Helen Phifer does it again!!
Another masterpiece from the Detective Morgan Brookes series! Honestly this entire series is brilliant and the books just keep getting better! This is book 15 and it’s just as scary, suspenseful and thrilling as the first!
Highly recommend!
Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for my ARC
Helen, you are fantastic!

Morgan is enjoying a spa day with friend Wendy but when a call comes in about Morgan's Aunt Ettie finding a body in the river in Coval Woods, the relaxing is over. At first it looks like this is a hiker that has fallen into the river and got swept along but the post mortem tells a different story. Soon the team are trying to fill in the pieces of the puzzle.

The thing I really love about this series of books, (apart from them being a good 'whodunit') is the way we have got to know so many of the characters so well over the course of the series and care about their lives. As always an enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley & te publisher for letting me read & review this book.

You know that buzz of excitement you get with certain authors? Well, Helen Phifer, in the past few months, has easily become one of my most favourite and ‘go to’ authors, and I absolutely love the Detective Morgan Brookes series.

One thing I would highly recommend with this series though is to start from the beginning,  whilst it maybe easy enough to pick up from any within the series, I personally think you need to full back story, not only on the characters but on previous cases, as they are mentioned and looked back on!

Book #15 sees Morgan racing to her Aunt Ettie’s isolated woodland cottage after she receives a frantic phone call. Ettie has found a body.

The body is that of a young woman, caught up in the river. She looks like she may have drowned, but their is a strange peculiarity. One hand is skeletal.

Consulting missing persons records,  the woman is identified by her tattoo as Martha, but she has been missing for 7 years. Her autopsy shows she died very recently. Where has she been all that time?

Combing the records, Morgan sees the report of another young woman who disappeared around the same time, Aria, with no trace since. Are these women connected, and if so, is she still alive?

Visiting her friend, local priest Theo, she sees he has company, an old acquaintance from his old church, John. On sight, Morgan is uncomfortable in his presence, and finding out he is from the same place that the missing girls were from makes the hair on her neck stand up. Is this just a coincidence, or should she trust her gut.

As always, the character execution is absolutely sublime. Morgan is a witty, headstrong, and empathetic woman with a huge heart and brilliant humour. I love the relationships she has with her team and extended friendship of Theo.

The writing style has you sucked deep within its pages from the very first paragraph. The twists, turns, and fantastically weaved sub plots just constantly leave you wanting more, and Helen never leaves you without.

If you’re after a series that will have you gripped, then look no further. This is one hell of a read that gives atmosphere,  grit, tension, suspense, and a whole load of emotion along the way.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

Twisted Bones by Helen Phifer is the 15th in the Detective Morgan Brookes series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.



Series Background:    (Warning – Contains spoilers from previous books)
Morgan Brookes is a Detective in Rydal Falls.  She lives and works with her boyfriend, DS Ben Matthews, her boss.  They've discovered he has some heart issues, but things are good.  Other cast members include Amy,  Wendy, Cain, Will, Cathy and Mads.   They are still mourning the loss of a fellow team-member, Des.  Their new boss is DI Mark Howard, and they are getting used to him.  Their go-to Forensic Pathologist (and Ben's best friend) is Declan Donnelly who is dating Theo, the parish priest.  After losing her mother to suicide,  Morgan finally got to know her alcoholic step-dad, who turned out to be a good guy, but Stan is now dead (murdered).  Both Morgan's brother, and her biological father, Gary Marks,  are serial killers.  Morgan's aunt Ettie is considered a "kitchen witch".



My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Aunt Ettie finds the dead body of a woman in the river, the flesh of one of her hands stripped bare.  They aren't sure how long she has been in the water, nor where she fell in.  When Declan does the autopsy, he finds a bruise on the side of her neck which looks like it was made with the side of a hand.  This "accident" is now ruled a homicide.  Now they just have to figure out  the identity of the poor woman.

Meanwhile, Theo is still recovering from the attempt on his life.  He gets a visit from an old friend from his last parish, which seems to cheer him up, but when Morgan drops by, she takes an instant dislike to this man.  Theo figures he should soon return to his clerical duties, especially since his replacement Gordon, is a bit of a mess.

When they realize there is another missing woman out there, the team wonders if the two are linked.  But when another body is found, they realize they have to discover the perpetrator before more women are put in danger.

