Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill‘ by C.R. Robertson. Many thanks to Steve at Hodder for the opportunity to join and for the fab review copy.
Author : C.S. Robertson
Title : The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill
Pages : 360
Publisher : Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date : January 20, 2022
| ABOUT THE BOOK |
Death is not the end.
For Grace McGill, it’s 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.
| MY THOUGHTS |
Grace McGill is living the life. In her thirties and single, she lives in a flat overlooking Glasgow with her pet cat George and to earn a living, she … cleans the residences of people who have died alone and were left undiscovered for weeks or even months. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t in the brochures they handed out in high school as a career option but I suppose it’s a job and someone has to do it, right? And why not Grace. She’s meticulous, catches every detail, makes sure everything is spotless and quite frankly takes cleaning up to an almost obsessive level I’m not at all familiar with.
When a senior citizen lies undetected in his flat for months, nobody seems to bat an eyelid. But Grace sees things other people don’t and she knows that everyone has a story. As Grace delves deeper into this man’s story though, she might just get herself into big trouble.
This book has quite a few layers to it. Let’s start with Grace. Possibly somewhat eccentric? Quirky? OCD-ish? She’s incredibly hard to put a finger on. Is she really living her best possible life? Or is she a loner, possibly a sandwich short of a picnic? Is she at all reliable? She’s rather weird, I can say that much. And yet, not at all unloveable in an odd sort of way. There is most definitely a story there that needs to be told along the way and, slowly but surely, the reader gets to know Grace that little bit better.
All the while there is another mystery element going on. An unresolved missing persons case is the thread that holds this story together. You’ll just have to read it to find out how Grace fits into all of this as I don’t want to give anything away. Just as I thought I had figured out where things would be going, the author completely and utterly flipped the whole thing upside-down. It most definitely caused a “wait! what?!” moment and had me sit up just that little bit straighter. Boy, do I love it when an author manages to surprise me like that!
Above all, this is one of those crime fiction stories that really make you think. About life. And death. About the lies, the secrets and the mistakes people make. About all those who end up living such incredibly lonely lives that they’re not missed by anyone when they die. It’s upsetting to say the least. And so this tale took a rather more darker and deeper turn than I had expected. With fabulous storytelling, an unforgettable main character and a delightful twist ‘The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill‘ is a hugely entertaining and original thriller. I promise you won’t forget Grace in a hurry.
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| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |
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 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. He has been both longlisted and shortlisted for writing prizes.
He now shares his time between Scotland and California and can usually be found on a plane somewhere over the Atlantic.
Novel Deelights 
Sounds good, glad you enjoyed it! xx
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Me too 😂
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