Book Review: The Burial Plot by Elizabeth Macneal @esmacneal @picadorbooks @panmacmillan @CamillaElworthy #TheBurialPlot #ElizabethMacneal #HistoricalFiction

Book Synopsis:

From Elizabeth Macneal, the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Doll Factory, The Burial Plot is a spellbinding Gothic thriller about murder and manipulation.

London, 1839. With the cemeteries full and money to be made in death, tricksters Crawford and Bonnie survive on wicked schemes and ill-gotten coin. But one blistering evening, their fortunes flip. A man lies in a pool of blood at Bonnie’s feet and now she needs to disappear.

Crawford secures her a position as lady’s maid in a grand house on the Thames. As Bonnie comes to understand the family – the eccentric Mr Moncrieff, obsessively drawing mausoleums for his dead wife, and their peculiar daughter Cissie, scribbling imaginary love letters to herself – she begins to question what secrets are lying behind the house’s paper-thin walls and whether her own presence here was planned from the beginning.

Because Crawford is watching, and perhaps he is plotting his greatest trick yet . . .

My Review:

The Burial Plot is a gripping, intriguing read that took me by surprise.

Firstly I love a book that features a house which has a fascinating history so this book instantly appealed to me. I really enjoyed exploring the house and learning more about the intriguing characters. I started off not liking many of the characters but they all slowly grew on me as the book continued. My favourite character was Mr Moncrieff as I loved his gentle nature and how much he obvious cared for Bonnie, wanting to incorporate her ideas into the graveyard along with his own. Bonnie was a very interesting character who I warmed to as the book continued. I found her a bit frustrating at times as I felt she could have been braver and stuck up for herself at times but I think she represents the typical women of the period who was viewed as the weaker sex , who doesn’t have much of a voice. I enjoyed following her as the book continued and seeing how different her life ends up from what was initially planned for her.

The author has clearly done her research and I felt completely transported to the early 19th century. It was particularly interesting to learn more about the way burials were treated and how much money criminals could make from grieving families. I loved the descriptions of the new type of grave yards that offered a more gentle experience and approach to death.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to others. It was great fun discovering more about the secrets of the house and I liked trying to figure out what was really going on. There were lots of twists that kept me guessing and a few which took me completely by surprise which I always love. The ending was brilliant and while I hoped for a slightly different outcome I don’t think that would have made the story as plausible as it was.

Huge thanks to Camilla from Pan Macmillan for sending me a copy of this book. If you love historical fiction then you’ll love this book.

About The Author:

Elizabeth Macneal is the author of two Sunday Times-bestselling novels: The Doll Factory, which won the 2018 Caledonia Novel Award and has been adapted into a major TV series on Paramount+, and Circus of Wonders. Her work has been translated into twenty-nine languages. Born in Scotland, Elizabeth is also a potter and lives in Twickenham with her family. She can be found on instagram @elizabethmacneal.