Cover Image: The Bone House

The Bone House

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Member Reviews

The Bone House was a great story that spans decades (who doesn't love a cold case that is solved?) but the story line depends on such unsavory situations. It's unfortunate that happened because I really enjoyed it otherwise. The quality of the writing was solid and I really enjoyed the book for the writer's talent.

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The Bone House is the third book in the Slayton Thrillers series and whilst I haven’t read the previous two, this in no way detracted from this novel as enough of a back story was given throughout. The plot line was good with a couple of twists however it wasn’t my favourite novel from this author and I didn’t particularly like the style of writing but I’m sure others will love it. Thank you to NetGalley, Embla Books and the author for the chance to review.

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This is the third book of the series. I have not read the others. This is a bizarre, creepy thriller. It is told by multiple viewpoints. I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to more.

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The third instalment set in the eerie town of Slayton, where a pram is dredged up from the lake and the shocking discovery a skeleton of a baby tied down. Detective Sarah Noble heads up the case to find out what has led to such a brutal ending for the infant. New mother, Cora comes forward with information and discloses she grew up in The Bone House and the darkness form there is close by.
A macabre tale where strange goings on are not uncommon in Slayton. The layers build up to a rather anticipated conclusion. Caroline Mitchell never fails to provide an entertaining read.

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A murder of crows fell from the sky into a lake in Slayton (where else?). Seriously, if that wasn't enough to make people move out of there, I don't know what is! This was a thrilling, well written, gripping and dark addition to the Slayton thrillers which I could not put down! What a great series! If you have not read one of the books in this series, I highly recommend it!

The falling/death of the crows brings about a dark, deep, deadly secret. There hidden in the depths of the lake lies the body of a baby strapped in its pram. Who could have done such a thing? Why?

Bookseller Cora has been dreading this moment. Cora has a sad, sad history that is about to get even more sad. When Detective Sarah Noble begins investigating, she has no idea where things are going to take her. Even with a confession, this case will not be so cut and dry. This is Slayton after all, where horrible, horrible things have happened and there are those with deep, dark, secrets.

This was another killer addition in the Slayton Thriller series. This town just seems to attract and create all kinds of deranged and disturbed individuals. I enjoy how Caroline Mitchell creates tension and builds her plots. She also knows how to create both creepy and mentally wounded characters. Just when I thought I knew everything, I was thrown off by a twist and a reveal. I enjoyed the layers in this story and how everything came together.

Dark, tense and chilling.

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This is my first read in the series, but it can be read as a stand alone book.
This book had creepy aspects to it, as the name might suggest.
Found it to be a great read but felt like it was a slow start then picked up but then lost the way abit in the middle. Felt like it was abit drawn out personally.
Some supernatural aspects to it. Which aren't my usual go to.
Overall I did enjoy this.

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Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

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Hundreds of birds have fallen dead into Slayton's lake with the media dubbing it the 'crowpocalypse', resulting in the town council having to dredge the lake, but they uncover more than they bargained for when they find an old pram containing the bones of a baby. Will Detective Sarah Noble crack this cold case and how does it link to Cora and the secrets of the bone house?

We are back with Noble and the team to investigate the latest case in the foreboding town of Slayton and it doesn't take her long to get a confession, but she's certain there's more to this cold case. As with the first two books in this series I was drawn in right from the first page, this story hits the ground running, it's fast paced and Mitchell's descriptive writing sent chills running down my spine and had me flicking the pages of my kindle so fast I devoured it in a matter of hours. It's a well written plot which I was certain I'd worked out but, in true Mitchell style, she threw in a curveball which set me thinking again and, although I did guess part of it in the end, there was still that final twist which I didn't see coming. It was great to see some of the characters from previous books returning and the bond that Sarah has with young Elliott growing stronger. Once again this author has knocked it out of the park and I can't wait for book four in this chilling series.

I'd like to thank Embla Books and the author for inviting me to read this, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

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I loved this creepy book and raced through, I didn’t realise when i started reading it that it was the third instalment in this series but it didn’t hinder the enjoyment for me and I’ve got the first two books to read on my kindle as I enjoyed this authors writing

4 stars

Thanks to net galley for this arc

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Scary thriller,what's true and what's not? Main character hasn't had much of a chance in her life , can she see a way through.

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Caroline has done it again

Stephanie is investigating the remains of a baby found in the lake at Slayton. It looks like it’s a clear case when someone comes forward to say they put them there, however things don’t add up and soon another baby is missing.
Can Stephanie and the team get to the bottom of this mystery and reunite the baby safely?

Again this was a great read from start to finish.

