Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This book is the second one in the series, after A High Mortality of Doves and is set in post World War 2 in England. The book again features Albert Lincoln and he has to investigate the murder of a child. There is more twists and turns than you could imagine and the book was worth the effort. Recommended.

Kate Ellis follows up A High Mortality of Doves with another excellent mystery set in post WW1 England.

This begins in the year following that book. Albert Lincoln is called to the town of Mabley Ridge to investigate a murder and disappearance of a child. He's been there before and failed one child and hopes to redeem that failure and bury some of his own personal demons. But this town has more secrets than he could ever have expected. With so many people having so many secrets to hide how can he hope to solve either case?

Atmospheric and intriguing this book had me hooked late into the night. A series definitely worth following.

This book was not what I was expecting from its title, nevertheless, it was a remarkable, fast-paced thriller with many twists in the plot. There were many threads to the story all of which were neatly developed. I hadn’t read the first book before reading this and although I think I would have benefited from doing so, I didn’t feel as though my enjoyment of “ The Boy Who Lived With the Dead” had been spoiled.

This enjoyable historical crime thriller was set in 1920 and DI Albert Lincoln is sent from Scotland Yard to investigate a murder in northern England which brings back memories of an earlier unsolved crime and also some personal memories.

The book was well written and excellently paced and I found it to be a most fulfilling read.

I highly recommend this very solid thriller which is definitely worthy of its five stars.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my own request from the publisher via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This is a really good read. The characters and the plot were well thought out. This is a thriller with a lot of twists and turns. The setting was really well described and made this an interesting read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and of course the author for this digital ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
This book is a twisted psychological thriller and was a very enjoyable read!

I love Kate Ellis! She's one of my all-time favourite authors, mainly because her plots are so fiendishly clever I can never work out 'whodunit'. Or if I do, my guess will be only a small part of the story. I don't know how she does it!

Kate Ellis is mainly known for her 'Wesley Peterson' archaeological mystery series - set in the present day but with a historical mystery threading through the stories. The Boy Who Lived with the Dead is the second in her 'Albert Lincoln' series and is set during the years following the First World War. This is not a time period I'm familiar with, and I found it fascinating to read how such a a horrific war continued to affect people, not only the soldiers.

If you've not read the first book in this series, A High Mortality of Doves, you do need to do so. The plot of that book is mentioned throughout this one, with huge spoilers. Having said that, you can read this one as a stand alone - just be aware of those spoilers!

The Boy Who Lived with the Dead starts in 1920. The title refers to a young boy called Peter, who lives in the lodge bordering the cemetery because his father is the gravedigger. A few years earlier, Peter's twin brother was murdered and left for dead in the local stone circle. Inspector Albert Lincoln was unable to solve this murder and it has haunted him ever since. Now he's back to investigate the murder of a woman and the disappearance of her baby. Are the two cases connected? Did Peter witness the murder from his bedroom window? Or is he lying about that, the way the entire village believes he lies about everything else?

The Boy Who Lived with the Dead is basically the perfect murder mystery! It's brilliantly plotted and I love the characters! Albert is traumatised from the events of the first book, not to mention the war and his unhappy marriage. Peter is suffering from the loss of his twin. He has no friends and most adults dismiss him as being a fantasist. I loved Peter's teacher, Gwen Davies, who tries to solve the murders herself, and I also enjoyed the way practically the entire village had a secret to hide!

If you love traditional/classic murder mysteries, you will adore this book. It's one of my favourite reads this year - I can't wait for the next one!

A historical crime thriller and one of my guilty pleasures.
Set in the 1920's DI Albert Lincoln from Scotland Yard is sent to the village of Mabley Ridge to investigate a murder. A woman has been buried alive and her baby is missing. Albert has bad memories of this village as he was sent years ago to investigate the murder of a young boy and he was never able to catch the killer. Now another child is missing. The village is not what it seems so many secrets, so many lies and some secret and dark obsessions. As Albert finds more bodies there is one witness. A young boy who calls him The Shadow Man. Albert needs to protect this boy as now his life in danger.
This is the second in the DI Albert Lincoln series, it can be read as a stand alone but I am sure that you will want to read the series from the start . Albert is a flawed but very likeable character and the story is well researched. I finished this book in one sitting turning the last page in the wee hours. I had to know who the Shadow Man was. Almost five stars and highly recommended.
I would like to thank the author, Little Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

The Boy Who Lived with the Dead is the first book by Kate Ellis that I have read and I found it an enjoyable historical crime thriller.

The story is set in 1920 with the country still trying to come to terms with the aftermath of the War

DI Albert Lincoln is sent from Scotland Yard to investigate a murder in the north of England which brings back memories of an earlier unsolved crime and also some more poignant personal memories.

The book is well written and very well paced. It is the second book in a series and whilst there was some backstory contained within this book if you have read the earlier one you would probably enjoy this one more.

All that aside I did enjoy this book and would still recommend it

Not at all what I thought from the title but a wonderful, fast paced thriller with twists and turns aplenty. So many threads to this story all of which are well thought out and neatly developed. Characters were sympathetically developed and suitably “good” and “bad” . I didn’t read the first book and although I was aware of it when reading this one, there was no missing knowledge that hindered my enjoyment of this book.

I will look for the next one, I might even go back and read the first

Unusual story dealing with multiple issues. Lots of interesting characters and some explosive twists.

Really enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed the twists and turns as the detective ask the questions and you start think you know who done it and there would be another twist or turn. I love Kate Ellis style of writing. I will definitely be reading more of her books.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for a review copy of The Boy Who Lived with the Dead, the second novel to feature DI Albert Lincoln of Scotland Yard, set in 1920.

When Patience Bailey is killed in the village of Mabley Ridge DI Albert Lincoln is sent north to lead the investigation, due to his familiarity with area. He has mixed feelings about the secondment, glad to escape the pressure of his failing marriage but apprehensive about returning to the scene of failure as in 1914 he failed to find a child murderer. His investigation uncovers many village secrets and several suspects.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Boy Who Lived with the Dead which is a slow burner of a read until a final flurry of action and revelations. It should be noted that this novel makes much reference to its predecessor, A High Mortality of Doves, and regularly mentions the killer, which is the main twist in that novel, so I highly recommend reading the series in order.

Who would believe that a small village could hide so many secrets and interconnecting characters? Me, actually, as it was a smaller world at the time and secrets were easier to keep. It makes for compulsive reading as Lincoln slowly but methodically uncovers links and more crimes. It is a very cleverly constructed novel with plenty of twists and surprises but Ms Ellis saves her best for last, a well concealed killer and motive. I didn’t have a clue throughout.

The novel is told in the third person, mostly from Lincoln’s point of view, but other characters are given a perspective as and when required, notably schoolboy Peter Rudyard, twin brother of the murdered Jimmy, and schoolteacher Gwen Davies. Lincoln is a lonely, unhappy man, constantly dreaming of past love and hoping for future love but he is able to hide his pain and think through his case to a conclusion.

Ms Ellis captures the mood of the era well from the live now attitude of the young who didn’t fight to the damaged who did return and the mourning whose loved ones didn’t return. It was a devastated period that doesn’t bear thinking about.

The Boy Who Lived with the Dead is a great read which I have no hesitation in recommending.