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The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill
' A dark, disturbing and highly original thriller ' MARK BILLINGHAM
'Haunting, twisted and compelling ' C.L. TAYLOR
'Clever, dark, unusual and full of genuine surprises ' LOUISE BEECH
'One of the highlights of my reading year. A deliciously dark masterpiece ' HELEN FITZGERALD
'A brilliantly original thriller, dark and brooding , with a real emotional punch' DOUG JOHNSTONE
Death is not the end. For Grace McGill, it's only the beginning.
When people die alone and undiscovered, it's her job to clean up what's left behind - whether it's clutter, bodily remains or dark secrets.
When an old man lies undetected in his flat for months, it seems an unremarkable life and an unnoticed death. But Grace knows that everyone has a story and that all deaths mean something more.
A STAND-OUT NOVEL WITH A UNIQUE NARRATIVE VOICE AND AN UNGUESSABLE MYSTERY, YOU ARE GUARANTEED TO REMEMBER GRACE McGILL.
Reader praise for The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill :
'A twisted story of undiscovered deaths and twisted minds, of people of little or no morality and Grace right in the thick of it, setting records straight and doing good in her own inimitable way '
'Wow! What an absolute stunner of a book . This was so different to a lot of the books out there at the moment. Totally gripping and thrilling and I couldn't stop reading it although I really didn't want to finish it!'
'A premise that, gratifyingly, delivers the goods in spades and does so with a superbly well drawn cast of characters and a rather unique, well written, often dark narrative. Compelling and wholly engaging reading. Top notch '
'The story was engrossing and I couldn't wait to see where it would go. I highly recommend this '
' A masterpiece '
'Haunting, twisted and compelling ' C.L. TAYLOR
'Clever, dark, unusual and full of genuine surprises ' LOUISE BEECH
'One of the highlights of my reading year. A deliciously dark masterpiece ' HELEN FITZGERALD
'A brilliantly original thriller, dark and brooding , with a real emotional punch' DOUG JOHNSTONE
Death is not the end. For Grace McGill, it's only the beginning.
When people die alone and undiscovered, it's her job to clean up what's left behind - whether it's clutter, bodily remains or dark secrets.
When an old man lies undetected in his flat for months, it seems an unremarkable life and an unnoticed death. But Grace knows that everyone has a story and that all deaths mean something more.
A STAND-OUT NOVEL WITH A UNIQUE NARRATIVE VOICE AND AN UNGUESSABLE MYSTERY, YOU ARE GUARANTEED TO REMEMBER GRACE McGILL.
Reader praise for The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill :
'A twisted story of undiscovered deaths and twisted minds, of people of little or no morality and Grace right in the thick of it, setting records straight and doing good in her own inimitable way '
'Wow! What an absolute stunner of a book . This was so different to a lot of the books out there at the moment. Totally gripping and thrilling and I couldn't stop reading it although I really didn't want to finish it!'
'A premise that, gratifyingly, delivers the goods in spades and does so with a superbly well drawn cast of characters and a rather unique, well written, often dark narrative. Compelling and wholly engaging reading. Top notch '
'The story was engrossing and I couldn't wait to see where it would go. I highly recommend this '
' A masterpiece '
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 20, 2022
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2338 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 540 reviews
December 29, 2021
Grace McGill is in her 30’s and lives in a flat in Glasgow with only her cat George for company, and that’s exactly how she likes it. For someone who’s quite timid, and very much a loner, Grace is extraordinarily ruthless in her quest for answers, but (like me), you might still be in for a shock!
Grace McGill is a cleaner, she has her own company called Last Wish Cleaning, she doesn’t clean offices or homes though, she cleans up after people have died alone, and lain undiscovered for quite some time. Not a pleasant job, but as she says “ someone’s got to do it and it might as well be her “ She’s meticulous, taking into account the forensics involved, and how difficult it is to truly clean up after bodily remains have laid undiscovered for a long time.
When she attends the home of an old man who was undiscovered for some months, she delves further into his life, after discovering a photo and many newspapers all with the same date and covering many many years. Grace is about to stir things up, and that will upset people who prefer to leave the past in the past. It leads to a remarkable and unique storyline that kept me riveted.
Gosh this was a dark and disturbing one that had some really unexpected twists, with the tension ever present. I doubt you will have read anything like it - I hadn’t!
*I was invited to read this by the publisher and have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
Grace McGill is a cleaner, she has her own company called Last Wish Cleaning, she doesn’t clean offices or homes though, she cleans up after people have died alone, and lain undiscovered for quite some time. Not a pleasant job, but as she says “ someone’s got to do it and it might as well be her “ She’s meticulous, taking into account the forensics involved, and how difficult it is to truly clean up after bodily remains have laid undiscovered for a long time.
When she attends the home of an old man who was undiscovered for some months, she delves further into his life, after discovering a photo and many newspapers all with the same date and covering many many years. Grace is about to stir things up, and that will upset people who prefer to leave the past in the past. It leads to a remarkable and unique storyline that kept me riveted.
Gosh this was a dark and disturbing one that had some really unexpected twists, with the tension ever present. I doubt you will have read anything like it - I hadn’t!
*I was invited to read this by the publisher and have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
January 20, 2022
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!
We’ve all seen or read the sad stories about a body going undiscovered for months. Maybe the person had no living family. Maybe nobody cared about them anymore. You’ve probably wondered what it would be like to be the one to discover the body. The smells, the decomposition...But have you ever wondered who cleans up after that body?
Grace McGill will tell you. She’s a death cleaner, and she’s a very thorough one at that. She also doesn’t shy away from going into the details about what it takes to clean and disinfect an area where human remains were found weeks/months after death. Clearing up bodily fluids, removing detached fat. You get the gist.
There’s a pattern that emerges as Grace goes from house to house, and she wonders why the police aren’t looking into it. A mystery surfaces, and Grace is determined to connect all the dots.
That’s all I’ll say about the plot. This is a story that definitely went in a different direction than I anticipated. I was intrigued pretty early on, and that only increased as the story progressed. Grace is such an interesting character - awkward, loner. Her narrative can be dark and bleak, and yet morbidly humorous. She doesn’t like attention, but she’s a straight shooter. The yin and yang is very compelling.
Overall, this is an original and engrossing mystery (not extremely dark, not a cozy) that gets better as it progresses, leading to a resolution I wasn’t anticipating. It’s also fast-paced and quick to read. I recommend it if you're looking for something a bit different, slightly macabre, and quirky.
I’m glad I had Jayme along for the ride. We really enjoyed discussing our theories along the way. It definitely made for some enlightening conversation. Make sure to check out her phenomenal review, and you can see if we ended up on the same side of the fence.
Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 1/20/22.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
We’ve all seen or read the sad stories about a body going undiscovered for months. Maybe the person had no living family. Maybe nobody cared about them anymore. You’ve probably wondered what it would be like to be the one to discover the body. The smells, the decomposition...But have you ever wondered who cleans up after that body?
Grace McGill will tell you. She’s a death cleaner, and she’s a very thorough one at that. She also doesn’t shy away from going into the details about what it takes to clean and disinfect an area where human remains were found weeks/months after death. Clearing up bodily fluids, removing detached fat. You get the gist.
There’s a pattern that emerges as Grace goes from house to house, and she wonders why the police aren’t looking into it. A mystery surfaces, and Grace is determined to connect all the dots.
That’s all I’ll say about the plot. This is a story that definitely went in a different direction than I anticipated. I was intrigued pretty early on, and that only increased as the story progressed. Grace is such an interesting character - awkward, loner. Her narrative can be dark and bleak, and yet morbidly humorous. She doesn’t like attention, but she’s a straight shooter. The yin and yang is very compelling.
Overall, this is an original and engrossing mystery (not extremely dark, not a cozy) that gets better as it progresses, leading to a resolution I wasn’t anticipating. It’s also fast-paced and quick to read. I recommend it if you're looking for something a bit different, slightly macabre, and quirky.
I’m glad I had Jayme along for the ride. We really enjoyed discussing our theories along the way. It definitely made for some enlightening conversation. Make sure to check out her phenomenal review, and you can see if we ended up on the same side of the fence.
Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 1/20/22.
Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com
January 21, 2022
From the synopsis-“When people die alone and undiscovered, someone has to clean up what’s left behind-whether it’s clutter, bodily remains….or dark secrets.”
Enter Grace McGill, from Last Wish Cleaning.
She has been cleaning death scenes for eight years, and as part of the process, she photographs the rooms in the deceased’s homes, in case relatives want to see them. She soon realizes that the pictures don’t reflect the true sadness of those who were left behind, so she begins to make dioramas of the crimes-macabre miniatures of the rooms she cleans.
She calls the scenes “crimes” because isn’t that what is it? When nobody notices that a person is gone? When nobody has checked to see if a person you haven’t seen for awhile is okay or in need of help? (The longest was a woman dead for 5 years)
Grace realizes that people end up lonely for many reasons. “Some choose it, some deserve it, but most fall into it without even noticing…Lonely lives often end in Lonely Deaths.”
BUT- Grace notices.
Sometimes she even takes a memento so the person will at least be remembered by her.
Sometimes she becomes obsessed with the secrets she learns about, and can’t share with another living creature except for George, a stray cat she rescued-so handsome she named him after Clooney.
I enjoyed meeting Grace.
She is a “special” character whose thoughts are often AT ODDS with her words and actions, making spending time in her mind, a fun place to be.
The book moves in an unexpected direction (especially just past the halfway point) and kept me in suspense. It is one of the most UNIQUE stories, I have read all year. And, it was great to share theories with my friend, Michael David-especially because this time we were mostly wrong! 🤣
I was caught off guard by the ending-though if you think about it-it was definitely fitting.
Did Michael agree? Be sure to check out his always fantastic review, and then ADD this book to your toppling TBR stack-if you are looking for something different. Just beware: Those death scene descriptions are icky! 😝
Thank You to Hodder and Stoughton for the gifted copy-provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!
NOW AVAILABLE!!
Enter Grace McGill, from Last Wish Cleaning.
She has been cleaning death scenes for eight years, and as part of the process, she photographs the rooms in the deceased’s homes, in case relatives want to see them. She soon realizes that the pictures don’t reflect the true sadness of those who were left behind, so she begins to make dioramas of the crimes-macabre miniatures of the rooms she cleans.
She calls the scenes “crimes” because isn’t that what is it? When nobody notices that a person is gone? When nobody has checked to see if a person you haven’t seen for awhile is okay or in need of help? (The longest was a woman dead for 5 years)
Grace realizes that people end up lonely for many reasons. “Some choose it, some deserve it, but most fall into it without even noticing…Lonely lives often end in Lonely Deaths.”
BUT- Grace notices.
Sometimes she even takes a memento so the person will at least be remembered by her.
Sometimes she becomes obsessed with the secrets she learns about, and can’t share with another living creature except for George, a stray cat she rescued-so handsome she named him after Clooney.
I enjoyed meeting Grace.
She is a “special” character whose thoughts are often AT ODDS with her words and actions, making spending time in her mind, a fun place to be.
The book moves in an unexpected direction (especially just past the halfway point) and kept me in suspense. It is one of the most UNIQUE stories, I have read all year. And, it was great to share theories with my friend, Michael David-especially because this time we were mostly wrong! 🤣
I was caught off guard by the ending-though if you think about it-it was definitely fitting.
Did Michael agree? Be sure to check out his always fantastic review, and then ADD this book to your toppling TBR stack-if you are looking for something different. Just beware: Those death scene descriptions are icky! 😝
Thank You to Hodder and Stoughton for the gifted copy-provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!
NOW AVAILABLE!!
November 23, 2021
Craig Robertson writes a twisted psychological crime drama with this dark character driven novel set in Glasgow. 35 year old Grace McGill lives on her own with her cat, George, she goes out of her way to not have any contact or communication with the living, her interest, or should one call it obsession, are the dead, for them she goes over and beyond in what she feels is her duty of care to the forgotten, so alone whilst they were alive. She runs her own company, Last Wish Cleaning, for Grace is a professional death cleaner, not a job I have spent any time dwelling on, and which quite frankly gives me the creeps bigtime. Grace is made of far sterner stuff than me, as she relates the forensic details of her occupation, relaying far more descriptions than I am comfortable with, you need a strong stomach for the precise details of decomposing bodies, the bodily fluids, the blood and fat, the buzzing flies, the invisible soup of pathogens, the smells and so much more.
In an age where any sense of community can be broken in the city, there are many who lie dead for interminable lengths of time prior to the discovery of their long dead bodies, some as long as 5 years. Grace is at the home of Thomas Agnew, laying undiscovered for 5 months, missed by no-one, which in her eyes is a crime. Grace is compassionate, respectful and caring of the undiscovered deaths, she says a prayer, takes photographs documenting the death scene, and picks items that she feels honour their life and memory for any surviving relatives, taking them home with her if there isn't anyone. It is when I learn of the creation of her dioramas of the death scenes, that I begin to feel that Grace's obsession with death is more than a mite unhealthy, she is coming across as seriously messed up and damaged. Which, as we are to find out, indeed she is, as she pursues the answers to the mystery of Agnew's past and the presence of daisies, following the clues that bring dangers into her life.
Robertson succeeds in creating a complex character in Grace, and in giving us a crime story that harbours fascinating and surprising twists and turns, there is far more to Grace than you might possibly have imagined, and moral ambiguities that might trouble many readers. Additionally, there is a sense of irony in the book and in the character of Grace McGill coming full circle in the final conclusion of the story. This is a crime novel that meanders into territory that you are unlikely to forsee, and for this alone I think it will appeal to many crime and mystery readers, particularly those who are feeling jaded and are looking for something a little different. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
In an age where any sense of community can be broken in the city, there are many who lie dead for interminable lengths of time prior to the discovery of their long dead bodies, some as long as 5 years. Grace is at the home of Thomas Agnew, laying undiscovered for 5 months, missed by no-one, which in her eyes is a crime. Grace is compassionate, respectful and caring of the undiscovered deaths, she says a prayer, takes photographs documenting the death scene, and picks items that she feels honour their life and memory for any surviving relatives, taking them home with her if there isn't anyone. It is when I learn of the creation of her dioramas of the death scenes, that I begin to feel that Grace's obsession with death is more than a mite unhealthy, she is coming across as seriously messed up and damaged. Which, as we are to find out, indeed she is, as she pursues the answers to the mystery of Agnew's past and the presence of daisies, following the clues that bring dangers into her life.
Robertson succeeds in creating a complex character in Grace, and in giving us a crime story that harbours fascinating and surprising twists and turns, there is far more to Grace than you might possibly have imagined, and moral ambiguities that might trouble many readers. Additionally, there is a sense of irony in the book and in the character of Grace McGill coming full circle in the final conclusion of the story. This is a crime novel that meanders into territory that you are unlikely to forsee, and for this alone I think it will appeal to many crime and mystery readers, particularly those who are feeling jaded and are looking for something a little different. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
December 27, 2021
3.5 Stars
When everything's coming up daisies.....
Grace McGill is a lonely girl who is a death cleaner. I googled death cleaner and it is a "real job", ugh. They sanitize, disinfect and deep clean after bodies have remained undiscovered for a length of time. Some of the descriptions were just too much for me, so I did end up skimming over some descriptions (I knew this going in though, so it was expected).
Grace is definitely not like most people and she is very much aware of the fact. She feels that the dead have a "story to tell" and one of the dead she cleaned up keeps "whispering to her" and she can't let go. She feels the need to know more about his life and death.
There is a fair amount of telling, confessions, a first person narration with a lot of Grace's "inner thoughts". She certainly does have a story to tell.
I had mixed feelings throughout reading, I can't say it was enjoyable. It was a decent book, but for me it lacked in the "couldn't put it down-ness".
I may be an outlier, lots of higher reviews!
Thanks to NG and the publisher for my review copy! OUT Jan 20,2022
When everything's coming up daisies.....
Grace McGill is a lonely girl who is a death cleaner. I googled death cleaner and it is a "real job", ugh. They sanitize, disinfect and deep clean after bodies have remained undiscovered for a length of time. Some of the descriptions were just too much for me, so I did end up skimming over some descriptions (I knew this going in though, so it was expected).
