Great thriller that kept me turning the pages. Great story, great writing and characters. Really enjoyable and would read this author again.

I didn't realise this was in a series and hadn't read the first one, but what a great book.
Well written, good characters, great plot - I now need to read the first one.
I hope there will be more.

If you’re looking for a great medical thriller, check out The Bone Hunger by Carrie Rubin, the second in the Ben Oris series. Set in Philadelphia at the fictional Montgomery Hospital, it picks up after the first book, The Bone Curse. (Read my review here.) The Bone Hunger can be easily read as a standalone novel and follows the personal and professional life of Ben Oris. Ben was a medical student in the first book and now he’s a resident at Montgomery. Here’s a rundown of the story’s opening:

Dr. Ben Oris is not looking for trouble. After what he’s been through, he likes the ordinary. Three years earlier, he was cut by an ancient bone and became involved in a strange incident involving a mysterious disease and a Haitian Vodou priestess. Now Ben’s life is busy, but normal. A second-year orthopedic surgery resident, he’s under the tutelage of Dr. Kent Lock, one of the best reconstructive surgeons in the country. He’s also a single dad to three-year-old Maxwell. Nothing but work, family, and a hopeful romance on the horizon, just the way he wants it.

On a wintry walk through the Wissahickon Valley Park, Ben and Maxwell’s mother, Sophie, discover the severed limb of a recent knee surgery patient. Police and hospital seniors think it may be a sick prank, but later, when more orthopedic surgery patients go missing and their hacked off limbs turn up, bearing alarming bite marks, Ben finds himself at the center of a murder investigation. In a rush against time, Ben must balance his demanding job and parenting responsibilities, follow hunches and most important, protect the people he loves.

At Montgomery, Lock and his surgical team continue their surgery schedule, replacing knees and hips, on the heels of a near-death plane crash in Alaska while on a humanitarian mission. Psychological stress and fears about who the next victim will be may be too much for the team. In addition, new developments make Ben question his professional loyalties. Are the surgical implants somehow connected to these grisly crimes? Should Ben investigate or leave it to the police?

Rubin provides readers with a great look at what it’s like to work in the medical world, with a big dose of grueling schedules, hospital hierarchies, politics, feuds and power plays. She also offers a realistic commentary about life situations, specifically related to diversity, treatment of the elderly, religion and respecting differing beliefs. She does all this with compassion and humor and expertly builds these details into the story.

In addition to Ben’s story, Rubin includes chapters about the mysterious “monster” responsible, but not its identity. Written in first-person, these chapters offer insight and suspenseful details as the story develops.

The plot moves at a steady pace and then, bam! Readers get what they’ve been waiting for: a thrilling confrontation between good and evil, with all sorts of unexpected twists. Even the final pages reveal additional developments, setting Ben and the rest of the characters up for the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Bone Hunger and look forward to the next in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Bone Hunger was a very fast paced book with strong characterization and plot. The hospital life of surgeons, residents, interns and nurses is described well, as is the process of reconstructive bone surgeries. The killer's thought process was interesting to read and gave a different perspective to the reader. This seems like a series that I will continue watching for.

I enjoyed this second book more than the first which surprised me. I loved all the red herrings, the plot twists, the pace of the story...it was a read that kept me entertained, had me guessing and made me question a lot of things as I read.

If you are looking for a gut clenching medical thriller with sometimes unbelievable plots, then this is the book for you.

This is number 2 in the series of a young orthopedic surgeon with an unconventional life. There is also an undertone of the unexplainable in this story that tends to enhance the atmosphere. Be prepared to laugh, cry, be scared and wait until you get to the ending. Surprise!

I going back and read the first one.

Never encountering the character Benjamin Orris before, I found him intriguing and fascinating. More of a medical mystery with some drama thrown in, surgical resident Benjamin Orris finds himself investigating heinous crimes involving the hacked off limbs of his patients. I will be looking for the first installment of this series.

