The Burial Plot
After stellar success with The Doll Factory and Circus of Wonders, Macneal continues with a novel set once again in the Victorian era but enters the realm of the gothic, with a cat-and-mouse-thriller and themes of love, deceit and justice.
London’s cemeteries are overflowing, and much mischief is to be had by our protagonists Bonnie and her trickster lover, Crawford. But when an event forces Bonnie to turn her back on the old ways, Crawford secures for her a position as a lady’s maid at the country estate of Mr Moncrieff, who spends his time drawing up plans for an elaborate mausoleum for his recently departed wife. But how did Mrs Moncrieff die, and what secrets is the household holding onto?
As with her previous work, Macneal is a master of world-building, and her visceral prose regarding the underbelly of London and the curiously designed Endellion House ensures the reader walks directly amongst the characters. Macneal’s level of research is meticulous but never didactic. Crawford is a well-drawn character, and their relationship arc is skilfully woven. For the first third of the novel, the pages almost turn themselves. However, Bonnie has little agency. As The Burial Plot progresses, Bonnie’s transition between her many roles start to grate, for she slips between them with ease and with little to no introspection, preventing a full emotional connection with the reader.
For a gothic thriller, all the required tropes are present, and the book has dark moments. Yet the foreshadowing or guessing of the plot twists is too easy, which dilutes the tension and pace. This is a solid escapist novel, with flaws, and it is hoped Macneal returns to sparkling form with her next.
