Cover Image: The Dark Bones

The Dark Bones

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Member Reviews

Another book just as interesting and well wrote as the first in the series.
It is true that this time I had a harder time picking up the pace of reading, something for personal reasons and another part because up to 50% was not really addictive, but once hooked I could not stop reading.
The plot is interesting, and many things are being discovered and some of them I would not have expected in a million years. I like that in the thrillers they surprise me and give me a turn and leave me with my mouth open and this book succeeds.

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Not having read the first book, I wasn't sure what to expect. I loved it and found out that reading the first book wasn't a prerequisite. This is a murder mystery with a twist at the end that I really didn't expect (the best kind). I definitely would recommend to other mystery buffs.

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This is another fantastic instalment from Loreth Anne White. I was gripped right from the start. It's helpful but not necessary to have read the first instalment 'The Dark Lure'. It wouldn't detract from your enjoyment of this thriller in the slightest as it can be read as a stand alone novel. Rebecca North is a detective. Her father is dead and local authorities have it pinned down as a suicide but Rebecca doesn't believe it to be the case so she embarks upon investigating the incident herself, enlisting the help of her past love Ash. Buried emotions are re-awoken as are buried secrets in this unputdownable thriller. If you weren't a fan of Loreth's work before now you will be after you've read this book. It's a great piece of writing.

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Wonderfully written, this book takes us along for the ride to figure out what happened to detective Rebecca's father. The story says he committed suicide and consequently send his cabin on fire, but something just doesn't seem right to Rebecca. She faces many challenges while trying to solve this heartbreaking mystery like working with someone who was once so dear to her, and trying to get the needed information from a child who can't even bear to speak of it.

I would recommend this read.

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[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]
Well, I can't find the words to explain How much I enjoyed this book!! Since English isn't my language I'm going to add bellow my Spanish review.
I really really loved The Dark Bones, it got me hooked from the very beginning and I was over the edge of a nervous breakdown the whole reading!! What a sad, twisted and great story, one of those thrillers that keeps your interest and you couldn't put down. Loreth Anne White is a great story teller, she can combine thriller and love like no one and she has a way to develop and tell a story that connects with me.
I enjoyed a lot the plot, the twits, the sad and hopeful love story and the setting, homely and oppressive at the same time. The relationship between Becca and Ash is very important but not the main story. However, what happened to them twenty years ago it's in the center of the investigation and the book.
I can't recommend it enough. Loreth Anne White has become a must for me.
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//SPANISH REVIEW//
Bueno, hay que ver lo que he disfrutado de este libro!!!
No soy lectora habitual de novelas de misterio/suspense/thrillers, pero de vez en cuando disfruto mucho de estar en un "ay" constante y Loreth Anne White me ha tenido así durante toda la lectura.
Situada en un paraje precioso pero opresivo, crea una telaraña de secretos y de relaciones rotas que se ha alargado en el tiempo para acabar resolviéndose veinte años más tarde. Sospechas de todo el mundo y eso no ha podido gustarme más. Hay, además, una historia de amor estrechamente relacionada con todo este pisto que no roba protagonismo a la trama de suspense, sino que acrecienta tu interés. Eso sí, no lo consideraría suspense romántico sino suspense con una trama amorosa como elemente accesorio.
Me he sentido agobiada e intrigada y reconozco que me costaba dejar de leer del engache que tenía. Sé que tiene defectos, sobre todo a la hora de explicar bien todo lo que ocurre, pero he disfrutado tantísimo de la lectura que no le puedo dar menos nota.
Por supuestísimo que voy a seguir leyendo a esta escritora porque ha sido un gran descubrimiento para mí.

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Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

I was grabbed from page one and kept quickly turning pages. An excellent, quick mystery for a cozy weekend.

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This is my first book by this author and definitely not my last! I was drawn into this suspenseful story at page one and didn't want to put it down. This story has so many layers, so much mystery, and so many unanswered questions that it keeps you guessing until the end. This story is also a second chance romance.......Rebecca and Ash get their second chance at love and to heal the hurts of the past. A totally engaging read that I enjoyed from beginning to end. I didn't realize it was book #2 of a series so now I must read the first book!

