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.

Will post to Goodreads when the book appears there and to retail sites on publication day.

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!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great storyline with excellent characters. I would highly recommend this book as it was a great read.

A Premise That Gratifyingly Delivers….
What an intriguing premise. 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.

I loved this book it had a very Rear Window feel to it. The idea that someone who sees what you’re up to but doesn’t necessarily interact with you. The story was engrossing and I couldn’t wait to see where it would go. I highly recommend this.

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.

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.

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.

Very weird, very wonderful: a damaged, damaging, unreliable narrator, strangely endearing

This is an edgily satisfying, very uncomfortable read, with a central character whom ‘in real life’ one would probably want to avoid – she is hardly the most socially skilful, appealing person to encounter. The clearly misnamed ‘Grace’ who seems to have none of the qualities, physical, emotional, spiritual which might go along with expectations of the qualities association with ‘Grace’, is, oddly, someone whom, on reflection, after finishing the book, had this reader wryly smiling. Grace may not be in any obvious way full-of-Grace – and yet, and yet….

Grace McGill is uncomfortable in social situations, something of a loner. It might be tempting to think that she is neurodiverse, somewhere ‘on the spectrum’ perhaps. But although she may be uncomfortable with relationship, with emotional intimacy, this is not because she is uncaring. In fact, the reverse. She feels the suffering of the lonely, the terrified, the bullied and the victims far, far to intensely.

This has brought her into an odd profession. She is a cleaner – but not of the houses of the living. She is a forensic cleaner. She gets called in, after the police, the emergency services, the investigations of possible crimes have all been, gone, and done their jobs, to those premises where some poor soul has died alone, undiscovered, unnoticed as missing, till decomposition over weeks or months creates complaints from neighbours, responsive to rank and festering odours. It is then Grace will be brought in, clad in biohazard gear, to render premises habitable again.

She has, as might be expected, dark secrets in her past, a traumatic childhood, which has left her too scared to allow intimacy and trust with others.

She is also somewhat – more than a little – obsessive. She knows she is damaged, and is drawn to others who are also deeply fearful, deeply lonely.

And she is not always the most honest of people. Not even to herself. And not to us, either.

In this case, information which we, the readers, piece together, shocking surprises we are given, don’t feel like the author playing crass games with the reader, but there are places in Grace’s memory and past which SHE cannot bear to view.

The reader is unlikely to LIKE Grace, but she excites our care and compassion – and even, our understanding.

A most strange ‘psychological thriller of the literary kind. One which did not seem contrived. I will certainly want to read more by this author, and am delighted to have had the privilege of discovering such an unusual read by a first time author, thanks to the publisher via NetGalley

I raced through this twisty and dark story in one sitting! Grace McGill is a death cleaner. She cleans up after those people who die alone. Along with their bodily remains she cleans up their clutter and secrets...

One old man lies undetected for months. At his funeral she discovers he has old friends. She wonders why they hadn't been checking up on him when he was alive.

Grace also lives alone with her cat and visits her ungrateful and abusive father through duty, not love. She misses her mother so much.

Something makes her delve deeper into the past and tries to find out what secret binds the men together after finding the items in Tommy's flat, something's not right and she's determined to get to the bottom of it at whatever the cost.

It's hugely compelling although very dark and disturbing. I loved it!

Grace McGill is a 'death cleaner', after a corpse has been removed from a house Grace goes in and deeps cleans. Grace has a niche in cleaning up the 'undiscovered' which have sometimes been decaying for weeks or months.

Aside from her unusual occupation, Grace is a unique character, painfully shy, obsessive and more comfortable around death than she is around most living people.

Some photos and a collection of newspapers found at one of her clean up jobs triggers an obsession to try and solve a mystery.

This is a very dark book, even before the mystery / thriller unfolds. I found Grace's character fully believable and was compelled to read her story.

The plot starts as a creeper and a thinker, as Grace's investigation deepens it twists and loops wildly. There is real tension and threat and we really get into Grace's head, "What do you think you know, and how do you know it?" is a question she gets asked (and asks herself) more than once.

There is a real depth, with lots of introspection and reflection on loneliness and social isolation.

