The Coffin Path: 'The perfect ghost story'

this book was a brilliant read, and one of the scariest i have ever read.

The story was quite interesting but not involved enough for so many pages, I felt the story could have been told in a book half the size. The ghost story parts were almost just incidental and it took a long time to, well go nowhere. I found myself wishing something would happen. The ending, when it came, was unsatisfactory and rushed, leaving a lot of questions unanswered.

I was a little disappointed in this - I would have called it a mixture of mystery & romance, with a bit of horror thrown in - but I didn't feel it merited the description of "the perfect ghost story". It was still a good read - though I did guess the link between the main characters before it was revealed, but maybe that's because I've read to many books of this type that I know the format! - so I would recommend it, as long as the reader isn't expecting a good old-fashioned ghost story.

This book has taken by surprise. There are so so many mixed reviews that I really wasn’t sure to expect but wow. I am so glad I brought this. The Coffin Path is everything gothic and is creeping full of malice. The writing style and structure I find so similar to Laura Purcells work. The book is told through the two main characters point of view and sometimes an unknown narrator?.. The book is split into the four seasons and has 46 chapters. This book is an incredible work of modern gothic and reminded of why I adore gothic lit so much. It’s dark, atmospheric and even claustrophobic at times. I felt as though I was in that time period. I could feel the icy wind on my cheek , the crackling fire, the grass of the moors, the sheep’s coats and the evil at bay within the pages. Clements really crafts this eerie gothic macabre scene so well and is paced perfectly. The build up and work of suspense is brilliantly done and so well detailed. Although I found some things very obvious ( perhaps a because I watch a lot of horror) the suspense was very good. I found it so hard to put down. You truly feel as if you’re at Scarcross hall. Not all the characters are likeable but the ones who are you truly feel for them. Like Purcell I feel that Clements has captured the darker aspects of humanity perfectly and the beliefs at that time. It’s intense but that makes the story far more real. I loved the story and the imagine that went into it. The coffin Path is definitely one of those books that has a poor synopsis... and does not give the book justice. I highly highly recommend this if you love gothic lit.

I bought this because of the title. I have long been interested in coffin/ corpse roads, and I live beside one in Cornwall. Unfortunately, the coffin path was of little relevance. It could just as well have been a drovers' path. I have recently read a lot of awful books and this one was a welcome relief from those. I was initially going to give it 5 stars, but I have dropped it to 4. It's far too long (like so many books). If it had been cut by a fifth it would have been tighter. The quality of the writing is good, and the descriptions of the moors and fells are beautiful (though they get a bit repetitive in such a long book). I felt the story was a bit shaky. There seemed a long tract of time in Ellis's life that wasn't accounted for before he came to the Hall. There were various "creepy" events, like the figure on the coffin path, that were not tied up properly for me. Was that Ellis? Maybe I am being thick, but I did not understand exactly what was going on at the end. Was there a ghost? Whose? If anyone can enlighten me, I would be grateful. Otherwise I will probably read the last few chapters again and see if I can discern the facts.

Classic gothic ghost story. If you liked the Woman in Black you'll like this. Theres a small group of female ghost story writers at the moment who really get scary without being in the Horror camp. Michelle Paver, CJ Stone, etc

I have just finished reading this and I had to leave a review because words are swimming around in my head. I'm not always good with punctuation and sentences- someone has commented on that about a review somewhere- but words sometimes come out so fast that my typing is erratic. I digress. A review called this 'The perfect ghost story' and I totally agree. The ghost is not obvious and there are things that have not happened in the beginning that mean the ghost doesn't make sense until almost the end. The twist right at the end is brutal and horrifying but in perfect keeping with the story and, to me, seems to be supernatural in nature. All in all the sheer beauty of the writing and the heaviness and brutality of most of the book, make it something to savour. Well done. I'm so glad you wrote this.

I read a lot of gothic horror and ghost stories and for the first three quarters of this book I couldn't have recommended it highly enough. It reminds me of the writing styles of Karen Maitland (for the soulful characterisation and historical detail) and Susan Hill (for the ghostly sense of isolation and the cruelty handed out to the characters. The descriptions are vivid, the world detailed - though at times I struggled to believe it was set in the 17th century, it felt far more modern. It's not much of a spine-tingler and the ghostly moments are infrequent with little in the way of resolution. The story gripped me at first and my heart ached for the main character Mercy and her impending loss. But characterisation proved inconsistent as the story progressed and the final chapters descend into a silly melodrama. The ending felt extremely rushed and unsatisfying. It's a sad and depressing tale filled with loss, cruelty and despair but littered with a beautiful yearning. But it feels as though the author lost interest at the conclusion or was urged to rewrite the final section. It is a staggering let down when the rest of the novel was so excellent.

Good story. Was rather disappointed by the ending

Gripping ,sad and totally believable ,romance and hauntings,a atmospheric and brooding. would have liked to read a lot more.about some characters.

Great characters and connecting to the setting. Was really enjoying till close to the end. Found the ending less well thought out than I'd expected and employed some cliches I'd seen coming but hoped wouldn't be used. Overall good writing but the end didn't work in my opinion.

Pour le lire

I read lots of scary books but this is one of the few that actually made it hard to sleep at night. I would hear creepy noises, see things out of the corner of my eye. Some might say it’s depressing but I found it refreshing. Too many books wrap things up in a neat little package at the end. Sometimes, you need some forbearance and mystery. The twist in the end is GOOD. Some might say cringe-worthy. But how many books have the nerve to do something as brazen as THAT? If you want a unique and eerie read that will plunge you right into the 1600’s, READ IT.