🐟 Remember Where You've Buried The Bodies...
By Julie Lancaster

🐟 A slow burn and twisty murder mystery

🐟 My only negatives were the overwhelming amount of people and not being sure who's POV I was reading. This distracted me from fully enjoying the story.

🐟 It seemed a bit jumbled as there was a lot going on, but it did keep me guessing.

🐟 This feels like the beginning of a series as there's so much left unfinished.
With fewer characters, I look forward to continuing the series and delving into Wills life.

A fun and unique thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire ride. This was one where I really didn’t know what was going to happen next!

What a thought provoking premise... Sunset House is a chaotic haven of glitter-flecked carpets, weak tea, and residents whose secrets are as sharp as their tongues. At the center of it all are two care assistants, Jolene and Will.

Jolene would rather be watching daytime television than caring for the elderly. Living with her mum, who has her own set of quirks and a broken heart, Jolene's life is anything but ordinary. 

When elderly resident Gilbert casually mumbles, 'When I killed her' Jolene and her colleague Will are drawn into a mystery that’s equal parts chilling and absurd. The confession is dismissed at first - did Will mishear, was Gilbert confused from watching a tv drama, or maybe, just maybe, he confessed to being a killer.

Lancaster masterfully blends suspense with wit, creating a narrative that's as sharp as it is satirical. The residents are brought to life with such vividness that they feel like old friends - or perhaps, old foes. And the premise lives on in my head - home office stats tell us that there were 570 murders in the UK last year... What an interesting mix of histories there must be with our older generations.

With definite Thursday Murder Club vibes, this alternate take on the genre makes for an entertaining read. My thanks to NetGalley, One More Chapter, and the author for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This novel has a great, original premise. I don’t think the book quite lived up to that premise, but it’s still a good read.

Gilbert is living in an aged care home, slowly slipping into dementia. Which is not unexpected for an elderly person, but of late he’s been saying some very disconcerting things to his carers. In particular, he’s been mentioning the names of girls he’s killed and talking of disposing of their bodies.

It’s not clear whether this is the rambling of an old, confused man, or whether these are real memories surfacing. It does seem, however, that someone should look into it, just in case it’s real.

This is, as I said, a great premise and not one I’ve come across before. The novel is meticulously plotted, and towards the end all the plot strands neatly converge so that everything is explained. It’s complex, but also ultimately pretty clear.

However, this is also one of the minor reservations I had about the novel. There is so very much going on, and most of it seems linked to Sunset House. That strained my credulity just a bit – there were so many different plot strands that it just felt a little overwhelming for them all to be linked to one old age home.

My major problem with the novel was the lack of a character I could really engage with. Characters are well drawn and strong, and there’s a diverse cast. But none of them seemed like people I’d want to spend more than a few minutes with. The lack of an engaging character made it hard for me to care deeply about the plot: I was interested, but in a fairly distant, abstract way.

Still, this was a really interesting read – it just happened, for me, to be more an intellectual exercise than an emotional one. Many crime readers will appreciate this for the originality of the premise and the complexity of the plot.

Recommended for crime readers who are primarily interested in plot and are less concerned with emotional engagement.

This book really kept me hooked.

Plot: At a birthday party for a nursing home resident, another resident with dementia randomly stated he killed a woman. They don't know whether to take it seriously....like he seems harmless...did he hear it from a movie, just saying it, or what? Very interesting story and told in an easy to read style of writing. I found this plot different, because we don't hear about too many serial killers who are in a care home and forget they are or were one. Like every person has a past...

Characters: I liked the characters (this story has multiple viewpoints in third person), but I didn't quite become attached to them. I cared for some of them. They were well developed...don't get me wrong. They had backstories, families, feelings, and such, but for some reason, they aren't the type that will quite stick with me. The character development was there.

Setting: The setting matches the story. I enjoyed the nursing home setting, going home or traveling other places with some of the characters, and the flashbacks.

