The Bone Keeper was a great thriller! It had a little bit of everything; a (literal) killer ghost story, cop/crime drama, murder, mystery and betrayal.

When I first started to read it, I literally had chills at the first page; "The Bone Keeper's coming. The Bone Keeper's real. He doesn't stop. He doesn't feel. He'll snatch you up. And make you weep. He'll slice your flesh. Your bones he'll keep." Seriously, I felt a cold chill on my spine. The imagery that comes with Luca's writing is intense and you can imagine the scenery very well.

The Bone Keeper starts off with 4 young kids (Lee, Faye, Matty and a young girl who isn't named) egging each other on to go through a creepy tunnel in the woods. These tunnels are supposed to be inhabited by the Bone Keeper (which is pretty much the boogeyman). Faye decides to go first and Lee follows. The young girl goes third and hears something stirring in the tunnel. She is gripped with fear at first, and then she smells the horrible smell that comes with the story of the Bone Keeper, she then hears 'it' whistling the song. She races out of the tunnel and turns around expecting to see Matty. Matty never comes out.

The story then goes back to present day and we are introduced to DC Louise. She is called to a scene of a woman who was found in the street brutally attacked. She is beaten and stabbed down to the bone. While the woman is driven away by ambulance, she goes store to store to ask for any witnesses in where the woman appeared to be coming from. A young boy tells her that the woman was singing the song of the Bone Keeper. Louise and Paul Shipley go to meet with the woman sometime later. Caroline tells them how she was attacked but cannot remember most of it, just that there was a dark inhuman looking shape, the smell of death and then he attacked.

The story delves deeper into the Bone Keeper's tale and the bodies keep piling up, with one grisly scene after another. Throughout all of this, Louise is fighting her own demons of the past. Is this really the work of a supernatural boogeyman or something far more sinister?

Just when you think you have figured out the entire story, there are lots of twists. I really enjoyed the book and the only complaint I have is that it did feel slightly rushed at the end. If you like gore, mystery, suspense, creepy stories and feeling unsettled, then give this book a read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC.

The Bone Keeper is CHILLING and CREEPY and I really enjoyed it.
The Book Opened with this poem:

The Bone Keeper's coming
The Bone Keeper's real
He doesn't stop
He doesn't feel
He'll snatch you up
And make you weep
He'll slice your flesh

That poem was enough to take hold of me from the beginning. The plot was so marvelous. The Bone Keep is a local urban legend, who doesn't love a great urban legend? Is it an urban legend? Honestly this books has everything a good thriller needs and so many twists and turns my mouth was open half the time reading it.

I could not put this one down, and look forward to more books by this author.

How many urban legends feature a creep like the Bone Keeper? A lot of them. In this procedural, however, the Keeper might be real. Or someone wants you to think he is. Louise Henderson is a detective with a LOT of issues but she's the one who is going to untangle this mess. There are bodies, there are missing people, there's a sense of unease. This starts off strong but fades a bit in the middle before coming back in the end. Set in Liverpool, it makes good use (I think) of local atmosphere. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

When a story begins with children playing and singing something creepy, I usually put the book down, and walk away. I decided, however, to read The Bone Keeper. Was it creepy? Yes. Do I want to walk in the woods by myself? No. Was reading this a mistake? Probably. But, it's actually an intriguing police procedural murder mystery. Serial killer and all that jazz. It's twisty and dark. It's everything you would expect it to be. If you like a good creepy read, this book is for you. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first time I read a novel from Luca Veste and I was quite excited to as he is a popular thriller writer. In the end, I have a really mixed feeling about this book. Indeed, as I was reading, I did not get swallowed by the story and the events. I stayed too much as reading from far away, I really did not get into the story of this book. I did not get any real emotion about the characters, nor the story and it was for me hard to maintain an interest in this book, unfortunately.

I thought that this book really lacked cohesiveness in parts and could not really pin down what was going on with Louise through most of the book. It made parts of the story confusing and hard to follow, The Bone Keeper was an interesting concept, however it was hard to determine how they were all the Bone Keeper. I think it needed more solidity and background of how this came to be.

Louise is a police officer who is involved in a case of a woman who is found cut and beaten. The case then deepens to involve several dead bodies and a local legend/myth, The Bone Keeper, which may also have something to do with Louise's repressed memories from her past. It was pretty creepy, and for a while I wasn't sure if this was actually a supernatural-type story or not. I enjoyed the majority of the book, but I didn't like the ending all that much. Overall 3 stars.

The Bone Keeper's coming
The Bone Keeper's real
He doesn't stop
He doesn't feel
He'll snatch you up
And make you weep
He'll slice your flesh

What an opener, if the poem at the very beginning doesn't grip you, the plot of the book certainly will..... The Bone Keeper a local urban legend made up to frighten children and the likes or is it just a tale? I love a good serial killer mystery and this had everything I enjoy in a book, death, murder, mystery, twists, turns, Oh My God moments..... I thoroughly enjoyed it even if I did hold my breath at parts of it and the twists... sweet lamb of divine, although I am a bit scared to venture back to the woods after reading this!!!! I'm not going to synopsize the story/plot as I am fearful I will ruin it with spoilers but suffice to say I am absolutely 100% recommending this book.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebook Landmarks for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This Liverpool-based thriller is the new, stand-alone crime novel from Veste, and follows his Murphy & Rossi police procedural series.
Scouse Noir at its finest.
Highly recommended read.

