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tabby2920 's review for:
The Bones of You
by Debbie Howells
Looks can be deceiving.
That is an underlining theme in most mystery novels but is very prevalent in Howells’ latest thriller novel. One murder rocks an idyllic English town and this traumatic event causes the unmasking of what you thought were your neighbors.This is not your basic “whodunnit” mystery novel. This novel mostly deals with the dark recesses of the human mind. It is a book that focuses more on the characters and the complexity of their relationships with one another. The lacking of police procedure or any other elements of a crime novel may have been the missing element this novel needed but central focus on the human psyche gives you that human emotion that is lacking in most mystery novels.You are unlikely to see and twists and turns in this narrative. Facts sneak up on you and finally shocks when all is revealed. So it has the makings of a mystery novel, but it is clouded, in my opinion, by being a in-depth fiction thriller.
The narrative is told in two perspectives: Kate, a naive but kind, helpful neighbor, and Rosie, the victim. A lit bit like The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, Rosie’s perspective from the afterlife gives the reader a rare glimpse into her life, her past, her present, and the events leading towards her death. Her insights were not just recollections, but also clues, leading towards her killer. Rosie’s words are hard to take in. While unmasking the facade of the happy family, she reveals sad, distressing details that both disturbs you and pulls you into more of the story.
The author’s poetic language makes for beautiful and descriptive storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, I love poetic writing in my novels. But I felt for a psychological thriller, it is just appeared to be out-of-place to me. And it didn’t help with the pace of the book. The book in its entirety was steady but had a slow pace entwined in there. Due to this, it did take me awhile to really dive into it. I was almost going to give it a three star rating until halfway through the book, the storyline started to get interesting and “being engrossed until the very last page” feeling returned. The ending, although touching and beautifully done, I did feel that there were some questions left unanswered and felt a little incomplete to me. I can understand why the author didn’t want this thriller to be burdened with forensics and police procedure but maybe if there was a smidge of these elements, the accusations that were flying around would appear more believable.
If you are looking for a thriller heavy with police and forensic talk, this book is not for you. But if you are looking for that rare mystery that takes a journey into the human mind, you might joy enjoy this book. Keep in mind it touches on touchy and disturbing aspects so beware if you are a sensitive reader. I was shocked when I found out the identity of the killer but also disturbed when I discovered the killer’s motives. But it goes to show you:
You truly never know what is in a person’s mind.
Note: I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.
That is an underlining theme in most mystery novels but is very prevalent in Howells’ latest thriller novel. One murder rocks an idyllic English town and this traumatic event causes the unmasking of what you thought were your neighbors.This is not your basic “whodunnit” mystery novel. This novel mostly deals with the dark recesses of the human mind. It is a book that focuses more on the characters and the complexity of their relationships with one another. The lacking of police procedure or any other elements of a crime novel may have been the missing element this novel needed but central focus on the human psyche gives you that human emotion that is lacking in most mystery novels.You are unlikely to see and twists and turns in this narrative. Facts sneak up on you and finally shocks when all is revealed. So it has the makings of a mystery novel, but it is clouded, in my opinion, by being a in-depth fiction thriller.
The narrative is told in two perspectives: Kate, a naive but kind, helpful neighbor, and Rosie, the victim. A lit bit like The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, Rosie’s perspective from the afterlife gives the reader a rare glimpse into her life, her past, her present, and the events leading towards her death. Her insights were not just recollections, but also clues, leading towards her killer. Rosie’s words are hard to take in. While unmasking the facade of the happy family, she reveals sad, distressing details that both disturbs you and pulls you into more of the story.
The author’s poetic language makes for beautiful and descriptive storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, I love poetic writing in my novels. But I felt for a psychological thriller, it is just appeared to be out-of-place to me. And it didn’t help with the pace of the book. The book in its entirety was steady but had a slow pace entwined in there. Due to this, it did take me awhile to really dive into it. I was almost going to give it a three star rating until halfway through the book, the storyline started to get interesting and “being engrossed until the very last page” feeling returned. The ending, although touching and beautifully done, I did feel that there were some questions left unanswered and felt a little incomplete to me. I can understand why the author didn’t want this thriller to be burdened with forensics and police procedure but maybe if there was a smidge of these elements, the accusations that were flying around would appear more believable.
If you are looking for a thriller heavy with police and forensic talk, this book is not for you. But if you are looking for that rare mystery that takes a journey into the human mind, you might joy enjoy this book. Keep in mind it touches on touchy and disturbing aspects so beware if you are a sensitive reader. I was shocked when I found out the identity of the killer but also disturbed when I discovered the killer’s motives. But it goes to show you:
You truly never know what is in a person’s mind.
Note: I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.