Great gothic novel - scheming male characters and a FMC who changes from evil to good . Good twists a bit slow in the middle however really enjoyed the last 1/3 of the book .

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy . These opinions are my honest views and mine alone.

I suppose that I should not be surprised that Elizabeth Macneal has written another magnificent book. Full of gothic tension and a happy ending for the heroine (?). All of the characters were so believable , good and bad. Loved it !

I was beyond excited when I read the plot of this title, after devouring The Doll Factory when it was released a few years ago. This absolutely blew me away. The characters were so well fleshed out, complicated and thoughtful, I was so tense waiting to find out what happens to Bonnie that I ended up staying up into the early hours of the morning while on holiday to get it finished. Would highly recommend if you're after a fast-paced gothic historical novel, Elizabeth Macneal is an absolute genius.

Superb! I think Elizabeth Macneal is one of my favourite writers… I saw this and thought it would be brilliant and it didn’t fail to live up to that thought! Thank you so much for allowing me to read this book!

I am a fan of Elizabeth MacNeal's books and was highly expectant of this one. I was not disappointed! It was full of highs and lows and drama with a shocking twist at the end and it actually had me cheering for her, the main character in the book.
I am a fan of Elizabeth MacNeal's books and was highly expectant of this one. I was not disappointed! It was full of highs and lows and drama with a shocking twist at the end and it actually had me cheering for her, the main character in the book.

As usual, it was expertly written and I think that you should all read it. I gave it four stars four wonderful stars. And to be honest, I look forward to her next work.As usual, it was expertly written and I think that you should all read it. I gave it four stars four wonderful stars. And to be honest, I look forward to her next work.

This author does historical fiction so well! I really enjoyed her previous two books, so was thrilled to receive this one to review.
As in the other two books, the characterisation is detailed and you can visualise all the main characters vividly, just as if you were watching them on a screen. The plot is good and well paced, no major surprises but a very very good and absorbing read.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book before publication.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

I enjoyed this, it is a light and easy read which gets quite exciting towards the end.

It's a good story set in Victorian times and our main character is Bonnie, a young woman who helps Crawford, her conman boyfriend and his devoted friend Rex in various money making schemes. Unbeknownst to Bonnie, Crawford is set on revenge for past slights and she is tricked into becoming a maid at a big house owned by Aubrey whose wife died in a drowning accident (or did she?) some months before. Bonnie is a well drawn character, Aubrey possibly less so. The parts at the start about the rector are all too likely in those days and really quite creepy.

The plot is perhaps a bit predictable and it is clear to the reader who the baddy is. The twists are few and not unexpected and there is nothing deep to think about but it's a well written, very well paced, interesting and undemanding page turner of a book with no boring or slow parts and so no need for skipping.

All in all, definitely worth reading, maybe as a break from heavier, denser books.

3.5 rounded up.

I was throughly sucked into this read from start to finish - I love a book where I can easily and quickly picture characters, time & place. McNeal does this with great skill. Bonnie gets caught up in a con game masterminded by the handsome
rogue (“is he her beau or isn’t he”) Crawford and finds herself serving as a Lady’s Maid to a grieving family in a grand home along the Thames. Loved the settings of 1839 London and Twickenham and the stately home of Endellion brought to life. While I had an inkling of where the story was going, I didn’t mind at all and enjoyed discovering where all the characters would end up. Highly enjoyable story and I will look out for McNeal’s other novels.

Elizabeth Macneal is a favourite author of mine and I absolutely loved "The Doll Factory" and "Circus of Wonders". This book, "The Burial Plot" didn't live up to these other two but it is still head and shoulders above some historical fiction. You really do get involved with the characters and as time goes on, it is difficult to see who is manipulating who.

I have been eagerly awaiting this title since I discovered its existence back a few months ago. Having loved the author's previous titles, I had high hopes. I really enjoyed the book but it did fall short.
The story was atmospheric and the descriptions were so vivid that it almost felt like being there. I was engrossed from the first page, and I devoured it in a few short days.
Bonnie is a petty Thief living with her boyfriend in a garrison in London, when what should have been an easy crime went wrong she was forced to leave the area, becoming a nanny to a teenage girl called Cissy. What followed was a series of unexpected plot twists and as the story unfolds, you learn how the past links to the future.
3.5 stars upgraded to 4 stars. Highly recommended, I will eagerly await the.next Elizabeth Macneal title.

The Burial Plot tells the story of Bonnie, a young woman who works with her lover Crawford and his friend Rex to fleece wealthy gentlemen. When their plans to target one man go terribly wrong, Crawford finds Bonnie a position as a lady's maid to young Cissie Moncrief, a 16 year old girl whose mother died 18 months ago. This will allow Bonnie to lay low until the dust settles, but Crawford soon comes up with a plan to fleece Cissie's father in his biggest plan yet - Bonnie could marry the widower and take his estate.

Mr Moncrief is still deep in grief for his late wife Josephine and young Cissie is struggling to cope with the loss of her mother and appears to suffer from delusions. Bonnie decides she can help them, with a plan to build a mausoleum to Josephine, alongside a new cemetery to alleviate the pressure on burial sites in London and make a fortune for the Moncriefs. Soon, Crawford is also involved in this endeavour but of course his intentions are only ever self serving, whereas Bonnie feels really affection for this small family and her loyalties are torn between them.

This was a brilliantly told gothic tale, full of dark atmosphere and a cast of intriguing characters. I did guess one of the twists but there were so many it didn't matter! Definitely recommend this.

Captivating Victorian-set fiction that tells of the evolving of the huge, park-like cemeteries and shows how women were little more than commodities to me. Bonnie escapes being married off for family profit to an old man only to fall into the clutches of a handsome con man who was considerably worse. It’s dark and twisted and a great read.

