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 with anyone, 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 at unexpected times although there’s no lightness of being here as the predominant subject matter is death.

She’s definitely a fascinating character and I wanted to learn more about her.

Be prepared for overt descriptions caused by the remnants 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!
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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.

Grace McGill - death cleaner. Grace cleans the houses of people who have died and lain undiscovered for weeks/months. Sounds like a horrible job but it suits Grace. She lives alone with George her cat and enjoys her job treating the dead and their homes with respect. She is such a fantastic character who creeps into your heart and stays there. When Grace comes across a mystery the story takes off. It's such a brilliant, dark and often quite funny book that will live with you for a long time after the last page. 5***** from me!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and C.S. Robertson for giving me the opportunity to review this unique book.

This was my first book by Craig Robertson and it wasn't what I was expecting. It turned out to be such a pleasant surprise! The story itself isn't a pleasant one, grace is a cleaner of dead bodies left to rot, what an interesting and unique premise. This book starts of a slow burn with a bit of a character study but by the halfway point the pace really picked up and things got really tense and very interesting.

I really loved Grace as a character. She seemed so naive and a little dense in the beginning but she turned out to be a pillar of strength and one smart cookie by the end. This book is heartbreaking in its way and I really enjoyed watching Grace figure out the mystery, this is the type of book that only gets better as you read and I loved that I was surprised by the many twists. This novel is very dark and at times gruesome so if you decide to read it I hope you have a strong stomach, I loved it though...and that ending was simply the best! Mr. Robertson you have a new fan!

This book was certainly different. I quite liked the main character, and I thought she did her best and had a good heart. I don't think this book will be to everyone's taste, but although it didn't set my world on fire, I thought it was a decent read, and I wouldn't put anyone off reading it, especially if you like slightly quirky books.

I never repeat the blurb. I know this has been a really popular book on Netgalley but I'm not going to join those who love it. It was ridiculously slow and I just couldn't bring myself to care about the protagonist. Sorry.

This was an interesting idea, and I liked the way Grace's role in the story changed as it went on. I enjoyed her most when she was being brave and feisty. I did find the end of the story quite unexpected, and sad.

I tried really hard to like this book.
Initially it grabbed my attention and I thought it was cleverly written, however that gradually became tedious and 200 pages in, I found I was skimming the words and had no further interest in finishing it, so eventually I gave up.
My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow just about sums up my praise for C.S.Robertson with this dark crime thriller with a killer twist to take your breath away.
Grace McGill is a thirty something spinster living in Glasgow with her rescue cat. After her mother passed away it fell to Grace to attend to the demands of her alcoholic father, cleaning, cooking with no thanks for her help. Her only passion was her occupation - she is a death cleaner. When anyone passes away in their own home and their body is not discovered for weeks maybe months later, Grace will be called to go in and carry out a deep forensic clean once the remains have been removed.
Every death has a different story to tell and Grace is dedicated to making sure that story is told.
Absolutely recommend for all crime lovers.

Didn't like it, don't really know why. I found the narrator weak and some aspects of the plot and characterisation distractingly unrealistic. The main plot, though, is gripping and original. I just feel sulky about it, somehow.

Oh, here's what it is: I think this is one of those 'she's secretly autistic' books. I think that can be done well, but it isn't here. If you need to insert a paragraph literally saying 'sometimes I just get fixated on things, oh and also here are some weird habits I have' then you're not doing a good job of creating your character.

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC.

I started this book and, from the start, could not 'get into' it. I finally gave up after three chapters. This just wasn't for me.

4.75⭐️
A new author to me.
The title fits the book well, but it didn’t do anything to make me want to read it. Nor does the cover.

Grace is a death cleaner, cleaning up after people have died and not been found for some time. It’s not your usual deep clean rate here!

Grace is the narrator, I really like that Grace is chatting to the reader. The writing style runs with the chatty natural feel.

I love Grace’s quirky mannerisms. It’s not just Grace that’s quirky, the book has a unique quirky vibe. Grace is a social outcast, she is lonely, isolated she is compulsive.

It’s not gory as such but there are places that turned my stomach.

