I loved the Morgan series by the author and I had high hopes for this too. It doesn't disappoint. Great characters and plot. Really had me hooked.

3.5

Whisper of Bones by Melinda Leigh and Bred in the Bone by Kendra Elliot are book 3 and 4 in the Widow’s Island series of novellas. Set on a small island, each novellas has its own self contained mystery whilst best friends since childhood Deputy Tessa Black (penned by Leigh) and FBI special agent Cate Wilde (penned by Elliot) look for their friend Samantha who went missing, now presumed dead, when they were all teenagers.

I decided to review these together, for a couple of reasons; they’re both really short – or at least felt that way, i read them very quickly – and they are so well entwined with one mystery leading straight into another, I am unsure how you could pick one up without immediately diving for the next one. If I had to pick the one I liked the most, it would be Bred in the Bone; however, Elliot had a much meatier subject…we finally find out what happened to Samantha (don’t worry I won’t give away any spoilers!). It was so good. Was I expecting the events that happened? Maybe, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the execution of the book.

Both these novellas had me utterly gripped, Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot have complimentary styles and this series of novellas has, so far worked really. If you want something short but which somehow still manages to pack in a good mystery alongside a little romance, then this is a great place to start.

Whisper of Bones was another great addition to the Widow’s Island series with an interesting mystery and a bit more romance than the previous two installments.

After a body washes ashore on the state park beach, Deputy Tessa Black finds she has another murder on her hands on the remote island she calls home. When it becomes clear the victim, a local contractor, has a long list of enemies, Tessa has her work cut out for her to find his killer. And after the killer sets a fire to cover their tracks, Tessa is in a race against the clock to find the killer before they strike again.

Tessa continues to be an intriguing character as she has many roles she fills in her day-to-day life from working as a sheriff’s deputy to caring for her ill mother. It’s interesting watching Tessa juggle her responsibilities and I like that the author has her accept help from others when it’s needed. Tessa and Logan’s romantic relationship has developed a bit since A Bone to Pick and they’ve been dating for a few weeks when this story picks up. I’m enjoying their romance and I’m looking forward to seeing how the relationship continues to develop. Cate, Tessa’s best friend and an FBI agent, makes a few appearances in this novella along with Henry, the town doctor/coroner and Cate’s love interest. I really enjoy Cate’s character and I like that while each author follows a specific couple, we get appearances by the other one in each novella.

The murder investigation in this story was interesting with the victim being someone who is not particularly well liked in town. Characters with a lot of enemies always make for interesting victims as there are a number of people who could have committed the murder. Tessa and Logan work together pretty closely in the murder investigation as the body was found on state park land and Logan is a park ranger. The two worked well together and they definitely knew how to play to each other’s strengths. I had a few ideas on who the murderer would be and while one of my guesses was correct, the motive wasn’t one I had thought of. The ending of the book was suspenseful and overall I thought the author wrapped everything up in a good way.

Throughout this novella series, in the background Tessa and Cate are conducting an investigation into their best friend Samantha’s disappearance twenty years ago. In Whisper of Bones the pair do make a bit of progress in the investigation and I’m getting more and more curious to find out what happened to Samantha. I’m definitely looking forward to reading Bred to the Bone to see where the evidence found in this story leads Tessa and Cate.

Overall I really enjoyed Whisper of Bones and I’m interested to see where the authors take these characters next. I highly recommend this series if you’re looking for some quick romantic suspense reads.

I love this short story series so much! I love the characters, though I kind of forgot about them in the year since I've read the first two. I hope there will be two more next year.

This is book 3 in the Widow's Island series. It can be read as a stand alone but you won't want to miss any of the books. All are novella length and an easy read with a good mystery to solve. Tessa and Cate are back solving another murder and working on their missing friend, Samantha. Tessa is working on her romance in this book. A local contractor is found dead on a nearby island and the list of suspects is long. Love this series. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

Again, I could not connect to the characters in this novella series.

I did a read/listen to this novella and it was a fun way to experience this story. Once again, Tessa finds herself investigating a murder on the small Widow's Island. When the staged drowning, turns out to be a murder, she has more suspects than she would have expected. The victim was not well liked, but who hated him enough to kill him. With the help of her partner, Logan, they quickly meet with all the suspects and ask questions. They get an inkling of who the culprit is, but will he/she get away before they can get enough evidence and make an arrest. I enjoy this series and the characters involved. Tessa is a smart, intuitive detective and not much gets by her. She is still thinking about the disappearance of her friend 20 years earlier and at the end of this story, there is a clue to that disappearance. A well paced, and written story which was a quick read. I really like how Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliott have developed this series and characters.

