The Cedar Cage

by Robert Greenfield

The boathouse had been built by an Edwardian aristocrat - from a single cedar of Lebanon - as a retreat, maybe even a cage, for his glamorous American bride. But in 2008, just weeks after moving into this dream home, Bertie starts to feel uneasy about living inside someone else's fantasy.

Obsession takes hold when he becomes convinced that a carpenter commissioned to fulfil Lord James Newton-Grey's vision, was murdered in the boathouse. His investigations immerse him in a sinister web of family secrets, as tangled and treacherous as the Norfolk marshlands that lie beyond his windows.

Bertie's own dark past plays tag with the present, driving him to the edge of madness, when he is forced to confront a chilling truth about himself - delivered by an unexpected visitor on Christmas Day.

Readers of The Cedar Cage - like its characters - must make up their own minds: is Bertie's strange, unquenchable imagination running riot... or has something genuinely supernatural been at work?

Author of the bestseller, Samphire Coast

403 pages, Paperback

Published August 31, 2017

About the author

Pegasus Publishers are pleased to announce from the author of bestseller Samphire Coast, the publication of a Norfolk-set Noir Thriller The Cedar Cage by Robert Greenfield – available to order from bookshops or direct from the publisher.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The boathouse had been built by an Edwardian aristocrat – from a single cedar of Lebanon – as a retreat, maybe even a cage, for his glamorous American bride. But in 2008, just weeks after moving into this dream home, Bertie starts to feel uneasy about living inside someone else’s fantasy.

Obsession takes hold when he becomes convinced that a carpenter, commissioned to fulfil Lord James Newton-Grey’s vision, was murdered in the boathouse. His investigations immerse him in a sinister web of family secrets, as tangled and treacherous as the Norfolk marshlands that lie beyond his windows.

Readers of The Cedar Cage – like its characters – must make up their own minds: is Bertie’s strange, unquenchable imagination running riot… or has something genuinely supernatural been at work?

'Robert Greenfield's cleverly crafted thriller is a real page-turner – original and compulsive!’– Christopher Warwick, Royal Biographer and broadcaster.

‘Good narration propels the story along in page-turning style’ Eastern Daily Press

'Gothic Renaissance' Sunday Times

The Cedar Cage ousted Dan Brown-Origin into no.2 on a National Bestseller Chart in the run-up to Christmas 2017...

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert Greenfield is a respected interior designer, dubbed ‘Britain’s answer to the Italian Look’ during his former career in fashion. His autobiography Samphire Coast – about his quirky experiences running a North Norfolk boutique B&B – has been a bestseller for Vanguard Press (Pegasus) since its publication in 2011. The Cedar Cage is his fiction début, and he has a crime thriller in preparation.

Reviews

[F.G. Cottam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The three characteristics that that distinguish this debut novel are originality, ambiguity and ambition. There is plenty of intrigue and mystery to keep you turning the pages and characterisation is solid. But it's the pinpoint period detail and atmosphere of creepy isolation sustained throughout that really impresses. Stylish, assured and a welcome new voice in a fluently written novel rich in symbolism. Recommended.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I feel that a true Summer holiday means a break from all my everyday activities and that includes reading literary fiction.

This book was the perfect read for a holiday - no need to: consult a dictionary for challenging vocabulary; re-read sentences to parse complex metaphors; explore Wikipedia and Google to follow up on literary references; consult Goodreads on completion to discuss themes, links and ideas I believed I had uncovered and to discover ones that I had missed.

Instead some simple and entertaining escapism with the added bonus of being set in the very area where I was reading it - the beautiful North Norfolk coast, the most convincing and compelling character in the book.

Recommended for your next North Norfolk break and if you don’t have one planned then let me recommend booking one as well.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Cedar Cage" is a complex and capably plotted historical thriller with an ensemble cast of well-defined central characters, whose plot hinges around not only unveiling who might have killed a master craftsman who built the boathouse where our main character now lives, but also the lineage of our amateur detective himself. The breadth and detail is a massive undertaking, and whilst I feel that for a first novel Greenfield does overstretch himself (some of the motivations feel a little tenuous, the side plot of an illegal immigrant ring is superfluous, the fact that our 'hero' doesn't report a very disturbing and inappropriately comic encounter with a local policeman, and the sometimes histrionic outbursts which are somehow assimilated as normal behaviour could all have been handled a little differently), this doesn't detract from what is essentially a highly entertaining page turner and something which I could easily see adapted for film. The final lines actually sent a shiver up my back. There's no question that after reading this you will feel you have lived with the characters and this made the journey worthwhile. It will be interesting to see what Greenfield writes next.

[Sue Welfare · Rating 5 out of 5]

An atmospheric debut noir, with a brooding sense of place, I really enjoyed Robert's new novel.
The place and characters are richly drawn and the plot is intriguing with a nod towards classic tales of suspense.
The ideal read for a cold winter's evening curled up in front of the fire.
I'm looking forward to his next already

[Nikita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I shouldn't have started reading this book in the middle of the night. The first chapter itself made my spine ran cold, all the goosebumps and the horror you could witness with your imagination is scaring. Robert Greenfield captures reader's full attention since page one. The tension kicks in on page one and barely lets up through the entire book.