Grace is definitely not like most people and she is very much aware of the fact. She feels that the dead have a "story to tell" and one of the dead she cleaned up keeps "whispering to her" and she can't let go. She feels the need to know more about his life and death.
There is a fair amount of telling, confessions, a first person narration with a lot of Grace's "inner thoughts". She certainly does have a story to tell.
I had mixed feelings throughout reading, I can't say it was enjoyable. It was a decent book, but for me it lacked in the "couldn't put it down-ness".
I may be an outlier, lots of higher reviews!
Thanks to NG and the publisher for my review copy! OUT Jan 20,2022
September 28, 2021
4 - 5 stars
Who is Grace McGill? Who indeed. She’s a death cleaner, that person who goes in after a body is found that may have been undiscovered for a while. However, there’s much more to Grace than this unusual career, oh yes, so much more .... she doesn’t just clean up the Glaswegian properties, she also likes to clean up mysteries too. Grace tells her incredible story.
Wow! This book starts dramatically and grabs your attention immediately and it’s one of those novels that is genuinely hard to put down. The premise is fantastic and I think it’s fair to say it’s unique and kudos to the author for that. You hear Grace's voice clearly as she takes you on a real journey. At times she’s darkly funny, she’s a loner except for George the cat, at others she’s almost a tortured soul and her voice becomes almost haunting in its tone. She’s obsessive and as she tells her tale you can see she has a compulsion to seek the truth no matter how much it may cost her. At heart she’s an unhappy but very good soul and much of her unhappiness can be laid at the feet of her appalling father whose characterisation is excellent, as you see him for the lowlife he definitely is. I don’t want to give too much away about what unfolds but let’s settle for a very messed up, dark mystery set in the past and as the reader makes sense of the clues Grace gives us or the discoveries she makes, it becomes even darker and dangerous. Although I do guess some parts of it that is irrelevant as the storytelling is so powerful that you are swept along in it and there are plenty of surprises still to come.
Overall, a twisted story of undiscovered deaths and twisted minds, of people of little or no morality and Grace right in the thick of it, setting records straight and doing good in her own inimitable way.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
Who is Grace McGill? Who indeed. She’s a death cleaner, that person who goes in after a body is found that may have been undiscovered for a while. However, there’s much more to Grace than this unusual career, oh yes, so much more .... she doesn’t just clean up the Glaswegian properties, she also likes to clean up mysteries too. Grace tells her incredible story.
Wow! This book starts dramatically and grabs your attention immediately and it’s one of those novels that is genuinely hard to put down. The premise is fantastic and I think it’s fair to say it’s unique and kudos to the author for that. You hear Grace's voice clearly as she takes you on a real journey. At times she’s darkly funny, she’s a loner except for George the cat, at others she’s almost a tortured soul and her voice becomes almost haunting in its tone. She’s obsessive and as she tells her tale you can see she has a compulsion to seek the truth no matter how much it may cost her. At heart she’s an unhappy but very good soul and much of her unhappiness can be laid at the feet of her appalling father whose characterisation is excellent, as you see him for the lowlife he definitely is. I don’t want to give too much away about what unfolds but let’s settle for a very messed up, dark mystery set in the past and as the reader makes sense of the clues Grace gives us or the discoveries she makes, it becomes even darker and dangerous. Although I do guess some parts of it that is irrelevant as the storytelling is so powerful that you are swept along in it and there are plenty of surprises still to come.
Overall, a twisted story of undiscovered deaths and twisted minds, of people of little or no morality and Grace right in the thick of it, setting records straight and doing good in her own inimitable way.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
March 29, 2022
I found this a difficult book to rate and review. For approximately the first half of the book, it was shaping up to be a strong 4 star read for me but later came closer to 2 stars while my attention waned. It had a fascinating and original premise. Grace McGill, its protagonist, and narrator works as a forensic cleaner. It is her duty to deep clean and disinfect rooms where a person has died alone. The decomposing body has been left undiscovered for weeks or months. It is gruesome work, but Grace takes pride in meticulously decontaminating the room and restoring it to its original state before the death. She feels sorrow for the fact that the body had lain undiscovered for so long and she holds contempt for neighbours, friends, and families who failed to notice that the deceased was missing and who died a lonely and long- undiscovered death.
Grace, herself, leads a solitary life. She is 35 years old, and her lone companion is a stray cat, named George (after Clooney) that she rescued. She seldom goes out, except to work or to help her drunken, demeaning, and demanding father. She tries to avoid contact and conversation with others. As a narrator, we find her odd but intriguing, and her job to be a necessary but gory one. She is obsessive about the lonely lives of the dead and feels she is honouring them by taking small items from their homes after saying a prayer and she attends their funerals. She builds tiny, perfect replicas of the rooms where they died in order to keep their memory alive, at least to her. She becomes compulsive in her search for details of their background and lives.
Reading about her thoughts and actions, we feel we understand this eccentric character. I was fascinated by Grace, her unusual life, her essential work, and her empathy for the deceased. Then the story takes a sudden turn, and we learn that Grace has shown herself as an unreliable narrator, not only to the readers but to herself. Her motivations reveal a moral complexity. She finds small clues during cleaning that she believes link a couple of the elderly men who recently died alone. The police do not find her to be credible.
Then she comes across a clue that hints at the disappearance of a teen-aged girl way back in the 1960s. At that time, the girl was seen in the vicinity of some of the now-dead men when she vanished. Is there a connection? Grace becomes haunted by the fate of the girl and fixated on solving the mystery. She now reveals a grim, ambiguous, darker side of her personality. As she pursues the mystery of what happened to the girl and investigates the possibility that her disappearance may be linked to two men whose apartments she decontaminated (as well as three elderly men she encountered at their funerals). Her snooping into the past has drawn her into danger. Her behaviour and inner thoughts are becoming startling and shocking. She is able to rationalize some immoral behaviour on her part.
I found the first part of the book to be compelling but failed to engage in the second half when her true and twisted actions and motivations were revealed.
Grace, herself, leads a solitary life. She is 35 years old, and her lone companion is a stray cat, named George (after Clooney) that she rescued. She seldom goes out, except to work or to help her drunken, demeaning, and demanding father. She tries to avoid contact and conversation with others. As a narrator, we find her odd but intriguing, and her job to be a necessary but gory one. She is obsessive about the lonely lives of the dead and feels she is honouring them by taking small items from their homes after saying a prayer and she attends their funerals. She builds tiny, perfect replicas of the rooms where they died in order to keep their memory alive, at least to her. She becomes compulsive in her search for details of their background and lives.
Reading about her thoughts and actions, we feel we understand this eccentric character. I was fascinated by Grace, her unusual life, her essential work, and her empathy for the deceased. Then the story takes a sudden turn, and we learn that Grace has shown herself as an unreliable narrator, not only to the readers but to herself. Her motivations reveal a moral complexity. She finds small clues during cleaning that she believes link a couple of the elderly men who recently died alone. The police do not find her to be credible.
Then she comes across a clue that hints at the disappearance of a teen-aged girl way back in the 1960s. At that time, the girl was seen in the vicinity of some of the now-dead men when she vanished. Is there a connection? Grace becomes haunted by the fate of the girl and fixated on solving the mystery. She now reveals a grim, ambiguous, darker side of her personality. As she pursues the mystery of what happened to the girl and investigates the possibility that her disappearance may be linked to two men whose apartments she decontaminated (as well as three elderly men she encountered at their funerals). Her snooping into the past has drawn her into danger. Her behaviour and inner thoughts are becoming startling and shocking. She is able to rationalize some immoral behaviour on her part.
I found the first part of the book to be compelling but failed to engage in the second half when her true and twisted actions and motivations were revealed.
December 9, 2021
Knock, Knock, Knocking on Horror’s Door.
Another unique, difficult to categorize book read this year!
Grace is a death site cleaner. How morbid is that?
Not particularly keen on interacting, Grace takes pride in her work disinfecting and decontaminating homes where people died and lay until discovery. She respected the lives of those she cleaned up after and is saddened by the fact that they died alone. At times reflective and others mournful, her complexity is rooted in a sincerity to help lonely people.
