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Burial of Ghosts
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 £15,000. But there are conditions attached to this unexpected legacy that will soon force Lizzie to confront terrifying secrets from her past life ...
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 £15,000. But there are conditions attached to this unexpected legacy that will soon force Lizzie to confront terrifying secrets from her past life ...
348 pages, ebook
First published March 21, 2003
1650 people are currently reading
1882 people want to read
About the author
Ann Cleeves
133 books8,782 followersAnn is the author of the books behind ITV's VERA, now in it's third series, and the BBC's SHETLAND, which will be aired in December 2012. Ann's DI Vera Stanhope series of books is set in Northumberland and features the well loved detective along with her partner Joe Ashworth. Ann's Shetland series bring us DI Jimmy Perez, investigating in the mysterious, dark, and beautiful Shetland Islands...
Ann grew up in the country, first in Herefordshire, then in North Devon. Her father was a village school teacher. After dropping out of university she took a number of temporary jobs - child care officer, women's refuge leader, bird observatory cook, auxiliary coastguard - before going back to college and training to be a probation officer.
While she was cooking in the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle, she met her husband Tim, a visiting ornithologist. She was attracted less by the ornithology than the bottle of malt whisky she saw in his rucksack when she showed him his room. Soon after they married, Tim was appointed as warden of Hilbre, a tiny tidal island nature reserve in the Dee Estuary. They were the only residents, there was no mains electricity or water and access to the mainland was at low tide across the shore. If a person's not heavily into birds - and Ann isn't - there's not much to do on Hilbre and that was when she started writing. Her first series of crime novels features the elderly naturalist, George Palmer-Jones. A couple of these books are seriously dreadful.
In 1987 Tim, Ann and their two daughters moved to Northumberland and the north east provides the inspiration for many of her subsequent titles. The girls have both taken up with Geordie lads. In the autumn of 2006, Ann and Tim finally achieved their ambition of moving back to the North East.
For the National Year of Reading, Ann was made reader-in-residence for three library authorities. It came as a revelation that it was possible to get paid for talking to readers about books! She went on to set up reading groups in prisons as part of the Inside Books project, became Cheltenham Literature Festival's first reader-in-residence and still enjoys working with libraries.
Ann Cleeves on stage at the Duncan Lawrie Dagger awards ceremony
Ann's short film for Border TV, Catching Birds, won a Royal Television Society Award. She has twice been short listed for a CWA Dagger Award - once for her short story The Plater, and the following year for the Dagger in the Library award.
In 2006 Ann Cleeves was the first winner of the prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award of the Crime Writers' Association for Raven Black, the first volume of her Shetland Quartet. The Duncan Lawrie Dagger replaces the CWA's Gold Dagger award, and the winner receives £20,000, making it the world's largest award for crime fiction.
Ann's success was announced at the 2006 Dagger Awards ceremony at the Waldorf Hilton, in London's Aldwych, on Thursday 29 June 2006. She said: "I have never won anything before in my life, so it was a complete shock - but lovely of course.. The evening was relatively relaxing because I'd lost my voice and knew that even if the unexpected happened there was physically no way I could utter a word. So I wouldn't have to give a speech. My editor was deputed to do it!"
The judging panel consisted of Geoff Bradley (non-voting Chair), Lyn Brown MP (a committee member on the London Libraries service), Frances Gray (an academic who writes about and teaches courses on modern crime fiction), Heather O'Donoghue (academic, linguist, crime fiction reviewer for The Times Literary Supplement, and keen reader of all crime fiction) and Barry Forshaw (reviewer and editor of Crime Time magazine).
Ann's books have been translated into sixteen languages. She's a bestseller in Scandinavia and Germany. Her novels sell widely and to critical acclaim in the United States. Raven Black was shortlisted for the Martin Beck award for best translated crime novel in Sweden in 200
Ann grew up in the country, first in Herefordshire, then in North Devon. Her father was a village school teacher. After dropping out of university she took a number of temporary jobs - child care officer, women's refuge leader, bird observatory cook, auxiliary coastguard - before going back to college and training to be a probation officer.
While she was cooking in the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle, she met her husband Tim, a visiting ornithologist. She was attracted less by the ornithology than the bottle of malt whisky she saw in his rucksack when she showed him his room. Soon after they married, Tim was appointed as warden of Hilbre, a tiny tidal island nature reserve in the Dee Estuary. They were the only residents, there was no mains electricity or water and access to the mainland was at low tide across the shore. If a person's not heavily into birds - and Ann isn't - there's not much to do on Hilbre and that was when she started writing. Her first series of crime novels features the elderly naturalist, George Palmer-Jones. A couple of these books are seriously dreadful.
In 1987 Tim, Ann and their two daughters moved to Northumberland and the north east provides the inspiration for many of her subsequent titles. The girls have both taken up with Geordie lads. In the autumn of 2006, Ann and Tim finally achieved their ambition of moving back to the North East.
For the National Year of Reading, Ann was made reader-in-residence for three library authorities. It came as a revelation that it was possible to get paid for talking to readers about books! She went on to set up reading groups in prisons as part of the Inside Books project, became Cheltenham Literature Festival's first reader-in-residence and still enjoys working with libraries.