Another excellent and creepy thriller from Luca Veste. I always enjoy his books and this is no different. Full of sympathetic characters, scaring me to death! Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

When I started this book I was in need of a good thriller. I was hoping for a really good book, with an intriguing story, fast-paced, with some twists here and there and fascinating characters. Something that would keep me hooked-up from the start to the end, a page-turner, something thrilling and original. And this book delivered all this and something more.

The thing I liked best is the story. It’s gripping, articulated and quite dark. Original, too, even if reading the plot I wasn’t so convinced about the originality of it all. The synopsis is not bad, I am not saying that, but I wasn’t so keen on the original part. But the author surprised me. And he surprised me time and again, because we have some intriguing twists, and there is one in particular that I didn’t see coming, at all. And it’s not a real twist about the story but about a POV, if this makes sense to you.
I can’t say more because it would be a spoiler, and you deserve to enjoy this book and discover the bits and pieces the author reveal slowly by your own, but I appreciated it a lot.

To be honest, it’s hard to write about a thriller, because even if I don’t usually tell the plot on my reviews I can refer to them to say something that I liked or disliked about it, but here… well, I can’t! So yes, it’s a little bit frustrating. But I think I would keep writing reviews for thriller and mystery books until I’ll get better at it, and yes, it’s a threat, sorry about that!

Anyway, the story is good and I quite enjoyed the MC and her partner on the job. This book is a stand-alone, but I hope the author would write some other adventures (or cases, that’s better) for this couple. I’d love to see how their relationship would evolve, and I am not speaking about a romance, but about their relationship as people, because this book has a case quite relevant for the MC, it’s not just some random crime, but it’s related, in some ways, to the story of Louise, to her past, and that was intriguing as hell.
So I’d love to see how she is after all this happened. But in the meantime, while I am hoping for a sequel, I would read some other of the author’s books because this one was good and I really liked Veste’s writing!

I love the theme of including urban myths in contemporary mysteries, so as soon as I read the premise of The Bone Keeper, I knew I had to read it! The Bone Keeper refers to a sinister presence in a local woodland near Liverpool, who is rumoured to steal children, kill them and keep their bones: “He’ll slice your flesh. Your bones he’ll keep.” Creepy or what???? I remember similar legends in our area that had us utterly terrified but were a good deterrent to keep us out of certain places in the neighbourhood. Like the old lady next door, who repeatedly had to tell us off for climbing her fence, until the rumour spread that she was a witch who would poke out children’s eyes – and no one ever climbed that fence again. *clap, clap, good thinking 99* But I digress ....

Urban myth meets real life when a horrifically injured woman is found wandering near the woods, claiming to have been attacked by a horrible “presence”, only just escaping with her life. DC Louise Henderson, who seems to have a personal connection to the belief that something evil is prowling these woods, relating to a secret in her past we are not privy to, takes the woman’s claims seriously, even if the other officers scoff at the whole story of the “bone keeper”. Until other disappearances and deaths are suddenly being linked to the same area ....

I must say that the story started off very strong for me, and the image of the children daring each other to enter the dark dank tunnel in the woods to prove how brave they are set a terrifying scene. Perhaps because even as an adult it still touches on our most primeval fears of something evil coming to get us. It gave me the chills!

However, I admit that after the strong start, the book did not fully deliver for me. Firstly, I thought Louise to be a difficult, obstructive character I found hard to relate to, and her constant lies and omissions somewhat went against her role as investigative officer. The story also lost a lot of steam for me when multiple POVs were introduced, including that of the killer, which oddly served to take away some of the chill factor. Perhaps because it de-mystified the paranormal aspect that had made it so scary for me? I have read a lot of spooky mysteries lately, and the ones keeping the myth alive and somewhat “vague” in explaining the events were the ones that worked best for me, messing with my mind just the way I like.

About 2/3 into the book it all went a bit overboard for me and there was so much suspension of disbelief that I nearly abandoned the book, because everyone knows that I am very, very bad at doing that. But that’s just my personal preferences, and I am sure that the book will work well for other readers, who will enjoy the mounting body count, the unreliable narrators and the evil thoughts of the killer loose in the woods. Personally, I would have liked a more pronounced and relatable main character to lead the story, and fewer other POVs. I also think that the mystery had all the spooky elements that made The Chalk Man so creepy for me, but that they somehow got lost in translation with too many other side stories happening that took away a lot of suspense. It was almost as if the author tried to add more and more elements that ended up working against one another – a simpler plot with more mystery would have worked better for me. Again, my own personal view only, and I’m sure others will disagree.