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"The Dark Bones" was an enjoyable mystery novel. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Sergeant Rebecca (Becca) North is preparing to testify in a major trial when she receives a phone call from her father, a retired police officer, and alcoholic, fixated on his cold cases and prone to paranoia/conspiracy theories, and who accuses Becca and Ash Haugen, her former boyfriend, of lying to him 20 years ago, when they were teenagers, about events surrounding the disappearance of two teenagers in their small hometown of Clinton, and states that someone has been watching his cabin and had taken papers from his case file. Distracted by the trial and not up for dealing with her father's conspiracy theories, she says she will call him later. However, the following day, before she is able to talk to her father again, she receives a voice mail from the RCMP officer in Clinton, a former high school classmate, who tells her that father committed suicide and that his cabin burned in a fire that he accidentally started before shooting himself with his shotgun. Although she is told by both the police and coroner that nothing suspicious was found regarding the death of her father or the fire, Becca finds it hard to believe that her father committed suicide and soon finds clues that suggest that suicide might not be the explanation, or, at the very least, someone was with her father near the time of his death who could provide a clearer explanation of events. However, to solve the mystery of her father's death and the cabin fire, she has to look into the events of 20 years ago, which does not sit well with some of the locals (especially those who know the truth behind the disappearance) and requires interacting with Ash Haugen, whom she has been intentionally avoiding for years.

Many of the characters in the book have secrets in their past, some directly relevant to the central mysteries, some only tangentially related. The author has created some interesting characters, both major and minor characters. The mysteries are well crafted with some surprising twists and some not-so-surprising revelations. I liked that the book was set in Canada, in particular backwoods British Columbia, because most of the mystery books I read are set in the US or western Europe. I also liked that the author portrayed the value and importance of father figures for children, especially boys, whose fathers are absent or poor role models; such relationships play a key role in this story. There were some specific aspects of the storyline that I did not much care for (such as the Ash's secret), but overall a good book'; well worth reading.

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The Dark Bones by Loreth Anne White is a 2019 Montlake publication.

My kind of romantic suspense!!

This is the long awaited follow up to ‘A Dark Lure’ and is every bit as thrilling as its predecessor! The story picks up pretty much were ‘Lure’ left off. While one doesn’t have to read the first book to enjoy this one, I do highly recommend doing so, just so will know Olivia and Tori’s backstory.

That said, this book follows Rebecca North who has returned to her small hometown after her father allegedly commits suicide. Rebecca refuses to accept that her father killed himself and begins investigating his death. This leads her to Tori, one of the main characters in book one, who, along with her new best friend, may have been witnesses to a crime.

Rebecca quickly learns her father was investigating a cold case- one which may involve Ash Haugen, Rebecca’s old boyfriend. Rebecca's feelings for Ash are still strong, but she also thinks Ash is hiding something, which makes her wonder just how much he knows and if he might even be a suspect.

The start of a new year is a good time to do a little housekeeping and make an attempt to become more organized. So, while cleaning up my virtual bookshelves, I noticed I had won a couple of books on Goodreads I never got around to reading. This is one of them. But, in my defense, I wanted to read the first book in the series before tackling this one- and I’m glad I did!

Not to sound like a broken record-as I think I may have said this same thing about Dark Lure, but as a person who whines a lot about the poor pickings in the romantic suspense category it is such a relief to know there are authors out there who are still writing traditional romantic suspense!

This is a dark, atmospheric thriller that had me turning pages at the speed of light and staying up past my bedtime, as well. The story has a great deal of substance, with excellent characterizations. The tension and angst between Rebecca and Ash practically pops off the page!

The suspense is taut, the emotions raw, the mystery is deep, and the second romance is the cherry on the cake!

Loved it!

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"Because the past writes the present..."

"Because the past writes the present and the present writes the future, and sometimes the loop just cannot be broken."

I read the first book in this series A DARK LURE and really liked it.

At first I had a problem getting into this book but it didn't take long before the action ramped up and I was turning the pages as fast as I could.

Sergeant Rebecca North is an accomplished detective with the commercial crime branch of the Canadian federal police force, going after white collar criminals.

She gets a call from her father, retired from the RCMP and still living in the small town in British Columbia that she grew up in. He's been looking into cold cases and wants her to come home. She is in the middle of a trial and doesn't make it right away. And the next thing she hears is that her father killed himself and his house burnt down around his body.

She doesn't believe he would kill himself and finally heads home to investigate.

There were all kind of different storylines in this book from different time periods, all coming together in the end, and all were exciting.

This book has almost all new characters from book one. There's a small overlap. So reading either book as a standalone would be no problem at all.

I loved the characters in the story. I loved the twists and turns. I highly recommend this and the prior book to readers who like mysteries and psychological thrillers.

I received this book from Amazon Publishing through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

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Can Loreth Anne White write a book I won't love? At this point, I doubt it.

This is one of those books where you'll accidentally stay up all night reading it. There's action from the start, intense character driven movements, and you'll be wondering just who isn't as they seem in the sleepy town with a lot of secrets.

