In the mood for an exciting Police Procedural, then look no further. A powerful and fast-paced tale, awaits you in Her Silent Bones, book one of the Delaney Pace series by Pamela Fagan Hutchins.

Her Silent Bones by Pamela Fagan Hutchins is one of those police procedurals that will keep you reading into the wee hours. Despite this being the first experience with the author, the attention grabbing synopsis created high expectations for the story. Well, it didn't disappoint. Her Silent Bones as the first book sets the tone for the rest of the books in the series. It delivered a powerful and fast-paced tale filled with mind-blowing twists, a well crafted mystery and non-stop action.

The characters featured all bear emotional scars from their traumatic past. There were those who chose to channel their experience into something positive by trying to find justice for the victims of crimes. Then there were those who chose to crime as their pathway. They also had secrets, which delivered shocking revelations.

It was interesting getting to know the characters, especially the killer who called himself the delivery man. The deeper one goes into the story, the reason behind the moniker is revealed.

Now, whilst the mystery behind the murders was solved, there were still some unanswered questions. Most of which relates to the shocking revelations. Her Silent Bones delivered a solid start to an exciting new series, and I look forward to picking up the next book.

It’s been a while since I’ve picked up a good thriller, so it was exciting to be able to scratch my itch with this book. It was definitely fast paced and I appreciated that a lot. There was no story filler, no useless information, straight up facts and action. This was definitely what I needed to to re-ignite my love for thrillers.

Al of that sad, there were a few bits in the plot that didn’t feel believable to me. For instance, if someone broke into my house through a child’s window (whilst they were sleeping soundly), I don’t think I’d be happy to tuck back into bed immediately after it and get some shut eye. I’d be packing up my things and getting right out of there. I also questioned the reality of being allowed to work on a case that was so close to home. I’m sure there are some rules around that, however maybe it could be different in such a small and rural town.

I did like Delaney a lot; she was quite the badass. Law enforcement was definitely the job she was born to do and she was amazing at it, albeit that she took some pretty big risks and put herself in the face of danger unnecessarily. Her working and personal relationship with Leo was intriguing to me and I do want to read more about them both and see how that will develop.

Overall, this was an action filled thriller with lots of twists and turns, lots of tension and I flew through reading it. I look forward to reading the next instalment in this series.

Delaney Pace returns home to raise her niece after her bother and sister in law die. Swallowing her pride, she takes a job with her old police force and her first case is a murder of a woman she knows. Lots of mystery, action, and many twists and turns that will keep your head spinning. Her Silent Bones is a promising start to the Delaney Pace series. Looking forward to more!

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

A woman is brutally murdered and when her body is found, Detective Inspector Delaney Pace is shocked as she recognizes the body of her sister-in-law, Lila. Even more shocking because Lila was supposedly killed in a car accident weeks ago with Delaney’s brother, Liam. Who was the woman in the car with Liam? How does she explain this to her beloved niece, Kateena? Delaney just recently returned and rejoined the force in Kearny, Wyoming. Her brother was also running the family bar, The Loafing Shed. Delaney has never recovered her memories of the night her father was killed, and now more devastation for her family. When Mary who works at the Shed is missing, can Delaney find her before the killer claims another victim? Can she keep Kateena safe from the danger surrounding them? Although I enjoyed Delaney’s strong character, the description of the murder was a bit too gruesome for me. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

I'm not sure about this one. While I thought the plot was interesting, the pacing of the story was a little slow for me. I had a hard time staying engaged with the story. I don't think there was anything in particular that slowed it down, it just didn't capture me. I enjoyed the characters, plot, & the action parts. I will be reading the next book to see if this is a one off for me.

How is it that I have not read a book by this insanely talented author before? I cannot believe this! So glad that this happened to be the first book in a new series as well (and I have the next two in the series on my Kindle already, yay!).

Well, Delaney Pace is a strong woman who is tasked with solving a murder. However, the victim is someone known to her, which makes things difficult indeed. Then, a young woman goes missing. Will she find her before it's too late?

I am trying hard not to put spoilers in my review!

This is an incredible book, full of twists and turns and heart-stopping moments. There is violence, of course, this is a thriller. However, there is also love for family (biological and non) and living your life in the best way you can. There is courage and strength and talk of trucks (which I know nothing about), which just added to the complexity of the book and didn't detract one iota. It is set in Wyoming which is a state I have never been to but which sounds like the sort of place I would like to visit.

I cannot WAIT until I find out what happens for Delaney in the next book. I am sure there are some interesting times ahead for her!

