"Emily Noble's Disgrace" by Mary Paulson-Ellis is a compelling novel that intertwines mystery, family secrets, and poignant reflections on identity. Set in Edinburgh, the story revolves around Emily Noble, a complex protagonist grappling with her own past while uncovering the truth behind a mysterious inheritance. Paulson-Ellis skillfully navigates multiple timelines and perspectives, gradually revealing layers of intrigue and emotion. While the novel's pacing occasionally slows, the richly atmospheric writing and depth of character development keep readers invested. Overall, "Emily Noble's Disgrace" is a nuanced exploration of personal history and the search for belonging, offering a satisfying blend of suspense and introspection.

I love being given the opportunity to update our school library which is a unique space for both senior students and staff to access high quality literature. This is definitely a must-buy. It kept me absolutely gripped from cover to cover and is exactly the kind of read that just flies off the shelves. It has exactly the right combination of credible characters and a compelling plot thatI just could not put down. This is a great read that I couldn't stop thinking about and it made for a hugely satisfying read. I'm definitely going to order a copy and think it will immediately become a popular addition to our fiction shelves. 10/10 would absolutely recommend.

I really struggled to finish this book. I felt the writing was very inconsistent. However, there is a decent story hidden in the writing. I had hoped to really enjoy this book, but the writing let it down..

I loved The Other Mrs Walker, but sadly this didn't come up to scratch and you would never have known it was written by the same author as the writing style was totally different. I struggled with this hence the 2 stars

I enjoyed The Other Mrs Walker, so I was looking forward to this one. However, I didn’t enjoy this at all and it was a DNF for me. I found (from what I can remember as I read the previous one a while ago) that the writing style was slightly different and it just wasn’t for me. I liked the premise - cleaning the house of the deceased, but I couldn’t get on with the writing. There was also quite a bit of fat phobia in the short amount that I read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

When trauma cleaner Essie Pound makes a gruesome discovery in the derelict Edinburgh boarding house she is sent to clean, it brings her into contact with a young policewoman, Emily Noble, who has her own reasons to solve the case.

As the two women embark on a journey into the heart of a forgotten family, the investigation prompts fragmented memories of their own traumatic histories – something Emily has spent a lifetime attempting to bury, and Essie a lifetime trying to lay bare.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A great cover-fabulous setting. The book was well-written very atmospheric, full of twists and turns. Recommended.

I'm finding this book incredibly hard to review. It took me a long time to read because I found it a little boring and I kept switching off. At the same time, there was this determination to finish to find out how all the loose ends tied together. I feel like this book just needed a really good edit and to be cut down by about a third. Parts of it were extremely repetitive - so much so, I thought at one point I was reading the same section twice! It also didn't help as, because I was reading an e-arc, the quality of the product was very weak; there were sometimes full sentences (sometimes even full paragraphs) that had no spaces between the words so you had to concentrate to read it.

The plot was quite convoluted and difficult to follow at times (this may because of the technical issues highlighted above) and is very much a slow burn. Slow burns are generally my favourite type of book; I will always opt for character-led novels than plot-led ones but this one was a very slow burn. Sometimes I'd read a couple of chapters and still feel like I'd learnt absolutely nothing about the characters or the plot.

It tells the story of a forensic cleaner who tidies up after murders, suicides, and just deaths in general. She is trying to find out about her own traumatic past which she can't fully remember. Her paths cross with a police officer working on a case that she is cleaning up after. She is trying desperately to forget her own traumatic past - she remembers too much of it!

The premise was really endearing. In itself, the plot was good but it just simply went on too long. I liked the little connections that were made throughout the book and the little discoveries that weren't always what you were expecting. I just wish I could have had a hand in the editing! It is worth noting that I was reading an e-arc and that further edits may have been made to the copy I read.

This is the first book I’ve read by the author so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I struggled to get into the story which I put down to the characters and timelines swapping frequently. Having said that, the story itself was intriguing and I’m glad I persevered as it picked up pace and interest from halfway through. I’ll certainly go back and read her much-lauded earlier work soon.