There's so much going on, so many layers, so many possibilities - and you'll be drawn to the depth of the characters and their histories.

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When I first started reading this book, I did not realize it was the second in a series, but I don't think you need to read the first one to enjoy this book!

This book was a surprisingly good mystery! Since I knew nothing of the characters, I was immediately was drawn to Rebecca. She has to go back to her hometown after her father killed himself. When she gets back to her hometown, she knows something isn't right, especially since she had received a troubling phone call from her father before he died.

There is also Toni Burton, a girl that just has had a rocky start in life and is now living with her mother. She is infatuated with a boy name Ricky. Both of them know something because the night Rebecca's father killed himself, they were near by. Of course, they were not supposed to be there, so they remain quiet.

This book does suspense in an emotional way. I love the mysteries and trying to figure out what really is going on. You start getting the big picture towards the end, and it does not disappoint. I loved this one!

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THE DARK BONES is a twisty romantic suspense mystery that captivated me and had me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, caught as I was with Ash's secrets. And, oh yes, of course, the mystery of the teens who disappeared twenty years ago. That Ash and Becca were caught dead center in it due to a terrible mistake that Ash did those long ago years made it personal for our protagonists and heart-pounding for the reader. While we know a HEA is imminent for Ash and Becca, what price would they have to pay for that HEA?

I like that Ash and Becca were real and relatable, people who were flawed, who committed mistakes that still haunt them years later. I love how the author obviously took the time to describe things in a fresh way that brought a new perspective to this reader.

One thing that ticked at me though is why the villains would wear/ride distinctive suits/vehicles to do their evil deeds? Don't villains generally and usually wear all black to avoid detection/recognition? Or are the villains here so (stupidly) confident in their ability to tie up loose ends that they didn't think the misdeeds would be traced back to them?

That aside, I enjoyed reading this book, and I love especially the length of the novel, allowing me to fully immerse myself in the story, the town and the characters.

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Gave up halfway through.Its not badly written,but it just seemed like another run of the mill mediocre thriller.Not particularly engaging and nothing that interesting with the characters.There are loads of 5* reviews so I'm obviously I'm the minority,but I didn't want to spend any more time on it.

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Thank you Netgalley
I’ve received this ARC from Netgalley, the publisher and Loreth Anne White in exchange for my honest review.

Rebecca North, leaves her childhood home and relocates to Ottawa where she begins her career as a detective; leaving behind an old flame, her father a retired police officer. When leaving she had no intentions of returning to her roots, that is however, until she received a phone call. According to the Crime unit and coroners, the evidence ruled out homicide and concluded his death was by suicide.
Rebecca does not believe that, her gut tells her there is more to it.

I really don’t want to say anymore, I will say that this was a great read. Suspenseful, absolutely gripping!

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I didn't realize when I started the book that there were additional titles in the series, and this is not the first. I still had no problem catching up. The book was fast paced, dark at times, and kept me hooked until the last page.

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This follow up to A Dark Lure did not disappoint. Set in the same area, it revisits a few characters from the debut but is almost entirely a stand alone novel. It was exciting and thrilling, just like it’s predecessor. The characters were well rounded and had the depth and realism that make a great novel. I wish the “initial” case had been delved into a bit deeper but I was very happy with the story and all its components. Can’t wait to see what comes next!

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Loreth Anne White is a master of extremely dark romantic suspense, and she is in her element yet again in THE DARK BONES. Although this is technically the second book in the Dark Lure series (after A DARK LURE) and there are glancing references to the previous book, it can be read as a standalone without missing much-- I’d read A DARK LURE all the way back in 2015 and couldn’t remember any of it but could still follow THE DARK BONES. Ms. White is a master of carefully seeding and nurturing each fine layer of a highly complex, mind-twisting, wholly-unexpected whole, and this is in full display in THE DARK BONES-- a police procedural murder mystery shrouded in small-town lies wrapped in secrecy and betrayal against the backdrop of a second chance at a teenage romance gone horribly wrong. If that doesn’t pique your interest, I’m not sure what will! THE DARK BONES is also slightly lighter than Ms. White’s other fare, so it could serve as a good introduction to this fantastic author that usually (and masterfully) tackles some truly horrifically dark material.

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Rebecca North returns home to find the truth and reunites with Ash , who can help. Mysteries must be solved while these two renew their old spark. Intriguing characters and storyline to draw the reader from the first.
Ebook from netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.

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Gripping and engaging, with enough mystery to keep those pages turning.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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