I absolutely loved this – it’s one of the most unique books I’ve read in a very long time. Totally absorbing and thrilling, with a big boom halfway through that was shocking to say the least. It was dark, grisly, dangerous, sad and happy all at the same time. It’s a book you just HAVE to read and you won’t want to put it down. I was hoping it would go on forever. Extremely well written, and if this really is a first time author all I can say is wow, what a future you have!
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this brilliant ARC in return for an honest review.

I could not put this book down. It was a gripping story from beginning to end. It provided a real and disturbing insight into the mind of a lonely, unhappy person who wants to do the right thing but goes about it the wrong way.

When I read the synopsis, I could not wait to get started and what a fascinating read it has been. To me at least, a totally innovative story with some surprisingly real people. Some of Grace's job detail could be thought of as a bit too accurately detailed but that detail is essential to the atmosphere of the book. I do not do spoilers but can say that there really is a sting in the tale (sic). If you are looking for something truly original and thought provoking then this is the book for you!

Even though I have rated this book 5 Stars, I have to say that it would have rated 6 Stars but for its excessive and unnecessary use of expletives - 120 variations of the f-word alone. Why have so many writers decided to accelerate the dumbing down of the English language by making expletives so much part of their writing?

"Equip. Remove. Soak. Disinfect. Soak again. Dispose. Decontaminate. Check. Wash hands. Report."

Grace McGill is a house cleaner. Not the kind of house cleaner you're thinking. She doesn't polish furniture or scrub a toilet. She cleans up death scenes. The homes of people that die unnoticed. People that, for months, have time to decompose amongst their belongings and with no one none the wiser. She takes pride in her work and she realizes that her job is unconventional to say the least.

At her last job she stumbles upon a clue to a mystery of a woman that disappeared over fifty years ago and she's determined to follow this lead to its bitter end.

Let's get the ick out of the way shall we: If you are adverse to gore then this is probably not one for you. The crime scenes are described in all their glorious (gory) details that may have some people heaving. Not me, I loved this, but I figure the warning is warranted.

What a character Grace is. I really loved her. This is a no-nonsense woman but she's quirky and with just enough dark humor to have you rooting for her throughout. Her best friend is an adorable cat named George which only endeared her to me even more. Just like Grace I prefer our furry friends to the human version any day. Not to be overlooked is the mystery at the heart of the novel - compelling and engrossing to the very final page. I wasn't sure how I felt about the ending but after sitting with it for a little bit I think it's actually perfect.

I really dig what C.S. Robertson did here. It was unusual and unique and it's with pleasure that I tell you it's a book I won't soon forget. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Rachel Quin at Hodder and Stoughton for kindly sending me a widget to download, read, and review.

3.5 Stars

When everything's coming up daisies.....

Grace McGill is a lonely girl who is a death cleaner. I googled death cleaner and it is a "real job", ugh. They sanitize, disinfect and deep clean after bodies have remained undiscovered for a length of time. Some of the descriptions were just too much for me, so I did end up skimming over some descriptions (I knew this going in though, so it was expected).

Grace is definitely not like most people and she is very much aware of the fact. She feels that the dead have a "story to tell" and one of the dead she cleaned up keeps "whispering to her" and she can't let go. She feels the need to know more about his life and death.

There is a fair amount of telling, confessions, a first person narration with a lot of Grace's "inner thoughts". She certainly does have a story to tell.
I had mixed feelings throughout reading, I can't say it was enjoyable. It was a decent book, but for me it lacked in the "couldn't put it down-ness".

I may be an outlier, lots of higher reviews!

This is a sad story of people who have died and laid undiscovered for a long time. Graces job is to clean up the mess left behind. I have to say I really enjoyed this psychological thriller, there was some pretty big twists that were thrown in and changed everything. I truly couldn’t stop reading!

To begin with I wasn’t even sure I was going to finish this book as I struggled with the opening pages but slowly Grace bewitched me and I was desperate to discover more about her and what made her tick. Her job was one thing that made her stand out as well as her personality which made for an intriguing storyline. As the plot developed, it became a little bit more “textbook crime thriller” but there’s a super twist I didn’t see coming and it kept me on edge until the unexpectedly poignant ending. The city of Glasgow played its part well as did the Isle of Bute and the book felt authentic and atmospheric due to the brilliant use of both settings. Really enjoyed it far more than I thought I would after the shaky start.

Grace McGill works alone. She sorts out when a person dies. Someone who hasn't been missed for months. She goes into their properties and cleans out their lives. But everyone has been someone and had a life and Grace knows this.
Dark adn chilling but compulsive reading!!