This is a book that really hooks, and lingers after finishing, the more I think about it, the better this book is. The characters, atmosphere, plotting, pace and tension are all absolutely spot on and hugely impressive.

I only discovered after reading that this is from the same author as Random and Murderabilia, I wasn't surprised by this, as the quality is obvious, and I love this foray into a more psychological mystery.

In my opinion this book is destined to become a modern dark psychological crime classic.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodden & Stoughton

I have to say that in all my years of reading and the thousands of books that I've read, I have never read s book like this. I was even doing a child's trick of reading under the covers last night so as not to disturb my hubby. It's amazing, gripping and very well written.

A clever book, loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

An interesting premise turned into a compelling and troubling story. The novel centres around the strange and quirky character of Grace McGill, a cleaner who specialises in cleaning up particularly unpleasant death scenes. She initially comes across as an eccentric loner but as the story develops we see an obsessive and more sinister side to her character as she tries to clear up mysteries about the people she cleans up after. A highly original and readable book.

This is an unusual murder mystery, I’ve never read a book like it before. Grace is an engaging character, self employed to deep clean the homes of people who die and lay undiscovered for a long time. Half way through the tale turns a turn to the dark side, and the plot thickens. I almost gave up on the book because I didn’t like the story line with Grace’s relationship with her father. It made uncomfortable reading, but I think it was, sadly, realistic. Not an uplifting book, but interesting and gripping right to the end.

I really enjoyed this book, the storyline kept you reeling in and wanting to read more and more. Grace was described and written so incredibly well, a matter of fact all of the characters were. It kept me so intrigued. I loved the thrill and suspense, couldn't put it down once i started reading that i stayed up to the early hours to finish it. I had an idea where the ending was coming but i still enjoyed the book and thought it was such a likeable book. I would recommend to fellow book readers 5*

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for letting me read and review this book, i look forward to what's more to come from the author.

Good grief this is absolutely mesmerising! Long time since I read such an original voice and intriguing story. Grace McGill is probably one of the most complex and original characters I have encountered in a thriller. She is so compassionate, unforgiving, an avenging angel with only a cat for company. The narrative - all in Grace's voice - is always interesting but seems fairly safe to start with but gradually little things start to jar and information is revealed to seep through and disturb thoughts. This is a cracking read, action-packed, twisting, dangerous and unpredictable.

I have read many books over the past few years with characters named in the title, Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine, The surprising days of Isla Pembroke, The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle to name a few....

I don't think of those characters will stay with me longer than Grace McGill....she is an amazingly, complex character.

Grace works as a cleaner, however she is no ordinary cleaner.....she attends the scenes of those who have died and lain undiscovered for a number of weeks and months. Whilst this is not a job many of us could stomach, Grace takes great pride in her job and feels she is doing a great public service.

Grace is cleaning a number of properties in Glasgow and discovers what might be a link between a number of deaths in the city which appear unrelated. She also discovers information relating to an unsolved missing persons case within one of the houses which she has cleaned. This takes Grace on an investigation across Scotland as she seeks to uncover the truth.

I really enjoyed this novel, set in Glasgow and containing great, realistic descriptions of the city. I will, of course, not spoil of anything however the journey of Grace and her character will live with you for a long time.

Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest, inbiased review.

This is a murder mystery with a difference. The story is told by Grace who is employed to clean up after people have died and lain undiscovered for a long time. The account Grace gives of her work is not for the squeamish as she goes into considerable detail about he aftermath of such deaths. In the curse of her work, Grace stumbles on a mystery involving some of the deceased and sets about investigating. Her investigation leads her to the island of Bute and to discoveries surrounding a disappearance that took place in 1964. What makes the story different concerns Grace's own back story. This fuels a twist in the story that happens unexpectedly in the middle of the novel. This twist comes as quite a jolt and feels as though the story has changed direction so suddenly that it takes the reader some time to adjust to it. It made me wonder whether the writer planned it from the beginning or just had the idea mid-way through writing. Nevertheless, I wanted to find out the whole story and this kept me reading so that I finished the book very quickly. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes crime thrillers that are a bit different as long as they have a strong stomach!

Seldom does a book engage me where I literally have to say up all night to reach the end, this book did.
Very hard to summarize without revealing the plot, so suffice to say, Grace engages you from the start and takes you on a journey of many twists & turns, most totally unexpected.
Best book I’ve read in 2021 so far.