Amy's pregnancy is taking a toll on the team, as her mood swings are gigantic.







My Opinions:
I absolutely love this series.  The characters are like a family, and for a short time, I become one of them.  Their camaraderie and love for one another again shines through in this book, especially when one of them is in trouble.  I love the supporting cast of Declan and Theo, and was so glad to see Ettie return in this one.  I'm even beginning to like Marc.

The plot was intriguing with enough suspects to keep me wondering.  I guessed the real perpetrator, but almost wished it had been another.  There were a couple of real slimeballs in this one.  The overall pace was fast, with short chapters and plenty of action, both helping to move the story along.

Bottom line, I can't recommend this series enough.

I am finally caught up, and although I can't wait for the next in the series, I almost wish the author would slow down a little, as I do have other books in my pile.

TWISTED BONES is book 15 in a police procedural series featuring Detective Morgan Brookes by Helen Phifer. I have read all of the books in this series and this book is a definite winner! Although this book can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the books in order to get a full history.

The books in the Detective Morgan Brookes Series:
1. One Left Alive (2020)
2. The Killer's Girl (2020)
3. The Hiding Place (2021)
4. First Girl to Die (2021)
5. Find the Girl (2022)
6. Sleeping Dolls (2022)
7. Silent Angel (2022)
8. Their Burning Graves (2022)
9. Hold Your Breath (2023)
10. Stolen Darlings (2023)
11. Save Her Twice (2024)
12. Poison Memories (2024)
13. Two Broken Girls (2024)
14. Their Dying Embrace (2025)
15.Twisted Bones

This is my review of Twisted Bones.

The cast of the small control team includes:
DS Ben Matthews-Boss & partner
DC Morgan Brookes
DC Amy Smith
DC Cain Robson
Amber-Police Officer
Wendy- Morgan’s friend

Martha Mackay, was homeless, supported by the church, for warmth, rations of food and second-hand clothing.

When Ettie, Morgan’s aunt came across the remains of a woman in the river, a skeletal hand reaching out of the water, she ran back to her cottage to get help, by calling her niece. As a result, Detective Morgan Brookes is urgently called to her Aunt Ettie’s cottage, to the scene.

Declan, the pathologist was called to the scene to assess a body that was deemed suspicious. Morgan’s team assume she fell in the water and was taken by the current. But the victim had bruises on her neck, and a faded red rose tattoo.

Morgan was able to identify the victim as a homeless woman named Martha who went missing seven years ago.

Morgan discovers that a schoolteacher Aria Burns went missing from the same busy area. But her horror quickly turns to hope when she sees the autopsy results from Martha’s frozen remains. She was killed recently; if Aria was taken by the same killer, she could still be alive.

Morgan suspects a visitor with links to the area where Martha and Aria went missing, another body surfaces.

Time is ticking and Morgan must uncover the truth about Martha, and find Aria alive.

This is an addictive and utterly unputdownable crime thriller.

A well-written crime detective novel with relatable characters, another unputdownable crime thriller.

Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for my digital copy.

I adore these characters. This book was fantastic. Well written and full of twists and turns. This kept my heart pounding and was crazy suspenseful. The atmosphere lends it credence. The writing flows smoothly and fast paced. This is a must read.

Detective Morgan Brookes is a magnet for crime, and her colleagues know that about her. When her reclusive (perhaps part. witch) Aunt Ellie calls her about discovering a woman's body. Morgan and her boss/lover, Ben, along with the murder team, begin an investigation to identify the woman and solve the murder. They discover the woman was a homeless person who hung out at the church where Morgan's friend, Father Theo, once served. Another body is found, along with discovering a similar missing person's case, and Morgan begins searching for answers. When one of the team disappears, the worst fears are realized. Can Morgan find the answers in time to save her friend and colleague? It is an exciting race until the end. I look forward to what Morgan's next adventure will be.

Yet another great book in the Detective Morgan Brooke Series. Morgan is soon put to work when a body is found in water. They soon realise that it is a murder and things don't add up with this body. When people soon start to go missing Morgan and her colleagues soon realise they have to find a serial killer.
Fast paced book, highly recommend this series.