Definitely not for the light-hearted. It has a theme of darkness which sometimes is gruesome, making it quite intense. It is a relatively slow read. However, it has been written well with a good setting to the story. The character development is brilliant and makes us feel a part of the story.
Overall, not a personal favorite but for readers who don't mind a dark and intense read, definitely pick this up!

Essie is a trauma cleaner, along with her colleagues they clean up where others would avoid like the plague- like scenes of violence or long dead people. The story begins at a boarding house in Portobello, just outside Edinburgh. The house is full of rubbish & the owner is found dead in bed, having died a number of years ago.
Emily is a young police officer. The house holds a fascination for her. Along with the mystery of a child's disappearance in the mid 90's she can't seem to leave it alone. The story jumps from the dead woman, Essie & Emily in varying timelines. It makes for a pretty confusing read. Somewhere in there is a great story- trauma cleaning must be a rich vein to mine! Sadly I felt that the story got lost down there somewhere. The last few chapters did capture my interest- although in a rather ghoulish way so that I did get to the end but must admit that it was a relief to finish. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Unlike anything Ive read before, this is the first book I've read by Mary Paulson-Ellis and it was an interesting one showing a world I'd never thought of before.

The book opens with a trauma cleaner named Essie. She is clearing an abandoned boarding house and makes a gruesome discovery when the former owner is there. This brings in the police including Emily Noble from the title. The women's stories become entwined and we get information about their own lives and troubles.
The story develops through three different viewpoints, it is full of evocative details and beautiful descriptions and insights..
Well worth a read.

I found this a haunting strange book to begin with and quite confusing. I was determined to finish this book though so I powered on. In the end I liked this book and enjoyed the story

When you read a lot of books you are clearly not always going to like all of them and unfortunately this was one I just didn’t get on with at all.

On paper, the summary sounds great. A specialist cleaner (cleaning after bereavement), a police officer and an heir hunter as well as the life of the deceased all dovetail. Sadly, although we were supposedly given 3 different viewpoints, the voices were identical, as was the oft repeated “this is what x knew”. If this had been a drinking game for each time that phrase came up then I would have worked my way through a full bottle of spirits (& needed it).

The story was related without any real dramatic tension and by the time that the full reveal took place at the end I simply didn’t care.

I awarded the 2nd star in the hope that I’d missed some crucial point of enjoyment as this is apparently part of a series.

With thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan/Mantle for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Emily Noble’s Disgrace’ by Mary Paulson-Ellis in exchange for an honest review.

This is Mary Paulson-Ellis’ third novel, all set in Edinburgh. Each of them explores the lives of people who have died alone without family. While the novels are thematically linked and some characters crossover, they work fine as stand-alones.

In 2019 I read her second novel, ‘The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing’, and found it an unusual mystery. Indeed, Farthing, the Heir Hunter, has a small role in this novel.

The actual plot is difficult to summarise, still will give it a go. Emily Noble, a police constable, doesn’t actually appear for some time. We are first introduced to Essie Pound, a trauma cleaner. While clearing a derelict boarding house after its elderly owner, Isabella Dawson, is found dead (and mummified), Essie makes a gruesome discovery. This brings in the police including Emily.

In the course of the investigation the two women embark upon a journey into their own traumatic histories. These and the secrets of the boarding house are revealed in flashbacks. No further details to avoid spoilers.

Having read her previously, I expected that it likely required a closer reading than many mysteries.

Also, in the course of the narrative Mary Paulson-Ellis addresses quite disturbing subjects; though I felt that she did so with sensitivity. In addition, the boarding house and Edinburgh itself were vividly realised. Her writing flowed elegantly and combined well with her attention to detail.

Overall, I found this an engaging mystery-drama with a melancholy ambience.

A special note of appreciation for the distinctive cover art on this and the other two novels. Each depicts an article of clothing that is featured in the novel. Here it is a beautifully embroidered, silk dressing gown.