My thanks to IBPA, Carrie Rubin and Netgalley.
I'm sorry I didn't read this book sooner. I'm also slightly pissed off that I may be late, but this review should count! This is one kick ass story!
It's on the shorter scale of pages..mid length. Either way, I ripped through it!
Anyone who knows anything about me knows my book loves. One I'm always looking for is Windigo.
That's all folks!
This is must see book?

i really enjoyed both this book and the first one. I loved the story itself and going on this journey with the characters. I hope there is more in the series.

The Bone Hunger is the second book in the Benjamin Oris series. I haven't read the first book but after reading this one, I am interested to know how it all begins for Benjamin Oris. Mix in reconstructive bone surgery, use of silver implants, and a killer that believes to be possessed by a human flesh eating monster of folklore, and you can easily call this a medical thriller with supernatural/occult vibes and it is a really good one too. This is not the first time that Benjamin has experienced something occult related (as hinted by what he went through in the first book) and by how the book ends, there is yet more to come. A very fast paced book with strong characterisation and plot. The hospital life of surgeons, residents, interns and nurses is described well, as is the process of reconstructive bone surgeries. The killer's thought process was interesting to read as well. This is definitely another series that I will be keeping an eye out for.

I received an e-Arc of the book from the publisher Indigo Dot Press and author Carrie Rubin via NetGalley.

The book was published on 11th August, 2020.

What a fast, fun thrill ride from beginning to end -- this begs to be read in a single sitting so I did just that. No fears if you haven't read the first book in the series as I had not either and the author gives enough backstory so you will get the gist of what happened to Benjamin almost 4 years prior to the current time and place.

Everything is going good for Dr. Benjamin Oris, 2nd year orthopedic resident at Montgomery Hospital in downtown Philadelphia, PA. His baby mama and he are co-parenting an adorable son and his friends, family, and colleagues are all ready to help him meet his goals. Of course since things are really looking up for Ben, something bad has to happen -- and it does. The first severed limb of one of Ben's joint replacement patients turns up in a park and causes quite a stir. Then a second. The surgical team that Ben is lucky enough to be on is on alert and their worries intensify as their patients are threatened and their operations seem more risky. Does this freakish spate of limbs and murders have anything to do with the recent trauma experienced by some of the team who were on a humanitarian mission to Alaska when their plane crashed in the wilderness? Is there something "otherworldly" afoot? NO SPOILERS.

I loved the medical information and the great writing; it's obvious that the author knows her topic. I also enjoyed the bit of "otherworldly" that came into play. It's just detailed and grisly enough to cause some suspense and it kept me guessing with the misdirection and red herrings. I surely hope to follow this up with book #3 in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Indigo Dot Press for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend.

The Bone Hunger is the second book of a series which follows our main character, Ben Oris. I enjoyed reading the book and recommend it. In the first book, Ben is a medical student who experienced a series of bizarre events that almost derailed his career in medicine. His life was further complicated in the first book by the birth of his son to a woman with whom he had a one-night encounter.

As this book begins, it is 3 years later and Ben is an orthopedic surgical resident and happily raising his son (he has joint custody along with the boy's mother, Sophia). While he and Sophia are hiking on a wooded trail near Philadelphia on a cold January day, they discover a severed leg. The leg just happens to belong to a patient Ben cared for after assisting with his recent knee replacement surgery. Soon, another body part from a former surgical patient (this time a hip replacement) turns up and Ben finds himself in the middle of a new set of mysterious occurrences.

Ben tries to make sense of what is happening around him and to his patients. Why are patients from this particular surgical team being victimized? Could one of his surgery colleagues be committing gruesome crimes? Might Sophia become one of the next victims? As these questions emerge, the reader is also privy to the escalating and desperate thoughts of "the monster". This is an intelligent dive into the life of a surgical resident, bizarre psychoses and the collision of these two worlds. It is worth a read. However, the narratives and settings felt somewhat unnatural even though the development of the main, recurring characters is well done. A more eloquent and flowing writing style would have bumped it up to 4 stars for me.