An unexpectedly good read!
Grace is a tortured, sad, lonely young woman who has chosen a career that lets her think she's helping people when in fact she's punishing herself. While believing that she's helping people she's causing herself more pain by doing terrible things until she stumbles upon a decades old mystery where she finds people with more secrets than she has.

#TheUndiscoveredDeathsOfGraceMcGill #NetGalley
Masterpiece.
Grace McGill is an insular, friendless woman, living in Glasgow in her 30s. She has her beloved cat, and she has her own business - deep cleaning the houses of Undiscovereds. People who die alone and stay that way until they are found weeks, sometimes months, later. While working in the home of a man named Tommy Agnew, her suspicions are aroused by a hidden photograph and a stack of newspapers, all from the same date over many, many years. Grace can't get the mysterious life and sad death of Tommy Agnew out of her head, and she soon begins an investigation that could cost her her life. The past has stayed buried for many years already, but Grace has never been one to brush things under the carpet .
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Straighten for giving me an advanced copy of this masterpiece.

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!
.
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.

Creepy, compelling and totally captivating, I absolutely loved Grace McGill.

I'm a huge fan of crime and thriller, as well as true crime and podcasts, and I remember being horrified and fascinated at the idea of after-death cleaners who come in to do the dirty job nobody else can bear to do. Grace McGill specialises in the undiscovered deaths, the ones where people have laid unfound for weeks, even months.

This story evolves from a morbidly fascinating peek into Grace's dark world into a truly captivating thriller as she attempts to understand the mysterious circumstances behind several deaths and one girl's disappearance decades ago. I definitely won't forget Grace in a hurry...

#TheUndiscoveredDeathsofGraceMcGill #NetGalley.
Think you have a bad job? Think again. Grace McGill is a death cleaner
Think you are lonely? Think again. People die and lay lonely Undiscovered in their homes for months
Think you know where your moral compass stands? Think again, put yourself in this book's characters shoes and pick honestly a decisive choice faced with the same situations they face
A refreshing original gripping, engaging finely written dark twisted thriller.
I absolutely loved it.

The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill is like nothing I’ve read before and quite simply I couldn’t put it down.

Grace McGill had a rather unique job. When someone dies and is left undiscovered for an my period of time, she enters the property and cleans up what’s left behind be it clutter, human remains or dark secrets. When an old man is discovered in his flat months after he died, it seems to be an unremarkable like and unnoticed death, but Grace knows there is more to this. She sets about cleaning up in more ways than one.

It’s dark and compelling. It gets its teeth into you and hangs on the the very last page. A very worth five stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author for the chance to review.

Grace McGill is not who she seems. She's quirky, withdrawn and yet compassionate to a fault. Grace is quirky in her own right especially with what she does as a career. She's a crime scene cleaner. Not just any crime scene cleaner, she cleans up after people who have died and were not discovered right away, the forgotten.

Grace's character is unique, especially in her personality and attitude. This also helps me keep on reading as at the time the story can be extremely slow in development. The first few chapters are annoying as the author repeats how difficult Grace's profession is and which type of chemicals she used to clean up. It's a repetitive issue. Push through these slow parts and repetition and in the end, I was not disappointed. This is a unique read that should not be passed up.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very interesting book a little slow at first but very engrossing. Grace is a quirky complex character who lives her life cleaning up after people who've died and not been discovered for a while. the people get inside her head and heart. There is also a mystery that goes back to 1964 that is connected to some of the people that have died an nteresting twist that I didn't predict. It touches on the themes of loneliness and isolation and the many secrets that people carry

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five

Given the choice, you wouldn’t swap lives with Grace McGill. She’s a trauma cleaner - cleaning up wheb someone dies and is left undiscovered for months after their death. This, whilst trying to handle her past and the emotionally abusive father who expects to be waited on hand and foot. But one day during a cleaning job she stumbles across something which sets Grace off on a path for answers.

Wow this book blew me away! Grace McGill is a such a gift of a character. I could not get enough of her captivating narrative, enriched with dark gallows humour. The plot drew me in straight away with its grisly details and then kept me turning the page as quickly as I could with the mystery of past events and the shocking revelations that come think and fast. And that ending! It’s the most apt, haunting ending I have read all year. Grace McGill will stay with me for a long, long time.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.