Another great addition to the series. Yet again a stressful read but for once I wasn't having to worry too much about Morgan. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked and I definitely hadn't worked out who the killer was. The end reveal was not what I was expecting at all. There are so many great side characters and I love getting to see more of the team. It was so nice to see more of Ettie as well.

What a story! Ups and downs, misdirection, tense moments all here for your reading indulgence! Definitely hard to put down for any length of time as you keep wondering what else is going to happen.

Twisted Bones (Detective Morgan Brookes #15)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
By Helen Phifer
Publishing date: May 21, 2025

Thank you to netgalley for this arc. I am so grateful I got to read this book before the publishing date, but just got around to doing my review. I’ve read this entire series from the beginning! I’ve been so excited for this one for months now! I love Detective Morgan Brookes! Aunt Ettie stumbles upon a dead body and summons her niece to come check it out. Morgan is thrown into a wild search and the culprit is right under their noses! Twisted Bones is an easy read and a quick page turner! I recommend this book and the Detective Morgan Brookes series. I highly recommend reading!

Favorite Quotes:

I definitely don’t expect you to cook, Morgan, I don’t want to add food poisoning to his list of problems. He has enough without forcing your cooking onto him.

She felt her skin crawl, this guy had to be in his late fifties, with a receding hairline and a comb-over. Thick wire-rimmed glasses made his small, narrow eyes look as if they wouldn’t be out of place on a rat. If she had to pick a serial killer out of a seventies’ line-up, he would be the one standing nestled between Dahmer and Nielsen; he gave her the creeps.


My Review:

Another well-crafted, smartly paced,  and unpredictable case for the superior detecting skills of Morgan Brookes. No serial killer gets past her spidey senses. However, this time, the culprit was not even on her radar, or mine, for that matter. As always, Ms. Phifer’s writing was absorbing and easy to fall into, with lots of red herrings and misdirection to keep us scratching our heads, and our curiosity well and truly poked. I continue to enjoy this series and look forward to her next installment.

A spa, a massage, relaxing, time off work for a change
But then her Aunt Ettie's call means a need to rearrange.
Her aunt has found a dead woman in the river
The discovery makes them all shiver.

With friends still recovering from what happened before,
And clues mounting up that they can't ignore.
It becomes a race to try to discover
The killer before they kill another.

Another enthralling, edge of your seat, read,
With Morgan needing to catch the killer at great speed.
There are threats to her and her friends
Before this suspense filled read ends.

A great addition to this series, too,
No wonder I highly recommend it to you!
For my copy of this fascinating read I say thank you
As I share with you this, my honest review.

Twisted Bones by Helen Phifer is the 15th book in the excellent Detective Morgan Brookes series and one of the best series you can read and this book did not disappoint. It was full of excellent twists and turns from the very beginning till the very end and Detective Morgan Brookes is one of the best detectives out there! and I love Aunt Ettie who is her auntie and she lives in the local woods called Covel Woods. Aunt Ettie enjoys making candles, herbal teas etc and sales these to make ends meet. She goes searching for some pine to add to her magical candles, when she finds more than pine etc, she finds a body of a woman in the river with one Skeletal hand. She is shocked to the core.
Runs back to phone her niece Morgan. Morgan and her team arrive quickly to the scene, and find the woman in the water, she looks dressed for hiking, and it was just an accident and she has fallen into the river. But, as they look closer they notice bruises on her neck. This is no accident, it looks like she was Murdered! No one recognises her, Luckily she has tattoo which helped to identify her. Her name is Martha and she has been missing for 7 years!

When the autopsy report came back on Martha it informs them that she has recently killed!

So, where has she been for the last 7 years?

Detective Morgan Brookes and her team start to go through cold cases of missing people, to see if there has been another murders etc, like Martha and they come across another young woman called Aria Burns, she was reported missing and never found. Fingers cross Morgan and her team find her alive, but the clock is ticking. . . . . .

Poor Auntie Ettie is rummaging again in Covel Woods and she stumbles on another body!!! She must have a strong heart!!!!

Who is killing these women and why are they putting them in the icy river?

Tick Tock. . . . . .Will they catch the killer before another body is found and fingers cross its not by Poor Auntie Ettie!

This book was superb and I've loved this series from the very first book. Helen has away of writing that will have you hooked from the very beginning.