Pacing: I felt the pacing was pretty good. It didn't stay on one scene too long. The chapters weren't short, but they weren't long either. They aren't for bite sized reading sessions. As said before, the book kept me hooked and things didn't keep on running on or looping. Things did go a little off track, but I never felt that things were redundant and could be put out the book.

I definitely had a fun time reading this one. Had some twists I wasn't expecting. All in all, a solid thriller, and one that I think should be very popular among it's release.

The premise hooked me right away. A serial killer who forgets he’s a serial killer. The dark, witty writing kept me curious. The shifting timelines, multiple points of view, and unreliable narration create a unique atmosphere, but the structure sometimes feels disorienting and a few plot threads aren’t fully developed. While it doesn’t completely deliver on its brilliant concept, it’s still an intriguing and original read for fans of psychological twists. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Remember Where You’ve Buried the Bodies by Julie Lancaster
When care assistant Will Cavanagh hears Gilbert Williams, a frail resident of Sunset House Care Home, casually confess to killing someone, he dismisses it at first. But the comment lingers. What if Gilbert really did kill someone and has simply forgotten that he should not speak of it?

This intriguing premise blends mystery with moral dilemmas, made even more compelling by one of the carers having her own connection to a missing person case. The story moves between the present day investigation and flashbacks from the killer’s perspective, gradually revealing motivations and past events. These glimpses into the mind of the culprit add depth and keep the tension simmering.

While the concept is clever and the pacing strong, the sheer number of intersecting back stories and dark secrets can at times feel overwhelming. Almost every character harbours a shadowy past, which dilutes the impact of the central mystery. Some well placed red herrings work well, but the abundance of them risks tipping into distraction.

Despite this, the combination of care home setting, dementia driven uncertainty and serial killer suspense makes for a distinctive and memorable read. It is a story that leaves you questioning how much of what we hear, especially from those society overlooks, might actually be true.

3.5/5.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

I received an advance digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The synopsis of this book sounded right up my alley, but I was quite confused when it felt like the synopsis of the book and the actual book I read were not the same. There were so many characters that I felt never fully got developed, so many different crimes that I’m not even sure who committed what, and the ending left me fully unfulfilled. The book had good bones, but this felt like a rough draft more than a polished final copy.

Remember Where You've Buried the Bones is a delightful read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I was intrigued from start to finish.

Sunset House Care Home that has delightful characters and it just happens that one of them is a serial killer but Gilbert forgets he is a serial killer thanks to dementia.

Jolene and Will are care assistants at Sunset and when they here Gilbert say more than once he killend someone they both think that they can solve the mystery first.

The background is brillant and Julie Lancaster takes the reader down a mysterious path with a few twists that keeps those pages turning.

There is something that is just so compelling and captivating about this book that I could not put it down and it was a refreshing change of pace.

I will miss my friends at Sunset Care Home and would love to meet up with them again.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter for the opporunity to read this delightful book Remember Where You've Buried the Bones.

Has anyone thought of the things they might reveal if they end up with dementia? What if the things you could reveal includes where you’ve buried bodies of your victims? That’s reality here. Gilbert is too confused to know what he’s revealing, but armchair detectives (aka his caregivers), are intrigued by his scattered and less than informative revelations. How many people did he kill? And why?

When a resident in a care home confesses to a murder, but his dementia means what he's saying might not be correct, it's up to his carers to discover the truth behind his claims. Things are further complicated by the fact one of his carers had a sister go missing many years prior.

I think, for me, this is another case of really enjoying the concept but finding the story itself wasn't quite for me. I did enjoy the twists and turns of the book and the dilemma the carers faced when trying to figure out what the truth was. A real highlight for me were the scenes set in the care home itself and the humour that was sprinkled in during these moments. My main struggle, however, came with the sometimes confusing mix of timelines and how I wasn't always sure who the narrator was. I was able to orient myself better with some re-reading of certain sections but I think on the whole I would have preferred something more "in the moment" with the plot rather than looking back all the time.