A cross between CSI and Greg Davis's The Cleaner.
Actually I really enjoyed this book and thought it was well executed, The characters were well developed and the plot intriguing. Some reviewers have said this book is slow going but I completely disagree. Just because 10 people don't die on the first page doesn't make it slow. The plot reaches out and grabs you, tentacle by tentacle until all eight are holding you prisoner. You just can't let go of the book until you've finished. Everyone seems to want to label Grace as autistic but I don't believe she is. She is, definitely one hugely fascinating character. I really enjoyed the way the story progressed and we became more attune to what makes up Grace as a person. The fact that a large part of it is set "doon the watter" on the Isle of Bute a place I know extremely well made it for me.. The atmosphere created was so full on I was back there in an instant, walking the same streets. Wemyss is pronounced Weemz for the uninitiated. I liked Grace. Yes, she is an enigma and complicated but despite everything I found myself liking her very much. The ending I was unsure about but after thinking about it, I do think it was the right thing to do, the right way to end the book. A very good read

Grace McGill has a job that very few of us could do. She cleans the places where people have died, people who didn’t have anyone who cared enough to worry about them. She literally cleans where they were found, and takes each death to heart.

This is such a good book, told in the first person, which, for the tale it is, is ideal. I probably know more about the decomposition of a human body than I really wanted to know, but it certainly plays a large part of explaining Graces’ character and reasoning. How she explains, to herself and to the readers how she copes with the nature of the job. Very few of us could. I thought I knew where this book was going, then suddenly it went somewhere so unexpected, I really had to keep reading to see how it resolved itself. And again, the ending, so unexpected. Excellent read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Graces cleans homes for a living, well exhomes as the owners all have one thing in common their dead and lay undetected for some time, from weeks to months. It's a specialist job more than i ever realised!

There are similarities with a number of them, I simple daisy. Another of Grace's time consumption is making models of the scenes rooms she had cleaned just certain ones to keep their memory alive. The story takes a turn when Grace attends the funeral of one of the men whose body laid undetected for 5 months. She meets two of his friends and the adventure begins the search for truth.

This is a gritty thriller set in Glasgow and some hair raising twists that will match with stories of old from the old city. I feel this is more than worthy of 5 stars so sit back and enjoy I hope you do.

This is a very dark and controversial story, which needs someone who is into this kind of thing. Thankfully I like forensics, serial killers and the dark sides of humanity so this book was right up my alley.

If I have to compare it to something it would be the movie “Se7en”, in tone and subject matter. I saw this story in the same visual style as the film.

Grace is a very sad but memorable character, she cleans up after dead people. Because of her solitary lifestyle she gets obsessed with these people she works on and their stories lead her to a mystery. I think that’s all you need to know to get immersed in her life story.

It’s not a feel good book, it’s very real and extremely dark. I really liked it and would recommend it for people into thrillers and dark themes.

Grace McGill is a loner. She lives alone, she works alone. Her work is her life. She is the person called upon to clean up when a body has been discovered in a property weeks or maybe months, in some cases many months, after death. It is a difficult, unpleasant job, but one Grace feels compelled to do. She feels duty bound to do this job, if not her, then who? Whilst doing one particular clean up, Grace becomes intrigued by a photo and a collection of old newspapers, each with the same date though different years. With her usual attention to detail, Grace decides to search out what they mean, and, like everything else that Grace does, it becomes and obsession.

This story is told from the narrative of Grace, and the reader really gets into her mindset, we live her obsessions and compulsions, even though we know she is in danger.

When I started this book, due to its subject matter I thought it wasn’t for me. When I realised I had read 50% of the book without a break I knew I was hooked! Absolutely compelling, totally absorbing and very macabre! I loved it.

Thank you NetGalley.

Thank you to Rachel from Houghton & Stoddard! She messaged me about this great new book and invited me to read it. I was intrigued by the premise and gave it a go.

All I can say is wow! I could not stop reading it. So many twists and turns and such a unique concept. Please consider changing the title-it is almost too descriptive!