Okay, now it is pet peeve time. Given that the author is a physician, I was disappointed by a couple of specific things regarding biomedical aspects of the story. Not once did the characters mention using the serial number of an implanted medical device as a way to identify the victims belonging to their severed limbs. Instead, a couple of times, there is just a cursory mention of "using DNA" but no realistic description of how an identity would be made. In addition, it struck me as odd when the author described a patient as having "Crohn's arthritis". As a research immunologist who works closely with rheumatologists, I have never heard this exact phrase. It is true that patients with Crohn's disease (a form of inflammatory bowel disease) can sometimes present with additional manifestations of a larger disease category called spondyloarthropathies, and this can include some forms of arthritis. But the specific term "Crohn's arthritis" is a new one for me!

I thank NetGalley and the publisher, Indigo Dot Press, for a free ARC. This is my honest and unbiased review of The Bone Hunger.

Bone Hunger is a genre-bending medical thriller, murder mystery and paranormal hair-raiser, all rolled into one. It features a second year orthopedic surgery resident named Benjamin Oris, who’s the star pupil on a knee and hip replacement team under the tutelage of the illustrious Dr. Kent Lock, at Philadelphia’s Montgomery Hospital.
The novel—and the trouble—begins when Ben discovers the severed leg of one of his former patients while out for a run in the park. Not only is the leg severed, it shows bite marks, a roadrunner tattoo . . . and the surgical implant Dr. Oris helped install just two weeks earlier. But the patient, who hadn’t been following orders to exercise, had died in front of Ben from a blood clot in one of his lungs. The police, the hospital administration, and the surgical team all question Dr. Oris, who’s had some problems in the past. Then, more body parts start showing up . . . and the killings and mutilations become more frequent . . . while the tension and suspense ratchets up with every page. Each new revelation deepens the mystery and enlarges the suspect pool in this complex medical thriller. It will leave you feeling as if you’re ready to scrub in for the next orthopedic surgery with the same team that recently survived a plane crash in wintertime in Alaska, and five days without food, while on a humanitarian mission. The Bone Hunger has more twists and turns than the Iditarod Race. It’ll keep you guessing until the end and hollering for more from Carrie Rubin, a woman with a special gift for writing and a serial character you’ll admire, if not love, named Dr. Ben Oris!

I received a complimentary ARC copy of The Bone Hunger (Benjamin Oris, Book 2) by Carrie Rubin from NetGalley and Indigo Dot Press in order to read and give an honest review.

"…in this brilliantly executed, clever, page turning psychological medical thriller…"

Having read and reviewed the Author’s first book Bone Curse I was thrilled to get to read and review her second entry in the Dr. Benjamin Oris series. I am pleased to say Bone Hunger definitely did not disappoint. This is an excellent follow up but is also a perfect stand alone.

The Bone Hunger takes place three years after the horrifying events which occurred in the Bone Curse. Ben Otis has worked hard to get his professional life back on track. Working as a second year orthopedic surgical resident who is brought in to be part of a tightly knit surgical team run by the prestigious Dr. Lock. The team endured a horrific trauma and although the odd man out Ben is earning the respect of Dr. Lock and his colleagues. When a patient dies post op Ben is upset, but events take a gruesome turn. While out jogging with his family they find a severed leg with the implant Ben himself put in which Ben recognizes as his deceased patient’s lying in the morgue. When another patient goes missing and their amputated limb is found this time harvested from a once living patient Ben’s past reputation puts him on the detective’s radar. Without giving away too much this book takes surprising twists and turns when the body count goes up. When an old friend, Laurette, introduces Ben to a well-respected forensic psychologist the race is on to catch the killer, clear Ben’s name and save his loved ones.