Her gallows sense of humor sometimes had me smiling unexpectedly although there’s no lightness of being here as the predominant subject matter is death.
Grace is definitely a fascinating character and I wanted to learn more about her.
Be prepared for overt descriptions caused by the remnants of putrefying bodies. I credit the author for researching the science of removing and disinfecting the pathogens created, but the grisly technicalities may be a little much for some. If you’re not friends with eww and goo, this party may not be to your liking.
Those cautionaries aside, I love books like this! Wickedly off-beat, original, and slightly bizarre, I was pulled in from the first page. Let’s just say this grabbed me in a death grip and wouldn’t let go.
Another 2021 Favorite!
Thank you to NetGalley UK, Hodder & Stoughton, and C.R. Robertson for my opportunity to read an advance review copy. Set to be published on January 20, 2022.
Another unique, difficult to categorize book read this year!
Grace is a death site cleaner. How morbid is that?
Not particularly keen on interacting, Grace takes pride in her work disinfecting and decontaminating homes where people died and lay until discovery. She respected the lives of those she cleaned up after and is saddened by the fact that they died alone. At times reflective and others mournful, her complexity is rooted in a sincerity to help lonely people.
Her gallows sense of humor sometimes had me smiling unexpectedly although there’s no lightness of being here as the predominant subject matter is death.
Grace is definitely a fascinating character and I wanted to learn more about her.
Be prepared for overt descriptions caused by the remnants of putrefying bodies. I credit the author for researching the science of removing and disinfecting the pathogens created, but the grisly technicalities may be a little much for some. If you’re not friends with eww and goo, this party may not be to your liking.
Those cautionaries aside, I love books like this! Wickedly off-beat, original, and slightly bizarre, I was pulled in from the first page. Let’s just say this grabbed me in a death grip and wouldn’t let go.
Another 2021 Favorite!
Thank you to NetGalley UK, Hodder & Stoughton, and C.R. Robertson for my opportunity to read an advance review copy. Set to be published on January 20, 2022.
December 27, 2021
"Equip. Remove. Soak. Disinfect. Soak again. Dispose. Decontaminate. Check. Wash hands. Report."
Grace McGill is a house cleaner. Not the kind of house cleaner you're thinking. She doesn't polish furniture or scrub a toilet. She cleans up death scenes. The homes of people that die unnoticed. People that, for months, have time to decompose amongst their belongings and with no one none the wiser. She takes pride in her work and she realizes that her job is unconventional to say the least.
At her last job she stumbles upon a clue to a mystery of a woman that disappeared over fifty years ago and she's determined to follow this lead to its bitter end.
Let's get the ick out of the way shall we: If you are adverse to gore then this is probably not one for you. The crime scenes are described in all their glorious (gory) details that may have some people heaving. Not me, I loved this, but I figure the warning is warranted.
What a character Grace is. I really loved her. This is a no-nonsense woman but she's quirky and with just enough dark humor to have you rooting for her throughout. Her best friend is an adorable cat named George which only endeared her to me even more. Just like Grace I prefer our furry friends to the human version any day. Not to be overlooked is the mystery at the heart of the novel - compelling and engrossing to the very final page. I wasn't sure how I felt about the ending but after sitting with it for a little bit I think it's actually perfect.
I really dig what C.S. Robertson did here. It was unusual and unique and it's with pleasure that I tell you it's a book I won't soon forget. 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Rachel Quin at Hodder and Stoughton for kindly sending me a widget to download, read, and review.
Grace McGill is a house cleaner. Not the kind of house cleaner you're thinking. She doesn't polish furniture or scrub a toilet. She cleans up death scenes. The homes of people that die unnoticed. People that, for months, have time to decompose amongst their belongings and with no one none the wiser. She takes pride in her work and she realizes that her job is unconventional to say the least.
At her last job she stumbles upon a clue to a mystery of a woman that disappeared over fifty years ago and she's determined to follow this lead to its bitter end.
Let's get the ick out of the way shall we: If you are adverse to gore then this is probably not one for you. The crime scenes are described in all their glorious (gory) details that may have some people heaving. Not me, I loved this, but I figure the warning is warranted.
What a character Grace is. I really loved her. This is a no-nonsense woman but she's quirky and with just enough dark humor to have you rooting for her throughout. Her best friend is an adorable cat named George which only endeared her to me even more. Just like Grace I prefer our furry friends to the human version any day. Not to be overlooked is the mystery at the heart of the novel - compelling and engrossing to the very final page. I wasn't sure how I felt about the ending but after sitting with it for a little bit I think it's actually perfect.
I really dig what C.S. Robertson did here. It was unusual and unique and it's with pleasure that I tell you it's a book I won't soon forget. 4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Rachel Quin at Hodder and Stoughton for kindly sending me a widget to download, read, and review.
January 26, 2022
Grace McGill was a cleaner, but not your normal, run of the mill cleaner – Grace was a forensic cleaner, a death cleaner. She cleaned up the rooms where people had died and not been found, sometimes for months. It was messy and fetid, but Grace enjoyed her work and took pride in it. Grace would take what she thought were mementoes of a person’s life, things she thought the family would like. And she always looked for things that stood out, perhaps shouldn’t be there. The dioramas she made at home with only George, her cat, looking on, she made as realistic as she could. Grace was decidedly different…
The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill by C.S. Robertson was weird – Grace was weird! I didn’t like the book much, I couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening, and I put it down to read something else a few times. I also did a fair amount of skimming. I’m sorry but this book definitely wasn’t for me.
With thanks to Hodder & Stoughton UK, via NetGalley for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill by C.S. Robertson was weird – Grace was weird! I didn’t like the book much, I couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening, and I put it down to read something else a few times. I also did a fair amount of skimming. I’m sorry but this book definitely wasn’t for me.
With thanks to Hodder & Stoughton UK, via NetGalley for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
January 5, 2022
What can I say, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as much as my friends. It started really well. Grace is a death cleaner, I imagine we can work out what that is. She finds it especially sad when people lie dead for weeks or even months before being discovered. It’s dirty smelly work but it her job and takes it seriously. So far so good.
Grace also seems a bit odd, a little OCD and she’s certainly anti social. I don’t suppose talking about her job is going to help her meet boyfriend material though.
She appears to notice a little clue left at a couple of death scenes, a small daisy left near the body, and starts to wonder if the deaths are somehow connected. She does take this info to the police but they don’t seem interested. Anyway, for some reason she gets obsessed about one of her ‘deaths’ - Tommy Agnew who had lain dead for 5 months before being found. And this where it lost me. I kept wondering why? Why was she so fixated on a photo of 5 young men? Why was she so interested in the newspapers Tommy had collected?
She goes on a bit of a quest and sees possible links to the disappearance of 17 year old Valerie Moodie in 1964. By this point I could not understand why Grace was so obsessed with all this old info and why she did what she did and why she kept doing it. So in the end the story didn’t make any sense to me. 3 stars for the writing. Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.
Grace also seems a bit odd, a little OCD and she’s certainly anti social. I don’t suppose talking about her job is going to help her meet boyfriend material though.
She appears to notice a little clue left at a couple of death scenes, a small daisy left near the body, and starts to wonder if the deaths are somehow connected. She does take this info to the police but they don’t seem interested. Anyway, for some reason she gets obsessed about one of her ‘deaths’ - Tommy Agnew who had lain dead for 5 months before being found. And this where it lost me. I kept wondering why? Why was she so fixated on a photo of 5 young men? Why was she so interested in the newspapers Tommy had collected?
She goes on a bit of a quest and sees possible links to the disappearance of 17 year old Valerie Moodie in 1964. By this point I could not understand why Grace was so obsessed with all this old info and why she did what she did and why she kept doing it. So in the end the story didn’t make any sense to me. 3 stars for the writing. Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.
January 15, 2022
4 Fascinating and Surprising Stars
I knew there were people who cleaned after someone has died at home, but I didn’t know the particulars until I met Grace McGill. She explains (rather matter of factly) how she goes about cleaning when bodies have been left for months before being discovered. She is meticulous about her work and quite proud when she’s finished. She also thinks it’s a crime that these people are forgotten and not found for some time.