Thank you for the chance to read this I give it 5 stars. Not giving anything away but know that Grace will stay with you for while after you finish.

I'm not sure I can review this without giving away spoilers......So I will just have to shout from the rooftops how good this is. It starts off a seemingly pedestrian thriller and then...............well you just have to read it to do it justice. This is a great thriller, with a compelling lead character, great plotting and a brilliant twist that I'm still reeling from.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I really enjoyed it it was so different from what I was expecting and I read it in two sittings because I needed to know what happened. I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

However disturbing and 'TMI' the earliest chapters seem, don't make the mistake of putting this book aside. Yes it's dark and disturbing early in the story, but we'll worth sticking my with. Grace, a loner and social misfit, has the distasteful job of cleaning the homes of the not so recently dead, largely people who like her were alone. She becomes obsessed with an old photo she's come across while working a particularly messy home, and this leads her investigate the history of the deceased person and his four friends in the photo with him. A truly dark and surprisingly addictive thriller.

I absolutely loved this book - I didn’t see where it was going and it took me completely by surprise!

Gripping, dark and creepy, I would recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a slightly different type of thriller.

Grace McGill is a death cleaner who deep cleans the property once the body has been removed having been left for some weeks. Although she appears a loner as the story unfolds it takes an unexpected turn showing her true seedy and dark personality which was disturbing to appreciate. I found it an usual plot and gripping. Thanks for an ARC. I look forward to more from this author.

What an excellent, cleverly written thriller from the author! Grace Mc Gill is such an interesting character, a bit of a loner, apart from George the cat her only friend. She cleans up death scenes for a living, macabre but someone has to do it. The book has an original, fascinating plot which drew me in from the beginning. I was totally engrossed in this fast paced and darkly different psychological read which I highly recommend to lovers of the genre. An easy 5* read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Wow what a great story with great writing I was totally absorbed with the characters and story line. It certainly kept me turning the pages at every opportunity I had.

I will certainly recommend this book and post reviews on sites on publication day.

Thank you to Rachael Quin and NetGalley for the ARC for which I have given my voluntary and unbiased review

I absolutely loved this – it’s one of the most unique books I’ve read in a very long time. Totally absorbing and thrilling, with a big boom halfway through that was shocking to say the least. It was dark, grisly, dangerous, sad and happy all at the same time. It’s a book you just HAVE to read and you won’t want to put it down. I was hoping it would go on forever. Extremely well written, and if this really is a first time author all I can say is wow, what a future you have!
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this brilliant ARC in return for an honest review.

I could not put this book down. It was a gripping story from beginning to end. It provided a real and disturbing insight into the mind of a lonely, unhappy person who wants to do the right thing but goes about it the wrong way.

When I read the synopsis, I could not wait to get started and what a fascinating read it has been. To me at least, a totally innovative story with some surprisingly real people. Some of Grace's job detail could be thought of as a bit too accurately detailed but that detail is essential to the atmosphere of the book. I do not do spoilers but can say that there really is a sting in the tale (sic). If you are looking for something truly original and thought provoking then this is the book for you!

Even though I have rated this book 5 Stars, I have to say that it would have rated 6 Stars but for its excessive and unnecessary use of expletives - 120 variations of the f-word alone. Why have so many writers decided to accelerate the dumbing down of the English language by making expletives so much part of their writing?

Grace McGill works alone. She sorts out when a person dies. Someone who hasn't been missed for months. She goes into their properties and cleans out their lives. But everyone has been someone and had a life and Grace knows this.
Dark adn chilling but compulsive reading!!

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.

What an original story!
Initially I was going to give this intriguing book 4 stars but then it went in a direction that I didn't anticipate and kept me engaged so I've gone for 5 stars.
It's hard to place this book into a specific category, there are different elements to the story but all told from the point of view of Grace McGill. We hear her thoughts and see through her eyes as she goes about her job cleaning after the undiscovered deaths of the title.
So refreshing to read a book that doesn't follow well worn paths.

This book really is a cracking read! Grace’s character is one of the best I’ve read for a while, she is everything you need in a leading lady. This story is really unique as it manages to be a really compelling crime thriller set against a subtle backdrop of powerful observations about modern society. This story is brilliantly written and plotted and I will be recommending it everyone I can.