I loved this book. From the moment I comprehended what Grace’s job is, I knew I was hooked. She’s very proud of her work and she takes it seriously. So much so that she builds dioramas of the rooms she conducts her work in, down to the pictures on the walls and daisies found on the pillow. Her job? Cleaning apartments and homes of people who have been dead for quite some time and not found. For weeks, months even. The description of what she cleans isn’t for the tender tummies; I couldn’t understand what a person must have in them to make them as confident and diligent as Grace. She’s certainly an odd little lady.
Being a stickler for detail, it’s no surprise that Grace notices a couple of the natural deaths she cleans after has a dried daisy near the dead body. She reports this to the police, who thinks she’s wacky because of her job even before she describes finding a daisy. She’s almost laughed out of the police station. So she becomes her own sleuth and is determined to find what’s behind the sudden rash of “natural deaths” for a group of old men who, by chance, all vacationed together years earlier at a beach. The same beach and the same year a young lady disappeared.
Grace talks to us throughout the story. Numerous times she tells us what she thinks, then tells us what she actually says. This gets almost hilarious. You seriously can’t help but love this quirky little lady. So where’s the mystery? Where’s the thrill? Oh, my nothing is ever as simple and simple-minded as it seems. And THAT’S what I LOVE about this plot. I was hooked on the mystery but I was entertained by the protagonist. You just can’t help but love her. No matter what she does.
Sincere thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is January 20, 2022.

I blitzed through this book over the weekend as I just could not get enough. Light and witty I enjoyed every second. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is very well written and the storyline develops in an interesting way.

A very enjoyable, darkly twisted novel featuring flawed characters and ethical questions, all cleverly wrapped in a veneer of normality. The author does well sending the reader down blind alleys and I thought his portrayal of Grace was well observed and nuanced. A welcome addition to tartan noir
Thank you to netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an advance copy of this book

What an original story!
Initially I was going to give this intriguing book 4 stars but then it went in a direction that I didn't anticipate and kept me engaged so I've gone for 5 stars.
It's hard to place this book into a specific category, there are different elements to the story but all told from the point of view of Grace McGill. We hear her thoughts and see through her eyes as she goes about her job cleaning after the undiscovered deaths of the title.
So refreshing to read a book that doesn't follow well worn paths.

This is an intriguing book full of surprises as it reveals what Grace has been up to. Based in
Glasgow, she is a lonely woman with mental issues . Her income comes from deep cleaning the homes of people who have died at home but their bodies not discovered for months. Yes, that does not sound good nor is her involvement in how some of them got there. Parallel to that is her investigation into a fifty year old disappearance of a girl on the island of Bute. Her interest is triggered by her involvement of one of the youths involved, now an elderly man. The concept of this book is cleverly unique. Some of Grace’s activities can be upsetting. It is well written and ends with an outcome chosen by Grace and richly deserved. I recommend it as an unusual read.

This book really is a cracking read! Grace’s character is one of the best I’ve read for a while, she is everything you need in a leading lady. This story is really unique as it manages to be a really compelling crime thriller set against a subtle backdrop of powerful observations about modern society. This story is brilliantly written and plotted and I will be recommending it everyone I can.

Dark but thought-provoking, with some intriguing twists. It’s a book that defies your initial expectations. Worth a read!

I received this galley from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I was looking forward to reading this as the main character’s job intrigued me. The opening chapters were full of interesting insights into the life of a crime scene cleaner, which was a good start. However, it was then very very slow to progress, so much so that I nearly gave up all together several times.
At 60% there was a bombshell, which made me want to continue but something about the execution of the bombshell wasn’t quite right and I can’t put my finger on it. From then on things sped up considerably and it was a much more enjoyable read.
2&1/2 stars

Wow, this book is brilliant. I couldn't put this book down,
CS Robertson sure knows how to draw you in.
A must read book for 2022
Thank you NetGalley

Grace McGill cleans up after the dead. Sometimes old or lonely people die at home but are not found for some time. After police and SOCOs are done, and the body has gone, there is always residual organic material contaminating surfaces, furniture, carpets and other fomites, seeping into floorboards and corners, carrying with it all manner of toxic, poisonous and pathogenic materials. Grace is a one woman business employed to decontaminate, deep clean and return the premises to a habitable state. Her latest job is the flat in which Thomas Agnew died in his bed – 5 months ago! After the major cleaning operation, she also has to tidy the place, removing items that might be of value to any family members that can be traced. She is intrigued by a collection of newspapers from the same date but different years and an old photograph with a smashed glass frame, wrapped in a similar newspaper and hidden in a drawer, and takes them for own, private, collection of memorabilia from her jobs. She also notices and bags a single, dead, daisy. She has found a flower like this at previous scenes! Is there a serial killer on the loose, noticed by her but missed by the professionals? Intrigued by Tommy’s paper collection and the photograph, she embarks on an investigation which leads her to a possible murder and the likelihood that she will meet a similar fate.
The story is narrated by Grace, who is a unique creation, deeply philosophical, shy but bold, with a complex back story, and a fascination with the homes of these undiscovered corpses. The writing is extremely skilful, poetic and pictorial, and with a solid and authentic rhythm of Glasgow (I was born and spent many years living in these streets) without resorting to alternative spellings. The plot seems to be unfold in a light, slightly darkly comedic, but as we sink in it becomes darker and more complex and then there are at least three twists in row which take the reader into new and uncharted waters. And then a couple more. I’d give it 6 stars if that was allowed.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

What an original and unusual book. Grace is a medical cleaner of houses where bodies have lain undiscovered for weeks or months. Expert at what she does, she is a perfectionist in her standards and cares about the loneliness that caused them to lie unfound. At the heart of the book is a mystery that gradually unravels and things become very different. I found it a gripping read; Grace starts as a sympathetic character but there is a dark twist. I recommend it as a very different thriller.
Thanks to Hodder&Stoughton and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions are my own.