On the whole, I did find a lot to like and I'm definitely interested in reading more from the author!

Thank you to NetGalley for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

What if The Thursday Murder Club was more gritty - that would be this book!
The characters were fantastic, and very real feeling within the Care home setting, some lines made me laugh out loud, and others made me gasp outloud covering my mouth.
Really enjoyed this twisty, darkly funny thriller - I need more from Julie Lancaster

This is a book about the residents and staff at a care home, where a resident might just have confessed to murder, but he also can't remember his own name due to dementia. What follows is a twisty turny investigation into missing girls and dead bodies.

I was conflicted with how to rate this book overall, as I really liked the concept and the plot really drew me in. However I found it very confusing about who the narrator was in each chapter, what time we were in and who all the characters were, as there were a lot to keep track of. The end felt rushed and left quite a few loose ends. But overall I think it was worth a read, you just need to be really concentrating to follow the plot and the character storylines. Don't start to read this for an easy read book, it is gritty and has lots of branches to the storyline to keep a track of along the way

Excellently unusual crime thriller. No wonder they have trouble remembering where the bodies are, as just about everyone is at it. And if not murder, then something else unsavoury. It's funny, quirky and full of surprises. Julie Lancaster has a way with words and comes out with some lively turns of phrase. I thought there were a couple of loose ends - re who sent the strange parcel. It's hinted at but did we get a reason? And was there someone in the house that was broken into, or not? Maybe I missed something. No matter, it's a very enjoyable read.

It’s rare I don’t finish a book but I’m afraid this wasn’t for me. I didnt get where it was going and I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, it didn’t hook me in at all. I really wanted to like it, but it wasn’t for me- sorry!

Overall, a decent read with a strong concept, but it didn’t quite live up to its full potential. Worth picking up if you enjoy slow-burn thrillers with a brooding tone.

Vibes: twisty and unpredictable, growing sense of dread, everybody has secrets/grey morality, dark humour, surprisingly poignant at times, care home setting, split timelines
Verdict: a clever thriller with a morally grey ensemble cast and an ending I didn't see coming. Pick this up if you're looking for a thriller that is a step above a page-turner, with hints of humour and some interesting commentary on loss and morality

The premise is fantastic, the writing is on point and the plot is clever but for me it goes a step beyond an ordinary thriller. With an ensemble cast of morally grey characters across different timelines, the author has interwoven an interesting thriller plot with thoughtful examination of loss and how the lives of the people left behind are changed forever - in a way that doesn't slow the pacing down and really adds to the atmosphere.

The sole reason this isn't a 5* for me is that the plot and writing was so excellent that I wanted to zip straight through it but I found myself having to turn back a few times because of the large cast and the timeline/perspective shifts aren't always immediately clear. Very minor though and overall I really enjoyed this book.

Definitely a book you need to focus to read, but the payoff at the end is absolutely worth it!

With thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter | Harper Collins UK for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

When Gilbert, a resident at Sunset House claims that he killed someone, everyone thinks it is his dementia talking, but is it? Will and Jolene are both intrigued by his claims but for Jolene, a carer who seems to be dreadful at her job, it's more personal as her sister went missing and was never found - they both want to find out more.

This was a real cross-genre of a novel - not quite cosy crime, not quite romance, not quite thriller - it was however, strangely engaging. The premise of a serial killer forgetting that he was a serial killer was an interesting one and handled well as Gilbert was not the main character in the book. Will and Jolene begged for emotional engagement from the reader - I'll leave it to you to decide if you liked them or not.

Foe me, there were a few too many characters (some with very similar names) which meant that I sometimes had to check back to confirm what I thought was happening. Nontheless, this is worth a read.

I received a free copy of, Remember Where You've Buried the Bodies, by Julie Lancaster, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. A resident at a care home, said he killed someone back in the day, is he telling the truth? I read a book similar to this book recently. This book had really twisted people in it.