I really enjoyed this, a fractured family saga of lives lost, found and intertwining, all set in a boarding house in Portabello, Edinburgh's seaside, across the years. The angle of Essie being a trauma cleaner is novel and certainly a fresh take in story with detectives and murders to be solved. Some elements were quite brutal but brought about in an almost mild manner, such was the writers skill in weaving the story. The setting was so vivid, a real character itself in the narrative. I could feel what it was like to be in Portobello both at the height of its post-war family seaside gaiety and also during it's shabby downturn. It was quite a slow burn kind of book, more and more was revealved as we skipped back and forth in time finding out about the characters histories, all coming together in the final part. I felt the plotting was skilful and the stories of these women's lives was as heartwarming as it was heartbreaking in places. A new to me authour, I will definitely be checking out more of her work and would really recommend this book.

The book cover got my attention, what a gorgeous dressing gown. Then the intriguing title. What could the issue (disgrace) be? Reading the synopsis cinched the deal: good location, mystery, suspense and probably a twist or two along the way.


This book is set in Edinburgh and has the intertwining stories of those that come in contact with an old lady who dies at home. We focus on two - one a crime scene cleaner and the other a policewoman. I really can't say anymore as I don't think that I can say anything else without slight spoilers, which means there might be a longer review on the blog.

The book starts with Essie, one of those special type of cleaners, whose expertise runs the gamut from extreme hoarding to all modes of death. As Essie, makes her way through cleaning this home, we find out more about her past and present. It is apparent from the beginning that she is troubled from childhood trauma, and this has had a detrimental effect on her health and wellbeing. One theme that is belaboured is that Essie is overweight and this point I believe is referenced too much in relation to everything she does.

Our second lead is Emily herself. She is a policewoman who is being ostracised at work, which is a problem in itself and because Emily has a fairly limited personal life due to a murky past. She desperately needs a win and maybe a new case will provide that or maybe it will open up a can of worms.

And let's not forget the deceased. To die in your home and have no one notice your absence is particularily sad.

Emily Noble's Disgrace was a good read, engaging even, the central storyline evolved and took us back in time so that the house became the star and we find out, how you can live in the same home for decades and not have any friends or loved ones in your life.

The choices we make or the choices we allow others to make on our behalf.

So much happened that when I found out the reference to Emily's disgrace I was nonplussed, because in comparison it wasn't as shocking. And that brings me to my main take away from this novel is context. When events and actions were put in context, it was thoroughly understandable why things happened the way they did. If you read a story that is sensationalised or facts only, it's difficult to get an accurate or rather true picture, as there's generally a bias.

This book carefully discussed gender roles, domestic violence, death and many other hard-hitting subjects in a delft way. I wasn't a fan of either leads, but that didn't adversely impact on my enjoyment of the story, a solid mystery that you will be satisfied to find out the answers to.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.

This is not an easy or heartwarming book: it's dark, sometimes disturbing or gruesome. It's intense and, even if it's quite slow paced, the short chapters make you feel a sense of urgence.
I liked the style of writing and the stories of people, housed and Edinburgh.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last because I liked the storytelling and character development.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

For me this is a very difficult novel to review.
I requested this as I am originally from Edinburgh, and familiar with the big Victorian mansions that are now boarding houses, or even split into flats. I am also aware of the Edinburgh underbelly that is dark and nothing like the Edinburgh the tourist visits. And the book cover is gorgeous
For me this was a fantastic dip into my home city and a mysterious crime scene where secrets are bound to unravel. This seemed like up my street.

My difficulty with the novel started with the version I downloaded had formatting issues. Words ran into each other that made it difficult to read. Not impossible but sometimes I had to go back and reread paragraphs to get the gist of what was going on.

I have had this before and whilst it might affect my enjoyment of the book it wont affect my star rating.
The novel just seems to plod along. Emily Noble doesn’t really appear (apart from a couple of cameo appearances) until about a third of the way through. She is a character that that almost the novel could have gone on without her. Along with some of the other characters that appear and bring a lot to the novel but make it confusing what is going on.

When I got the end I felt relief that I had finished the novel, and a niggling feeling that I missed a bit through the last third. There is a lot going on there and I was not completely sure I followed it.
There are a lot of triggers in this novel but they didn’t put me off, it was the jumping time lines and different narrators that got me.

Emily Noble’s Disgrace left me nonplussed at best and irritated at worst. Bunged full of characters, time lines and complication. The jumping backwards and forwards didn’t quite work for me sadly. A confusing read but I had to read to the end.