Ann Cleeves on stage at the Duncan Lawrie Dagger awards ceremony
Ann's short film for Border TV, Catching Birds, won a Royal Television Society Award. She has twice been short listed for a CWA Dagger Award - once for her short story The Plater, and the following year for the Dagger in the Library award.
In 2006 Ann Cleeves was the first winner of the prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award of the Crime Writers' Association for Raven Black, the first volume of her Shetland Quartet. The Duncan Lawrie Dagger replaces the CWA's Gold Dagger award, and the winner receives £20,000, making it the world's largest award for crime fiction.
Ann's success was announced at the 2006 Dagger Awards ceremony at the Waldorf Hilton, in London's Aldwych, on Thursday 29 June 2006. She said: "I have never won anything before in my life, so it was a complete shock - but lovely of course.. The evening was relatively relaxing because I'd lost my voice and knew that even if the unexpected happened there was physically no way I could utter a word. So I wouldn't have to give a speech. My editor was deputed to do it!"
The judging panel consisted of Geoff Bradley (non-voting Chair), Lyn Brown MP (a committee member on the London Libraries service), Frances Gray (an academic who writes about and teaches courses on modern crime fiction), Heather O'Donoghue (academic, linguist, crime fiction reviewer for The Times Literary Supplement, and keen reader of all crime fiction) and Barry Forshaw (reviewer and editor of Crime Time magazine).
Ann's books have been translated into sixteen languages. She's a bestseller in Scandinavia and Germany. Her novels sell widely and to critical acclaim in the United States. Raven Black was shortlisted for the Martin Beck award for best translated crime novel in Sweden in 200
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 359 reviews
February 27, 2023
Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this any more than feeling mildly interested.
The plot, the characters were all just… there. And we follow this random girl who, despite having the potential of being an intriguing protagonist, I still don’t feel I know much about.. except for a vague backstory we get little snippets of. Side note: maybe my eyes were just glazed over for this part, but do we know who Nicky is? Do we care?
Anyway, we get an interesting premise. A little mystery. But then we just kind of sit back and watch Lizzie have seemingly endless conversations with an array of characters who’s names/ relation to the story and each other I continue to forget. And I get that Lizzie kind of finesses her way through these interactions, but ALL these people are more than happy to divulge to her pages and pages of exposition. And then Lizzie will conveniently stumble somewhere else and find another person linked to the plot to have yet another long, expositional conversation with until we string together a pretty weak little whodunnit that she is way too invested in. The way the story was told just felt a bit lazy.
The author tried to explain multiple times why Lizzie gave so many shits about all of this but I wasn’t too convinced. Imagine putting up with all of this bollocks because you had a one night stand in holiday? Yeah, thanks but imma pass. Leave it to the police.
After the first murder, the author kind of floated the idea that Lizzie was perhaps more involved than she was leading on and was an unreliable narrator, but I feel that potential was promptly dropped and not picked back up again.
And in a classic case of telling not showing, the ending was more of the same. People just explaining to Lizzie (/us) everything we need to know. Motive, means, opportunity. I was thinking, how can a story be so slow yet feel so rushed at the same time?
I mean, I managed to finish the book and at times I was intrigued/ entertained. I liked the discussion around Lizzie’s struggles with mental health, medication and her daddy issues. But honestly I just wanted to find out who the murderer was and be done with it all. Once I finally did, I was like. Oh. Ok, fine… but couldn’t quite remember why Ronnie was there too? Or why Stuart (is that his name? The fat solicitor) was also trying to protect Joanna? Or why Phillip’s kid (again, his name escapes me) hates the solicitor so much. Or what the fuck this little organization they’re in was even for.
Maybe I missed something (I mean, as I write this review I’ve come to the conclusion that I missed a lot) but I didn’t care enough to go back and connect the dots. In the end, I was left feeling underwhelmed.
The plot, the characters were all just… there. And we follow this random girl who, despite having the potential of being an intriguing protagonist, I still don’t feel I know much about.. except for a vague backstory we get little snippets of. Side note: maybe my eyes were just glazed over for this part, but do we know who Nicky is? Do we care?
Anyway, we get an interesting premise. A little mystery. But then we just kind of sit back and watch Lizzie have seemingly endless conversations with an array of characters who’s names/ relation to the story and each other I continue to forget. And I get that Lizzie kind of finesses her way through these interactions, but ALL these people are more than happy to divulge to her pages and pages of exposition. And then Lizzie will conveniently stumble somewhere else and find another person linked to the plot to have yet another long, expositional conversation with until we string together a pretty weak little whodunnit that she is way too invested in. The way the story was told just felt a bit lazy.
The author tried to explain multiple times why Lizzie gave so many shits about all of this but I wasn’t too convinced. Imagine putting up with all of this bollocks because you had a one night stand in holiday? Yeah, thanks but imma pass. Leave it to the police.
After the first murder, the author kind of floated the idea that Lizzie was perhaps more involved than she was leading on and was an unreliable narrator, but I feel that potential was promptly dropped and not picked back up again.
