I very much enjoyed this author’s first book, The Molten Mud Murder. I liked the New Zealand setting, the attention to culture and, of course, the story itself. Now, Ms. Johnson has had four books published with a fifth coming out in June.

In The Bone Track, the author brings everything that I loved about her earlier book to the novel. This time, Alexa, a forensic investigator is hoping to spend time hiking the Milford Trail with her brother. Of course, their plans are disrupted. There are historic bones to be examined but, unfortunately, also bones that are more modern. This leads to an investigation. There is also an additional murder so Alexa is kept quite busy.

I recommend this entry in the series and all of the books by this author. They offer something a bit different. Anyone who has enjoyed novels by the Australian Jane Harper will want to give this New Zealand set series a try.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. The main character is a traveling forensic investigator who specializes in odontology. A 4-day, 33 mile hike in the wilderness of New Zealand turns into more work when a flash flood reveals skeletal remains and a much more recent suspicious death. The cast of characters were amazing and added confusion and suspicion to every inch of this rugged thriller.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of The Bone Track by Sara E. Johnson in exchange for an honest review. I was originally interested in this book because the main character, Alexa Glock, is a forensic scientist and it's set in New Zealand. I am a Criminal Justice graduate and I have always wanted to go to New Zealand. I really want to read the first books in the series now, because this was a fantastic book and really held my attention.

The Bone Track is the third book in the Alexa Glock Forensics Mysteries series, but my first by this author. Alexa and her brother Charlie have planned a reunion as well as what should be a fun hike through New Zealand’s Milford Track. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned. After a landslide, Alexa, a forensic odontologist with Forensic Service Center in Auckland, NZ, stumbles upon the bones of a body of a murdered man. As she reports this crime and calls in reinforcements, another body turns up. Things are going to get very hectic as Alexa tries to solve these crimes and keep herself alive. This novel is a well-written page-turner has entertaining characters and incredible descriptions of the New Zealand wilderness. I will definitely have to check out more books by this author. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I love a good book that is not too long as then I can read more of them. This book falls into that category for me and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Having been to New Zealand and seen some of the wonderful sights in the area of Milford Sound I could just imagine the location. They book is well written with a mix of culture, murder, mystery, investigative skills. The characters are great, they bring personality and depth to the story with Alexa being someone so real.

A great read which flows well, has an interesting plot and although is part of a series, it is a stand alone read.

Great book and now I need to go back and read the previous ones as this author has peaked my interest.

I am a sucker for an atmospheric mystery and I really thought this one would fit the bill. Set in the Milford Tracker in New Zealand, it follow forensic investigator, Alexa Glock, on vacation with her brother when they stumble into two seemingly separate cases of murder. Unfortunately, I just did not like the main character which really stopped me from getting into the story - I cringed every time the character "took charge" or lamented over her detective crush. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a chance to read and review this book.

In an effort to reconnect with her estranged brother Charlie, Crime scene specialist Alexa Glock has talked him into trekking New Zealand's remote Milford Track together. Unfortunately their backpacking trip seems ill-fated from the start, when she must stop on the way to examine nine skeletons—most likely Maori tribespeople—whose graves have been unearthed by highway construction. Before she opens the first casket, a Maori elder gives her a dire warning: "The viewing of bones can unleash misfortune to the living. Or worse."

Though Alexa dismisses his words as superstitious, they come back to haunt her as their hike quickly takes a sinister turn. First, Charlie is aloof and resentful of the time Alexa has spent working, and seems intent of avoiding her. Next, an avalanche nearly carries her away, uncovering the skeletal remains of someone who has clearly been stabbed to death in its wake.. When a fellow hiker goes missing and is later found dead, Alexa has all she can do to focus on the science as she investigates two murders, while trying to avoid getting herself or Charlie killed.

This isn't the first book in the Alexa Glock series, but it is the first one I've read and does very well as a stand alone., despite the occasional brief references to things that happened in preceding books.

Dr Alexa Glock is looking forward to spending time with her estranged younger brother Charlie. They’ve arranged a several-day long hike on the hiking trail in New Zealand, where she has lived and worked for a while. Alexa has been working for the Forensic services, using her specialty (teeth) in forensic examinations.

Alexa can’t leave her work behind her even on vacation, when she stumbles upon a skeleton, is deliberately almost flattened by a helicopter pilot lifting rocks out of the park, then must help police determine the cause of death when one of the hikers on the trail is found dead.

I’ve not read the previous instalments, but enjoyed this story, which held my attention from its opening. Alexa is occasionally irritating, but the author quickly shows how Alexa is much more comfortable with the complexity of a forensic investigation than with conversing with people.

The two different deaths required police presence, and we meet Alexa’s crush, DI Bruce Horne, and lead on both cases. I liked her ambivalence to their relationship, which is complicated by their roles.