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ The Burial Plot is an historical thriller that is absolutely absorbing. The gothic vibes are present throughout creating a scenic backdrop for an engaging plot. At times my heart was thumping when lies and manipulation start to unravel. Also the focus on burial grounds made for interesting reading as this was a problem Victorian England had to address. This book definitely transports you into the past and the characters are all so believable. Overall a brilliant read with darkness at its core. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

The Burial Plot takes place in London in 1839. It’s a historical fiction novel that follows Bonnie as she navigates life with a trickster/scammer named Crawford. Bonnie often helps Crawford with the scams but one night everything goes wrong and Bonnie has to disappear. Crawford secures her a position as a lady’s maid in a grand house. Bonnie starts work and begins to understand Mr Moncrieff and his daughter Cissie. They are both strange in their own ways and Bonnie begins to question what secrets are hiding within the house especially as Crawford watches from the shadows.

The Burial Plot was an absolutely amazing novel. I loved the setting and I easily got the historical vibes. It actually reminded me of To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn in the vibes of the house and the way it was isolated from everything. The writing was great and the story was very compelling. I read this in two settings and I loved the experience of it. Bonnie was an interesting character to follow especially seeing her dynamic with Crawford. I loved the gothic vibes of the house and the cemetery being built. There was a sweet bond built between Bonnie and Cissie and I loved seeing Mr Moncrieff develop as a character. I would definitely recommend this to historical fiction lovers as this is 5 stars and a new favourite. I’ll definitely read from this author again in the future.

An absolutely fascinating delve into Victorian burial customs alongside a strong dose of Machiavellian goings-on! Elizabeth Macneal continues to conjure up fascinating characters and those at the centre of ‘The Burial Plot’ are desperate to escape the day-to-day drudgery and poverty of working class London, no matter how. As Bonnie, fleeing from a heinous crime to become a maid in Endellion, a grand house in Twickenham, imagines, ‘There, she might be a new girl again, fresh, unboxed, her shoes scoured clean of bold, the shaky feeling in her legs simply buffed away.’
Unfortunately for Bonnie, her real weakness is an attachment to the horribly alluring Crawford. There’s no doubt that Bonnie is a strong-minded, brave woman. Nevertheless, Crawford knows how to work on her insecurities and her desires. Whilst the reader can recognise his powers of manipulation better than Bonnie, it’s only towards the end of the novel that Macneal reveals just how clever and callous he really is.
Gothic would certainly be an accurate description of ‘The Burial Plot’ but it’s not the only adjective that comes to mind. Bonnie’s nurturing relationship with Cissie, the motherless daughter of Endellion’s owner is particularly moving and the novel’s conclusion reminds us that human nature is a force for good – mostly.
I would not be at all surprised if this story is optioned for the screen. Strong female characters (‘…a chain of women all reaching out a hand and feeling the graze of their fingertips’) and a wicked chameleon alongside the business of designing and building the perfect Victorian cemetery. Irresistible!
My thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Loved this Gothic novel from the setting to the characters all of them, even the negative ones who made the story so complete. The writing style was really good, it made all feel more real. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a bit of mystery, a bit of love story and Gothic style stories.

I really enjoyed The Doll Factory back when I found this author. Unfortunately, this one wasn't my cup of tea in terms of the writing, language and execution and I DNF at 30%.

Elizabeth Macneal once again wraps us up in the Victorian era in this twisted and unsettling gothic chiller, she creates the historical period with care, her rich descriptions of London and everyday ordinary details, the social norms and attitudes, for example towards women, the clothing, murk, grime and dirt, the poverty, preoccupations, and the inequalities. We have the fascinating Victorian focus on death and mourning, and the building of the large sprawling Highgate cemetery in 1839. The flawed protagonist is Bonnie, who has escaped her suffocating personal home circumstances, only to unwarily jump into the fire.

She acquires a lover in Crawford, and is soon engaged in fraud and stealing with him, only for it all to end in death, and the fear of being arrested hovering over her. A frightened Bonnie is persuaded by Crawford to become a maid for her own safety and security, a post in a big house by the river, where a grieving widower, Mr Moncrieff, lives with his troubled daughter, Cissie. Bonnie's life becomes ever more complicated, and she will need to become more courageous and develop greater resilience, as it soon becomes clear the ruthless manipulative Crawford was far from well intentioned. Crawford did not primarily have her well being in mind, his devious head is full of more nefarious plans. Will Bonnie be able to save herself and the vulnerable Moncrieffs?

Macneal writes a dark narrative where the pace quickens as the story develops, full of twists and turns, and a central character study of Bonnie, initially naive in her poor choices and putting her trust in a man, Crawford who little deserves it along with Rex. However, despite the pressure, stresses and nightmare fears she is heavily burdened by, we see her grow and become a much stronger woman. An intense Victorian historical read, meticulously plotted, a gothic period piece with themes that I think many fans of Victorian fiction are likely to enjoy. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Give me a Victorian gothic novel set in an old grand house with a maid/governess and I'm sold. Reading this reminded me of Jane Eyre and Rebecca (two of my favourites!)

I figured out what was going to happen at the end around the halfway mark, but this didn't lessen my enjoyment of the novel. I really relished watching everything come to a climax.

This was my first Elizabeth Macneal novel and won't be my last. She's a superb storyteller, and her writing is exquisite.

4+ 🌟

Very little happened in this book that I didn't predict YET Macneal writes so wonderfully well that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
She puts you into that place, that time. Makes you believe in characters.
I read the last few chapters desperate to know how things would end.
It was very well done.
Another winner for the author I think.