The Dark Bones

Author Loreth Anne White is a new author for me; another excellent recommendation from Amazon/Kindle/Audible in the “Unlimited” catalog. Because I listen to so many of my purchases when I can; I added the Audible narration which is money well spent! This taunt mystery is hardly original yet White found a way keep the familiar storyline engaging with really good characters and gripping storytelling. More importantly, EVERYTIME we “THINK” we have the “too predictable” story solved, WE JUST DON’T! Predictable this is not! Bravo Loreth Anne White for creating a masterpiece crime thriller that twists and turns while simultaneously having me not wanting the story to end as this suspenseful horror’s conclusion comes into focus neatly clarifying and tying up the loose ends. Yes, horror. For me, any story of dehumanization especially when the victims are young whether they’re living, dying, raped or murdered; the “unsub/s” short for “unsuspected” perpetrators remain unknown. By this definition for me, the perpetrator is a monster- a vile, soulless and evil creature that needs to be recognized in its “human suit” then immediately contained whatever that looks like; imprisoned or deceased during capture! With this story, Loreth Anne White’s easy to love protagonist, a big city white collar crime detective comes home after her father (Retired Colonel of the Canadian Mounted Police) appears to have committed suicide and his home burned to the ground with only her dads tool and moonshine shed remaining on their property in the small forested Canadian town. While on a short leave to arrange for Pops funeral and also get better clarification of just exactly how they so quickly determined suicide ; especially after she had just spoke on the phone with him urgently saying he’s discovered something from an old cold case he was revisiting and needed to speak personally with her AND HER EX heartthrob ASAP! Finding a unmotivated police chief ( her dads former position) that Rebecca never really liked- a coroner officer who is heading the investigation due to the death being formally ruled a suicide by “Buck” the previously mentioned Chief of Police and of course her ex also all too close to horrible scene- she needs to dig and dig much deeper. She hasn’t dismissed her father taking his own life but she in no way has dismissed that the cold case he was working to help pass the time in retirement, has led to his gruesome death and lamp fire taking the entire structure. With Rebecca, her deceased dad, Ex teen love of her life, a pair of troubled tween lovers finding themselves hidden in the shed attempting to steel some moonshine when a shotgun report sounds, a mysterious guy exiting the home then mounting a snowmobile departing the property right after- a host of other interesting character- Rebecca begins peeling away the layers and layers of ambiguity her former home town appears to have; reminding her constantly just exactly why she left for the big city; never looking back once.This is a truly remarkable piece of literature from this newfound author who has now captured my full attention as well as many others I have discovered. Suspense, twists, intelligent-plausibility abound; a low level of sexual tension-it’s very subtle and definitely not a major focal point or cooccurring narrative/theme; that said, the sexual tension is present; but thankfully without all the steamy descriptive too many pages and chapters of unnecessary displays of lust distracting from the story losing any and all previous built up suspense leaving this reader at risk of putting the book away for something else. If I want porn- I WILL GET REAL PORN WITH PICTURES AND EVERYTHING!????! My god some of these writers with their incessant need to steam up every third page or chapter, it just ruins what would otherwise be an excellent if not epic read many times! This isn’t one of them! Five stars! Narration, outstanding! Also five stars! A clear opening or set up for follow up stories; even a series? Definitely-also five stars! Looking forward to more!

‘The Dark Bones’ is a really good book, but right upfront there are a lot of characters and sometimes I found myself saying “Who are all these people & was it really necessary to add so many?” That being said...It’s still good, so don’t give up reading, because everything comes out in the end.As in the book summary, the MAIN character is Rebecca North and a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Detective.Her dad is also a retired detective, but has had many problems, an alcoholic, and has been obsessed regarding a murder many years ago. Rebecca & her father do not have much of a relationship & all of a sudden he calls Rebecca. She believes he’s drunk & ‘paranoid’ saying someone’s following him. Rebecca knows this has to be about Whitney, another past friend who slept with her boyfriend Ash.Rebecca basically pushes him off the phone, doesn’t understand what he’s talking about, but is concerned. Unfortunately her concerns are ‘true’ & finds out ‘he’s dead’. She immediately comes home to find out why he still was obsessing about a cold case, was he murdered or did he kill himself, and what did he know about Whitney & another character named Trevor.**I promise I reveal NO SPOILERS**So this is the reason I end here, because if I don’t I might as well just tell you the entire story/mystery/suspense—and suspense, it is!If you read the authors previous book, you’d remember Ash. Rebeccas ex boyfriend. Well Ash has a lot to do with this ‘cold case’ and there are so many things that Ash nor others know what’s lurking just in their own ‘back woods’ in the coldest part of Canada...You’ll thank me in the end for leading up to a “wow are you kidding??”..continues story and eventual ending.‘The Dark Bones’ is dark, but not all the way through, and again, full of suspense! Author Loreth Anne White wrote what we would see as a perfect small town, where everyone knows everybody...but full of so many years of secrets and lies. I truly hope there’s another installment...Definitely recommend over 17 years old. There is a chapter or two that bothered me while using my imagination..but we’re adults. Overall great!!!

I am having a vast amount of trouble coming up with more praises. This was another great read. I is captivating and I certainly had trouble putting it down.

Excellent read! Kept me guessing till the end! Highly recommend . Always enjoy Loreth Anne White's work. Intriguing, suspenseful, and a mind maze!

Suspense

A well written tightly woven plot. An interesting loosely connected serial to previous novel. very gripping and interesting. I am definitely going to read the third novel in this series.

I absolutely loved this book! I had read some of Loreth's books previously and I know the quality of her writing, this has not disappointed. Couldn't get away from it and kept wondering how the story unfolds. It kept me fascinated to the end. I am looking forward to reading the rest of her books.

Good story. Though the end was kinda predictable. But I guess happy endings are still preferred by most people. The writing keeps us connected till the end anyway.

I do like Loreth Ann Wright's books and this is no exception. Her style of writing is so clear without any repetition or padding. This offering was interesting from the start with a surprise ending.