My second by this Author, and although it started well, I felt the story lacked some depth in the middle of the book and the plot line wavered. The characters were likeable enough but I lacked empathy with Kate and her struggles and I did not enjoy the book as much as I hoped to.

My Sister's Bones by Nuala Ellwood is a mystery and thriller and general fiction (adult) read.
Kate Rafter is a high-flying war reporter. She's the strong one. The one who escaped their father. Her sister Sally didn't. Instead, she drinks. But when their mother dies, Kate is forced to return to the old family home. And on her very first night she is woken by a terrifying scream. At first she tells herself it's just a nightmare, a legacy of her time in Syria. But then she hears it again. And this time she knows she's not imagining it... What secret is lurking in her mother's garden? And can Kate get to the truth...before she loses her mind?
OMG an absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. Full of twists and plots. I was surprised near the end. Loved the story. Highly recommended. Definitely worth more than 5*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.

You've just got to love it when you find a Nuala Ellwood, you know that this is going to be a cracker of a read and #MySIster'sBones is definitely that.

I absolutely loved this and will happily recommend this to any fan of a psychological thriller

Read for an honest review. Thank you Ms EllwoodPenguin Books Uk

Really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. It kept me hooked and guessing all the way through

When Kate, an experienced journalist, returns from covering the war in Syria following the death of her mother, Kate, understandably, is in turmoil. Her time reporting from the front line leaves her with questionably fragile mental health and post traumatic stress disorder where she suffers from terrifying and disturbing nightmares and she wakes up after hearing screams from afar.

Her only surviving family is her sister, who is an alcoholic, and with whom she has a fragile relationship - most of which is done through the brother in law as a go between. Kate also suffers flashbacks to the horrifying abuse she suffered at the hands of her father while growing up.

This is a very relevant book - the subject of post traumatic stress disorder and the plight of ex servicemen and women who return from the frontline is one which is often not talked about but is suffered by many.

The book covers many topics besides PTSD and alcoholism including child abuse and the scars throughout adulthood and domestic abuse, There are some harrowing scenes within the book but the story is one which should be told and I think the author has done plenty of research while writing the book and the end product is a thought provoking and poignant story.

One of the best books I’ve read this year! A real page turn & I didn’t guess the end, . I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. Thank you.

I enjoyed this book. I found the sections where she was reliving what happened as a journalist in war zones interesting and thought-provoking. I thought some of the story twists were a little far-fetched but I even shed a few tears at the end. It's a shame that it was let down by the editing in a couple of places.

Brilliant story - could not put this one down till I was finished.

Thanks for the advanced copy.

Fabulous book i really loved it. The story line was interesting and kept me engaged all the way through the book. It was dark in places and full of twists and turns i didnt see coming. Throughly enjoyed it, a solid 5 stars.

Debut book from this author had me hooked very early on and certainly didn't fail to deliver.
Story centres around two sisters who lead very varied lifes.
One is a war correspondent, the other an alcoholic.
There lives are linked in more ways than being just sisters and the story unravels with some major twists.

I enjoyed this book, it hooked me from the first few pages and I did not want to put it down.
Loved the twist at the end which I was not expecting.

I have to be truthful it took me awhile to get into this book I did consider giving up but I carried on and ended up really enjoying it with a fabulous twist in the end
So stick with it it is truly worth it I am so pleased I saw it through

A fast-moving, captivating and atmospheric psychological thriller peopled with likably imperfect, complex characters and thick with atmosphere. The story is just mysterious enough to keep things interesting, although there were some very tidy coincidences that arguably strained credibility. All in all, a well-written and very enjoyable novel.

A fast-paced read, and well written but too many quite unbelievable twists & turns, and a rather cheesy Hollywood-ending.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This is the story of two sisters, Kate and Sally, different in every way. They had come from a dysfunctional family, and had the scars and memories to show for it. Both chose different paths; Kate left home, Herne Bay in Kent, and was a successful war reporter and had been witness to the murders taking place in Syria, while Sally never left home but resorted to the bottle. Great read

My first read from Ellwood and I can 100% say I would read another from her.
Without giving too much away I really enjoyed the difference in 'Parts 1-3' of the book, I was not expecting this at all and my interest did not waver one bit. I felt Ellwood did particularly well ina dapting her language depending on 'part' and it reallt did feel like a different book at points.
The only aspect I didn't enjoy so much was how quick the conclusion/climax came about, it felt a bit like on minute we were coasting through a characters tough time then we were smack bang in the middle of a showdown. Personally I'd have liked a little more build up or even clues.
Overall I really enjoyed the book and felt it was a perfect start to the darker months and darker reads for me.

