This is a great locked-room mystery set in a college campus during a major snow storm. No one can get out or in because of the snow. Years before a female student disappeared and a professor died while searching for her. Now the president is wanting to remember the event and the students who were there at the time are gathering for the event. I won't say more other than a couple of the alumni die at this event in interesting ways that only this group would understand. Who is to blame? A good read!
Thank you to William Morrow Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC!

I have been a fan girl of Carol Goodman since her very first novel (“Lake of Dead Languages”), so I was thrilled with a chance to review her latest, “Bones of the Story.”

Goodman is a master at creating a bone-chilling story with unexpected twists. Here, we meet Nell, Briarwood dean and alumni. Nell was part of a select group of writers who were fortunate to study under the tutelage of a well-known author (Hugo Moss) who might be past his prime. But the disappearance of a student leads to his death.

Twenty-five years later, Briarwood is having an event to commemorate Moss and announce the new writer’s in residence. Many of Nell’s former classmates return, but a storm keeps them trapped together, and one by one, these classmates drop dead.

Told from Nell’s perspective in the past and present, Goodman does an excellent job in withholding information until just the right moment.

There are traits to a Goodman novel you’ll always find—the gothic eeriness, the main character being a writer, tied to academia, or both, and a tale that will keep you guessing. I honestly could not get this one figured out, which happens so rarely.

Four and a half stars.

Many thanks to the author, NetGalley and publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am grateful to the author, William Morrow and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This is a story with familiar elements—the swanky, prestigious college whose grads, some rich and some disadvantaged, hanging on to success by a fingernail, are coming back together after years apart in the wake of a tragic crime in which all are complicit. Or are they?

I found myself completely aloof from the characters, particularly our heroine, who seems stuck with the same chip on her shoulder as in her teens. Is she worthy to be at this school in her boring administrative role? I don’t know, but I’d have run for the hills to be anywhere else and away from her absurd, abusive boss.

People start dying—violently, as a winter storm wages outside. Will the secrets come out, will we get to the mysterious caves and will sparks fly in a redeeming manner between the most unlikely characters? Of course they will.

The resolution brought some satisfaction but not enough for my tastes. 3 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this book.

First off, I'm a huge Carol Goodman fan. She's the reigning queen of the dark academic novel and, because she has experience in academia, she always uses the setting to great advantage. While most of Goodman's background seems to be in mythology, she also plays around with fairy tales and the Gothic, which--full disclosure--are my fields, so her infusion of real texts and tales into her fiction is a huge draw for me.

In this novel, we see a conflation of the academic setting (an elite NY college where our working-class protagonist goes on scholarship), a homage to And Then There Were None, and peripheral smatterings of 19th-century Gothic and poetic tropes (most effectively used is "The Lady of Shalott"). The novel shifts between then and now--where our protagonist has risen to Dean of said college and is involved in the hosting of her old college classmates at a sort of reunion weekend. And then the murders begin.

The novel moves at a rapid-fire pace. There are some clues that the astute reader will pick up along the way that will increase her need to get to the end of the story. Overall, this is a great novel told by a talented mystery writer. And if you like this one, keep on reading Goodman. She's really a gem--if you like academic settings, you don't want to miss Goodman.

Oh, Carol Goodman! You have brought your A-Game with "The Bones of the Story!"

This book has brought back your tales of Dark Academia, AND you threw in an Agatha Christie twist?? Absolute. Perfection. I'm pretty sure this has ousted all the others as my favorite from your bibliography. (Sorry, Not Sorry "The Widow's House" and "River Road!")

Within "The Bones of the Story," we get to watch the new lives of old friends as they reconnect at their eerie alma mater, and how their academic past could ruin all they have accomplished.

Who's the Killer? Who all will die? I couldn't turn the pages fast enough...

This is a SOLID 5-star read and, once it is released, I will absolutely own it in multiple formats. Most esp. in audio, so that I can listen to it while falling asleep - like I do with so many of Carol Goodman's other riveting stories.