Another interesting thing about Grace is that in order to process the work that she does, she often creates miniature models of the homes she has cleaned. She is a unique character, and this was a unique book!
I read this one almost in one sitting and about half-way through there’s a twist I did not expect. I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say it kept me turning the pages! I think this one ended in just the right way, in character so to speak.
If you are looking for something a bit different with a memorable character, this one might be for you!
Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for the invitation to read and review this one honestly.
I knew there were people who cleaned after someone has died at home, but I didn’t know the particulars until I met Grace McGill. She explains (rather matter of factly) how she goes about cleaning when bodies have been left for months before being discovered. She is meticulous about her work and quite proud when she’s finished. She also thinks it’s a crime that these people are forgotten and not found for some time.
Another interesting thing about Grace is that in order to process the work that she does, she often creates miniature models of the homes she has cleaned. She is a unique character, and this was a unique book!
I read this one almost in one sitting and about half-way through there’s a twist I did not expect. I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say it kept me turning the pages! I think this one ended in just the right way, in character so to speak.
If you are looking for something a bit different with a memorable character, this one might be for you!
Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for the invitation to read and review this one honestly.
January 26, 2022
What a read.
I'll be honest, this one was a difficult read for me at the start. The premise was too close to home, and I had to put it down to come back to later.
Grace McGill is a cleaner, but no ordinary one. She cleans the houses of people who have died in their homes weeks, sometimes months before. A close family member was found in 2020, after only a day but I still couldn't bear to read about it. Once I got past this though, I read the second half very quickly.
Grace was the perfect character for the book. She is an angry but emotional character who cares for the dead in a way they never had during ther lives.
Can we talk about her dioramas? Grace builds miniature models of the flats she cleans, and I can't think of a more fascinating medium to portray Grace and her work.
The mystery that the book revolves around is a complex one and did need many characters, but Robertson reminded us throughout who they were in relation to the story.
But wow, that ending. Sensational. There were elements I had suspected as the book progressed, but Robertson blew the book out of the water.
I'll be honest, this one was a difficult read for me at the start. The premise was too close to home, and I had to put it down to come back to later.
Grace McGill is a cleaner, but no ordinary one. She cleans the houses of people who have died in their homes weeks, sometimes months before. A close family member was found in 2020, after only a day but I still couldn't bear to read about it. Once I got past this though, I read the second half very quickly.
Grace was the perfect character for the book. She is an angry but emotional character who cares for the dead in a way they never had during ther lives.
Can we talk about her dioramas? Grace builds miniature models of the flats she cleans, and I can't think of a more fascinating medium to portray Grace and her work.
The mystery that the book revolves around is a complex one and did need many characters, but Robertson reminded us throughout who they were in relation to the story.
But wow, that ending. Sensational. There were elements I had suspected as the book progressed, but Robertson blew the book out of the water.
April 24, 2023
Though I’m not certain if the title character exemplifies the current vogue for narrators who are somewhere ‘on the spectrum’, Grace is most surely not well endowed with social skills. She lives alone with no friends except for her cat George (found appropriately in a cemetery). Her mother is dead, but she endures the importunities of her father, a nasty alcoholic. Appropriately they live in Glasgow. (Does Scotland harbour the most repulsive drinkers and druggies?) But Grace has the perfect occupation for a person of her social skills; she’s a ‘death cleaner’. When you discover a tenant died alone in one of your flats and has been decomposing for weeks, after the cops have carried away the pestiferous remains you call Grace for a thorough cleaning and disinfecting of the premises. Grace also has an odd hobby; she crafts dioramas of the death scenes, carefully reproducing in miniature all the details – except fortunately the corpses. Curiosity about one of her ‘clients’, Tommy Agnew, leads her to attending the funeral and then to the ‘crem’ where Grace pretends to be the grand-niece of the deceased and actually stages a wake at a nearby pub for Bob and Jackie, the only mourners. Grace had found an old photo at Agnew’s flat showing five teen-aged boys, Tommy, Bob, Jackie, and two others. It was taken at Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, which used to be a popular holiday resort back in the 1960s. Backtracking in newspaper achieves, Grace discovers a cold case, a seventeen-year-old girl named Valerie Moodie, who disappeared on a holiday trip to Bute in July 1964. Grace becomes obsessed with the case, travelling by train and ferry to Rothesay, tracking down the places Valerie and her friends stayed, and questioning an alcoholic old fisherman who had reported seeing a floating body, but later retracted.
As it so often the case with mystery stories using a first-person narrator, Grace actually knew more about Tommy Agnew than we find out till much later in the book, which explained something I found puzzling, why Grace keeps lying about her identity, first pretending to be a relative of Agnew’s and later to being a journalist investigating a cold case. (If it were me, I’d simply have claimed to be a free-lance true crime writer – no problem is awkward questions about what paper I worked for. Though I was delighted to discover there actually was a paper called The Bute-Man in the old days.). The title, The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill, turns out to signify more than it might appear on the surface, what in grammar are called the subjective and objective genitive.
I had been aware that the Earl of Rothesay is Prince Charles’s title when he is in Scotland, but Rothesay and Bute were new to me and made me wish I’d had the chance to visit, though not in June. The sailing looks great. Some of the events in this story struck me as improbable – I certainly hope it’s not so easy to gain access to a cardiology patient unobserved: some of the things British mystery story writers allow to happen in hospital are not great advertisements for the NHS. But I loved the settings in Glasgow; the Royal Infirmary is indeed and imposing pile. If you enjoy the novels of Helen Fitzgerald, I think you will like this one too. Grace is as eccentric as Fitzgerald’s principal characters, though not quite so amusing and likeable. I certainly anticipate C. R. Robertson’s next book.
As it so often the case with mystery stories using a first-person narrator, Grace actually knew more about Tommy Agnew than we find out till much later in the book, which explained something I found puzzling, why Grace keeps lying about her identity, first pretending to be a relative of Agnew’s and later to being a journalist investigating a cold case. (If it were me, I’d simply have claimed to be a free-lance true crime writer – no problem is awkward questions about what paper I worked for. Though I was delighted to discover there actually was a paper called The Bute-Man in the old days.). The title, The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill, turns out to signify more than it might appear on the surface, what in grammar are called the subjective and objective genitive.
I had been aware that the Earl of Rothesay is Prince Charles’s title when he is in Scotland, but Rothesay and Bute were new to me and made me wish I’d had the chance to visit, though not in June. The sailing looks great. Some of the events in this story struck me as improbable – I certainly hope it’s not so easy to gain access to a cardiology patient unobserved: some of the things British mystery story writers allow to happen in hospital are not great advertisements for the NHS. But I loved the settings in Glasgow; the Royal Infirmary is indeed and imposing pile. If you enjoy the novels of Helen Fitzgerald, I think you will like this one too. Grace is as eccentric as Fitzgerald’s principal characters, though not quite so amusing and likeable. I certainly anticipate C. R. Robertson’s next book.
May 3, 2022
Grace is an unusual character with a very unusual job; she’s a death cleaner. Her chosen profession takes her into homes where a person has died and been undiscovered for weeks or months. That usually means the elderly, the very sick or suicidal or drug addicts. She’s outraged that people are so disconnected and uncared for that their being missing goes unnoticed. Grace herself is a loner with only a cat and a horribly abusive father who lives near enough in Glasgow for her to keep an eye on.
Grace says “to do this job you have to be two things that seem at odds with each other; professional and compassionate.” Ironically she very much fits the bill. Her thorough and obsessive personality leads her to find something in the rooms of one of her clients that leads back to a long-ago missing teen. Like a bulldog, she can’t let go even though it leads her into great danger. There’s a very startling twist midway through and eventually a logical but unexpected end.
Robinson has created a very fascinating character and a nice mystery as well.
Grace says “to do this job you have to be two things that seem at odds with each other; professional and compassionate.” Ironically she very much fits the bill. Her thorough and obsessive personality leads her to find something in the rooms of one of her clients that leads back to a long-ago missing teen. Like a bulldog, she can’t let go even though it leads her into great danger. There’s a very startling twist midway through and eventually a logical but unexpected end.