I was confused by this book. It started off well. Kate, a journalist known for her stories from war torn Syria, is suffering from PTSD. She is being assessed under the mental health act and is trying to hold herself together. We get the impression that she has been through some great trauma and bit by bit her recent past is revealed.. We learn that she has recently returned to her home town, Herne Bay, because her mother has died and that before this she was in Syria. Through flashbacks we learn what has happened there and what is happening to her now. She is traumatised by her experiences in Syria and hears the voice of a small boy. Is this real or does it relate to what she saw in Syria. Although the flashbacks are confusing, I did like this part of the book mainly for its sympathetic depiction of Syria and for explaining so clearly why so many have been forced to leave there. The second part of the book is completely different. We move to the viewpoint of Sally, Kate's alcoholic sister. Somehow her voice didn't quite work for me. Essentially she is too coherent for someone can't get through a day without consuming several bottles of wine. But more importantly the story line changes and we are much more in the realms of a 'normal' psychological thriller with red herrings being dished out everywhere and a fairly typical unbelievable scene near to the end. I felt it was a shame that the book went this way as the author clearly has knowledge of the war in Syria and we could do with well written fiction about what is going on there.

this book deserves 5 stars and more i loved it it pulled me in from the first word to the last full stop i just couldnt stop reading there were some amazing twists and heart stopping moments in this book one of my top ten reads of 2017 once youve finished this book you fell like youve been washed spun wrung out and hung out to dry. what a fantastic heart breaking and emotional book to read well done nuala im looking out for your next book.

After the death of her mother, Kate Rafter is forced to return to the family home in Herne Bay from Syria where she has been working as a war reporter. Having not returned for many years, Kate is troubled by past memories and is also traumatized by the events she has witnessed in Aleppo. With a sister who drinks to excess and who seemingly has a self-destruct button, Kate’s only ally is her brother-in-law, Paul, who has been struggling to keep his life together. When Kate begins to hear screams and sees a young boy in the garden, are they hallucinations from the medication she is taking or is there something much more sinister going on?

From the outset, we know that Kate has committed a crime as she is undergoing a psychological assessment at a police station. What we don’t know, however, is what she has been accused of doing. Through these interviews, we get to see two sides of Kate – the tough, determined woman who risks life and limb on a daily basis to report from the horrors of Aleppo and also the emotional, caring person who is distraught by the memories of a young boy she befriended in Syria who, we assume, has since died. It soon becomes apparent that she has hurt someone since being back in Herne Bay, but who? I loved the way the author shifts between the psych interviews and the events taking place at Kate’s mother’s house as this left me desperately wanting to know what happened to link the two.

Kate is a very difficult character to understand – are the strange occurrences really happening or are they figments of her imagination? With all she has witnessed in her past, there is no doubt that it would be understandable if she was hallucinating but then there are more tangible events like an open door or a marble placed in the garden.

I was surprised when, halfway through the book, the focus shifted to Kate’s sister, Sally, the alcoholic who has lost all interest in life. This is a very clever move as it enables us to see some of the same events from a different point of view. I grew to like Sally much more and started to question some of the things that we had been previously been told. She cut a very tragic figure who, although she had not been treated badly by her father like her sister had, was going through her own personal torture having not seen her daughter for many years.

My Sister’s Bones is quite a slow burner but towards the end, I could not put it down as we discover what everything has been leading towards. It was at this point that the book became truly shocking and we realise that we don’t always know what goes on behind closed doors. I had enjoyed the book up to this point, but the closing chapters really upped the stakes for me and made this one of my favourite books of the year so far.

Ok so I have to admit that I was a little bit bored for the first 40% of this book and I really didn't see where it was going at all but I didn't give up and I'm so glad I kept going. This is the only reason why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 as when the story got going I was completely hooked.

The story (in my opinion) is mainly about PTSD, alcoholism and mental health and the effects it can have on people but with a major twist! I feel like I can't say much more without giving things away but briefly it's about a woman (Kate) who is a journalist who reports in war torn countries who has seen her share of horror and depravity to last a lifetime.

She comes back to her home town as her mother has died while she is away in Syria. She then starts to see and hear things...and I will leave it there!

Very fast paced (once it gets going), the tension certainly builds into a fantastic ending

Would highly recommend and would say to people not to give up in the beginning!

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in return for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.