Loved the spooky setting of the book, with a school building that seemed haunted and dead characters coming back to life. Will be recommending this book for a great summer read.

It’s been 25 years since a student and a beloved writing professor vanished from Briarwood College but a recent discovery has unearthed bones that brings the past back up. Even with the discovery, the show must go on and an alumni event to raise money for a writing program is still taking place. With a winter storm approaching, a group of former students who were last to have been seen with the missing student and professor gather for a weekend of nostalgia and murder. Someone wants revenge from the sins of the past.

A locked room mystery during a winter storm is definitely my jam and this book was hard to put down at times. Although I did guess a twist early on it did not stop me from wanting to read on and find out the whole truth. This book transitions from the present to the past which I love in a book. A definite must read during those hot summer days!

Twisty

Twenty five years ago a female student disappeared at Briarwood College's campus. A writing professor, Hugo Moss, died while searching for her.

Despite scholarship student Nina Lawson accidentally falling down a cave to the exact place where the bones of the missing corpse have been for years, Hotch has no intention of postponing the event. He plans to bring in famous author Laine Bishop to raise awareness and funds for the creative writing program.

I thought both past and present timelines were easy to follow and found both storylines engrossing. For every answer we're given, another question comes to the surface, and the reader is continuously tantalized with hints as to the dark secrets in the characters shared past. The tension slowly but steadily increases as we move thru the story, with past events and their impact on current events revealed.
The last third of the book moves things into high gear and crosses from a straight mystery to more of a mystery/thriller mashup. This is the first book I've read by this author. I would be interested in checking out more books by Ms. Goodman.
A solid, page-turning locked room mystery. I rate this a 4 out of 5 stars.

I've been reading Carol Goodman for a long time, and I'm always excited when she has a new book coming. I love the whole dark academia theme! The Bones of the Story follows a group of former college classmates, as they return to their school 25 years later, to commemorate the death of a favorite professor and fundraise. Of course, all is not what it seems, and secrets the friends have been keeping for 25 years have a way of getting out... I will say, I saw the twist in this one coming from a mile away - so there weren't a lot of big surprises for me, but there were enough things that did catch me off guard that I'm glad I read it. Maybe not my favorite from the author, but I would definitely recommend this!

I am starting to feel like I sound like a broken record lately because I have been blessed to have had the good fortune of reading excellent book after excellent book.... this one was no exception. I found myself staying up late and missing appointments in order to read this book. I don't think I have read anything else by this author, but she is so incredibly talented that I will absolutely look for future titles. Definitely will recommend.

Hideous, ominous, and bone-chilling, but also riveting, captivating, and unputdownable, this dark academia novel is everything a true Agatha Christie fan needs. With its unreliable, flawed characters, claustrophobic atmosphere, blizzard, caves, ghosts lurking around the estates, secret societies, perfect Edgar Allan Poe references, fast-paced storytelling that moves back and forth, and a mysterious whodunnit theme that keeps you guessing from beginning to end, it delivers smart, unpredictable, jaw-dropping twists and an epic conclusion.

The story takes place at Briarwood College's campus, where a tragic event happened 25 years ago, resulting in the death of a legendary teacher and an aspiring student. The college president, Hotch, is determined to exploit this tragedy to bring together faculty, donors, and alumni to honor the victims at the 25th-anniversary commemoration event.

This is my first Carol Goodman novel, and it won’t be my last. The story did start off a little slow for me but when it picked up boy did it pick up. I enjoyed reading about Briarwood College which was as much a character as any of the people. I appreciate Goodman naming various other works the students were reading. I added them all to my tbr. I have seen some complaints about it taking up too much space. For me, the references added to the overall mood of the story.

I only have two complaints. One, I figured out one of the twists very early on. It didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book, but I do wish it had been a little more subtle. The second is that I didn’t care about the Now part of the book as much as the Then part. That is personal though. All in all, a very enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone that enjoys dark academia books.