And in a classic case of telling not showing, the ending was more of the same. People just explaining to Lizzie (/us) everything we need to know. Motive, means, opportunity. I was thinking, how can a story be so slow yet feel so rushed at the same time?
I mean, I managed to finish the book and at times I was intrigued/ entertained. I liked the discussion around Lizzie’s struggles with mental health, medication and her daddy issues. But honestly I just wanted to find out who the murderer was and be done with it all. Once I finally did, I was like. Oh. Ok, fine… but couldn’t quite remember why Ronnie was there too? Or why Stuart (is that his name? The fat solicitor) was also trying to protect Joanna? Or why Phillip’s kid (again, his name escapes me) hates the solicitor so much. Or what the fuck this little organization they’re in was even for.
Maybe I missed something (I mean, as I write this review I’ve come to the conclusion that I missed a lot) but I didn’t care enough to go back and connect the dots. In the end, I was left feeling underwhelmed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2021
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.
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.
September 5, 2019
A bit too slow in pace for me.
October 9, 2018
Great page-turner!
I’m wondering where my head’s been for so long that I’ve only recently discovered Ann Cleeves.
Having read her entire Shetland series, I thought I’d try this stand-alone book. And I haven’t been disappointed.
The heroine, Lizzie Bartholomew, was abandoned at birth and had a difficult upbringing in Care.
Named after the Church yard she was found in and with a Christian name taken from the dog that sniffed her out at said church, you can’t help but have your heartstrings tugged at the way kids are dealt with within the Care System.
I like the way Cleeves explores her young life in a series of flashbacks and memories.
The descriptions of the areas that the story unfolds in really added weight to the story for me, particularly just how different the lives of young people can be depending on the income earned by their parents.
One, then two murders of young men have Lizzie arrested for the first, then socialising with the second victim just hours before he dies.
She can’t help but try to solve the murders on her own.
Her Bipolar disorder rather reminded me a little of Lisbeth Salander from the Millennium series written by Steig Larsson....
A great ‘whodunnit’, Ms Cleeves had me guessing right until the end.
I’ll be buying more of her books. Marvellous writing.
I’m wondering where my head’s been for so long that I’ve only recently discovered Ann Cleeves.
Having read her entire Shetland series, I thought I’d try this stand-alone book. And I haven’t been disappointed.
The heroine, Lizzie Bartholomew, was abandoned at birth and had a difficult upbringing in Care.
Named after the Church yard she was found in and with a Christian name taken from the dog that sniffed her out at said church, you can’t help but have your heartstrings tugged at the way kids are dealt with within the Care System.
I like the way Cleeves explores her young life in a series of flashbacks and memories.
The descriptions of the areas that the story unfolds in really added weight to the story for me, particularly just how different the lives of young people can be depending on the income earned by their parents.
One, then two murders of young men have Lizzie arrested for the first, then socialising with the second victim just hours before he dies.
She can’t help but try to solve the murders on her own.
Her Bipolar disorder rather reminded me a little of Lisbeth Salander from the Millennium series written by Steig Larsson....
A great ‘whodunnit’, Ms Cleeves had me guessing right until the end.
I’ll be buying more of her books. Marvellous writing.
June 20, 2024
A stand alone early novel from the author of several successful series, and a self-confessed oddity, her only novel to be written in the first person. It's obviously good and an enjoyable quick read from such an accomplished author, although the plot never quite catches fire and grips, and the central character never quite grabbed my sympathy. A decent introduction to Cleeves, if not as well known as her bestsellers.
January 11, 2020
I never expected to give Ann Cleeves a negative review!
It never crossed my mind that Ann Cleeves was capable of writing a novel which I would not like/love/recommend. Her departure from 3rd person storytelling to the 1st person just doesn't work. I don't even know why it doesn't work. She is one of my top 10 favourite contemporary authors and I am puzzled as to why she chose this departure: it was a real disappointment. I love Vera, I adore Jimmy Pereze and I fully expected to enjoy this new character. I hope this doesn't become a new platform for her because it just doesn't work. I usually enjoy 1st person characters, it gives space to delve deep into a character's psyche but to be frank, this just bored me to the point that I haven't finished the book and I doubt I ever will! I still admire and respect her writing and look forward to her future novels.
It never crossed my mind that Ann Cleeves was capable of writing a novel which I would not like/love/recommend. Her departure from 3rd person storytelling to the 1st person just doesn't work. I don't even know why it doesn't work. She is one of my top 10 favourite contemporary authors and I am puzzled as to why she chose this departure: it was a real disappointment. I love Vera, I adore Jimmy Pereze and I fully expected to enjoy this new character. I hope this doesn't become a new platform for her because it just doesn't work. I usually enjoy 1st person characters, it gives space to delve deep into a character's psyche but to be frank, this just bored me to the point that I haven't finished the book and I doubt I ever will! I still admire and respect her writing and look forward to her future novels.
January 24, 2023
Simmering, tight, and mysterious!
