Come for the funeral, stay for several more! Good thing River is part of the Gold family who are in charge of all the undertaker business and also have a convenient grave in the backyard which my or may not have a gravedigger ghost that digs graves for the people that are soon to die (so don't go looking for him!). Crazy family and kind of complicated due to the fact that Gregory Gold I had three wives, each time going for the younger model for each subsequent marriage. It adds up to many half siblings, cousins, various Gold relations, all wanting a piece of the inheritance of the Gold family business that is so successful there are Gold businesses all over the country. Good thing River and her daughter seem to be immune (and innocent) so there is someone you can root for in that pit of vipers. Them and Luke and Jackson of course.

This was a very fast read and had lots of thrills from dodging bullets to stumbling over corpses (bad luck to do that multiple times!) I was a bit confused by the ending which ended up being complicated on who did what and while there is a bit of closure with River and family deciding to stay (which makes sense as this book is the start of a new series) and I do want to see how Luke and River continue on with their new relationship, I hope it doesn't end with all the Golds dead (too much bad luck there). I am intrigued by the Gravedigger too and would love to read more about them, especially since it seems they might be a bit of a serial killer as well as the digger of graves!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book to read and review.

Engaging!

River is being summoned back home to Gold Creek, Michigan. She left this town and her home a pregnant teenager. Determined to never return! But the passing of her father has made her come home. The local sheriff is convinced that Gregory Gold the first was murdered .

The story has a lot of characters, but I feel they all had a part. Lisa did take this into account and put a family tree in the book. This was really helpful thank you Lisa.
Once you have it set in your mind who is who the story really takes off. The book has a bit of it all. Part mystery, part paranormal, and definitely family, drama, and dysfunction.

It definitely kept me guessing right up to the very end. Once I got going, I couldn’t put it down. I’m hopeful that by the way it ended that there will be a book two.

Thank you NetGalley

Was this part of a series and I didn't realize? Because there is a lot of background information I feel like I needed and didn't get.
I loved the setting. I loved River.
I am not sure how I felt about all the deaths and loose ends. The ending was weird.

Talk about a toxic family! Did Fiona kill River's father Gregory? Or was it one of the other many many characters in this novel that has unfulfilled potential. I liked the funeral home setting (not one often seen) and River is interesting. On the flip side, it was confusing and the family tree helpfully provided in the beginning isn't as easy to use if you're reading on an ebook. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

This is the first Lisa Childs book I have read. I really enjoyed it. The Gold family was very large and i am glad she included a family tree at the beginning of the book. There were so many characters involved I would have been lost with out it. This book has a lot of things happening to keep your attention and pages turning. The ending with a twist makes me think there will be a second book. I am excited to read more from this author. Thank you NetGalley/Publisher/Author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As with all of Lisa Childs books, this should go without saying.....5/5 stars again! I don't know how she does it, but every book I have read from her is absolutely a work of art.

Once you start reading this a few things will happen. You will not be able to put this book down, you will fall in love with the characters and you will be picking your jaw up off the floor every few chapters due to all the twists and turns that are in this book.

If you are into ghost stories and a family in much needed help, this book will become your new favorite!

The House by the Cemetery is the first non-cozy mystery/thriller that I have read by Lisa Childs---I can't wait for more! An multi-generational family saga with a creepy, ghostly element and thriller vibes. I can hardly wait for the book 2 follow up.

The funeral home setting works well for this thriller with a gothic atmosphere, and the decidedly creepy extended family who occupy it. Built on the edge of a large cemetery, the family mansion looks out on the gravestones. At night it a ghostly lantern light is seen while the scraping of a shovel is heard. The town citizens keep their distance from the peculiar Gold family, who own and operate the funeral home.

When the patriarch is found dead the mystery begins---why is Gregory Gold I dead? Natural causes? Poison? The new sheriff is called to investigate, though he would rather be anywhere else. The runaway daughter is brought back by the family lawyers---not many are happy to see her. I liked the plethora of suspects as they added to the suspense and spookiness. The book ends on a minor cliff hanger that increased my desire for book 2.

A hearty thank you to #NetGalley #KensingtonPublishing #LisaChilds for allowing me an advanced e-copy to read in consideration of review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This is a great book for readers who like a darkish mystery/thriller to enjoy during Autumnal months.

#TheHousebytheCemetery #NetGalley #KensintonPublishing #LisaChilds
#Creepy #Halloween

River Gold left home as a pregnant teenager, desperate to raise her child away from the presence of the Gold family. As the namesake behind the highly successful Gold Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens in Gold Creek, Michigan, the Gold family’s influence was felt everywhere, and she needed to escape it- even if the Gold family refused to accept her as one of their own. Now, River is called back to Gold Creek when her father, the elder Gregory Gold the first, dies in mysterious circumstances. The local sheriff is convinced that someone in the Gold family was behind the murder and his investigation reaches a new high when other bodies start piling up. Then, of course, there’s the old urban legend about the gravedigger who haunts the cemetery on the property. Would the Gold family actually kill one of their own? Or is there more truth behind the urban legend then everyone has been led to believe?
Lisa Childs is a multi-genre, bestselling author of over eighty novels. From contemporary romance, to women’s fiction to stories on the paranormal, there seems to be nothing that Lisa Childs can’t do. Her newest novel, “The House by the Cemetery” is part paranormal, part mystery, part family drama and completely engaging.
The Gold family is quite large, with the wives and ex-wives of the patriarch, as well as all of their combined children and grandchildren, so expect a large cast of characters. As powerful and rich owners of the only funeral home and cemetery in town, the Gold’s (most of them anyway) are shallow, vain and utterly intolerable, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to know who was killing them off, one by one. River is the protagonist, of course, but the novel also shares the perspective of Sarah (River’s daughter) and the local sheriff, as well as a few small passages from the unidentified murderer.
Due to the large cast of characters, there are infinite possibilities as to who (or what) is killing the Gold family members. After a constant journey of twists and turns, Childs delivers an ending that I didn’t see coming.
Toward the end of the novel, a second plotline is introduced, which has been hinted at throughout the novel, which surrounds the mystery of Sarah’s father and what caused his disappearance seventeen years ago. This plot angle is cleverly interwoven with the Gold family mystery, and Childs gives just enough of this one in the final pages to hint at another story with River and Sarah at the helm. I hope this is the case, as I enjoyed the mother-daughter dynamic and I would love to see more from them.
Lisa Childs “Cemetery” has exactly the right amount of intrigue, suspense, family dysfunction and murder, set in a large estate on a creepy cemetery. If you’re looking for a locked-in mystery with an extra dose of creepiness, “The House by the Cemetery” is the perfect choice!