Robinson has created a very fascinating character and a nice mystery as well.
December 18, 2021
I wanted to like this one more than I did. It starts off great, introducing us to Grace McGill, a 35 year old whose profession is to clean properties where the dead have remained undiscovered for weeks, sometimes months.
Told from her perspective, she’s a socially impotent person, full of anxiety when interacting with people. She prefers to try and honour these deceased people who she has to clean up after. Mostly elderly and alone, no one cared enough to even miss them when they were gone.
Grace as a character is awkward, withdrawn and slightly “off” at this stage. It’s a fascinating set up and it had me intrigued.
As the book progresses though and Grace starts her “investigation” and we slowly realize she is an unreliable narrator, it loses what impact it had at the start as it turns into a convoluted and slightly predictable legacy murder case. The reveals and twists aren’t surprising in the least and the character of Grace varies wildly depending what part of the book you are reading.
It’s a decent read, just about. The first few chapters are where the book shines but for me it went south after that and ended up in utter mediocrity. It’s more the disappointment as those first few chapters are so interesting and promised what might have been.
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.
Told from her perspective, she’s a socially impotent person, full of anxiety when interacting with people. She prefers to try and honour these deceased people who she has to clean up after. Mostly elderly and alone, no one cared enough to even miss them when they were gone.
Grace as a character is awkward, withdrawn and slightly “off” at this stage. It’s a fascinating set up and it had me intrigued.
As the book progresses though and Grace starts her “investigation” and we slowly realize she is an unreliable narrator, it loses what impact it had at the start as it turns into a convoluted and slightly predictable legacy murder case. The reveals and twists aren’t surprising in the least and the character of Grace varies wildly depending what part of the book you are reading.
It’s a decent read, just about. The first few chapters are where the book shines but for me it went south after that and ended up in utter mediocrity. It’s more the disappointment as those first few chapters are so interesting and promised what might have been.
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.
December 29, 2021
When people die alone and undiscovered, it's her job to clean up what's left behind - whether it's clutter, bodily remains or dark secrets. When an old man lies undetected in his flat for months, it seems an unremarkable life and an unnoticed death. But Grace knows everyone has a story and that all deaths mean something more.
What an interesting read this book was. The plotline is original, a cleaner who specialises in cleaning up quite unpleasant death scenes. Grace McGill tries to clear up mysteries surrounding the people she cleans up after. This is a cleverly written book that has a great twist around the halfway mark. The pace is a bit slow to begin with but it soon picks up. The story is set in Glasgow. This is a gripping tale with a sad ending. Stick with it, you won't be disappointed.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HodderStoughton and the author #CSRobertson for my ARC of #TheUndiscoveredDeathsOfGraceMcGill
What an interesting read this book was. The plotline is original, a cleaner who specialises in cleaning up quite unpleasant death scenes. Grace McGill tries to clear up mysteries surrounding the people she cleans up after. This is a cleverly written book that has a great twist around the halfway mark. The pace is a bit slow to begin with but it soon picks up. The story is set in Glasgow. This is a gripping tale with a sad ending. Stick with it, you won't be disappointed.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HodderStoughton and the author #CSRobertson for my ARC of #TheUndiscoveredDeathsOfGraceMcGill
February 24, 2022
This is a very strange book which somehow manages to actually be very good…
It was compelling, whilst also being very uncomfortable to read, if that makes sense?!
Difficult to review and to summarise, its well worth a read if psychological thrillers and British crime fiction are your thing.
It was compelling, whilst also being very uncomfortable to read, if that makes sense?!
Difficult to review and to summarise, its well worth a read if psychological thrillers and British crime fiction are your thing.
January 27, 2022
Review published in: https://diagnosisbookaholic.blogspot....
Grace McGill knows death, after all her job is to clean up after a body is discovered . “Equip. Remove. Soak. Disinfect. Soak again. Dispose. Decontaminate. Check. Wash hands”, that’s her mantra. She’s proud of her work, of bringing some dignity to those people whose bodies have lain undiscovered for months so, when she stumbles upon some similarities in a couple of these jobs, she’s determined to bring to light the truth behind a 60 year old mystery.
After being offered a widget I was a bit dubious to accept it at first, but then I started seeing several glowing reviews so I had to see for myself what it was all about. And I’m so glad I did! The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill is certainly different!
First of all, if you’re a bit squeamish and not a big fan of graphic descriptions, this one probably isn’t for you. The author is not afraid to describe in detail the decomposition process and the scene it leaves behind. That’s a normal day in my job so I didn’t mind at all!
Grace is such a lovable character. She’s quirky, interacting with other people doesn’t come easily for her, and she has a dark sense of humor that made her much more appealing as a character. You have to root for her, especially after learning about her despicable father (what a prick!).
The mystery itself was very engaging and halfway through there’s an OMG moment that completely changed the direction the story was going. If you think you know where this is directed, think again! I was truly shocked! What unfolded after was a dark mystery that lead to an ending that was heartbreaking but made perfect sense with Grace’s character and her journey.
The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill is an engrossing and original story with a quite memorable main character that will grip you right from the start.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Grace McGill knows death, after all her job is to clean up after a body is discovered . “Equip. Remove. Soak. Disinfect. Soak again. Dispose. Decontaminate. Check. Wash hands”, that’s her mantra. She’s proud of her work, of bringing some dignity to those people whose bodies have lain undiscovered for months so, when she stumbles upon some similarities in a couple of these jobs, she’s determined to bring to light the truth behind a 60 year old mystery.
After being offered a widget I was a bit dubious to accept it at first, but then I started seeing several glowing reviews so I had to see for myself what it was all about. And I’m so glad I did! The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill is certainly different!
First of all, if you’re a bit squeamish and not a big fan of graphic descriptions, this one probably isn’t for you. The author is not afraid to describe in detail the decomposition process and the scene it leaves behind. That’s a normal day in my job so I didn’t mind at all!
Grace is such a lovable character. She’s quirky, interacting with other people doesn’t come easily for her, and she has a dark sense of humor that made her much more appealing as a character. You have to root for her, especially after learning about her despicable father (what a prick!).
The mystery itself was very engaging and halfway through there’s an OMG moment that completely changed the direction the story was going. If you think you know where this is directed, think again! I was truly shocked! What unfolded after was a dark mystery that lead to an ending that was heartbreaking but made perfect sense with Grace’s character and her journey.
The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill is an engrossing and original story with a quite memorable main character that will grip you right from the start.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 26, 2023
In Glasgow, Grace’s job is to clean the homes of those who’ve died and lain undiscovered for a period of time. It’s a job Grace takes very seriously and does meticulously. With her state of the art equipment, she ensures each home is restored to a spick and span condition.
However, we soon learn that Grace’s conscientiousness borders on obsession. After cleaning the homes, she constructs what she calls “dioramas”; detailed scaled models of the homes in the state in which she originally found them. She also collects “memorabilia” from each home to aid in this work.
After she cleans the home of the late Thomas Agnew and attends his lonely funeral, she finds herself drawn into the mystery of the disappearance of a teenage girl on the isle of Bute over 50 years ago. However, her visit to the island to unearth more information proves not just unfruitful but also unpleasant.
The whole story is narrated first person by Grace herself. Then, just over halfway through the novel, she opens up about her earlier life and we gain a totally new perspective on her actions and all that went before. The action picks up a notch as she gains a new ally and she again attempts to discover what happened on Bute.
In all, this is a brilliantly unique tale with a complex, flawed yet likeable and totally unforgettable heroine. This appears to be Mr. Robertson’s first novel. If he decides to write another anywhere near as good as this, it immediately goes on my To Read list.
However, we soon learn that Grace’s conscientiousness borders on obsession. After cleaning the homes, she constructs what she calls “dioramas”; detailed scaled models of the homes in the state in which she originally found them. She also collects “memorabilia” from each home to aid in this work.
After she cleans the home of the late Thomas Agnew and attends his lonely funeral, she finds herself drawn into the mystery of the disappearance of a teenage girl on the isle of Bute over 50 years ago. However, her visit to the island to unearth more information proves not just unfruitful but also unpleasant.