Burial of Ghosts is a tense, twisty tale that introduces us to Lizzie Bartholomew, a young social worker who, after experiencing a tragic incident at work, takes a leave of absence to Morocco, where she indulges in some rest, relaxation and a one-night stand with an older man she believes she will never see or hear from again only to return from vacation to find a letter from his solicitor informing her that Philip has died and has left her a sizeable inheritance linked to a stipulated request that will ultimately turn her life upside down, make her a possible suspect in a grizzly murder, and will cause her own secrets from the past to rear their ugly heads.
The writing is sharp and brisk. The characters are flawed, unreliable, and troubled. And the plot using flashbacks and a back-and-forth style intertwines and unravels into an ominous tale of twists, turns, lies, deception, corruption, suspicions, revelations, mayhem, familial drama, and murder.
Overall, Burial of Ghosts is an atmospheric, sinister, satisfying tale by Cleeves that does a wonderful job of highlighting that she’s not only the queen of police procedural series, but also a pretty good standalone psychological thriller writer as well.
Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Burial of Ghosts is a tense, twisty tale that introduces us to Lizzie Bartholomew, a young social worker who, after experiencing a tragic incident at work, takes a leave of absence to Morocco, where she indulges in some rest, relaxation and a one-night stand with an older man she believes she will never see or hear from again only to return from vacation to find a letter from his solicitor informing her that Philip has died and has left her a sizeable inheritance linked to a stipulated request that will ultimately turn her life upside down, make her a possible suspect in a grizzly murder, and will cause her own secrets from the past to rear their ugly heads.
The writing is sharp and brisk. The characters are flawed, unreliable, and troubled. And the plot using flashbacks and a back-and-forth style intertwines and unravels into an ominous tale of twists, turns, lies, deception, corruption, suspicions, revelations, mayhem, familial drama, and murder.
Overall, Burial of Ghosts is an atmospheric, sinister, satisfying tale by Cleeves that does a wonderful job of highlighting that she’s not only the queen of police procedural series, but also a pretty good standalone psychological thriller writer as well.
Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Read
September 29, 2020DNF @ 50%. Couldn’t get back into it.
September 26, 2021
Not one of her better books. Far to descriptive and I guessed the murderer fairly early on.
April 9, 2024
Dithered between 4 and 5 stars but ultimately because I have perhaps seen too manty episodes of Vera I was concious of feeling some familiarity with aspects of the story. It is inevitable I suppose that themes recur but it did take me from the story here and there.
I warmed to the narrator and although she did take some daft risks she managed to justify them - until the silly badger hunt!
I felt a sadness that all the men who died had such potential as characters - Thomas was snatched from us without any chance to know him and I thought Philip was superb, mysterious and likeable. It seemed unlikely he would be married to Joanna but his children chimed well, particularly Dicken of course who was given plenty of room to grow on us.
What happened with Nicky and then another children's home inmate (?) was confusing and not sufficiently explained for my liking. Lizzie gets held hostage at knife-point in a small bedroom and then as part of a rescue gets told to "run" - but where exactly? It made no sense that the room would be breached and a weapon fired, no sense that this traumatic experience would lead to Lizzie using a knife on someone's arm (if that was what happened, as flash backs can be unreliable).
I wasn't sure where Lizzie was getting her money from as she seemed not to be at work after the holiday to Morocco. Little loopholes for me: One minute Ronnie, the older man, was appealing and then he wasn't, we had a wasted journey to Pool's home, even to the point of looking over the wall, only for him to lead her there voluntarily the next day - the first visit served little purpose. I have a few of these tiny items that knocked off a star but nevertheless it is a page turner, evokes a great sense of place and develops some characters to care about. The denoument seemed a stretch and I discounted the villain owing to there being no forensics - only for there to have been, as revealed in the epilogue. That was cheating.
I warmed to the narrator and although she did take some daft risks she managed to justify them - until the silly badger hunt!
I felt a sadness that all the men who died had such potential as characters - Thomas was snatched from us without any chance to know him and I thought Philip was superb, mysterious and likeable. It seemed unlikely he would be married to Joanna but his children chimed well, particularly Dicken of course who was given plenty of room to grow on us.
What happened with Nicky and then another children's home inmate (?) was confusing and not sufficiently explained for my liking. Lizzie gets held hostage at knife-point in a small bedroom and then as part of a rescue gets told to "run" - but where exactly? It made no sense that the room would be breached and a weapon fired, no sense that this traumatic experience would lead to Lizzie using a knife on someone's arm (if that was what happened, as flash backs can be unreliable).
I wasn't sure where Lizzie was getting her money from as she seemed not to be at work after the holiday to Morocco. Little loopholes for me: One minute Ronnie, the older man, was appealing and then he wasn't, we had a wasted journey to Pool's home, even to the point of looking over the wall, only for him to lead her there voluntarily the next day - the first visit served little purpose. I have a few of these tiny items that knocked off a star but nevertheless it is a page turner, evokes a great sense of place and develops some characters to care about. The denoument seemed a stretch and I discounted the villain owing to there being no forensics - only for there to have been, as revealed in the epilogue. That was cheating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 10, 2016
I love Anne Cleeves Shetland books but I wasn't really in the market for starting on the 'Vera' books so this stand alone book was just what I was after.