Very good, catchy and a page-turner.
The short, fast read will invigorate your day with a tightly written plotline, easy to finish in one sitting. Melinda Leigh's great storytelling creates a believable and exciting adventure in this novella, without the clutter and distractions of a longer, more complex book.

This is the 3rd book in the Widow's Island series …….. the Author writes alternating books in this series with Kendra Elliott which focus' on a different main character but retains most of the secondary characters , giving the books greater depth . The slow burn mystery of the disappearance of the main characters' best friend Samantha , 20 years previously , simmers in the background ………….

When a body is found washed up on a State Park beach Deputy Tessa Black’s experience as a former Seattle detective tells her that this is not an accident , but murder . The victim's long list of enemies provides plenty of fodder for the investigation and when a vicious assault occurs along with an arson attack Tessa is convinced the killer is becoming more and more desperate .
This is a fast paced , suspense filled book that will draw the reader in …. wanting more .
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series so far , written by two talented writers and look forward to the next in the series .

I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Review for 'Whisper Of Bones' by Melinda Leigh
Read and reviewed via NetGalley

STORYLINE

Dark secrets from the past bob to the surface in the third novella in the Widow’s Island series.

When a body washes up on the state park beach, Deputy Tessa Black’s experience as a former Seattle detective tells her that the death was not an accident. All evidence points to another murder on the remote island.

The victim is a local contractor with a shockingly long list of enemies. The more locals Tessa interviews, the more people she suspects—from the bitter ex-wife and estranged current wife to disgruntled former clients and employees. They all have different reasons to want him dead.

As Tessa’s investigation heats up, arson and a vicious assault convince her the killer is desperate to hide his crime—and that she’d better solve the case before he claims another victim.

REVIEW

This novella is the third in the Widow Island series. Although it is the third book in a series I read this after a layer book in the series and had no problem reading them as stand alones. There is a previous case that was mentioned in both books but what you need to know about it is covered.

This novella was very welly written and I read it very quickly. I found it easy to 'get along' with the characters as I found them likeable, strong and realistic. I am looking forward to reading about them again when I read the other books in the series.

It is normally better to read a book on series order and if you can then great but if you can't, as I previously stated, there isn't a problem reading them standalone.

The storyline was interesting and filled with tension, suspense with some romance thrown in. I didn't expect the culprit which is always a bonus as it gets boring if you figure out 'who did it?' too soon.

This series is written by 2 different authors working together which I found strange when I downloaded them and was concerned the writing style would be completely different and I wouldn't be able to 'bond' with the characters as I did in the previous books. However, my concern was unfounded as they worked excellent together.

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of short stories, thrillers, suspense, crime, mystery and anyone looking for a good and quick book to read.

I rated this 5/5 on Goodreads and Amazon and look forward to reading more books.

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Whisper of Bones by Melinda Leigh is the third book in the new romantic suspense Widow’s Island series. This series is all at novella length and penned by Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh by alternating the books and switching the main characters.

This pair of authors have teamed up in the past for the romantic suspense Rogue River series of which a couple of the characters have moved over to this series but the books can be read and enjoyed separate from the Rogue River series. Each novella also contains it’s own mystery so they can be read as a standalone although some character development does carry over in the series from book to book for those reading them all from the beginning.

Whisper of Bones has now picked up the Widow’s Island story line with Deputy Tessa Black back as the lead character. Tessa gets called in on a murder case when a body washes ashore. The victim is found to be a contractor with a long list of enemies so the more people Tessa interviews the longer her suspect list grows.

Again when finished with a book in this series I can’t help but think Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot certainly know how to write a compelling novella length read. Even with the shorter length the books have been fleshed out wonderfully giving enough about the characters to begin to care about them and a good mystery to follow. Definitely a fan of this series and can’t wait to see what happens in the next.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Whisper of Bone is the third novella in the Widow’s Island series, which follows friends Cate and Tessa as they try and solve the mystery surrounding their childhood friend’s disappearance, as well as solve a few other murders along the way.

