DEATH IS NOT THE END. FOR GRACE McGILL IT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.
When people die alone and undiscovered, it’s her job to clean up what’s left behind – whether it’s clutter, bodily remains or dark secrets.
When an old man lies undetected in his flat for months, it seems an unremarkable life and an unnoticed death. But Grace knows that everyone has a story and that all deaths mean something more.
Book Information: Print Length: 308 page. Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton. Publication Date: 20 January 2022
A former journalist, Craig Robertson had a 20-year career with a Scottish Sunday newspaper before becoming a full-time author. He interviewed three Prime Ministers, reported on major stories including 9/11, Dunblane, the Omagh bombing and the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. He was pilloried on breakfast television, beat Oprah Winfrey to a major scoop, spent time on Death Row in the USA and dispensed polio drops in the backstreets of India.
His gritty crime novels are set on the mean streets of contemporary Glasgow. His first novel, Random, was shortlisted for the 2010 CWA New Blood Dagger, longlisted for the 2011 Crime Novel of the Year and was a Sunday Times bestseller. Murderabilia was longlisted for the 2017 Crime Novel of the Year and shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize. The Photographer was longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize.
He now shares his time between Scotland and California and can usually be found on a plane somewhere over the Atlantic.
My Review
Grace McGill is a cleaner but not just any cleaner – she cleans the homes of people who have died and not been discovered for days, weeks or even months. Her job is to remove, disinfect, soak, decontaminate and dispose of anything relating to the remains of the deceased.
It’s an awful job, but Grace does it because she cares. She cares deeply that those who have been left alone to die and lay undiscovered deserve respect and deserve to have their stories told and that’s why when she is tasked with cleaning the home of Tommy Agnew who lay alone for over 5 months, she starts to look into why he was so alone and what secrets he kept.
Grace is an fascinating character, quirky, socially awkward and bullied by her drunken father, it appears the only place she has control is in the homes she cleans but when she notices a chilling coincidence between Tommy’s home and another apparent “victim” she starts to investigate deeper into any connections putting herself in danger.
Set in Scotland, author Craig Robertson has created a unique and clever thriller featuring a truly fascinating main character. However, it’s not for the faint hearted, because the indepth description of the homes where the undiscovered have been discovered was enough to turn my stomach and I love a bit of gore!
Once again, I thought I knew exactly where this story was going and then BAM everything changes and the plot does a full 180 leaving me reeling and grinning insanely to myself because I personally LOVE it when an author keeps me on my toes and throws in some unexpected twists.
I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Grace McGill and would definitely recommend this to all thriller and crime lovers.