The story moved well, and I’m intrigued by the mix of murder investigation, Māori culture, and Alexa’s fumbling attempts at connecting with people, to search for this author’s earlier books in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This is book 3 in the Alexa Glock series. I have not read the previous 2, but maybe now I will.

Alexa Glock is a forensics specialist and her speciality is teeth. She is 100% devoted to and obsessed with her job, which leaves her little time for no interest in anything else.

Her younger brother, Charlie, has flown down from the US to come and visit her in New Zealand, where she works now, and they have planned a trek on the Milford Track in the Fiordland National Park.

On their way there, she makes a quick stop to examine the teeth of nine bodies that were discovered on a coastal road near Wellington, to determine their age. The elder of the tribe tells her that looking at the bones will bring bad luck and danger, but it's her job and she's gotta do it.

The first 20 per cent of the book is more or less 'setting the scene', and it's only after that that the action begins. On the hike, she gets separated from the rest of the hikers and stumbles on a skeleton that she estimates has been buried for up to twenty years. The same day, a helicopter pilot tries to kill her by knocking her out with a huge bag of rocks that are usually used to control flooding.

When she reaches the nearest lodge, she discovers that a trekker is missing, and she and some other hikers set off to locate her, but to no avail. When she and Charlie go to search for her, he almost drowns when the bridge flips over, and they accidentally discover the body of the missing trekker.

When they bring the body back, Alexa examines it and finds that she might have been murdered, because of some marks found on the body.
Thus begins an investigation, into the two murders-one of the dead trekker, a doctor named Diana, and the skeleton that was found by her earlier. The doctor's case is titled 'Black Diamond' after the brand of the murder weapon (a trekking pole found at the scene of the crime) and the skeleton case is called 'The Bone Track'.

There are a bunch of suspects: Diana's sister Rosie, with who she did not have a very cordial relationship with, or her assistant Larry, or maybe the medical rep Cassandra, who she brought along on the trip with her. If you dig deep enough, a lot of them have their motives. However, it always turns out to be the one you least suspect, right?

Except that I just don't understand why someone would come all this way to kill the doctor. Yes, safety in numbers, one can get lost in the crowd, avoid detection and all of that, and frame someone else, but still. So much could go wrong.

In the case of the skeleton, a parallel investigation is being carried out and based on a belt buckle found at the scene, they are able to trace the murder victim, who happened to be a Maori greenstone carver. Greenstone is a semi-precious stone that is found in large quantities in that area, and there is a dispute regarding possession of the stone and therefore it is sold in the black market. But is the skeleton the reason why the helicopter pilot was trying to kill her? What secrets does it hold?

The skeleton mystery was the lesser interesting of the two, and I think most readers would guess the culprits pretty much immediately, so there was not much suspense in that plot.

I loved that the story was set in New Zealand. There was a lot to discover about the place, its culture and its people and flora and fauna. And the fact that it takes place in a National Park just adds to that outdoorsy flavour.

There are some passages in the book where I felt that the author just wanted to flex about her in-depth knowledge of science and forensics, which results in Alexa Glock giving us a 101 about whatever she thinks the other person is too dumb to know. There are a few forensic procedures, that while it's nice to know about, get a bit too technical and science-y sometimes.

Alexa Glock is completely unlikeable. She is an automaton, who avoids emotions and meaningful human interactions like the plague. There are many times throughout the book when either her life or the life of someone else is in danger, and all she can think about is the evidence, despite the apparent danger to human life!

She has a history of 'love them and leave them' relationships, and her relationship with her brother is a bit awkward. Her mother died when she was little, and her father remarried. She is convinced that an accident that she had when she was a little girl was caused on purpose by her stepmother who was happy to see her hurt, and refuses to accept her as her new mother. She's impatient and judgmental and has a hard time holding her tongue when she disapproves of things. This obsession that she has with her work-there's no way that's healthy.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book a great deal. Apart from the mysteries, I also really enjoyed the descriptions of nature that is the setting for this novel. And even though I don't particularly like the character of Alexa Glock, I think I might enjoy the other books in these series as well, because if this novel is anything to go by, then there is a lot more to enjoy in the book, even if I disregard her character.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is true to its genre. It has everything a murder mystery should: murder, twists, red herrings, several attempts to kill the main character, and a ton of suspects. I realized almost halfway through that this is a third in a series, but it didn't really affect my reading experience. I felt like I knew the main character very well. The backstory made sense and, unlike in so many other stories, added to the realisticness of the character. I was hooked about a third of the way in. The book also taught me a lot about New Zealand and the Maori culture. Why anyone would go on a trek/hike is beyond me. I don't think I will ever go on a hike after reading this book, because of the exhaustion, and the murder. This book is similar to Kathy Reichs's books. It's why I picked it up. It's perfect for anyone who is looking for a novel about navigating both the past and family relationships amid a series of murders and almost-murders against a petrifying natural backdrop.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, I was provided an ARC of The Bone Track by Sara E. Johnson via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

******Coming out Feb 15, 2022******


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A fun smart mystery that will have you hooked from the first page to the last.