The whole story is narrated first person by Grace herself. Then, just over halfway through the novel, she opens up about her earlier life and we gain a totally new perspective on her actions and all that went before. The action picks up a notch as she gains a new ally and she again attempts to discover what happened on Bute.
In all, this is a brilliantly unique tale with a complex, flawed yet likeable and totally unforgettable heroine. This appears to be Mr. Robertson’s first novel. If he decides to write another anywhere near as good as this, it immediately goes on my To Read list.
December 15, 2021
Set in Glasgow this book centers around Grace McGill; a death cleaner who specializes in cleaning up homes where people had died and were undiscovered for some time. Grace lives a largely solitary life where she lives with her rescue cat and navigates through a complicated relationship with her father. She becomes involved in solving a mystery triggered by one of her jobs. This psychological drama has a great plot with lots of twists and turnes and I enjoyed the character development. I hadn't read a book by this author before but will watch out for him in the future. Solid 4 stars and recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
February 28, 2022
Thank you to Net Galley, the publishers and the author for an ARC copy for review, for an honest review.
Sadly my honest review is not a good one. One of the weakest books/story I have read in a long time.
I personally have read through some comments and reviews trying to understand if it was just me ?
I think this book have separated many reviewer.
Yes I can say this book was disturbing, dark, chilling, weird, shocking, but also I can say with apologies very heavy, slow and boring, too dark, too disturbing.
It lacked any likeable characters at all in the whole book, I struggled from the start with such a disturbing dark story.
I felt quite confused with a this book lacking in anything interesting in the characters or story.
I am amazed there are a few four and five stars reviews. All I can say is sorry this was not for me at all.
Just two stars only.
Sadly my honest review is not a good one. One of the weakest books/story I have read in a long time.
I personally have read through some comments and reviews trying to understand if it was just me ?
I think this book have separated many reviewer.
Yes I can say this book was disturbing, dark, chilling, weird, shocking, but also I can say with apologies very heavy, slow and boring, too dark, too disturbing.
It lacked any likeable characters at all in the whole book, I struggled from the start with such a disturbing dark story.
I felt quite confused with a this book lacking in anything interesting in the characters or story.
I am amazed there are a few four and five stars reviews. All I can say is sorry this was not for me at all.
Just two stars only.
January 12, 2022
This was a strange story and at times very weird but, having said that I enjoyed it. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.
November 2, 2023
The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill was outstanding!
Nothing fills me with more joy that finding a new crime novel that’s set in Scotland. I’m proud of this wee country but if you thought for a moment that it was all visit Scotland type photographs and inspirational quotes about this wonderous place, you would be sorely mistaken. Yes, we do have the stunning glens, fantastical mountainous peaks, and country parks to die for, but we also have the darker side – the shadows lingering down alleys, constantly waiting and watching, the drug abuse, the violence and the most insidious – the crime.
Grace McGill is a thirty-five-year-old woman living on her own in Glasgow’s Merchant City with her cat, George. She really did remind me of a young hermit – she goes out of her way to avoid the living. She’s not got any real friends worth mentioning and her mother has passed away. The only living soul that she really has any interaction with is her father, a drunken old man, with a huge chip on his shoulder. Grace hates being it at his beck and call, but she views it as her duty.
Grace cares deeply about those that are forgotten. She cleans houses that people have died in for a living. She takes it extremely seriously and feels a sense of responsibility to do the job right on behalf of those that are no longer here. The majority of her clean ups involve a serious amount of cleaning – dead bodies that have lain undisturbed for months at a time. Let me tell you – rather her than me. I could almost smell the decay through the book.
The young woman is tasked with cleaning the flat of one Tommy Agnew, a man that had lain dead for a long time before being discovered. The smell was horrific, his imprint still embedded in the bed, flies, a gelatinous soup of human decay. It’s enough to turn anyone’s stomach but Grace does it with vigour. It is here that she discovers a group photograph taken on Bute which leads Grace down a road she’d never intended on travelling.
The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill was truly complex and asked some harrowing questions about the societal role in looking after the elderly. Grace was a character that was majorly flawed. Her unhealthy obsession with death was rather disturbing. She was a strong, capable character but my god, she’s mightily unhinged with it. You can count on this author to climb the highest mountain, summon the darkest skies to bring you a story that will stay with you long into the wee small hours of the night.
Nothing fills me with more joy that finding a new crime novel that’s set in Scotland. I’m proud of this wee country but if you thought for a moment that it was all visit Scotland type photographs and inspirational quotes about this wonderous place, you would be sorely mistaken. Yes, we do have the stunning glens, fantastical mountainous peaks, and country parks to die for, but we also have the darker side – the shadows lingering down alleys, constantly waiting and watching, the drug abuse, the violence and the most insidious – the crime.
Grace McGill is a thirty-five-year-old woman living on her own in Glasgow’s Merchant City with her cat, George. She really did remind me of a young hermit – she goes out of her way to avoid the living. She’s not got any real friends worth mentioning and her mother has passed away. The only living soul that she really has any interaction with is her father, a drunken old man, with a huge chip on his shoulder. Grace hates being it at his beck and call, but she views it as her duty.
Grace cares deeply about those that are forgotten. She cleans houses that people have died in for a living. She takes it extremely seriously and feels a sense of responsibility to do the job right on behalf of those that are no longer here. The majority of her clean ups involve a serious amount of cleaning – dead bodies that have lain undisturbed for months at a time. Let me tell you – rather her than me. I could almost smell the decay through the book.
The young woman is tasked with cleaning the flat of one Tommy Agnew, a man that had lain dead for a long time before being discovered. The smell was horrific, his imprint still embedded in the bed, flies, a gelatinous soup of human decay. It’s enough to turn anyone’s stomach but Grace does it with vigour. It is here that she discovers a group photograph taken on Bute which leads Grace down a road she’d never intended on travelling.
The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill was truly complex and asked some harrowing questions about the societal role in looking after the elderly. Grace was a character that was majorly flawed. Her unhealthy obsession with death was rather disturbing. She was a strong, capable character but my god, she’s mightily unhinged with it. You can count on this author to climb the highest mountain, summon the darkest skies to bring you a story that will stay with you long into the wee small hours of the night.
December 27, 2021
I loved this book. From the moment I comprehended what Grace’s job is, I knew I was hooked. She’s very proud of her work and she takes it seriously. So much so that she builds dioramas of the rooms she conducts her work in, down to the pictures on the walls and daisies found on the pillow. Her job? Cleaning apartments and homes of people who have been dead for quite some time and not found. For weeks, months even. The description of what she cleans isn’t for the tender tummies; I couldn’t understand what a person must have in them to make them as confident and diligent as Grace. She’s certainly an odd little lady.
Being a stickler for detail, it’s no surprise that Grace notices a couple of the natural deaths she cleans after has a dried daisy near the dead body. She reports this to the police, who thinks she’s wacky because of her job even before she describes finding a daisy. She’s almost laughed out of the police station. So she becomes her own sleuth and is determined to find what’s behind the sudden rash of “natural deaths” for a group of old men who, by chance, all vacationed together years earlier at a beach. The same beach and the same year a young lady disappeared.
Grace talks to us throughout the story. Numerous times she tells us what she thinks, then tells us what she actually says. This gets almost hilarious. You seriously can’t help but love this quirky little lady. So where’s the mystery? Where’s the thrill? Oh, my nothing is ever as simple and simple-minded as it seems. And THAT’S what I LOVE about this plot. I was hooked on the mystery but I was entertained by the protagonist. You just can’t help but love her. No matter what she does.
Sincere thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is January 20, 2022.
Being a stickler for detail, it’s no surprise that Grace notices a couple of the natural deaths she cleans after has a dried daisy near the dead body. She reports this to the police, who thinks she’s wacky because of her job even before she describes finding a daisy. She’s almost laughed out of the police station. So she becomes her own sleuth and is determined to find what’s behind the sudden rash of “natural deaths” for a group of old men who, by chance, all vacationed together years earlier at a beach. The same beach and the same year a young lady disappeared.
