Burial of Ghosts by Ann Cleeves

Author: Ann Cleeves

Title: Burial Of Ghosts 

Publisher: Pan

Published: 2011

Pages: 352

Genre: Mystery/ Thriller

 

     Twenty-five-year-old Lizzie Bartholomew has had more than her fair share of struggles. Abandoned as a baby, she spent her childhood moving between foster homes. Now she is running away from her past . . . A holiday in Morocco seems to be the perfect escape. Especially when she meets Philip, a fellow tourist who distracts her from her troubles. After a brief affair, Lizzie returns to England, to a solicitor's letter. Philip Samson has died. In his will, he has left Lizzie a gift of GBP15,000. But there are conditions attached to this unexpected legacy that will soon force Lizzie to confront terrifying secrets from her past life . . .

     Ann Cleeves by now has to be one the most well-known living crime authors England has to offer. From books to tv shows she seems to excel in everything she touches. Over the years I have had the pleasure of not only reading her Vera novels but more recently the tv show on which they are based. All have stood out to me as amazingly well-written pieces of crime fiction But when it comes to the stand-alone's I seem to have been somewhat lacking. So when a dear friend suggested Burial of Ghosts to me I figured maybe it was just the time to jump in and see what else she is capable of as a writer.   

     Part of the reason I enjoy Cleeve's work is that unlike a great many other crime authors her books are for the most part female-driven. And let's be honest you can always tell when female characters are written by women. Gone are the overly descriptive comments about her body and how she carries herself. We are in fact left with a much more real feeling character someone we might in fact know. Which to me goes a very long way when you are writing grounded crime fiction. What I also appreciated in reading this book, that whilst it does fall into the crime and thriller genres it is a very character-driven narrative. It really matters who these people are and what is driving them. She seems to have this effortless nack for creating people who act in the way you would expect them to in real life. A feat that I think is probably much more tricky than it appears as we read it. I don't always when these grand Hannibal Lecter crime novels. Sometimes you want real-world crimes with a slight twist to keep them interesting.

     This is a book about lost souls and people looking for redemption who end up getting dragged into things beyond there control. Now, this would sound like a description of any good piece of contemporary literature. Which in and of its self is fair enough but lest we forget this is an Anna Cleeves novel. With that in mind along comes not only the mystery but a good deal of twists to keep us on our toes. And you just have to love her for that. Her books are very distinctive in that regard. I think at this point I could pick one of hers up with no cover and within a chapter or two, I would just know it was her writing. With that said that also means as readers we come to her book with a certain level of expectations. It is I imagine both a blessing and a curse for writers of her level. But I needn't fear with Burial of Ghost. Whilst I would say this leans more towards the psychological end of the genre than her others, once again she shines in every aspect of her writing and delivers on all fronts.

     So to sum up she has once again delivered a top-tier crime novel with all the trappings that come with it. She is another one of those authors I seem to be able to come to with a no-fear attitude I love that her book resonates with the feeling of the north of England and I struggle to find another author who can do the same. It is part of the reason that makes her novels uniquely hers and also why I come back to them time and again. Burial of Ghosts did not disappoint me at any point and I hope you can enjoy it just as much as me.