Lizzie Bartholomew is something of a damaged soul. Her early life was hardly ideal and a horrific incident at work has left her with Post Traumatic Stress. In an attempt to get away from it all she holidays in Morocco where she meets, and has a brief encounter with Philip.
On her return she is surprised to receive a letter telling her that Philip has died and left her quite a lot of money along with a request.This leads her down some very unexpected and sometimes horrific pathways.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked Lizzie flaws and all.How she was able to try and rationalise her actions was quite endearing. If I met her I think I would have liked her- that's if she'd let me! The plot kept me turning the pages and was full of surprises. Well worth a read.
Lizzie Bartholomew is something of a damaged soul. Her early life was hardly ideal and a horrific incident at work has left her with Post Traumatic Stress. In an attempt to get away from it all she holidays in Morocco where she meets, and has a brief encounter with Philip.
On her return she is surprised to receive a letter telling her that Philip has died and left her quite a lot of money along with a request.This leads her down some very unexpected and sometimes horrific pathways.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked Lizzie flaws and all.How she was able to try and rationalise her actions was quite endearing. If I met her I think I would have liked her- that's if she'd let me! The plot kept me turning the pages and was full of surprises. Well worth a read.
January 7, 2023
I really enjoyed this book which was a real couldn't put down read. The edition was actually a newly released hard back of the 2003 book. Ann Cleeves said in the prologue was written in the first person as she wanted to get into the head of the central character, Lizzie Bartholomew's head, well Lizzie certainly got into my head and I would have liked more stories of her as an amateur sleuth, rather than just this stand alone novel. All of the action and other characters are seen through Lizzie's eyes and this helps to move the story along quickly. Also at times it is difficult to see what is real and what is only in her mixed up head. Thus this is as much a psychological thriller type of book rather than a simple crime detection story. lots of twists and turns as expected and some characters that the reader actually cares about .
July 28, 2020
What a really slow moving story and I was really disappointed. I listened to the audiobook and struggled through 7 of the 10 hours. The narrator was good but I found the story so flat and lifeless and I have lots of other books I could have been reading. Anne Cleeves is an excellent writer but this just wasn’t for me I’m afraid.
January 13, 2024
A disappointing read, the first this was book by Ann Cleeves that I have not enjoyed.
The story was unbelievable and the lead character just plain annoying.
The story was unbelievable and the lead character just plain annoying.
April 13, 2023
3,75/5⭐️
Ostatnio przeczytałem wiele książek, ale żadna nie była tak oryginalna jak ta. Pomysł na fabułę jest świetny. "Zmory przeszłości" autorstwa Ann Cleeves z pewnością zalicza się do nietypowych kryminałów , w szczególności uwielbiam ją za ten klimat, którego dawne nie czułem czytając ten gatunek. Choć podczas lektury czasami miałem wrażenie, że jest zbyt wiele wątków i trudno jest nadążyć za wszystkimi wydarzeniami, to z drugiej strony, nie brakowało w niej emocjonujących momentów, które trzymały mnie w napięciu.
Jednym z największych atutów książki jest styl pisarski autorki, który jest bardzo dobry i pełen szczegółowych opisów przez co właśnie stwarza ten unikatowy klimat . Książka zapewniła mi fascynującą przygodę w świecie kryminalnych intryg, oszustw i morderstw.
Mimo że "Zmory przeszłości" nie były dla mnie idealną lekturą i niektóre fragmenty były dla mnie mniej interesujące niż inne, to z pewnością jest to książka godna uwagi dla fanów gatunku kryminalnego. Na pewno jest to coś innego niż czytałem do tej pory. Jeśli jesteś gotowy na lekturę, która wymaga skupienia i zaangażowania, a jednocześnie chcesz przeżyć emocjonującą przygodę, warto po nią sięgnąć.
Ostatecznie, oceniam ją na 3,75 na 5 gwiazdek ⭐️
Ostatnio przeczytałem wiele książek, ale żadna nie była tak oryginalna jak ta. Pomysł na fabułę jest świetny. "Zmory przeszłości" autorstwa Ann Cleeves z pewnością zalicza się do nietypowych kryminałów , w szczególności uwielbiam ją za ten klimat, którego dawne nie czułem czytając ten gatunek. Choć podczas lektury czasami miałem wrażenie, że jest zbyt wiele wątków i trudno jest nadążyć za wszystkimi wydarzeniami, to z drugiej strony, nie brakowało w niej emocjonujących momentów, które trzymały mnie w napięciu.
Jednym z największych atutów książki jest styl pisarski autorki, który jest bardzo dobry i pełen szczegółowych opisów przez co właśnie stwarza ten unikatowy klimat . Książka zapewniła mi fascynującą przygodę w świecie kryminalnych intryg, oszustw i morderstw.
Mimo że "Zmory przeszłości" nie były dla mnie idealną lekturą i niektóre fragmenty były dla mnie mniej interesujące niż inne, to z pewnością jest to książka godna uwagi dla fanów gatunku kryminalnego. Na pewno jest to coś innego niż czytałem do tej pory. Jeśli jesteś gotowy na lekturę, która wymaga skupienia i zaangażowania, a jednocześnie chcesz przeżyć emocjonującą przygodę, warto po nią sięgnąć.