Being a physician, author Carrie Rubin gives you the goods in this brilliantly executed, clever, page turning psychological medical thriller. Cannot wait to read the next in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend!

I read the first book in this series, and I really liked it which meant I was excited to read this next one. Ben has his act together much more in this one, which starts 3 ½ years after the end of the first one. I was a little surprised that Ben took so long to do something, but at least it sort of happens in this one…confused? You’ll have to read it as I don’t want to spoil it. It doesn’t take long to get immersed in the story, and I really found the plot of this one very interesting. The only downside, if you could really call it a downside, is the explanations of all the medical terminology, parts, etc. I’m not real big on that, but I think others might like it. I am really looking forward to the next with what happened at the end; I knew something like that would probably happen, but not in the way it did and what was said. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

The Bone Hunger – Carrie Rubin
Benjamin Oris – Book 2
Pub – 8/11/20
Published by Indigo Dot Press

I love medical suspense thrillers so my attention was immediately grabbed as I found the story line to be extremely compelling. Benjamin Oris, a 2nd year orthopedic surgery resident, gets pulled into an investigation involving the amputation of limbs and missing patients.

I didn’t realize that this was the second book in a series, unless I was halfway finished, so I just continued reading it. It says in the description that it can also be considered a standalone novel. I plan on reading the first in the series and have already purchased it.

The book did not hold up to my initial expectations due to the fact that there were so many players in the game and they were not all fully realized. Keeping track of who was who became a cumbersome task. We were told too many extraneous details about each person (i.e. their job title and how long they had been at the facility), but did not have the ability to really learn much else about them. Their core identity was barely scratched upon and the characters started to become muddled and chaotic. The ones that were described intimately became significant to me, but I couldn’t keep my interest going at the level required to really invest in some of the plot twists or the people involved, other than Ben and his immediate circle of friends and family.

All in all, I will continue to read this series and other books by this author.

I thank NetGalley and Indigo Dot Press for the ARC.

The Bone Hunger takes an interesting look on the psychology of murders and how they come to be. Carrie Rubin takes us on a journey with Benjamin Oris, who is a second year orthopaedic surgery resident. Things are looking well for his career until limbs from his former patients start turning up in parks. As he becomes one of the main suspects, the need to find the truth becomes more pressing. Along with a friend and her forensic-psychiatrist colleague, they must find the killer before someone close to Ben becomes the next victim.
This medical thriller is well paced and keeps you constantly wondering who the serial killer until the end. It provides a refreshing change by providing a psychological reason why they killer is killing. The chapters told by the killer was an enjoyable tease that left you wanting more. This is the second book in the Benjamin Oris series, however it can be read as a stand-alone with no confusion.
Recommend to those that are looking for a change in the typical murder mystery as the medical and psychologic views make for an interesting read.

Publishing Date August 11, 2020

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC. #TheBoneHunger #NetGalley

The Bone Hunger is the 2nd book in the series following Ben Oris, 2nd year surgical resident. It was not necessary to read the first book to keep up with this one. There was enough back story provided to keep up.

We have Ben, doing his job, being a good tenant to his landlord who's losing her vision, and a great father when body parts of his orthopedic patients start being found on the running trails that he frequents. This story had a lot of promise, in my opinion, but I didn't love it. I found the central characters to be great. I loved Ben and all of the central characters.

The basis for my opinion was the story line. I didn't feel like everything fit well. The Alaska plane crash was heavily focused on, but left a lot of be desired. The murderer and their reasoning was a bit far fetched for me. I was finding myself turning pages. just to get through.

I will absolutely be excited to see what happens in book 3, in spite of my opinion on this one.

A special thank you to NetGalley, Indigo Dot Press, and Carrie Rubin for providing me with an ARC.