When a body turns up, Detective Morgan Brookes finds a new mystery to dive into. With the autopsy adding more questions than answers, Morgan and Ben begin to investigate. They are determined to figure out who the woman is, and what happened to her.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I have been devouring this series, and I needed to know what was going to happen next. Hopefully, there is another book coming soon. The characters are amazing, and it is fun to see them evolving through each book. The relationship with Morgan and Ben is awesome as well, and I look forward to seeing what happens with them.

The narrator for this book was great, and just gets better as each book comes forth. Whether you are reading or listening, I highly recommend the ENTIRE series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy of this book.

As the series progresses, it is getting a little darker. There are the same great characters that I love to read about, but their encounters and cases are getting to be a little more. And it isn’t that they were less before.

At some point the case always seems to hit close to home and this time it is Morgan’s aunt. And a bonus connection that you’ll just have to read to discover.

As the story unravels, this almost felt a little like it could be ripped from the headlines. It kept me guessing and twisted and turned to make sure I couldn’t quite predict who the team was after. The case is layered and the team works at a breakneck speed to catch the killer.

One of the best things about the series is the characters. I like how both they and the relationships grow from book to book. That is part of why the personal cases have an even bigger stake. I’ve spent enough time with the characters that they feel like friends. I root for them both professionally and personally. Morgan and Ben and the rest of the team have such great chemistry. All the books can be read as a stand alone but there are things that carry from book to book. Theo is still struggling with issues from a previous book and I can see the foreshadowing of what is heading towards another. That’s a testament to the plotting and planning the author has put into the book and series. It has a complex plot that reads with an ease that I didn’t want to put it down.

Whether you jump in at book 16 or read the entire series, if you are a crime buff, you’ll want to jump on board.

Helen Phifer is in beast mode. She is amazingly writing high quality entries in the Morgan Brookes thriller series at an unbelievable pace. Brookes, Ben, and the rest of the crew continue to grow, and each story is unique. The tension in this one is almost too stressful at moments, and I sure didn’t sleep much when I was reading this one because I needed to know what happened. I particularly liked that Ettie played a bigger role than usual - I would love to see her show up more often as a counterbalance to the stressful investigations. My only wish would be for no injury or danger for the recurring characters; I’m starting to find that tiresome (and exhausting to my heart!). Nevertheless, I will be the first to seek out the next book in the series – it can’t be ready to read soon enough!

This is one of my favorite series! Super addicting and unputdownable from the first page. The murder/ mystery parts will. draw you in, but you'll stay for the characters... and to find out who the killer is of course!
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Well, Morgan almost managed a nice day off.. with a massage and everything! But her poor aunt Ettie went and stumbled across a body in the woods while gathering supplies for candle making. I mean, Morgan can't not go right?
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I was hooked from the first page. I love Morgan and Ben, along with all the others who work alongside them ,and love seeing all the relationships grow. The mystery had me at the edge of my seat, and I had no idea what was going to happen next or who the killer was going to end up being!
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I’ll never say no to a Morgan Brooke’s novel. I didn’t even read the blurb on this one, I just jumped on the book tour. Morgan and Ben are two of my favorite police duos. @helenphifer has a real talent with writing police procedurals.

Morgan’s Aunt Ettie finds a body floating in the river near her home. It takes them a bit to figure out who the woman was, because she’d been missing for years, and not from Rydal Falls. She was clearly dumped, but why was she left in Rydal Falls?

I couldn’t put this one down. I needed to know how the poor dead women were related to Theo (he’s been right in the middle of things the last few books).

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC of this book.

Morgan’s spa day takes an unexpected turn when she receives a call from her dear Aunt Ettie. Aunt Ettie has discovered a body near her cottage, and while the remains appear to be recent, Morgan and her team soon uncover that it’s the long-lost body of a woman who had vanished years ago.

As another woman goes missing, Morgan realizes she must intensify her investigation. She musk ask hard questions from someone close to her, someone who has recently endured a traumatic experience.

As Morgan and her team dig deeper into the case, another woman is taken, and this shakes Morgan to her core, leaving her fearing that they might not be able to catch the killer in time.

Helen Phifer has crafted another thrilling installment in her exceptional series. The book keeps the reader guessing with occasional chapters from the killer’s perspective. From beginning to end, Twisted Bones is an amazing read that definitely marks its place as a remarkable addition to the series.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.