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

The first in a series which so far has 3 entries, Her Silent Bones shout loudly and clearly to Delaney Pace who has needed to settle back into a job with a regular career in order to support her suddenly orphaned niece.

Having lived a free and unrestrained life for the past decade, she has to adjust not only to supporting a bereaved child, she is thrust into a gruesome and horribly relentless murder investigation whilst facing up to past raumas.

In order to establish a life for herself and Kateena, she needs to confront past events which overlap with her current investaigation.

As things become involved, and tangled, how can Delaney keep her personal and professional lives separate ?

And when her reluctant niece goes missing, the race against time to solve this case becomes even more urgently in need of concluding...

Opening with a shocking act of violence that introduces a killer with a past, with momentum and with a dark and twisted agenda, this is a fast paced thriller with an engaging protagonist who has to fight back hard , fast and against the odds, whilst balancing her own internal struggles.

It exposes the dark heart at a small town, the way secrets are kept and continue to perpetuate intergenerational trauma, especially as it leads on to pave the way to read Book 2...'Her Hidden Grave''

This is a great first book in a new series! The cast of characters are interesting. Delaney is complex. There is a lot of suspense in the mystery. I really loved Leo. The scene where these two meet had me laughing so hard. I can't wait for what comes next.

I loved Pamela Fagan Hutchins and when I found out she was coming out with a new series I was all in. Detective Delaney Pace is a badass character with a troubling past!! The twists and turns were so good in this one I couldn’t stop reading the pages fast enough. I loved all the characters. The plot is fun I loved the western style and plot. Cowboy talk in Wyoming sign me up. I AM SO EXCITED for the next two books in the series.

The first book in a new series centered on Detective Delaney Pace. First books in a series always seem to be a little slower as the author takes the time to build the characters and their communities. After all, if the reader is just thrown into a story with no back story, it's very hard to figure out what is going on. I've read several books by Pamela Fagan Hutchins and enjoyed them all.

Delaney Pace experienced trauma at a younger age as a witness to her father's murder. As soon as she could, she left. Now she's on her way back to Kearney, Wyoming. Her brother and sister-in-law have been killed in a car accident. This leaves Delaney to care for her 11 yr old niece. Delaney has been hired as a detective in the KPD. Her first case is a body found in the mountains. The first twist......the body is that of her sister-in-law. The one that died in a car crash. That's the first but definitely one of the biggest. As the story races ahead, Hutchins will give us some clues that will lead Delaney head first into a thriller of a story line. Hutchins sets up several arcing story lines to set up the next few books while solving HER SILENT BONES.

Delaney Pace, haunted by her father's murder when she was a child, returns to her hometown of Kearny, Wyoming leaving her life as an ice road trucker behind to care for her niece, Kateena, after her brother and sister-in-law are killed in a car crash. Delaney previously worked as a deputy for the Kearny Police Department but left after a disagreement with her boss/mentor, Sheriff Coltrane Fentworth.

Delaney is rehired by Sheriff Fentworth as an investigator and partnered with Deputy Leo Palmer, a San Diego, California transplant with secrets of his own. Their first case involves a body discovered on a secluded mountain trail. Delaney is shocked when she recognizes the victim – it is her sister-in-law, Lila, who everyone thought died weeks ago. As Delaney confronts her dark past to uncover the truth, the narrative intensifies, culminating in a climactic revelation that sets the stage for the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and author Pamela Fagan Hutchins for the opportunity to review the advance copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Favorite Quotes:

Kateena’s French bulldog. He had the look of a tuxedo-clad Regency gentleman, the attitude of a portly prize fighter, and sounded like the unfortunate mating of a pig and a chainsaw.

Delaney felt something almost painful in her cheeks and realized it was a smile.

“Citiots?” “Idiots from the city.”

His eyebrows rose— gray, black, and white hairs curling upward and a few down. Like a spider was trying to escape his face.

His cowboy boots were so new the snake was still hissing.

Leo hated hospitals… He could picture diseases hiding in corners, waiting to jump to a vulnerable host.


My Review:

Her Silent Bones is the first installment of a new series and this crafty wordsmith has kicked it off with a bang. Buckle up for a high-voltage and twisted tale with non-stop action, chilling crimes, complex backstories, witty inner musings and observations, and puzzling motives. The unusual cast of characters was varied as well as authentic and realistically and frightfully damaged. I had a hard time putting my Kindle down when my pillow beckoned, but easily fell right back into their dark dilemmas once I resumed my perusal.