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This was my first crime thriller. I was unsure of what to expect since I have not read the previous two books. Luckily, you can read this as a stand-alone. This was fast paced and kept me turning the page.

Seeing the cold case reopened by detective Noble and her colleagues was exciting and created great suspense.

I enjoyed the critical mind of I will be working the first two books into my TBR for 2023!

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Bone House is a twisty thriller that follows several different POVs as the story unfolds. It all starts with the birth of a baby, an abusive husband and a crowpocalypse.

The mass amount of fallen crows in the lake brings up a long drowned pram with the remains of an infant still inside. Sarah, a female detective for the local police department, is assigned the cold case.

There are many characters included, each with an important role in the story. Many of the characters, including Sarah, Cora, Maggie, and Elliot, are likable and I found myself rooting for them.

This story offers plenty of mystery and creepy factor. While I didn’t find it scary, there were many points where I was disturbed (TW: child death, SA, DV). There were enough twists and turns throughout to keep me turning the pages and I liked how it all wrapped up in the end, while still leaving a sliver of mystery to make the reader wonder.

What’s a book reviews without a few good critiques…

- The last couple of chapters after the case wrapped up could’ve been left out. While I appreciate what they were trying to do, I would’ve liked it more had it just ended there. That being said I did throughly enjoy the epilogue.
- What’s with the crows? Yes, the dead crows gave a reason for the pram to come up and it provided nice ominous setting… WHY DID THAT HAPPEN?! Maybe not necessary but it bugged me in the end.
- The story was good but the writing style just wasn’t my favorite… the chapters frequently ended in questions or a statement meant to make the reader wonder or entice the mystery… I just didn’t jive with it. I felt like the story had enough mystery in itself, it didn’t need that.

Overall a good story that I enjoyed reading.

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Thanks to NetGalley and Caroline Mitchell for an advanced copy.

The Bone House is the third in the Slayton Series. You don’t have to read them in order, but I would read the others first (which I did). I love the mixture or super natural with horror/thriller.

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This book is the third instalment of the Slayton series, and I seemed to have missed book two! I shall rectify that, but I have to say, this book works well as standalone as the author provides just enough backstory to the characters and their relationships to ensure things make sense. As always with this author, this is a really well written and fast paced story, with plenty of twists and turns. The standout parts for me, were the descriptions of Slayton town, which created a feeling of darkness and unease - this worked well with the supernatural elements. All in all, this is a tense and creepy thriller, which I loved and have no problem recommending.

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This is a super, twisty intricately plotted thriller from Caroline Mitchell! Book 3 in the Slayton mystery series but can easily be read as a stand alone. A bit of the supernatural element thrown in too! An easy 5* read from me. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

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This book is the third instalment of the Slayton series and continues its supernatural/ crime fiction theme. What worked for the first two books felt a little forced in this particular read. I loved the premise and the beginning chapters are so captivating I couldn’t help but be drawn in to the story.

Sadly though I felt this book struggled to decide which route it wanted to take. Whereas the previous books used that mix to really enhance the story, this one lost its way slightly towards the middle. Again, unlike the previous two there wasn’t much of an investigation which was a shame because I loved the Sarah Noble character and she really shone in the book’s leading up to this one.

Overall it’s a great read and can be read in isolation of the other two. There’s just enough back story to enable the reader to understand the characters and their weird friendships.

I thought that the ending was a bit too long and drawn out. There’s almost two endings to this book. Once where each character summarises and wraps up their story and involvement. And the epilogue which suggests that there could be a fourth book.

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The bone house was a great book! A pram is pulled from the lake with bones of a baby still inside. Detective Sarah is put on the case to figure out what happened. This book was creepy with plenty of twists!

I’m looking forward to going back and reading the other two books in the series!


Thank you NetGalley, Embla Books and Caroline Mitchell for the ARC!

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I love a good crime thriller and this one is no exception. This is a really good and fast paced story, with plenty of twists and turns and surprises along the way, that keep the story interesting right to the very end. All the main characters are really interesting and well written. Even though I haven’t read the other books in the series it didn’t matter as the story and characters were more than capable of standing alone. One of the best elements of this book though for me were the descriptions of the town of Slayton which gave the story a dark and edgy atmosphere with a slightly supernatural feel.

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Another fine novel from the excellent and prolific Caroline Mitchell. There are so many strands to her work, so many interesting principal characters, and all engrossing. This is essentially a cold case, precipitated by a strange freak event. When bones are found following the draining of a lake, past events threaten to envelop the village. Apart from a slightly excessive reliance on the supernatural, this is a very enjoyable read.

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