Rebecca Wallace arrives at Auercliff, a grand country house, to check on her aged aunt Emily. She soon discovers that Emily's mind is crumbling, but that's not the only shock. When she starts to explore the house's many abandoned rooms, Rebecca discovers the rotten corpse of a dead woman. And Emily claims to have no idea who the woman is, or how she got there.
As she looks into Auercliff's past, Rebecca starts to trace the outline of a hidden tragedy. For generations, the house's occupants have been haunted by a terrible secret. Every member of the family ends up in the mausoleum when they die, but does the mausoleum hide more than just the bodies listed on its walls? And why have generations of the family been plagued by the same mysterious scratching sound?
The Body at Auercliff is a horror novel about a tormented family, and about the refusal of the past to stay buried.
Amy Cross writes novels and short stories in a number of genres, mainly horror, paranormal and fantasy. Books include The Farm, Annie's Room, The Island, Eli's Town and Asylum.
Okay, my third book from Amy Cross... Is it safe to say her work is just fantastic? I think so.
Just like the other books I've read so far from her, the story starts off kinda slow. But that's okay because it's totally worth the anticipation!
The characters... Ugh the characters. Okay, you have one who is a complete and utter bitch who I kept wanting to slap in the face. One who's illness was slightly annoying at the beginning of the book because you didn't know quite how to feel about it all yet. And then the others who were all just alright for me.
You have mystery! Mystery and ghosts and suspicious sounds and all that good stuff. A unidentified dead person too! And then we get the awesome jaw dropping twists and turns (which seems to be a main aspect of Amy's books *awesome!*)
I love reading her books because there's always an underlying mystery to be known and other bits of "OMG" moments. I am just addicted to her stories.
Yes, there are always mistakes in the author's books and even some name change mistakes but her stories are so damn good (in my opinion) that I can tolerate them. So, yeah, on to another Amy Cross book!
Wow, will definitely read more from this author. Loved how the characters were written and the story was a wild ride. Although it took a while reading it, it gripped me tight, I was often thinking about the book, and I love when books can do that.
So good! I am totally having an Amy Cross moment this month! Loving her books and this one was an absolutely engaging and unputdownable read. Loved it so much!
This was a very interesting book. I liked how the author told the story by showing different people's viewpoints at different times in history. At first I thought it might be confusing, but it wasn't at all. The only reason I didn't give it a little higher rating was because the ending was pretty predictable and lost some of the suspense the rest of the book had. But overall, a good read!
Interesting mystery with a twist ending. I definitely wasn't expecting. Slow in some parts but the characters are well developed and interesting. A good ghost story. #thebodyatauercliff
A slow burn that explodes again and again. Cross thrills and chills with this story. A twist you see coming halfway through, but the twists and turns it provides are exciting and of course, explosive.
At first I was annoyed. It keeps going back in time and from a different character’s viewpoint. But somehow by telling the story this way it made me even more invested in the characters and the story. What a grand tale and an amazing book.
This story is about an old house and the generations of the families that lived their. You can find enough drama in this book that should satisfy everyone. It has dark buried secrets, love, jealously, murder, child stealing, a few dead bodies, insanity, and a ghost or two.
Amy Cross knows how to tell a good story, and I could not put this one down until I finished it.
What a tightly constructed and layered book. I was really impressed at how well Cross was able to keep this story in a clear, straight line despite essentially going backwards for much of the book. The mystery is intriguing and it only gets more so as the book goes on. The ultimate twist at the end is actually similar to one she has used before but considering the massive amount of books Cross has written, I think this can be forgiven. And taken contextually, it works very well for this story.
Entertaining, but all of Amy's books seem to follow a formula, have a lot of the same elements. While scenes practically repeated in some cases. And it's sometimes painfully obvious that she is a British writer... not that that's a bad thing! But when her books are set in the States, certain terms just don't fit in and may have some Americans scratching their heads. That said, I still read quite a few of her books, as I said before, still entertaining!
This was an okay read. A niece who is,A medical doctor check on her elderly reclusive aunt. The aunt is suffering from dementia, impaired vision and a leg injury. Her beautiful mansion is neglected. But strange things start happening and a mummified body is found. The truth takes the niece on a journey that challenges her sanity.
This was not especially scary or suspenseful. It was actually fairly predictable. The horror portions were standard fair. Disappointing.
This book kept me reading way into the night and sometimes spooking myself! There were a few mistakes but not so many that it became annoying. Really thought the book was a fun read and like most of this authors books was really well written! Read this book I think you will like it.
Amy Cross keeps writing such good books, I want to keep on reading. This book is a great ghost story, with bodies and noises and other scary things. Amy has the ability to make the reader start looking around to make sure there are none around them! I think Amy Cross is one of the best writers I've ever read.
Returning to the house where her aunt lives Rebecca is shocked by her aunt’s demand that she stay at the pub. Unaware of the haunting things the family has suffered she wants to help her as she is frail now. The truth is almost too unbelievable. Can she solve the problems? The shocking truth is hard to believe.
This book, as I've found in all of Amy Cross's Haunted House collection, is so well written. I love the stories and the characters. I plan to read every last one! Once I start, I can't put these books down! If you love good old fashioned ghost stories, these books are definitely for you!!
I really liked the progression of the story about the family lineage of the house. It was creative although borrowing consistencies from other "haunting" stories.
I do recommend this book.
I would give it more like a 3.7 stars. Some parts of the story dragged a little too long.
A good, old fashioned ghost story. Scary, with great characters and a wonderful story line - but not bloody and gory. I really enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it. What a great read!
I wanted to read a good ghost story but this was much more. It had a villain who I hated in a good way. And lots of good, slightly crazy, likable characters. This was not a scary story but more heartwarming than anything. Family ties can't be broken even after death.
It is a well written story, too many chapters dedicated to back story which could have been written in as second person. I did enjoy the main story, easily figured out the other stories. Because it was well written I give it 3 stars.
Another gripping story by Amy Cross. Family secrets haunt this family for generations and need to be corrected so that the dead can rest. Love her books and this one is one of the best so far.
One of the best ghost stories I have read in a while.
One of the best ghost stories I've read in a while. I love all her books. If I fine one she has written I usually buy it because she does such a good job with whatever she writes. I really enjoy her books.
Usually with Amy Cross, her books are hit or miss. This one was most definitely a huge hit! I could barely set it down! I loved getting to read all the history of the house and what happened to each person as it happened to them.
Another brilliant ghost story from Amy Cross, did feel it started a little slowly & I kept confusing myself with who's story I was reading. But yet another unexpected twist came at the end & the story was tied up quite nicely.
If you love horror books with some twists and turns you go grab one of Amy's book. This is typical of what she writes with just the right amount of scare and ??? who knows. You will at the end.
At first it's slow going. You have no idea where the story is going but once it picks up you are down the rabbit hole. The creepiest thing about this one isn't the ghost.
What could have been a good story was utterly ruined by the portrayal of the mother. One of the most obnoxious characters I have come across in any book; so nasty that I just decided this was not for me.
A real horror story with some characters who are not alive. Rebecca is a complicated person who goes to visit her aunt Emily at Auercliff house. The past and present seems to thrive in this story.