Alexa Glock, a forensic investigator, lives in New Zealand where she works closely with the authorities to identify bodies. She loves what she does, so it’s hard for her to take a break. She even packs her work crime kit in case she stumbles upon remains on her trip.

Prior to her brother’s arrival, what was thought to be historic remains were found. The day she picks her brother up from the airport, she informs him she will have to work prior to their backpacking trip. He is annoyed, but knows he can’t change it.

Alexa is asked to examine the historic remains, but is warned if she does that she could be cursed. She doesn’t really believe it, so goes ahead to examine them. Will Alexa end up being cursed on their trip?This book will have you turning the pages to find out!

I loved all the New Zealand and forensics facts, it was a great addition to this mystery! This author kept you entertained with all the unexpected twists in turns that unfolded in this book! Definitely one to check out if you love a good mystery!

Even though this is the 3rd book in the Alexa Glock Series, it can be read as a stand alone!

Alexa, an American forensic odontologist (how cool) working in New Zealand, thought it would be good a idea to take her semi-estranged brother Charlie who is visiting from North Carolina, on a hike. Not so much. The two of them are separated, Alexa discovers a skeleton, then she's asked to look at skeletons that have been unearthed by a construction project, and well, then she's the one in the cross hairs. She should have listened to the Maori chief. I've only read the first book in this series- this latest will be fine as a standalone. It's hard to categorize but I enjoyed both books for the New Zealand setting and the atmospherics. Things get a bit out of hand here but Alexa is a unique character and this is a good read. Thanks to Nergalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy.

Oh my goodness, as a trail runner, I was hooked. I was also scared silly!! I kept thinking about this book as I ran along my own favorite trails, thinking I was hearing another set of foot prints with each step I took.

Johnson’s descriptions were so clear, and the feelings were so palpable, jumping right off the page into my own consciousness. I couldn’t stop reading! Warning if you are a trail runner, this will make you jump out of your skin at any noise, but the thrill is absolutely worth it!

🌿🔍Great setting: plenty of suspects for murder mystery set in the great New Zealand outdoors🌏

4.5🌟 stars
First, I loved the setting of this book. The author has chosen a different, uniquely New Zealand setting for each murder mystery in this series and the Milford Track (a multi-day wilderness hike through Fiordland National Park), the setting here, gives so much scope for a dramatic chase and discovery of long-concealed secrets.

American transplant to Auckland/forensics expert Alexa, the lead, seems to be a magnet for danger and drama. Come to think of it, so is her brother who is visiting her from North Carolina😯. As she and her brother Charlie proceed on the wilderness trek, every stop, planned and extemporaneous, brings surprises and often, mortal threat. The story weaves between the investigation of two deaths and whether they may be linked to a fellow hiker on the trail from Te Anau to the Milford Sound. Even on her trek, this super-organized heroine carries a forensic kit and she is constantly putting it to good use!

With plenty of suspects, action and a tiny touch of romance on the side, I found the murder mystery a great bit of escape from the dreary days of a northern winter. There's also some interesting information on Maori culture and the importance of pounamu (New Zealand greenstone).

If you are a fan of forensic investigation, this has plenty of detail. Yet, it's done and explained so well that even forensic newbies will enjoy reading about Alexa's ingenuity as she takes her limited, portable forensic kit and makes it work in the middle of a technology dead zone.

There's also some relationship and character development for Alexa and her brother, and for Alexa's nascent romantic connection with her Detective Inspector associate Bruce. I liked the touch of romance: just a touch that allows the murder investigation to remain the front and center focus.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

A Macabre Turn…
The third in the Alexa Glock Forensics Mystery series finds Alexa on a doomed hiking trip. The remote Milford Track in New Zealand is alluring and offers a chance for Alexa to bond with her brother. Events are soon to take a macabre turn. With a well drawn and credible cast of characters, solid research and with an equally solid mystery at its’ heart, this is an enjoyable outing in the series and a worthy addition to the books to date.

Forensics on a famous hiking trail…

The Bone Track is the third in Sara E Johnson’s Alexa Glock series, set in New Zealand. Although I haven’t read the first two books, I was interested in The Bone Track both because of Alexa’s forensic science background, and because I have a bit of a thing for books set in New Zealand. And it lived up to my expectations on both fronts.

