I came to this book knowing absolutely nothing about Tillie Smith or her death. However, the more I read about her life, the more I came to view her as someone whose story deserved to be shared, and Maryann McFadden does an outstanding job. The similarities between Tillie and Rachel, the titular cemetery keeper's wife, are hard to ignore, and yet I found myself wanting to hurry through Rachel's story in order to return to Tillie's. Told in alternating perspective from modern day to the 1800s, McFadden's work is both timely and historical with obvious care taken in researching the life and death of Tillie Smith. Definitely worth a read by anyone who likes historical fiction.

I feel as though this book missed something that has held it back from being exceptional but I can't work out what that element is. I struggled with some of the prose, it was grammatically incorrect in parts and repetitive.

I couldn't warm to either Rachel or Adam - they both felt very Hallmark movie. Tilly was interesting but her story could have been told independently and as a short story. Overall, I felt it was too nice and not enough power.

This was just meh for me. The main character was an over-the-top neurotic mess. Too much melodrama and sappy “spiritual” connections.

This book was set between the past and future. I am not a huge fan of this type of novel, but the author did a good job. The story was intriguing.

"Was there really a sort of destiny at work here?"
This novel is based on true events of a murder in 1886 of a young woman working at Centenary College, and it alternates to present day when The Cemetery Keeper's Wife gets involved. The chapter's go from the character of Tillie to the character of Rachel and are very well written.
Tillie's brutal murder was thought to be solved years ago, but when Rachel marries a man who has the job as a Cemetery Keeper in Hackettstown, NJ and sees this beautiful large headstone at the tallest part of the cemetery, Rachel feels she has a connection and must pursue and find answers Tillie's life and death.
There are also many interesting coincidences between two women who lived over a hundred years apart.
I truly enjoyed this book and for anyone who loves an unsolved murder mystery, or lives in Warren County, NJ , you will definitely enjoy this book!

The Cemetary Keeper’s Wife is a story about two women, Tilley Smith and Rachel Miller. Tilly was raped and murdered in 1886 and Rachel is the new cemetary keeper’s wife in 2014. Rachel feels like Tilly is reaching out to her from the grave. This is a historical fiction story set in Hackettstown, NJ. The author did a lot of research about Tilly and Union Cemetary.

I would highly recommend this to anyone, especially if you like historical fiction!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ecopy for my Kindle.
This book is a historical fiction/romance novel with a twist of mystery and suspense. Do not allow the title to dissuade you. It's really a good book!
Set in dual time zones with the current time period involving the new wife of the cemetery keeper and her obsession with a servant who was tragically killed in the late 1800's brings more to the story than just what appears on the surface. Was the servant girl's murderer the real killer even though he admitted to the murder and served time in prison, why is the new wife so obsessed the servant girl's life and death, what secrets are the wife and husband withholding from each other, and why are some of the cemetery keeper's family leery about his wife and marriage?

This was a wonderful read! I loved the way the chapters moved back and forth between the past and the present. The story of Tillie and her murder was tragic and you ache with the sad story of her life. The author did a wonderful job as she shared the history of Tillie's life and death.

By sharing the "present day" fictional story of Rachel Miller you experience her fears, her anxiety, and her pain. As she begins exploring the background of Tillie's story, you are drawn into the story and hanging onto each word and wondering whether Rachel will be able to complete her quest. There are lots of twists and turns as you not only follow Tillie's story, but learn about Rachel's past...a past that was heartbreaking.

I enjoyed this book so much that I purchased every book this author has written.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The story of Tillie Smith and her death are true. Maryann McFadden has written a fantastic fictional story based in a real town revolving around Tillie Smith's story, paralleling it to wife of the present day cemetery keeper. She writes with such detail that it's hard to believe this is fiction. As she digs for the truth for Tillie, she finds truth for herself too. An absolutely fantastic read!

