Twenty years ago, four teenagers ventured into the woods to find the home of The Bone Keeper. Only three returned.
Now, a woman is found the streets of Liverpool singing a sickening rhyme, she claims she fled The Bone Keeper. With much scepticism amongst the task force on the case, it is up to DC Louise Henderson to convince her colleagues there may be some truth behind the urban myth.
As more bodies are uncovered in the surrounding woodlands the investigation begins to take a more sinister turn.
Can Louise’s shady past cast some light on the case, and can she unearth the truth in time when the killer is watching her every move?
This story is told alternatively between ‘Now’ and ‘Past’, and although clearly labelled throughout I never felt as though it flowed very well. Instead of feeling gripped and wanting to read through to the next section, I often found myself putting my Kindle down and taking the opportunity to take a break.
For the most part DC Louise Henderson voices the main point of view. Unfortunately, I found her extremely difficult to engage with. I understood the authors ‘air of mystery’ around this protagonist but I don’t believe it worked in her favour, in fact it left me feeling rather detached from her.
Nevertheless, there were some parts that were actually quite scary and extremely well written. The parts from the view of ‘The Bone Keeper’ were sinister, the killings detailed and the mystery of this urban legend were intriguing. Sadly, it wasn’t enough for me to really sink my teeth into, and I found the ending particularly contrived.
There was potential for a great, suspense filled thriller in these pages but, for me, I felt it lost its way.
** Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK, via NetGalley, for this ARC **