The Exhumation by David Hatton Review

Exhumation

Well the country is back into a national lockdown (England, November 2020) which means more people will have to stay at home with no going out for entertainment. On the upside, that gives us all more time to indulge ourselves in reading a new book. For those that say they do not like reading, you probably just haven’t found the right book or author yet! Maybe that will change with David Hatton’s The Exhumation.

David Hatton is a new author for me. He has now written four books and in August this year I read The Catfish – a story of a paedophile hunter group, the good they do but also the consequences of their actions, the power of the internet and trial by media. I really enjoyed it and had a nice surprise when his latest book, The Exhumation, arrived for review.

The Exhumation is a completely different story from The Catfish. It is a story involving the exhumation of a dead American president which involves themes of racism, slavery and freedom among others.

Synopsis:

In 1876 the body of Abraham Lincoln was taken from his tomb in Springfield, Illinois. 130 years later grave robbers have ransacked the tomb again.

Detective Darnell Jackson is on the case to find the former president’s body. As Jackson becomes more emotionally involved in the case, he discovers the secrets that America has hidden away for far too long. Should Detective Jackson reveal the darkest secrets of their former leader and risk destroying his legacy forever?

The Exhumation is a story featuring a missing body, and no ordinary body at that. This body was buried for nearly 150 years and is the body of Abraham Lincoln, who some consider to be the best president the United States of America ever had. But before you think it is another police procedural novel, it isn’t. The Exhumation may start with a missing body, but it is story of slavery and racism, homophobia and freedom.

David Hatton has written another thought-provoking book. I really enjoyed The Catfish but The Exhumation is better. A story based around a real person, real facts mixed in with very real conspiracy theories.

This is a story of racism and slavery, but also one of family problems, homophobia, politics, freedom, hidden secrets and fallen idols. It has been very well researched giving an air of authenticity to the story.

The central character of Detective Darnell Jackson is at the end of his 30 year career and not only making mistakes in his work but also with his family. He is a very real and believable character, including his outdated views. His character works extremely well with his sidekick Vanessa and their love/hate/disagreeing relationship is a joy to read.

Any book featuring racism at its core can be difficult to navigate, never more so than in todays world with Black Lives Matters protests highlighting the struggles that still exist, but David Hatton has approached the subject very sensitively and handled it very well.

The story is very fast and easy to read, even with going back to the 1800s and forward to 2012. It is really enjoyable, and the characters are very strong. The ending of the book really gives you something to think about.

If you are looking for something that has an excellent and rather unique story, is easy to read and travels along at a fast pace, then I can recommend The Exhumation.

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £9.99 (Paperback) / £2.99 (Kindle)

For more information, visit david-hatton.uk. Available to buy from Amazon here.

Click here to read my interview with David Hatton

DISCLOSURE: I was provided with a free copy of this book for the purposes of writing a honest and impartial review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This review uses an affiliate link which I may receive a small commission from if you purchase through the link.

Click here to read more reviews of books by David Hatton