Grace talks to us throughout the story. Numerous times she tells us what she thinks, then tells us what she actually says. This gets almost hilarious. You seriously can’t help but love this quirky little lady. So where’s the mystery? Where’s the thrill? Oh, my nothing is ever as simple and simple-minded as it seems. And THAT’S what I LOVE about this plot. I was hooked on the mystery but I was entertained by the protagonist. You just can’t help but love her. No matter what she does.
Sincere thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is January 20, 2022.
April 22, 2022
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I LOVED this book! I don't think I have ever read a book about a "death cleaner" before. Such a unique and morbid profession, it had me hooked from page one. The writing was phenomenal. Intelligent. Disturbing. Twisted (oh, what a twist there was). Grace was quirky, shy, strange. And that ending...let's just say everything about this book was brilliant and if I could give it over 5 stars, I would. Run (don't walk) and pick this one up today!
**ARC Via NetGalley**
I LOVED this book! I don't think I have ever read a book about a "death cleaner" before. Such a unique and morbid profession, it had me hooked from page one. The writing was phenomenal. Intelligent. Disturbing. Twisted (oh, what a twist there was). Grace was quirky, shy, strange. And that ending...let's just say everything about this book was brilliant and if I could give it over 5 stars, I would. Run (don't walk) and pick this one up today!
**ARC Via NetGalley**
Read
June 5, 2023An unusual book with a quirky, complex main character. Grace is a forensic cleaner, who arrives after a person has died, particularly after they haven't been noticed for some time, and then cleans, decontaminates and clears the property. She eventually notices something appearing at a number of scenes, which she thinks might link them, so she goes on a journey to discover what exactly is going on. I couldn't work out why exactly Grace was so obsessed with all the info she goes looking for, but the story is well-told and interesting.
March 7, 2022
Grace McGill is a cleaner but not just any cleaner – she cleans the homes of people who have died and not been discovered for days, weeks or even months. Her job is to remove, disinfect, soak, decontaminate and dispose of anything relating to the remains of the deceased.
It’s an awful job, but Grace does it because she cares. She cares deeply that those who have been left alone to die and lay undiscovered deserve respect and deserve to have their stories told and that’s why when she is tasked with cleaning the home of Tommy Agnew who lay alone for over 5 months, she starts to look into why he was so alone and what secrets he kept.
Grace is an fascinating character, quirky, socially awkward and bullied by her drunken father, it appears the only place she has control is in the homes she cleans but when she notices a chilling coincidence between Tommy’s home and another apparent “victim” she starts to investigate deeper into any connections putting herself in danger.
Set in Scotland, author Craig Robertson has created a unique and clever thriller featuring a truly fascinating main character. However, it’s not for the faint hearted, because the indepth description of the homes where the undiscovered have been discovered was enough to turn my stomach and I love a bit of gore!
Once again, I thought I knew exactly where this story was going and then BAM everything changes and the plot does a full 180 leaving me reeling and grinning insanely to myself because I personally LOVE it when an author keeps me on my toes and throws in some unexpected twists.
Thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Grace McGill and would definitely recommend this to all thriller and crime lovers.
It’s an awful job, but Grace does it because she cares. She cares deeply that those who have been left alone to die and lay undiscovered deserve respect and deserve to have their stories told and that’s why when she is tasked with cleaning the home of Tommy Agnew who lay alone for over 5 months, she starts to look into why he was so alone and what secrets he kept.
Grace is an fascinating character, quirky, socially awkward and bullied by her drunken father, it appears the only place she has control is in the homes she cleans but when she notices a chilling coincidence between Tommy’s home and another apparent “victim” she starts to investigate deeper into any connections putting herself in danger.
Set in Scotland, author Craig Robertson has created a unique and clever thriller featuring a truly fascinating main character. However, it’s not for the faint hearted, because the indepth description of the homes where the undiscovered have been discovered was enough to turn my stomach and I love a bit of gore!
Once again, I thought I knew exactly where this story was going and then BAM everything changes and the plot does a full 180 leaving me reeling and grinning insanely to myself because I personally LOVE it when an author keeps me on my toes and throws in some unexpected twists.
Thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Grace McGill and would definitely recommend this to all thriller and crime lovers.
January 12, 2022
This was quite a strange book in many ways but very well written. This was another new author for me which I’m always pleased to discover. This book kept me entertained and interested all the way through.. A great story. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.
February 7, 2022
I have the privilege of reading some outstanding crime fiction and this book is up there with the best. Some of our finest crime writers hail from Scotland and CS Robertson rightly takes a place amongst them. This is intelligent, compelling writing. It's a story that is chilling, disturbing and so very original. I read this in two days, it consumed me, the characters took me hostage and the plot totally thrilled me.
Grace McGill is a woman in her mid-thirties, she lives in Glasgow in a sparsely furnished flat. Her only love is George, her cat who is a prickly character who shows her the affection that is lacking from anywhere else. Grace rarely interacts with people, she reluctantly visits her boorish, alcoholic father who lives nearby, but that is never a pleasure, it's a duty that she feels bound to do.
Grace's biggest pride is her job. She cleans the homes of people who have died alone and lain undiscovered for weeks, sometimes months. For some, this would be a macabre, stomach churning task, but for Grace it is a matter of honour. A way for those people to be remembered, a way that she can ensure that they are honoured. Grace often takes mementos from these dwellings, hoping to pass them on to the relatives who didn't care whilst they were still living.
Grace also creates miniature models called dioramas. Every spare moment is spent recreating the rooms in which strangers died. Almost shrine like, but beautifully detailed, a work of art.
There have been two recent assignments that really bother Grace. She's found something at the scenes that convince her that the deaths are related, and suspicious. Grace is a determined character and begins to delve deeper into the backgrounds of the deceased. What she finds only brings trouble for her, she finds herself embroiled with people who would stop at nothing to silence her. Grace does not stop though and the tension increases with every page as the reader follows her on her journey.
This is such an original premise for a crime novel. Grace is a masterfully created character who evokes every emotion possible from the reader. Sadness, pity, sometimes anger, her complexities are many and this author does an amazing job of bringing her to life.
Glasgow itself is a character in its own right, along with the holiday resort of Bute. The author's intimate knowledge of the area adds such depth to this story.
It's as story that takes surprising, yet satisfying twists and turns along the way. Never failing to surprise and shock and always delivering a brilliant reading experience.
Just brilliant and highly recommended by me.
Grace McGill is a woman in her mid-thirties, she lives in Glasgow in a sparsely furnished flat. Her only love is George, her cat who is a prickly character who shows her the affection that is lacking from anywhere else. Grace rarely interacts with people, she reluctantly visits her boorish, alcoholic father who lives nearby, but that is never a pleasure, it's a duty that she feels bound to do.
Grace's biggest pride is her job. She cleans the homes of people who have died alone and lain undiscovered for weeks, sometimes months. For some, this would be a macabre, stomach churning task, but for Grace it is a matter of honour. A way for those people to be remembered, a way that she can ensure that they are honoured. Grace often takes mementos from these dwellings, hoping to pass them on to the relatives who didn't care whilst they were still living.
Grace also creates miniature models called dioramas. Every spare moment is spent recreating the rooms in which strangers died. Almost shrine like, but beautifully detailed, a work of art.
There have been two recent assignments that really bother Grace. She's found something at the scenes that convince her that the deaths are related, and suspicious. Grace is a determined character and begins to delve deeper into the backgrounds of the deceased. What she finds only brings trouble for her, she finds herself embroiled with people who would stop at nothing to silence her. Grace does not stop though and the tension increases with every page as the reader follows her on her journey.
This is such an original premise for a crime novel. Grace is a masterfully created character who evokes every emotion possible from the reader. Sadness, pity, sometimes anger, her complexities are many and this author does an amazing job of bringing her to life.
Glasgow itself is a character in its own right, along with the holiday resort of Bute. The author's intimate knowledge of the area adds such depth to this story.
It's as story that takes surprising, yet satisfying twists and turns along the way. Never failing to surprise and shock and always delivering a brilliant reading experience.
Just brilliant and highly recommended by me.
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