Ostatecznie, oceniam ją na 3,75 na 5 gwiazdek ⭐️
May 2, 2025
I couldn’t decide whether to give 3 or 4 stars. It’s a very slow start. It gets interesting after the murder. The thread of Nicky running through it is confusing. I kept thinking I’d forgotten reading about him.
It’s not really realistic that some bipolar ex social worker would be on the hunt for a murderer or that everyone would be talking to her. Certainly the police would give her any info.
The twist at the end is good. I didn’t see that person to be the murderer.
It’s not really realistic that some bipolar ex social worker would be on the hunt for a murderer or that everyone would be talking to her. Certainly the police would give her any info.
The twist at the end is good. I didn’t see that person to be the murderer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2020
Excellent twisty crime thriller, reminded me of Sarah Pinborough. Really enjoyed this one.
November 16, 2025
I have read quite a few of Ann Cleeves Vera books and enjoyed them but didn’t enjoy this book at all , it’s a stand alone book well written but not for me.
February 15, 2024
3-1/2 stars.
November 3, 2025
I normally enjoy reading Ann Cleeves books but this one left me cold. I didn’t take to any of the characters and I couldn’t really be bothered about what happened to them. It was a confusing read.
October 26, 2020
Ann Cleaves never disappoints. Interesting storyline. Bit of a weak ending hence 4*
September 6, 2007
BURIAL OF GHOSTS (Psychological Thriller) – G
Ann Cleeves – 17th book
Lizzie Bartholomew had planned her trip to Marrakech as the perfect escape from her life - and her nightmares - in Northumberland. Abandoned as a baby, and having spent her childhood moving between foster homes, Lizzie certainly has much to escape from. After a brief affair in Morocco with a fellow tourist named Phillip, Lizzie returns to England. But suddenly she receives a letter from a firm of solicitors that Philip Samson has died and left Lizzie a gift of [pound] 15,000. But there are conditions attached to this unexpected legacy.
***The character of Lizzie is an interesting one; a social worker, she suffers the aftershock of a violent incident with one of her patients. Yet, dealing with her own internal demons, she feels obligated to Phillip. The story focuses primarily on Lizzie’s internal thoughts while carrying out her task. It’s very well written but rather gloomy.
Ann Cleeves – 17th book
Lizzie Bartholomew had planned her trip to Marrakech as the perfect escape from her life - and her nightmares - in Northumberland. Abandoned as a baby, and having spent her childhood moving between foster homes, Lizzie certainly has much to escape from. After a brief affair in Morocco with a fellow tourist named Phillip, Lizzie returns to England. But suddenly she receives a letter from a firm of solicitors that Philip Samson has died and left Lizzie a gift of [pound] 15,000. But there are conditions attached to this unexpected legacy.
***The character of Lizzie is an interesting one; a social worker, she suffers the aftershock of a violent incident with one of her patients. Yet, dealing with her own internal demons, she feels obligated to Phillip. The story focuses primarily on Lizzie’s internal thoughts while carrying out her task. It’s very well written but rather gloomy.
October 7, 2022
I first read this around twenty years ago when it came out but apart from the chapters set in Morocco, nothing about this story rang a bell (well I have got through a fair few books since I read it!) but as expected it's a good read.
Early on I felt it had a slightly different feel to other books by Cleeves, certainly to the "Vera" & "Shetland" series, with a hint of psychological thriller about it & a possibly unreliable narrator in Lizzie. This storyline had me hooked, unable to see why Lizzie had been given this task to complete & wondering whether she was up to it, as a particularly nasty experience in her past kept cropping up in flashbacks.
It was a little disappointing therefore that towards the end things seemed to peter out, all to be wrapped up a bit unconvincingly. Overall, a good read but, for me, ending with an unsatisfying conclusion.
3.5 stars from me
Early on I felt it had a slightly different feel to other books by Cleeves, certainly to the "Vera" & "Shetland" series, with a hint of psychological thriller about it & a possibly unreliable narrator in Lizzie. This storyline had me hooked, unable to see why Lizzie had been given this task to complete & wondering whether she was up to it, as a particularly nasty experience in her past kept cropping up in flashbacks.
It was a little disappointing therefore that towards the end things seemed to peter out, all to be wrapped up a bit unconvincingly. Overall, a good read but, for me, ending with an unsatisfying conclusion.
3.5 stars from me
March 24, 2024
It has taken me an age to read this, so often being on the cusp of becoming a DNF. First published in 2003 and relaunched in 2023 by Pan Macmillan marking Ann Cleaves thirtieth anniversary with this publisher. it's in the first-person narrated by protagonist, Lizzie Batholomew, with her brushes with the law and troubled childhood, acting as amateur sleuth. A bewildering and bemusing plot and - for me - boring. Like reading through a glass darkly. I really struggled with Burial of Ghosts and breathed a huge sigh of relief when I finally completed it.
Sorry Ann - least said soonest mended...
Sorry Ann - least said soonest mended...