Cleverly plotted medical thriller which raises the question - what do you do when the people you trust your life with decide to take matters into their own hands

An orthopedic surgeon and the mother of his son go on a regular walk through the park with their dog - and stumble across a dismembered leg - which the surgeon identifies as belonging to the patient he operated on only a couple of weeks ago! More murdered patients and severed off limbs turn up, each with a connection to the surgeon, as he is pulled deeper into the quagmire of the ensuing police investigation.

This book is second in the Benjamin Oris series by physician-turned-writer Carrie Rubin. While it is nice to have read The Bone Curse, the first book in the series, this book can also be enjoyed on its own. It does reference the first book a few times, but remains spoiler-free. That being said, the ending of The Bone Hunger does hint at a third book.

The refreshing chemistry between Ben and Laurette and their intelligent back and forth medical banter forms the perfect counterpoise to the undercurrent of tension that runs throughout this book. The author does justice to the medical fraternity shining a light on all the stress that they face in their day to day life.
While I mostly enjoyed reading this book, the ending did seem a bit too convenient for me.

5 star read! An exhilarating read and is highly recommended for fans of thriller books of the medical variety

Huge thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing me a digital copy of this book.
#TheBoneHunger #NetGalley

3 years ago, a horrid and freakish thread of events nearly derailed 2nd-year resident Benjamin Oris’ life. He’s moved on since then and works hard to gain the respect of his superiors. He’s extremely happy to be chosen for the team of reconstructive surgeon dr Lock.
On a winter walk with his dog and baby-mama, they find the severed leg of a patient that Ben operated on 2 weeks earlier. The unfortunate man died 2 days ago from pulmonary emboli: The police and hospital both think it’s a distasteful prank by students.
When the upper thigh with the hip replacement still present of another one of his patients turns up in another park, the police start questioning him. This patient was alive and well when she disappeared. The most gruesome bit here is that there are human bite marks on the leg. And this is not the last severed limb of a patient that is found. So when Sophia (the mother of his son) is scheduled for a knee replacement, Ben fears that she might be the next victim.
Most of the surgery team have recently survived a plane crash in Alaska, where they fought 5 days against starvation and the freezing cold. In short intermissions, we witness the struggle of someone fighting against the beast that got hold of him/her and is now inside and it hungers for bone-marrow and flesh.

This was a very intriguing, interesting, and thrilling book; interesting because it tackles and describes various mental illnesses and theories. As well it gives a wide range of information about orthopaedic surgery and various aspects of it. It’s not a scientific work of course, but I always like it when a writer knows what she’s talking about and this certainly seems to be the case here. Maybe the cases discussed in this book are very uncommon and not too realistic, the scenario is still plausible.
The story was full of suspense with several twists and subplots: an intern with a drug problem, a surgeon stealing the concept for silver implants by this resident, cannibalism, a possible wendigo turned loose, the romantic and personal interests of Ben, and a touch of the supernatural … There’s no dull moment in this book.
I was and still am curious about those tragic events that took place in the first book. There are several references to those but they’re not explained as to what exactly has happened. It piqued my interest enough to try reading it anyway.
Something that has nothing to do with this book as such, but when I googled some of the parks mentioned in the book, it dawned on me that the word ‘park’ carries a very different meaning over here than it does in the States. Sometimes it’s hard for someone from Belgium to visualise the scale of American cities and parks and how close to each other both are. We have built up nearly the whole of our countryside and driving from 1 city to the next town shows little to no countryside as such. Even the British label our Belgian city parks as simple ‘greens’; let alone the size of the Philadelphia parks that are still present in a city with a population 3 times that of Antwerp. If there’s anything about the USA that I envy it’s their vast nature parks.
This book is many things, a medical thriller, a murder mystery with some sprinkles of the supernatural, and romance are thrown in. Carrie Rubin used a very good mix of ingredients that cooked up a very tasty dinner. And I wait with pleasure for the next volume, as Ben’s story clearly, isn’t finished.
I thank NetGalley and Indigo Dot Press for the free ARC they provided for me, this is my honest and unbiased review of it.