Paula Hillman has never disappointed me. Her style is unique, and so is each of her books. She has written all standalone bookas, though some have featured overlapping areas, and I think a few have had some characters in common. But I feel you could give me a book without the author’s name, and I could tell you that it was written by her – and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible.
About the Book
Not all secrets remain buried forever…
Archaeologist Cherie Hope makes a gruesome discovery in the grounds of a local cemetery. She’s desperate to know more, and wonders why caretaker Ash Black is being so guarded.
Delving deeper, and liaising with the police, Cherie is drawn into a story that spans back fifty years. Entangled in a web of deceit, she soon uncovers a missing person, an inherited heirloom and hidden cemetery logbooks.
The lodge has been in Ash’s family for generations, but his elderly father’s dementia means unlocking the truth of what really happened all those years ago will be a challenge.
Is the caretaker really protecting his father, or is he worried about what his father is hiding?
My Thoughts
This particular book is a slow burn, and the characters take a little bit of getting used to. But it very much adds to the suspense. I could feel the tension building. Perhaps it was the setting and Hillmans’ ability to build a scene, but I could feel myself at the location, and it had a very palpable creepy air – just as I would expect a cemetery to have. I think having the groundskeepers be a family business was smart because people who weren’t raised there would be too creeped out! But that might be a biased personal view.
As someone who is currently the primary caregiver of my dad with dementia, I really appreciate the representation of both Ash and his father, Hal’s characters. The author handled this with such care and delicacy. She showed the reality of the fear, the uncertainty, the love, the anger – the full gamut of emotions and the thankless experience it can be. I truly felt seen and understood.
And the mystery was as beautifully complicated, surprising, and nail-bitingly tense as any of the ones she’s written before! I raced to the end!
I’m so grateful to the author and LBT for including me in this tour, and I can’t wait to see the next book Hillman writes!
Who’s It For?
If you enjoy crime thrillers and mysteries with a slow burn, this is a great book for you. Paula Hillman has not let me down yet when it comes to twists and turns that keep me turning pages well past bedtime. She also doesn’t shy away from serious, potentially triggering topics, so keep that in mind when considering picking up her books. She will absolutely keep you entertained and thinking about her stories and characters long after you turn the last page.
Content Warnings: Violence, Death, Racism, Xenophobia, Graveyard, Child Abandonment, Homophobia, Child Death, Dysfunctional Family Life, Dementia/Alzheimer’s, Religious Ideology, Corrupt Government and Police, Divorce
Question of the Day
Have you ever known anyone of Romani descent?
Answer of the Day
It’s actually possible my dad (who is my stepdad, but he’s the one who raised me) is. He always says his mother was Bohemian, and if you research it, you will see that this could mean someone from the Czech Republic or someone of Romani heritage.
About the Author
I live in Cumbria, in Barrow-in-Furness, which is on the coast near the foothills of The Lakes. I studied science at college and specialised in it for my Bachelor’s teaching degree, but my heart has always been tied up with books and reading. I walked away from a long teaching career because I wanted to write. I am married to a photographer and have two children- a thirty-nine-year-old daughter, and a twenty-two-year-old son, who is still at home with us. I am a passionate advocate for local communities- Barrow has a deep Victorian heritage and a Cistercian Abbey- and I have studied these in depth for my own interest and within my teaching career. Barrow people are community driven and welcoming, and their character is unique in so many ways. I want to capture all of this in the books I write. I’ve got a master’s degree in Creative Writing, and a post graduate diploma in regional and local history. I have six novels published with Bloodhound Books: Seaview House; The Cottage; Blackthorn Wood; Chapel Field; Halfmoon Lane and Cemetery Lodge.
Links
Amazon US: https://a.co/d/hdSHIQv
Amazon UK: https://amzn.eu/d/0PitaKJ
Bookshop US: https://bookshop.org/a/25511/9781917449205
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/219794780-cemetery-lodge
Author’s Website: https://paulahillmanauthor.co.uk/
As a Bookshop.org (US) Affiliate, I may earn on qualifying purchases. Bookshop.org purchases support local, independent bookshops. My chosen affiliate bookshop is Tubby & Coo’s Traveling Bookshop, a local, queer-owned bookshop in New Orleans.
I love this review… it’s very thoughtful and considered. Glad the representation of dementia resonated. Romani travellers did visit Walney Island every spring when I was a kid… they brought a mobile fairground. And the cemetery in my hometown is exactly as I’ve described it… no caretaker now, though! Thanks for your support of my writing!
Thank you so much for sharing your stories, and for taking the time to comment. I have so enjoyed your writing, and you inspire me to keep reading and writing myself – both my reviews and my own stories!