May 8, 2014
Burial of Ghosts is a standalone book, not part of either her Vera or Shetland series. Lizzie Bartholomew, a social worker is on leave after a particular nasty episode which has left her traumatised. After a brief holiday affair with Philip Sansom in Morocco, she is surprised when he left her £15,000 in his will. But there are certain conditions she is required to fulfil, which plunges her into a terrifying situation. This is largely a psychological study, focussing on Lizzie, as she relives her past in flashbacks.
May 15, 2011
I love Ann Cleeves! Everyone should read her Shetland Island series!
dnf
August 3, 2020Just couldn't get into this and as it's a library loan I'm going to let it go, may try again at some future date when I've less to read.
February 7, 2023
Z racji mojej miłości do kryminałów i thrillerów, to właśnie po te gatunki sięgam najczęściej. Jednak jak wiadomo, kryminał kryminałowi nie równy. Jedne z nich są gęste od akcji, mroku pełne brutalności i krwi, a inne spokojne, wyważone, utrzymane w klimacie w tajemnic, śmierci i miarowo zmierzające do wyjaśnienia sprawy.
"Zmory przeszłości" to zdecydowanie ten drugi rodzaj. Cała historia toczy się powolnie, wręcz można powiedzieć, że jest lekko i przyjemnie. Ale to wcale nie znaczy, że źle. Dla mnie to oderwanie od tych mocnych książek i całkiem miło spędziłam z nią czas.
Lizzie została porzucona zaraz po urodzeniu i jej życie nie było łatwe. Wychowała się w różnych ośrodkach wychowawczych, nigdy nie trafiła do prawdziwej rodziny. Z retrospekcji dowiadujemy się, że w jej życiu zdarzyło się coś, co zmieniło ją z na zawsze i ufundowało jej życie z problemami psychicznymi. Na szczęście znalazła swoje miejsce w Sea View, gdzie zaprzyjaźniła się z Jess i wreszcie miała kogoś, kto okazywał się prawdziwe wsparcie i miłość.
Podczas wyjazdu do Maroka poznaje Philipa. Mężczyznę, który zawrócił jej w głowie, a potem... umarł, zostawiając Lizzie pewną wiadomość. To zaczyna pewną przygodę w jej życiu. Przygodę pełną rodzinnych tajemnic, sprzeczek, niejasność i właśnie śmierci. Jak sobie z tym poradzi? Czy spełni ostatnie życzenie Philipa? Czy odkryje kim jest sprawca i dlaczego to robi?
"Zmory przeszłości" to pełna historia, która stopniowo kroczy do zakończenia sprawy i wyjaśnień. Bohaterka, aby odkryć prawdę musi pokonać pewne przeszkody, z którymi (niestety) rozprawia się z wielką łatwością. Żaden problem jej nie zatrzyma, każdy od razu wyznaje jej swoje sekrety, a wszystkie sytuacje dzieją się tak, by utorować drogę Lizzie do znalezienia wszelkich odpowiedzi. Wszystko dzieje się w zagadkowej otoczce, ciągle towarzyszy niewiedza i niepewność. Mimo spokojnej akcji, jest intrygująco i emocjonująco.
Nie byłabym sobą, gdybym nie powiedziała nic o samym zakończeniu. Czułam się w pełni usatysfakcjonowana rozwiązaniem, było przemyślane i niebanalne. Bardzo fajnie zwieńczyło historię. Jest to ten typ zakończenia, które tak naprawdę czytelnik byłby w stanie sam odkryć, a jednak sieć intryg, kłamstw i zwrotów akcji stworzonych przez autorkę miesza w głowie.
No i jestem fanką narracji pierwszoosobowej! ♥
"Zmory przeszłości" to zdecydowanie ten drugi rodzaj. Cała historia toczy się powolnie, wręcz można powiedzieć, że jest lekko i przyjemnie. Ale to wcale nie znaczy, że źle. Dla mnie to oderwanie od tych mocnych książek i całkiem miło spędziłam z nią czas.
Lizzie została porzucona zaraz po urodzeniu i jej życie nie było łatwe. Wychowała się w różnych ośrodkach wychowawczych, nigdy nie trafiła do prawdziwej rodziny. Z retrospekcji dowiadujemy się, że w jej życiu zdarzyło się coś, co zmieniło ją z na zawsze i ufundowało jej życie z problemami psychicznymi. Na szczęście znalazła swoje miejsce w Sea View, gdzie zaprzyjaźniła się z Jess i wreszcie miała kogoś, kto okazywał się prawdziwe wsparcie i miłość.
Podczas wyjazdu do Maroka poznaje Philipa. Mężczyznę, który zawrócił jej w głowie, a potem... umarł, zostawiając Lizzie pewną wiadomość. To zaczyna pewną przygodę w jej życiu. Przygodę pełną rodzinnych tajemnic, sprzeczek, niejasność i właśnie śmierci. Jak sobie z tym poradzi? Czy spełni ostatnie życzenie Philipa? Czy odkryje kim jest sprawca i dlaczego to robi?