Favourite quote ‘my smile is sort of….wonky. It’s probably because I don’t use it much’

I was hooked from the very beginning what a story concept. Very fresh and exciting.

I started off loving Grace, her quirky character really has good depth. The story is very character driven. There’s plenty of tension, it’s got a good pace throughout.

It’s a real WTF book! There are revelations that had me reeling.
It’s dark and gritty. I was hooked from the beginning, and miffed that I couldn’t read it faster.
I’m still dwelling on the ending. I don’t know if I liked it or not. It’s certainly a book that will stay with me for some time.
One that I would highly recommended.

Grace McGill cleans up the homes of the dead who have lain undiscovered for weeks or months.
She lives alone with her cat George, and her work and the lives of the dead have a special resonance for her.
She becomes embroiled in the story behind one of the dead and sets out to discover what happened and how it relates to a centuries old crime.
But things take an unexpected turn, potentially putting Grace in the path of danger.
Roberson writes Grace with a deft hand. She is weird, quirky and thoroughly believable. This is black humour at its best.
The plot is - of course - totally far-fetched but it always keeps you interested and guessing.
Recommended for those who like their murder with an unusual heroine.

This was such a truly amazing read and I was completely taken aback by the story I loved it.
Grace McGill is a character that just stands out right from the start she is a cleaner but not just any cleaner she is one who goes to the home of the deceased and does a deep clean and many of the people have been left undiscovered for quite some time so this is no easy one at all. Grace does this job with dignity and love and she is just an outstanding character and one I fell a little bit in love with from the start.
The book is very compelling with quite a few surprises I wasn’t expecting at all and I was sad to finish it it’s a book that will stay with me for quite some time. No need to rehash the plot I would say it’s better to have no idea what to expect because this is a book that is very different to what I imagined.
Fabulously written with an amazing lead character it had everything I love in a mighty fine read and is well recommended.
My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A unique tale told in first perspective of Grace McGill, a loner who has her own business as a death cleaner. She goes into properties to deep clean after a body has laid undiscovered, there are in depth descriptions of decomposition which may disturb some readers. Once at home she recreates the scenes in miniature. When she discovers a daisy at 2 scenes she goes to the police with suspicion of suspicious deaths. The police do not take her seriously. About halfway through the story completely changes and really surprised me.
This was a really dark read but once into the story I could not put it down
Many thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

Intinal I just like the cover of the book. I know don't judge a book by its cover but first impressions can mean something. Now onto the story Grace is a lovely character. I like following her story and all these discovers she's making. Once I picked this book up I couldn't stop reading. Grace investagting Tommy Death. You can hear Grace mind over going all the time you feel as if your looking through her eyes. I really enjoyed this book I couldn't believe that twist.

This is quite an unusual read ,a murder mystery with a difference ,set in Glasgow the story is about Grace McGill a death cleaner .This is a bit of a slow burner but halfway through the pace picks up with a few twists and a satisfying if sad ending .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my free copy in return for an honest review .

Craig Robertson's 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.

This was a slow burner which I am afraid I did not engage with at all. It was unrealistic in parts. Just not for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

I'm not sure how I felt when I started reading this book.
Interest at first, which slowly disappeared as the book continued.
Grace, is 30 years old and living and working in Glasgow, Scotland as a forensic cleaner.
Uncomfortable to read in parts, Grace is a damaged and lonely person with only her cat for company.

The storyline never 'spoke' to me and I became disinterested and struggled to complete.

I give a 3 star rating

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

Grace McGill’s job is an unusual one, but it’s something about which she feels strongly. Setting things rights, returning a home back to what it was before a body was found within, often months after the person had died. No matter what she’s faced with – and yes, it’s all manner of remains, biological and personal – she takes her role seriously. With her mother no longer there and a father who shows no affection, it’s a quiet life with her cat. Until she clears out a home of an elderly man who lay undetected for months. Another life gone, but one that prompts Grace on a journey to discover what happened and the reasons why he had so many of one item in particular. It’s not just a clever read – you’ll sail through a range of emotions and there’s no way you’ll forget Grace after you finish the final page. I’m struggling to remember reading a book like it before, and what a way to start 2022 reading.