I really should have DNF’ed this book but I was hoping it would get better.

This was a really chaotic book. There are 16 characters and that is just counting the Gold family and not the outside characters. It was so hard to keep them all apart, definitely when three of them are called Gregory Gold.

The writing also felt chaotic. Half the time I did know when people entered the scene in the chapter as they just showed up.

There was so much going on my head was spinning but it also was not keeping my attention. I had to really make myself read this book until the last 80%. The last 80% finally felt put together and interesting.

This book did leave on a 16 year old cliff hanger and I really can’t decide if I want to read more to find out what happened to Michael.

Also I thought this was a spooky horror and it’s a thriller.

Genre: Thriller
APK: Ebook
Pages: 289
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Book 1 in the Grave Diggers Series

Thank you Kensingtons Books for a free copy of The House by The Cemetery for an honest review

This is one of those messy, toxic family books.

I did like our plot and, toxic or not, loved some of our family members. These people were bold and held nothing back.

I was definitely kept guessing about the truth, but found myself a little more into the family dynamics than solving our mystery.

A good read!

• ARC via Publisher

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Truthfully, I had to force myself into reading this book. It started off very slow. I didn’t enjoy the third person narration. It got confusing trying to remember whose point of view I was reading.

They don’t actually solve the murder mystery. We don’t actually find out what really happened. So the ending was a little unsatisfying.

I will say, about half way through the book, it did hook me in. Usually I would have already made a few guesses about who did what. But the way it was written, it was hard to guess. Maybe that’s a good thing??

Overall, a fun quick read. Not the best. But entertaining none the least.

Obsessed! Fully enjoyed this book, gave a wonderful vibe and I could not put it down once I got to reading! 10/10 would recommend.

The House by the Cemetery takes place in Gold Creek Michigan and is about River Gold who swore that she would never return to Gold Creek but when she receives a call from her mom that her dad who is the undertaker for the Gold Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens was found dead she comes back for the funeral. What happens when it's revealed he is murdered and River's mom Fiona is arrested for his murder? This is a page turning book from beginning to end and will have you guessing until the very end. The author was new to me and I can not wait to read more books by her. This author wrote an amazing book with great characters and the plot was so good. I loved all the secrets in the Gold family but also all the twist and turns as well. The book has jaw dropping moments, murder, mystery, family drama, it's suspenseful and so much more. This book had an ending that was so terrifying and well done. I highly enjoyed reading this one and would recommend this to anyone but especially to any reader who loves a good thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this one in exchange of my review of The House by the Cemetery.

The Gold family is very well known in their town of Gold Creek, MI. The patriarch dies and even though he's 85 his family is suspicious that someone poisoned him or killed him for the inheritance. No one knows who to trust. This book keeps you intrigued until the end to find out who exactly is to blame and why. The family tree in the beginning is very helpful as there are a ton of players in this novel. I would definitely read more by this author in the future.

Talk about creepy never guess the ending mystery suspense. Yep this is it.
That ending makes me wonder if this is a stand alone or if this is going to be a series because OMG!!
There were a lot of characters. So many that it’s overwhelming with suspects everywhere.
This was an outstanding story. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Absolutely loved this book. The Golds are a family that will do anything for money and power. River left as a teen and vowed never to return. Now her mom calls saying her dad died. Or was he murdered. One family member will do whatever it takes to be the heir of the Gold Empire.
Can River with the help of an unlikely ally figure this out before she winds up dead?
This one had me entranced from the very beginning. I loved all the suspense and trying to figure out who the bad guy was.
But that ending had me sayin “no, no, no” out loud. How could Lisa leave me hanging like this. I must know who the Grave Digger is.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Kensington and Lisa Childs for the opportunity to read and review this one.

Gregory Gold dies under mysterious circumstances and someone is after a hefty inheritance. I absolutely loved this book! I truly had no idea who could be trusted until the end. The twists were totally unexpected. All in all a great read that I will happily recommend! Thanks for the opportunity to read in advance!

Five stars! I adored this one. The characters made this story. A ghost legend and a family in turmoil. The atmosphere was so well done it brought you into the story. You have no idea until the very end whom you can trust. Suspense and a really solid story line make this one a sure bet for a great read. I did not want this one to end I was so invested in these amazing characters

In Gold Creek people believe that the ghost of the old grave digger still walks the cemetery, looking for someone to bury. When the town's undertaker dies, his daughter must return and face the ghosts of her past. When it comes to light that her father died of poisoning, her mother is arrested for his murder. Now she must work to prove her mother's innocence. I absolutely loved this story and would recommend to other readers!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ family drama/suspense/romance. There are so many characters that you definitely need the family tree at the beginning of the book.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.