by Amy Cross. Family secrets haunt this family for generations and need to be corrected so that the dead can rest. Love her books and this one is one of the best so far.
November 10, 2017
One of the best ghost stories I have read in a while.
One of the best ghost stories I've read in a while. I love all her books. If I fine one she has written I usually buy it because she does such a good job with whatever she writes. I really enjoy her books.
One of the best ghost stories I've read in a while. I love all her books. If I fine one she has written I usually buy it because she does such a good job with whatever she writes. I really enjoy her books.
April 6, 2018
Very good read!
Usually with Amy Cross, her books are hit or miss. This one was most definitely a huge hit! I could barely set it down! I loved getting to read all the history of the house and what happened to each person as it happened to them.
Usually with Amy Cross, her books are hit or miss. This one was most definitely a huge hit! I could barely set it down! I loved getting to read all the history of the house and what happened to each person as it happened to them.
September 17, 2018
Another brilliant ghost story from Amy Cross, did feel it started a little slowly & I kept confusing myself with who's story I was reading. But yet another unexpected twist came at the end & the story was tied up quite nicely.
May 17, 2019
You have to live Amy Cross.
If you love horror books with some twists and turns you go grab one of Amy's book. This is typical of what she writes with just the right amount of scare and ??? who knows. You will at the end.
If you love horror books with some twists and turns you go grab one of Amy's book. This is typical of what she writes with just the right amount of scare and ??? who knows. You will at the end.
July 16, 2020
It's a slow start but...
At first it's slow going. You have no idea where the story is going but once it picks up you are down the rabbit hole. The creepiest thing about this one isn't the ghost.
At first it's slow going. You have no idea where the story is going but once it picks up you are down the rabbit hole. The creepiest thing about this one isn't the ghost.
December 6, 2023
Didn’t finish it!
What could have been a good story was utterly ruined by the portrayal of the mother. One of the most obnoxious characters I have come across in any book; so nasty that I just decided this was not for me.
What could have been a good story was utterly ruined by the portrayal of the mother. One of the most obnoxious characters I have come across in any book; so nasty that I just decided this was not for me.
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