This novella continues Tessa’s narrative, which I admit is not my favourite of the two female leads, as I find Cate that bit more interesting. Together with old friend/new lover Logan, Tessa is called to the discovery of a body washed up on the docks. An inspection of the body determines the man was killed by blunt force to the head, but who did it? And why? As Tessa finds out, the murdered man has few friends, and a penchant for aggravating everyone from the ex wife to his employees.

I really enjoy these little novellas. They are able to sum up the previous novellas succinctly while advancing the overall plot arc enough to keep me interested. The murder mysteries are well thought out and fast paced, directing the reader to an array of suspects and motives without giving away too much. Because of the length of the novel, the characters are not overly developed or particularly emotionally deep, and a lot of the story is spent telling the reader information rather than letting it unfold naturally, but I can still appreciate the entertainment value in these little ‘slice of murder life’ books.

That said, I do think that as the novella’s have progressed the main characters are starting to feel more developed and well rounded. In this one we explore more of Logan’s past and is PTSD and the topic is handled reasonably well, and links into the mystery well. I also find the generally feeling of the book highly atmospheric and also cosy, with the closed off islander community giving off a distinctly menacing air at time.

A fast paced, vignette of murder mystery small island life with some interesting ideas. I will continue the series.

Received from NetGalley
Completed 10/26/19 & 10/27/19
97 & 86 page novellas

First off, I always LOVE their covers. They are so awesome how they make one image between the two. I discovered Kendra Elliot years ago around the time her first book came out and I've read everything she's written since. I'm actually not a fan of Melinda Leigh. I read her books because they go hand in hand with Kendra's, but I never enjoy them as much. I especially don't like her MCs of the Rogue River series, but I like Kendra's.

With the Widow's Island series, I enjoy both MCs and while I still don't enjoy Melinda's stories quite as much they are good. Within the two, the Bred in the Bone was my favorite. The story was really gripping and surprising, and I'm not often surprised. These books can't be read on their own. I mean there is a standing story, but the rest would be missed and there's a lot of background. I recommend these for romantic suspense readers, they are quite enjoyable


Setting = A & A
Plot = B & A
Conflict = B & A
Characters = B & A
Theme = A & A

Widow's Island Book 3
Since this is book 3 of the series, most of the characters in the novella have been in the previous books and we are familiar with them already. Deputy Tessa Black and Forest Ranger Logan Wilde are called to the shores of Camilla Island when kayakers find a body washed up on the beach. It turns out the victim is a local contractor who has more enemies than friends including a past and current wife and clients that are less than happy with him.
Lots of options for the bad guy and nice pace to the story even though it is a novella. Tessa's family situation and Logan's PTSD keep their developing romance on a slow path even though they both would like to pick up the pace.
Great story once again from Ms Leigh. Thank you to the publisher and the author for an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A continuation of novellas set on Widows Island, this is a great, quick read. Focusing on Tessa Black, it has crossover characters with Kendra Elliot. These are awesome books from some great authors, but they do need to be read in order, and having them released a year apart is maybe too long, as I had to go back and reread the other books first. But overall, I would recommend the series.

Quick, short read. Widows Island is a great new series. I think the best way to read these novellas are to ge the lot of them and read them all together, it was a better enjoyment and i could understand it alot better

A great little novella set on Widow’s Island. The death of a local contractor is investigated by Tessa recently moved back from the mainland due to her mum’s Alzheimer’s. A lot of suspects amongst the locals keeps Tessa and Logan on their toes. This is a good little mystery to keep you entertained for a while.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Whisper of Bones is a short story. It starts when a body was found in the state park beach in Widow Island. Deputy Tessa Black, a former FBI detective in Seattle, suspects that the death was not an accident.

Whisper of Bones is the third novella in the Widow’s Island series written by Melinda Leigh. The first two novellas are Close to the Bone and A Bone to Pick give the back story of Tessa and her friend Cate.

I enjoyed reading this novel. I liked Tessa and Logan characters. I loved the way they were mutually supporting each other. Logan suffers from PTSD and Tessa' s mom lives with a worsening dementia and we feel that Tessa is hiding a painful experience.

Many thanks to the publisher via netgalley for the eARC.

This was my first read of the series and it was indeed good. Very engaging and the characters were very likeable and easy to follow along.

i would highly recommend this author and this book.

Whisper of Bones is a well written suspense. A good plot guaranteed to pull you immediately into the action. A real edge of your seat book. I highly recommend this book. I received an arc from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.