"There's no one here, but you."

An airtight plot that's gripping.
The writing is brilliant - you felt you were there! It's a long book, but it didn't feel like it dragged at any point - I was on the edge of my seat through the entire thing.Bertie embarks on unraveling the truth, who might have killed master craftsman who built the boathouse where our main character now lives, he takes the lead role of finding out who murdered Mr. Skipper Wood and the motives for doing so. He has to majorly rely on diaries which were preserved from the past, presenting a spooky story and also the scenic and beautiful area of Norfolk, where this is set. All the characters and the place are richly drawn. It's a bonus to read about the dog that contributes in the investigation. It has been one of those page turners which you speedily read to get to the end, only to reach the (brilliant) end. Dont't want to give anything away, being the most uniquely formatted noir-thriller I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. I can see it turning into a great movie plot as well!

Always keep an open mind, for Robert plants many sudden twists and surprises that you would never have anticipated! A copy of this edition really does deserve a place on your bookshelves.
Overall: It appears that Robert Greenfield is one top class author. I one hundred percent recommend it.

[Jo Wilde · Rating 5 out of 5]

With its intriguing title and tantalising description, The Cedar Cage drew me in quickly and I was enthralled from the beginning as I became entangled in the story as it unfolded. I read it in one breathless sitting, unable to put it down.
It's a moving, atmospheric and intelligent thriller, cleverly plotted and containing many different strands which twist and turn around each other in a tantalising pattern, dripping hints and clues but never revealing too much. Past and present echo and mirror each other in unexpected ways, and the fiction is deftly combined with historical fact to make it convincingly credible, even when events seem creepily supernatural. The landscape of North Norfolk is a brooding, changeable presence with as much personality as any of the characters, and adds depth and richness which make it a very satisfying read.
This is a tangled story of compulsion and greed, love and redemption (and dogs), and is highly recommended to all lovers of mystery, history and great storytelling.

[Amanda Falkson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark and brooding mystery set on the North Norfolk coast. This had me gripped from the beginning, although I quickly shifted from reading it late at night in bed to daytime as it is pretty atmospheric and more than a tad creepy. It is an immersive read and I found myself thinking about the main protagonist long after I would put the book down. If you’re after an involving, page turner of a thriller, I recommend this new author’s novel.

[Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down and I couldn't wait to read what happened next. I loved all the references to North Norfolk and the historical plot weaving in and out with the present day. There are lots of twists and turns and sub-plots to keep you interested. A wonderful second book by Robert Greenfield, I can't wait to read his next one.

[Paul Keates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book, perfect summer read..... 👍

[Piers Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me fall in love with North Norfolk all over again! Gripping, unusual, dramatic, complex... everything you want from a good novel. It was a classic 'couldn't put it down'!

[Shani Boswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Advertised as a noir thriller set on the Norfolk coast, two of my favourite things, I eagerly settled down with The Cedar Cage & I wasn’t disappointed. It has a very original storyline with several historical threads woven into it & the twists & turns in the plot make it an unpredictable read.
Beginning as a seemingly straightforward investigation into a centuries old murder & love story, the tale gradually becomes much darker & complex as Bertie becomes obsessed with solving the mystery & drives himself to the point of exhaustion & almost insanity in the process. Not only is The Cedar Cage an absorbing thriller it perfectly captures the essence of the North Norfolk coast in several of it’s moods but in particular the sense of solitude & peace of this beautiful area.

[Nicola Dalzell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cedar Cage by Robert Greenfield - what can I say...

Imaginative, intriguing, mysterious, thrilling, original, period and factual perfection, atmospheric, intuitive, emotional, solid, dramatic, true, intelligent, exciting. I cried - I laughed - I could not put in down!

The author’s style and skill will keep you guessing throughout. I always challenge myself to work out the finale, but I was kept guessing until the very end - fantastic!

Once you pick it up, you will not put it down. It truly is a page turner. An intriguing thriller where every word pricks your imagination and whilst reading you see in your mind what Bertie sees through his eyes. How does the author achieve that? Wonderful!

Whilst writing this review the vivid pictures in my mind make me want to pick it up again and relive the wonderful experience reading this novel gave me. Thank you!

PLEASE READ - you will agree, it’s fantastic.

[Allyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the concept of the cedar cage itself, which I felt could have played a more important role than it eventually did. It was the misty, stormy atmosphere, the wooden house and the the old Gothic mansion that made the story because I was less thrilled with the characters, whom I found hard to identify with. In particular the relationship between the narrator Bertie and his partner Luke. Bertie was a torment of a character, and his angst, supernatural or otherwise, irritated me and actually undermined the atmosphere that the writer was working to establish. The play between reality and the supernatural did not quite work, in fact it became rather awkward this too many sleight of hands. The ending was another one of these legerdemains as it became overly contrived and deeply unsatisfactory.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed every well-written word. A real page turner that keeps you guessing. You can’t put it down. It could so easily be a film or tv drama and I for one would definitely watch. Let’s hope the author is putting his imaginative, intelligent mind to his next novel.

[Annick Bohyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Robert Greenfield ‘s writing style is very enjoyable to read and highly engaging. The twists and turns along the way make this a real page turner that will keep you guessing until the end.
I look forward reading a lot more from this author.