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.
The Cemetery Keeper’s Wife tells the story of Rachel Miller who has a whirlwind courtship before marrying Adam, the keeper of the Union Cemetery in Hackettstown, NJ. Often alone fighting her own demons, Rachel learns the story of Tillie Smith, a domestic servant who was murdered on the campus of what is now Centenary University. She seeks to solve what happened to Tillie, against the wishes of her new family.
I picked up this book because I am very familiar with the Union Cemetery and the story of Tillie Smith, having gone to Centenary and being really into NJ history. I liked that it weaved two stories together. I am a huge fan of two time periods in stories.
However, I was a bit bored by the book. I cannot pinpoint it exactly. I think my issue was that there were no likeable characters in the book. I also think that it would have helped if I had less information on the town, the cemetery and the story of Tillie. On the other hand, I think it would be an interesting read for people in NJ, specifically in that area.

I LOVE historical fiction -- and I LOVE when an author can take me to a time I was not aware of. That's excactly what Maryann did. I had never heard the story of Tillie Smith and she did an incredible job!!

I loved this book! It is told from two different story lines and it grabs you from the first page. I didn’t realize until the end of the book that it was based on true facts! I loved how Rachael just had to follow her heart and find out the true story and how it ended up helping her cope with her own demons that happened to her!

Maryann McFadden has done it again! But this is by far her most absorbing, well written, "can't put this down" book yet. I loved the historical aspect of this story, which takes place in mid-1800's Hackettstown, NJ. My family and I have lived, worked, shopped and enjoyed wonderful restaurants like Mama's and Stella's in and around the Hackettstown area for 25 years and the story of Tillie Smith has always intrigued me. The locations mentioned in this excellent book are real and this beautiful town should be beaming with pride at how Ms. McFadden describes it. You can feel her love for her hometown, no question.

Tillie Smith, kitchen help at what is now Centenary University, was raped and murdered in the mid-1800's in Hackettstown,NJ, the crime being solved with the conviction of a janitor. The second story which runs concurrently is about a modern day couple, Rachel and her new husband Adam, the current cemetery keeper in Hackettstown's cemetery. Both have issues in their past that interfere with their marital bliss which they have trouble getting out in the open. The sad but very well fleshed out description of Tillie's life is beautifully written as is the painful story of Rachel and Adam's rough start to their marriage. But Rachel's need to explore and ultimately resolve Tillie's final hours ties the two stories together and the result is a book I have not stopped thinking about since I finished it three days ago. Read this, you will truly enjoy and remember it.

Very good mystery/Historical Fiction. The writing was well done and the characters well written. While I didn't love this book, I didn't hate it. It was worth my time to read and giving it a 4 star rating.

This story was hard to put down! I enjoyed the duo timelines and it was easy to follow. Tillie’s story was sad and heartbreaking. I really liked this book and will recommend it to everyone

This is a interesting historical novel that transitions between two time periods, 1886 and present day. It is a intriguing story of two women's lives, one raped and murdered in Victorian times and one who is fascinated with her crime and investigates it in current time. The author writes well between both time periods. I enjoyed this fascinating look at Victorian times for one woman who struggled as a domestic and then lost her life so cruelly. A good read.
Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my review.

A very promising new novel! I enjoyed both the characters and storyline. It was both well written and entertaining. I highly recommend!

I live near where this book took place and after having so many customers tell me I had to read it, I decided to even though it is not my type of book. I am not one for historical fiction, but thoroughly enjoyed this book and the journey the narrator took throughout it. I see why the book has been a hit, and the author is a wonderful woman as well (we asked her to stop in and sign a few copies!). I plan on buying a few at my store to give out as gifts and am happy I stepped out of my comfort zone to read it.

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Set in duo timelines, current day Rachel Miller becomes obsessed with the rape and murder of Tillie Smith in 1886. Researching and understanding what happened to Tillie provides a type of catharsis to the rape Rachel endured nearly 20 yrs before.

Well written. After finishing the book, I realized that it was based on real history.

3.75 rounded up to 4☆

I thoroughly enjoyed the book The Cemetery Keeper‘s Wife and immediately purchased another book by Maryann McFadden. Easy to read style of writing that’s fast paced with suspense and thrills. Historical Mystery Fiction set in two time periods present time and 1886. Fictional story about a famous murder mystery that happened in New Jersey. Look forward to reading more books by Ms. McFadden. Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for making this book available to me to read and review.