A Saintly Grave Disturbed is a novella of around 118 pages. Despite this shorter length it is not short on action.

The story is centred around an archaeological dig at an abbey run by Beth and Josh. Beth is desperate to find the tomb of the Angling Abbot, a search her grandfather abandoned in the 1950s. But when a set of bones are found that are not nearly old enough to be there, DI Jeff Lincoln is called in.

I know that the author has written a full length book featuring Jeff. I haven't read it but it didn't matter at all as this novella can be read as a standalone story. I liked Jeff. He's a good policeman and has a good team around him. As one thing after another happens that may or may not be linked to the dig he has to try and find out why. I also liked Beth and whilst I suspect she may not pop up in another of Nikki Copleston's books she was a really interesting character and I thought her family background was a nice aspect to her role in the story.

A Saintly Grave Disturbed is really well-plotted with lots of intrigue and ups and downs. I was a little surprised at the ending seemed a bit abrupt but everything was nicely wrapped up so it didn't really matter. This is a compelling read and I enjoyed it very much. ( )