"Zmory przeszłości" to pełna historia, która stopniowo kroczy do zakończenia sprawy i wyjaśnień. Bohaterka, aby odkryć prawdę musi pokonać pewne przeszkody, z którymi (niestety) rozprawia się z wielką łatwością. Żaden problem jej nie zatrzyma, każdy od razu wyznaje jej swoje sekrety, a wszystkie sytuacje dzieją się tak, by utorować drogę Lizzie do znalezienia wszelkich odpowiedzi. Wszystko dzieje się w zagadkowej otoczce, ciągle towarzyszy niewiedza i niepewność. Mimo spokojnej akcji, jest intrygująco i emocjonująco.
Nie byłabym sobą, gdybym nie powiedziała nic o samym zakończeniu. Czułam się w pełni usatysfakcjonowana rozwiązaniem, było przemyślane i niebanalne. Bardzo fajnie zwieńczyło historię. Jest to ten typ zakończenia, które tak naprawdę czytelnik byłby w stanie sam odkryć, a jednak sieć intryg, kłamstw i zwrotów akcji stworzonych przez autorkę miesza w głowie.
No i jestem fanką narracji pierwszoosobowej! ♥
January 17, 2021
I’m a big big fan of Ann Cleeves so naturally was going to pick this book up.
While I found the start of this book a little slow compared to the other Ann Cleeves books I have read once I got into it I wanted to keep reading and found myself saying just one more chapter.
The story follows Lizzie who has a troubled past, from being abandoned at a church as a newborn, growing up in care through to an incident in her work life she’d rather leave in the past.
Running away from her secrets she holidays in Morocco where she meets Philip and they have a brief affair before Lizzie returns to England.
A short time later Lizzie receives a letter. Philip has passed away. He leaves her £15,000 but there are conditions attached. After some thought Lizzie accepts the gift and begins her search in order to meet Philips conditions. As she does this events start to unfold and Lizzie is forced to terrifying secrets.
Following the rules set out by Philip, Lizzie ends up caught up in a murder investigation. Knowing her own innocence Lizzie sets out to prove this to the police. However with every turn she takes she uncovers more secrets.
I very quickly grew to love Lizzie as a character. I loved her curiosity and her need to know trait. I enjoyed that despite being told no and to keep out of it she persevered and stood her ground.
While this was a stand alone novel I wish there was more. I’d love to know more about the characters lives both leading up to the events in this book and following them.
I throughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
While I found the start of this book a little slow compared to the other Ann Cleeves books I have read once I got into it I wanted to keep reading and found myself saying just one more chapter.
The story follows Lizzie who has a troubled past, from being abandoned at a church as a newborn, growing up in care through to an incident in her work life she’d rather leave in the past.
Running away from her secrets she holidays in Morocco where she meets Philip and they have a brief affair before Lizzie returns to England.
A short time later Lizzie receives a letter. Philip has passed away. He leaves her £15,000 but there are conditions attached. After some thought Lizzie accepts the gift and begins her search in order to meet Philips conditions. As she does this events start to unfold and Lizzie is forced to terrifying secrets.
Following the rules set out by Philip, Lizzie ends up caught up in a murder investigation. Knowing her own innocence Lizzie sets out to prove this to the police. However with every turn she takes she uncovers more secrets.
I very quickly grew to love Lizzie as a character. I loved her curiosity and her need to know trait. I enjoyed that despite being told no and to keep out of it she persevered and stood her ground.
While this was a stand alone novel I wish there was more. I’d love to know more about the characters lives both leading up to the events in this book and following them.
I throughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
March 28, 2023
W porównaniu do innych książek tej autorki ta była... dość dużym rozczarowaniem.
Niby to nie była zła historia, bo jednak wciągnęła mnie na tyle, że nie byłam w stanie jej porzucić. Odnoszę wrażenie, że ta historia nie była po prostu dobrze wyważona. Dobrym przykładem może być końcówka, w której wiemy, że zaraz coś się rozwiąże, ale czytamy o tym, co bohaterka jadła na imprezie i co myśli o facetach zupełnie niezwiązanych ze sprawą kryminalną.
Moim największym problemem w tej historii była właśnie główna bohaterka. Super, że poznaliśmy jej historię, ale np. ten prolog wcale nie był taki istotny dla reszty fabuły. Jej zachowania były czasem irytujące, nieodpowiedzialne i dziwne.
Wolę jednak serię szetlandzką tej autorki.
2,5
Niby to nie była zła historia, bo jednak wciągnęła mnie na tyle, że nie byłam w stanie jej porzucić. Odnoszę wrażenie, że ta historia nie była po prostu dobrze wyważona. Dobrym przykładem może być końcówka, w której wiemy, że zaraz coś się rozwiąże, ale czytamy o tym, co bohaterka jadła na imprezie i co myśli o facetach zupełnie niezwiązanych ze sprawą kryminalną.
Moim największym problemem w tej historii była właśnie główna bohaterka. Super, że poznaliśmy jej historię, ale np. ten prolog wcale nie był taki istotny dla reszty fabuły. Jej zachowania były czasem irytujące, nieodpowiedzialne i dziwne.
Wolę jednak serię szetlandzką tej autorki.
2,5
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