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

This story is set at Briarwood College in the present time with flashbacks to twenty-five years ago when a female student disappeared and a professor died while searching for her. In the present, days before a reunion at the college, a student discovers human remains in a cave near campus.

The first third of the book or more sets up the story and several of the characters before it starts to get interesting.
But it is entertaining, once it picks up. It almost has a gothic tone to the story. Overall, an enjoyable read!

A student’s disappearance. A professor’s death. Twenty five years later, the deaths begin again.

Nell Portman is the Dean of Liberal Arts at Briarwood, a small college in the shadows of the Catskill Mountains. The school, like many of its peers, is struggling to regain full enrollments and solid finances after the COVID years. One effort in this regard is the re-opening of the Wilder Writers’ House on campus, and a reception to both celebrate its relaunch as well as a tribute to the first (and, thus far only) writer-in-residence, Professor Hugo Moss, who died 25 years ago while helping to search for a young student who was missing. Nell was a student at Briarwood when that happened, a scholarship student who felt undeserving of her place at the school until she became part of privileged Laine Bishop’s crowd and, ultimately, part of the Raven Society, the senior students chosen to study Creative Writing under Professor Moss. His death and the student’s disappearance happened during the traditional candlelit procession known as Luminaria, and the current day planned reception is happening during the same weekend that Luminaria will take place. The lives of Nell, Laine and their other friends and fellow Raven Society members were all affected by the events 25 years ago. Nell went on to graduate school, ending up back at the small college where she began.. Laine published a hugely successful and well-reviewed novel, but has remained in seclusion at her monied family’s estate in Maine. Ben, a scholarship student like Nell and the son of a Briarwood employee, opted not to become a lawyer but instead a police detective in town. Miranda has become a bestselling mystery author, Darla a poet of some renown, and Truman has enjoyed success in rock and roll. The reception looks like its going to be a bust…a major snowstorm is predicted, and only a few of the alumni have indicated that they will attend. On the night before the reception, the Luminaria procession is underway when current student Nina falls into a crevasse and discovers a human skeleton, likely that of the student who went missing all those years ago. Nell wants to cancel the reception, both out of respect for the discovered remains as well as the bad weather, but then Laine announces that she will be leaving seclusion to attend. Acceptances flow in, especially from Nell’s old crowd. The reception goes on, but not only does the storm arrive with a vengeance….the former students in attendance start dying, one by one, and it soon becomes apparent that a murderer is amongst them. What truly happened 25 years ago? What secrets are the former Raven Society students keeping, and who is targeting them for death? Can Nell and her former classmates identify the killer before it is their turn to die?
Some of the elements of The Bones of the Story are familiar ones. We have students of privilege at a small liberal arts college struck by a tragedy, perhaps due to their careless actions…The Secret History by Donna Tartt and N. H. Kleinbaum’s Dead Poet’s Society (book or movie) spring to mind. A known group of characters cut off from the world (in this case due to weather events) who start dying one by one? Agatha Christie and Ten Little Indians is invoked. That said, it is an intriguing read, with some unexpected plot twists right up until the end. A few of the characters are a bit on the annoying side (its hard to mourn their deaths very much), but the reader will be kept guessing as to who the murderer is until the end. Readers of Ms Goodman’s earlier books will certainly enjoy this outing, as will readers in search of a good whodunnit. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for the advanced reader’s copy

I love locked room mysteries. I have ever since I stayed up late reading Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None under my covers with a flashlight. I'm not usually a huge fan of Now and Then chapters alternating, but I did think it was fairly well done here. I loved the urban legend and cave elements of the story. The writing is fast paced, and it kept me guessing.

This was a good story but was a slow read. It centers on Nell, who is now the dean of the college she attended 25 years ago. The college hosts a reunion related to the dedication of a new writers’ workshop and old tensions arise when the alumni show up, leading to multiple murders and reinvestigation of things that happened when they were there as students.