As the book opens, Alexa and her brother Charlie are starting on one of New Zealand’s “Great Walks”, the Milford Track. But things seem to go wrong almost from the beginning. Emotions between Alexa and Charlie are tense due to some years-old family issues, and, making things worse, they manage to get separated almost at the beginning of the “tramp”, as it’s known in NZ. Although this shouldn’t be a huge deal, since they can just meet up at that night’s sleeping hut, it turns out to be more complicated than that. While they’re apart, Alexa comes far too close to being caught in a dangerous mudslide, which also exposes the twenty-year-old-ish human bones that become the first of the two cases in The Bone Track. And minutes later someone in a helicopter tries to kill her. Since there’s no cell phone coverage on the Mitford Track, she heads for the closest lodge to report the incidents. There, though, she also learns that one of the other trampers is missing - and later found dead. So there’s a second case as well. Whew! Like any good investigator, Alexa has brought along her scene-of-the-crime kit (or at least most of it), so she starts to investigate both deaths, and the story takes off from there.

I loved the forensics in The Bone Track, which I found fascinating. I especially liked the scene where Alexa borrows the cheese from the lodge’s cook – you’ll recognize it when you get to it! And even though Johnson indicates in a note at the end that she made up some of the specific places used in the book, her overall descriptions of the Milford Track and the main sites along the way are wonderful. (I was inspired enough to go read more about the Track, and recognized the various huts/lodges, the day shelters, some of the waterfalls, the Mackinnon pass, etc.)

All-in-all, I really enjoyed following along as Alexa and the police cooperated to figure out whodunnit (x 2). I did have some minor reservations, however, around the high level of angst in parts of the book: Alexa’s relationship with Charlie, Charlie’s problems at home, Alexa’s relationship with DI Horne. Mostly this is personal preference – I’ve never been a big fan of extra angst in my mysteries. In the end, though, I found that I kind of skimmed quickly over some of those parts, without feeling as if I missed much that was super-relevant to the investigations, so this wasn't really a big deal.

Please keep in mind that I try to fight star-flation a little by not giving too many five-star ratings, and so my four-star review for The Bone Track is a solid “read this book” rating. And my thanks to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for the advance review copy!

An interesting plot set in the New Zealand hiking trail. As a first book set in this country for me, I liked it and worked well as a stand-alone. Some places had too much of descriptions on forensic practices causing a distraction. Would work well for readers of suspense thrillers.

Synopsis:
Alexa Glock is a forensic investigation decides to reconnect with her brother by taking a hike. While on the hike a mudslide unearthed bones. She does her best to investigate with no cell service and limited supplies. To make matters worse, one of the hikers turned up dead under suspicious circumstances.

My Thoughts:
This is a pretty typical whodunit mystery/crime fiction novel. I did not know that it was a series but I think it worked fine as a standalone. It was a little too descriptive for me but I know a lot of people really like that. There was two different storylines happening at the same time which I didn't love. I enjoyed the hiker mystery a bit more. I think people who are fan of crime thrillers will love this one.

"A nature trek turns dangerous when the wilderness gives up its bones...

New Zealand's remote Milford Track seems the perfect place for forensic investigator Alexa Glock to reconnect with her brother Charlie, with whom she hasn't spent much time since they were kids. Their backpacking trip seems ill-fated from the start, though, when she must stop on the way to examine nine skeletons - most likely Maori tribespeople - whose graves have been unearthed by highway construction. Before she opens the first casket, a Maori elder gives her a dire warning: "The viewing of bones can unleash misfortune to the living. Or worse."

Though Alexa dismisses his words as superstitious, they soon come back to haunt her as the idyllic hike takes a sinister turn. First, Charlie is aloof and resentful of the time Alexa has spent at work. Then a rock avalanche nearly carries her away as it reveals the skeletal remains of someone who has clearly been stabbed to death. When a fellow hiker goes missing and is later found dead, Alexa has all she can do to focus on the science as she investigates two murders, while trying not to become the third victim."

I am all about New Zealand lately.

siblings, New Zealand, Māori, suspense, suspicion, law-enforcement, family-dynamics, friendship, forensics, PTSD, cultural-exploration, cultural-heritage, curse, murder, murder-investigation, relationships*****

A Maori curse, a skeleton uncovered, a hiking excursion, a rockslide, a reconnection with a brother from away, a new murder, more danger. Definitely riveting!
Alexa Glock is a forensic odontologist living and working in New Zealand on a visa from the US. Her brother from their home state in the Carolinas has come to decompress from problems at home and reconnect with Alexa while trekking a difficult trail. First Alexa finds a skeleton of a murdered man, then everything goes wrong. Then her brother finds the body of a currently missing hiker. Bring in the law enforcement team (by helicopter). Fast paced and with lots of things to learn. I love the realistic detailing of this beautiful country including hiking trails and violent weather.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!