Title : Bone Deep

Author: Sandra Ireland

Pages; 272

Genre: General Fiction adult

Galley Books

Jun 11, 2019

Netgalley ARC

book synopsis

A twisty and propulsive read, this dark psychological thriller of sibling rivalry, love, betrayal, and the dire consequences of family fallout brilliantly plays on our fears of loneliness and abandonment, harkening to the modern gothic bestsellers by Ruth Ware and Liz Nugent.

Is a story ever just a story?

Mac, a retired academic and writer, is working on a new collection of folktales, inspired by local legends, and at the insistence of her only child, Arthur, she hires a young assistant, Lucie, to live in a cottage on her property and help her transcribe them. What Arthur doesn’t know is that his mother is determined to keep the secrets of her past from ever being discovered. And what Mac doesn’t know is that Lucie has a few complicated secrets of her own.

The creaking presence of an ancient water mill next to Mac’s property that used to grind wheat into flour serves as an eerie counterpoint for these two women as they circle warily around each other, haunted by the local legend of two long-dead sisters, ready to point accusing fingers from the pages of history.

This atmospheric page turner evocatively gives voice to the question: What happens when you fall in love with the wrong person?



My thoughts

rating : 4 stars

Would I recommend this book ? yes

Would I read anything else by this author ? yes

It does take a while for the story to pick up and doing that time I was like nope not going to finish it going to have to DNF it but the more I read the more I began to get a fell for the story and what I saw I actually started to like , because the more you get into the story you start to see that its not just about 2 sisters , felling for the wrong guy, its more then that, its about dark secrets , and how far some people will go , the madness of one of the characters and I would definitely say that the person is crazy , its about how the mill is linked to the secrets and how far back they go , and will they come out in the oping , its about a son not knowing about his mothers secrets ,in fact its all of those in one story and how their linked . The story is told in the views of Mac and Lucie ,as well as how the 2 sisters fit in all of this . So yes while its slow and seems boring ,it does take time to get in to the story , it turns around and gets dark, as well as creepy . With that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review exchange for my honest opinion.

Alternating chapters from separate points of view told by two women. One fleeing an affair the other haunted by her past and descending into madness. Well written.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC

Sandra Ireland has created a manipulative narrative filled with a cast of characters that all harbor some varying degree of secrecy. The novel has a Gothic noir feel as the present day story line parallels one of folk lore from decades past. Ireland expertly depicts her setting and guides the reader along the many twists and turns in this short novel. An unexpected and highly engrossing read. 5 stars.

Sandra Ireland captivated me with Bone Deep from page one! I enjoyed the story within a story concept which gradually built up the suspense throughout the novel. Each chapter is told in an alternating viewpoint and I felt that worked perfectly with the storyline. Bone Deep is a good mix of historical fiction, women’s fiction and mystery/suspense- so no matter what genre you prefer, there’s something for everyone. This is the first novel I’ve read from Sandra Ireland, but I definitely know it won’t be the last—looking forward to reading more from her in the future!