The book is told in alternating past and present timelines, which is a style I enjoy, but I still felt that it was a really slow burn. There were a lot of characters to keep straight and I felt like some of them could’ve been more deeply drawn. I also got confused a couple times about who wrote what and who stole what. I did think that twist was really good and I didn’t see it coming. I liked the last 10% of the book more than the rest of it because I felt like the pacing was faster.

Overall, this was a really good story that was told in a rather slow way. I enjoyed it for the most part but it took me longer to get through than books normally do. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 STARS

Twenty five years ago a female student disappeared at Briarwood College's campus. A writing professor, Hugo Moss, died while searching for her.

The book is written in Then and Now chapters.

It is a locked room mystery featuring the old college, urban legends, bones that are found in a cave, stories of an ice cave girl, and a reclusive author. Some twists and turns along the way.

It was entertaining, but I struggled to get invested. I was hoping for a faster paced story. Others have really enjoyed this one, so be sure to check out more reviews!

I love Carol Goodman's novels! She's one of my favorite authors. This book, kept me thinking. I really was not sure what would happen in the end, but it surprised me in the best way!

Many thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for my ARC!

The Bones of the Story is a slow burn, engrossing mystery with 2 alternating timelines, present day and 25 years ago, taking place at Briarwood, a small, elite college. There's a single point of view, that of Nell, a former student at Briarwood and current Dean of Liberal Arts.

In the present timeline, we follow a group of college friends who are reuniting at their old college for a commemoration event honoring a popular professor who died while searching for a lost student during their senior year. Shortly before the event, a current student has an accident and stumbles across human remains hidden in an ice cave close to campus. Long buried secrets connect the human remains to the group of friends. A blizzard hits and everyone is forced to stay on campus overnight. A death occurs early the next morning, presenting more questions than answers, and at this point the story transitions into a locked room style whodunit.

The past storyline follows the friend group during their college years as they meet, become friends, form tangled, complicated relationships, and are present for the days surrounding both the professor's death and the death of the individual whose remains are found in the ice cave 25 years later.

I thought both past and present timelines were easy to follow and found both storylines engrossing. For every answer we're given, another question comes to the surface, and the reader is continuously tantalized with hints as to the dark secrets in the characters shared past. The tension slowly but steadily increases as we move thru the story, with past events and their impact on current events revealed. The last third of the book moves things into high gear and crosses from a straight mystery to more of a mystery/thriller mashup.

I've always enjoyed Carol Goodman's measured, character driven mysteries and vividly drawn settings, and this story is another I'll add to that list. In fact, its now holding the #1 spot as my favorite from her so far.

This book combined so many of the things I most enjoy in a story: the snowbound, isolated setting, dark, claustrophobic atmosphere, a small, exclusive college, a group of friends, all of whom have hidden grudges, questionable loyalty, and secrets galore, an increasing body count, and hints of Agatha Christie throughout. I flew thru the pages and was sad to see the story come to a close.

Readers who enjoy a carefully unfolding, complex mystery, suspicious characters around every corner, and a strong dark academia vibe have another must read book to add to their list with The Bones of the Story. I absolutely loved it and will definitely be purchasing a physical copy for my shelf.

Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for providing me a copy to read and review.

I started off thoroughly liking this book and intending it to be a 5 star read…until I got to the 40% mark and figured out the twist, I kept hoping I was wrong, but I wasn’t. That knowledge impacted my enjoyment. It’s still a good book that a lot of readers will like, but I don’t think it’s one of Carol Goodman’s strongest.

I have mixed feelings about this one, it was well written, but for much of the story it felt familar, like I had read this same plotline before in multiple books. Told in the past and present, a group of former students return to this isolated college for a ceremony honoring a professor, who tormented them and died 25 yrs before as well as a student who died the same night. Secrets galore and then they start being killed. Who is doing it and will any of them come out of it alive. The twist was interesting and not predictable which made the book worth reading.
Themes of class, bullying and following a charismatic leader are also explored as well as revenge