Delaney Pace has been living as an ice truck driver, but when her brother and sister-in-law are killed in a car crash, she must return to her hometown to be the guardian for her young niece. With hat in her hands, she must apologize to the sheriff and ask for her job back as a Detective. In her attempt to catch a possible rogue truck, she is pulled over and arrested by the man who will be her new partner on the force, Leo. Delaney is a force to be reckoned with, and Leo is immediately drawn to her not only as a colleague but also as a impossible love interest. As the two work on their first murder case, Delaney discovers some shocking information about her brother and sister-in-law. Leo has some secrets that brought him to town. Will the two solve the mystery? Will they be able to work together once secrets are revealed? It's a great read, and I look forward to the next book.

I just knew from the opening chapter that this was going to be an intense and fantastic read, it was so atmospheric and if I’m honest scary.

Delaney is back in her hometown of Kearny , Wyoming asking for her job back after walking away a decade earlier but her boss Sheriff Coltrane Fentworth knew she’d be back someday and kept her badge safe, she’s only back because she has to be.

The reason why she’s back is her niece Kateena who’s now an orphan after the tragic death of her brother and sister in law.

When a dead body is reported and Delaney goes to investigate she can’t believe her eyes, it’s her sister in law who was found dead a few weeks ago in car crash alongside her brother.

This case is a chilling one that I enjoyed immensely, the small Wyoming mountain town vibe is like catnip to me especially with a fierce female investigator with a dark and complicated past leading the hunt.

I don’t mind saying I got really emotionally invested in this story and characters and it will stay with me for a long time.

I’m immediately going to start book 2 in the series because after so many jaw dropping revelations I need to find out how they play out .

This is a DNF for me. I give four stars to be fair given I can't accurately rate the entire book. The reasons I DNFd are firstly, I never cared to come back to reading it. I started reading it over 2 weeks ago and am at 40%. It takes me 3-5 days to read a book. That is speaking to me not being interested. Secondly, I went to Goodreads to see if I should continue or DNF based on similar opinions. The book was spoiled by a reviewer unfortunately, but fortunately because I'm not interested to read about a transgender twist. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read and review. These are my honest thoughts.

Oh wow. I loved this book. This is the first book I've read from this author but it certainly won't be the last. I was hooked from the very first page. And those twists! Just brilliant. I won't hesitate to recommend this book to all crime genre fans.

4.25⭐

Former ice trucker Delaney Pace has returned to her hometown of Kearny, Wyoming and a job as an investigator at the sheriffs department after the death of her brother and sister-in-law. So she can care for her eleven-year-old niece Kateena.

Yet, the accident that killed them is not as it seems. As Delaney is called to a crime scene in the mountains and as soon as she sees the body she recognises it as her sister-in-law Lila.

But how can that be? As Lila died weeks ago in a car crash along with her husband didn't she?

And as Delaney starts to dig she's taken back to the murder of her own father and past traumas she's never wanted to face.

But what had her dad and brother been involved in?

And when Kateena goes missing Delaney will stop at nothing to find out the truth and bring her niece home safely.

However, she's in a race against time, and those she can truly trust are very few.

And with twists and turns, intriguing characters and edge of your seat moments Her Silent Bones is an entertaining and enjoyable read. That I'd happily recommend to all.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of Her Silent Bones. 😊

This was a new to me author and one I'm definitely glad I stumbled upon.
This book had so much going on but mostly everything had a place and I couldn't get enough of it.
By the final page I felt like shaking myself for missing the clues the red herrings threw at us.
Keeping this short and sweet so I can go dive into the next book. That in itself speaks volumes.

Wow! This is a wonderful start to a new thriller series! Det Delaney Pace is some character! This story captured me on the very first page and had me on the edge of my seat throughout the book! There were so many intense situations, lots of twists and turns, murder and mayhem, that I could hardly catch my breath! This is an unputdownable read, a real page turner and a must read! I cannot wait to begin book two!!

After her brother and sister-in-law are killed in a car accident, Delaney Pace moves back to Kearny, WY, to care for her young niece. Although she has spent the last 10 years as an Ice road trucker, she had previously worked as a deputy for the Kearny police department and is returning as an investigator, also inheriting her brother's bar and construction business. Her first days back on the job are busy after a local cyclist finds a mutilated woman's body on a secluded mountain trail and Delaney recognizes the victim as the sister-in-law she thought was already dead, then the waitress at Delaney's bar disappears, and Delaney herself is attacked. Her Silent Bones is fast-paced with lots of action and twists. Delaney is a believable, strong, female lead character, and there is a good build-up of tension between her and her new partner. The end makes it obvious there will be a book 2, and I'm looking forward to reading it!