Synopses & Reviews
A chilling case of unsolved murders and mistaken identities unravels when a lake in a Christchurch cemetery releases its grip on the murky past in this exciting crime thriller from the internationally bestselling author of
The Laughterhouse.
Cemetery Lake begins in a cold and rainy graveyard, where Private Detective Theodore Tate is overseeing an exhumation—a routine job for the weathered former cop. But when doubts are raised about the identity of the body found in the coffin, the case takes a sinister turn. Tate knows he should walk away and let his former colleagues on the police force deal with it, but his strong sense of justice intervenes.
Complicating matters are a few loose ends from Tate’s past. Even good guys have secrets, and Tate thought his were dead and buried for good. With time running out and a violent killer lurking, will he manage to stay one step ahead of the police, or will his truth be unearthed?
Originally published in Paul Cleave’s native New Zealand in 2008, Cemetery Lake is the first novel to feature Theodore Tate, the “quintessential flawed hero” (Kirkus Reviews) from Collecting Cooper and The Laughterhouse. Full of the clever plot twists and sardonic humor for which Cleave has become known, it is at once a totally entertaining crime novel and an unforgettable drama about the universal battle against the darkness within.
Review
“An intense adrenalin rush from start to finish, I read The Laughterhouse in one sitting. It’ll have you up all night. Fantastic!” S.J. Watson, New York Times bestselling author of Before I Go to Sleep
Review
“Paul Cleave writes the kind of dark, intense thrillers that I never want to end. Do yourself a favor and check him out.” Simon Kernick, internationally bestselling author of Siege
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“Riveting and all too realistic." Tess Gerritsen
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“Relentlessly gripping, deliciously twisted and shot through with a vein of humor that’s as dark as hell. Cleave creates fictional monsters as chilling and as charming as any I’ve ever come across.” Mark Billingham, award-winning author of the bestselling Tom Thorne crime series
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“Dark, bloody, and gripping, Blood Men is classic noir fiction. In Paul Cleave, Jim Thompson has another worthy heir to his throne.” John Connolly, New York Times bestselling author of The Wrath of Angels
Review
“This dark, gripping thriller, the latest in the Tate saga, is as hard-boiled as it gets. The surprise ending suspends all disbelief. Like a TV series that ends its season on a cliffhanger, you won’t want to wait until next year. This will leave the reader clamoring for the next book in the series.” < -="" b="" -=""> - < -="" i="" -=""> - Suspense - < -="" -=""> - Magazine - < -="" -="">
Review
“Piano wire-taut plotting, Tate’s heart-wrenching losses and forlorn hopes, and Cleave’s unusually perceptive gaze into the maw of a killer’s madness make this a standout chapter in his detective’s rocky road to redemption.” < -="" b="" -=""> - < -="" i="" -=""> - Publishers Weekly - < -="" -=""> - (starred) - < -="" -="">
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“A wonderful book.... The final effect is that tingling in the neck hairs that tells us an artist is at work.” < -="" i="" -=""> - Booklist - < -="" -=""> - (starred)
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“In Cleave’s third psycho-thriller, Theodore Tate is the quintessential flawed hero, a damaged soul hunting deviants in a forest of moral quandaries.... An intense and bloody noir thriller, one often descending into a violent abyss reminiscent of Thomas Harris, creator of Hannibal Lecter.” < -="" i="" -=""> - Kirkus Reviews - < -="" -="">
Review
“A pulse-pounding serial killer thriller.... The city of Christchurch becomes a modern equivalent of James Ellroy's Los Angeles of the 1950s, a discordant symphony of violence and human weakness. Cleave tosses in a number of twists that few readers will anticipate, but the book's real power lies in the complexity of its characters, particularly the emotionally tortured Tate.” < -="" i="" -=""> - Publishers Weekly - < -="" -=""> - (starred)
Review
“Cleave is a master of evoking the view askew; delving into the troubled psyches of conflicted characters. Former cop and convict Theo Tate, stumbling forward in search of some sort of redemption, returns to the scene of his first crime scene, hunting a killer and kidnapper set on revenge. Ferocious storytelling that makes you think and feel. A blood-stained high point in Cleave’s already impressive oeuvre.” < -="" i="" -=""> - The Listener - < -="" -=""> - (New Zealand), A Best Book of 2012
Review
“Cleave is a powerful writer, conjuring a malevolent atmosphere, creating a relentless momentum propelling Tate deeper into a moral swamp.... Contemporary crime noir at its best, mined from the dark pit of the human psyche.”
Review
“Tate is hardly the first dark, brooding detective with a tragic past in crime fiction, but he brings a fresh twist to the familiar type, as does the setting of Christchurch, New Zealand, which Cleave evokes with masterful precision.”
Review
“Reminiscent of James Ellroy… [an] uncompromising portrayal of a man in torment…fully absorbing.”
Review
Reminiscent of James Ellroy [an] uncompromising portrayal of aman in tormentfully absorbing.
Review
“Cleave is a powerful writer, conjuring a malevolent atmosphere, creating a relentless momentum propelling Tate deeper into a moral swamp.... Contemporary crime noir at its best, mined from the dark pit of the human psyche.” < -="" i="" -=""> - < -="" b="" -=""> - Kirkus Reviews - < -="" -=""> - < -="" -="">
Review
“Tate is hardly the first dark, brooding detective with a tragic past in crime fiction, but he brings a fresh twist to the familiar type, as does the setting of Christchurch, New Zealand, which Cleave evokes with masterful precision.” < -="" i="" -=""> - < -="" b="" -=""> - Booklist - < -="" -=""> - < -="" -="">
Review
“Reminiscent of James Ellroy… [an] uncompromising portrayal of a man in torment…fully absorbing.” < -="" b="" -=""> - < -="" i="" -=""> - Publishers Weekly - < -="" -=""> - (starred review) - < -="" -="">
Review
“The myriad of characters presented in this novel is amazing.”
Synopsis
Cemetery Lake begins in a cold and rainy graveyard, where Private Detective Theodore Tate is overseeing an exhumation—a routine job for the weathered former cop. But when doubts are raised about the identity of the body found in the coffin, the case takes a sinister turn. Tate knows he should walk away and let his former colleagues on the police force deal with it, but his strong sense of justice intervenes.
Complicating matters are a few loose ends from Tate’s past. Even good guys have secrets, and Tate thought his were dead and buried for good. With time running out and a violent killer lurking, will he manage to stay one step ahead of the police, or will his truth be unearthed?
Originally published in Paul Cleave’s native New Zealand in 2008, Cemetery Lake is the first novel to feature Theodore Tate, the “quintessential flawed hero” (Kirkus Reviews) from Collecting Cooper and The Laughterhouse. Full of the clever plot twists and sardonic humor for which Cleave has become known, it is at once a totally entertaining crime novel and an unforgettable drama about the universal battle against the darkness within.
About the Author
Paul Cleave is the author of eight award-winning, internationally bestselling crime thrillers, including Joe Victim, finalist for the Edgar, Barry, and Ngaio Marsh awards, and, most recently, Five Minutes Alone. He lives in Christchurch, New Zealand. Visit his website at PaulCleave.com.