With a strong start and an ultimately disappointing latter half, I’m finding this book difficult to rate. Personally, I struggled in parts to keep my interest but was invested enough in the story to be curious to find out the answers. It’s one of those stories you will have to read and judge for yourself – if you like a mystery that includes an urban myth and don’t mind several plotlines and a mounting body count, then you should definitely read it – you may find it works a lot better for you! For overall enjoyment, probably only 2.5 stars for me, but I will round it up to 3 for the creepy beginning which set a terrifying scene and got me hooked immediately.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC for my honest review.
I don't typically read horror stories for a reason, my imagination gets away from me! Though this is a mystery it has the dark sinister feeling of a horror.
The story starts with 4 children playing as children do where they are not supposed to be. An urban legend about THE BONE KEEPER that at first feels just like a story adults tell children to keep them away from places they should not be. Of course this backfires and the 4 go investigating and only 3 return. Told in a then and now manner we are taken on the journey to find THE BONE KEEPER and the missing.
A police procedural with a horror feel, the story draws you in and doesn't let you go.
I recommend this book if you enjoy being kept on edge and not wanting to go out at night alone!

Twenty years ago, four teenagers went exploring in the local woods, trying to find to the supposed home of The Bone Keeper. Only three returned.

Now, a woman is found wandering the streets of Liverpool, horrifically injured, claiming to have fled the Bone Keeper. Investigating officer DC Louise Henderson must convince skeptical colleagues that this urban myth might be flesh and blood. But when a body is unearthed in the woodland the woman has fled from, the case takes on a much darker tone. The disappeared have been found. And their killer is watching every move the police make.

Luca Veste just took my nightmares and made them real! This was such a scary good book, the detail and description is so vivid it feels like you are right there Liverpool. Plus the cover art is just stunning!

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of The Bone Keeper by Luca Veste
Pub Date: 01 Feb 2019

2.5
There was a really good story in there but it got bogged down in the telling. This was too long, too many details. It does have it share of chilling moments and surprises. I thought of a few scenarios and came up wrong each time.

Louise is an interesting character but she also frustrated me. She was constantly in her own head and came off as quite strange at times. How Shipley would be attracted to that character was also odd.

The story goes to a dark and unbelievable place. Interesting concept but so very unlikely. I know it’s fiction but still. The urban legend laced throughout the story was so creepy. Who it turns out to be was shocking but that was where the story went a bit haywire for me...

This had a great opening and ending. Had it been trimmed down a bit then I would have rated it higher.

Enjoyed this thoroughly. Once I started I had to finish it to find out who or what the bone keeper is.

Years ago some kids were playing and looking for the Bone Keeper (story that all the locals scared each other with) but one of them never came back!

Many years later people are being killed by the very same thing. The story followsLouise as she tries to uncover who the bone keeper is.

Full of surprises and twists it’s a very good read

The Bone Keeper is a horror story to scare children, or is it not? A great thriller, a page turner. It is my first book from Luca Veste, but it is not going to be the last.
Thanks Netgalley for this nice story.

The opening got my heart pounding and it.never.let.up. This was a thrilling read. Often times I was hesitant to turn the page for fear of what encounters I would find. Excellent new release from Veste.

What if the figure that haunted your nightmares as child, the myth of the man in the woods, was real?

He'll slice your flesh.
Your bones he'll keep.

Twenty years ago, four teenagers went exploring in the local woods, trying to find to the supposed home of The Bone Keeper. Only three returned.

Now, a woman is found wandering the streets of Liverpool, horrifically injured, claiming to have fled the Bone Keeper. Investigating officer DC Louise Henderson must convince skeptical colleagues that this urban myth might be flesh and blood. But when a body is unearthed in the woodland the woman has fled from, the case takes on a much darker tone. The disappeared have been found. And their killer is watching every move the police make.

The brilliant new police procedural from Luca Veste, featuring series characters Murphy and Rossi - a guaranteed page-turner.

my Thoughts
4.5
It really is a page- turner , because as soon as i read the first page which has the poem i was hooked because of how keep it was and is ,
The Bone Keeper's coming
The Bone Keeper's real
He doesn't stop
He doesn't feel
He'll snatch you up
And make you weep
He'll slice your flesh
Your bones he'll keep.
The story is told in chapters title Before and Now, while the before chapters can be a little confusion at times , the more you read the more understanding their become and eventually link up to the rest of the story , but to understand how and why you have to read the story. As for the characters the only one i had trouble with was Louise, there was times i just had trouble believing in her character .and you have no idea if its a copy cat or if the Bone Keeper is real . So if you like stories like this and not just any type of story but the ones that holds an element of surprise and actually gives you the heebie-jeebies and uneasiness with its creepy children’s rhyme and an urban myth that plays on people’s fears, think the bogey man crossed with the worse kind of killer ( like Jack the Ripper) and your half way there.Plus add a touch of the slasher elements to it and you wouldn't want to go any where by yourself. With that said I would like to think Netgalley for letting me read and review it in a change my honest opinion.

I have loved this author’s previous books & was so looking forward to this one.

To me though it was a little disjointed, with the timeline jumping back & forth. I couldn’t really engage with the characters however the storyline itself was enticing.

Not my favourite alas.