The Dark Bones

Retired RCMP Corporal Noah North was drunk most days. He spent a lot of time drinking in the Moose and Horn Bar and rambling on about looking into cold cases from his past. He should have known better than to awake sleeping dogs – so-to-speak.

His daughter, RCMP Detective Rebecca North has been called home after her father has “committed suicide.” She is determined to investigate his “suicide” and the fire that destroyed her father’s cabin herself. Her investigation means working with her high school sweetheart, Ash Haugen who cheated on her back then which led to Rebecca leaving home 20 years ago. She has many questions for Ash and some reservations about him. After all he has become a suspect in the cold case her father had been looking into, the disappearance of Whitney Gagnon and Trevor Beauchamp. Rebecca caught Ash having a hookup with Whitney which ended her relationship with him. Ash still, to this day, won’t tell her the truth about himself and Whitney. Does Ash have the answers to what really happened twenty years ago?

The Dark Bones by Loreth Anne White is a gripping pulse-pounding crime thriller that won’t let go of the reader’s attention. The plot runs with lots of surprises and action. Blending the mystery of the past and current events makes for interest-grabbing reading. I really liked the interaction between Rebecca and Ash. It seemed real, genuine. They worked hard to attain their happy ending. Readers who enjoy thrilling action and suspense will want to read this story.

4.5 stars–THE DARK BONES is the second instalment in Loreth Anne White’s contemporary, adult, A DARK LURE psychological thriller series. This is RCMP commercial crimes Detective Sergeant Rebecca North, and Ash Haugen’s story line. THE DARK BONES can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalment is revealed where necessary.

Told from several third person perspectives including Ash and Rebecca, following several intersecting paths, using present day and memories from the past, THE DARK BONES follows in the wake of the death of Rebecca’s father, retired Cariboo Country cop Noah North. Having never expected to return to Cariboo Country, Rebecca North struggles with the evidence of her father’s demise. A man determined to solve a twenty-year old missing persons case, Noah North had apparently disturbed the dead, having opened up too many wounds, that were long thought buried and forgotten. Rebecca, desperate to prove her father’s death was a homicide, our heroine battles demons from the past, the memories of what was and what will never be, and a close-knit town of reluctant witnesses, dark secrets, and painful regrets. Reconnecting with Ash Haugen, the man she once loved, meant reconnecting with the heart break of betrayal and loss. What ensues is the rekindling relationship between Ash and Rebecca as our couple separately begin n investigation of their own into Noah North’s death, and the possible connection to Ash Haugen’s past.

THE DARK BONES is an intense, psychological thriller that looks at the angry, small-town mentality of protecting their own. From the secrets long buried with the dead, to the habitual town gossips, THE DARK BONES slowly reveals a complicated past, dangerous present and potential future when Noah North reopened a twenty-year old missing persons case that sets into motion a series of events that resulted in his death. Loreth Anne White pulls the reader into a suspense filled, strong and dramatic story of secrets and lies; of betrayal and vengeance; of lost love and forgotten time.

This is suspense on steroids. Throw in the sexual tension and the pages are cracking. The author is masterful in her character and plot development. She gives nothing away until it’s on the page. There are surprises galore. Ash and Becca are superbly crafted characters. They are filled with passion and angst. You will both love them and hate them at times. The story itself will make your heart break and also give you hope. This is an excellently written book!

This is the first book I have read by this author and I will definitely be seeking out more. I did not realize when I first started reading this story that it is the second book in the series, A Dark Lure being the first, but that did not deter me or cause any problems in understanding the storyline or characters. It is obvious from some references made that there is a previous book with some of the characters providing more of a backstory, but again, there was no confusion or lack of understanding and I was easily able to follow along. This book hooked me from the first page and kept me enthralled until the last. It is a fantastic read and I will be going back to read the first to see how the series started.

Starting with a frantic phone call, the past and present collide to solve the mystery of missing teens, a possible suicide, arson, rape, attempted murder, kidnapping, torture, drugs, blackmail, and abuse (physical and emotional trauma), as well as revealing a scandal secret involving a huge cover-up and plenty of shocks, twists, and turns. There are multiple storylines ongoing in this read with several families but they blend seamlessly into the overall story and each reaches a satisfactory resolution within the main plot. There is definitely a lot going on in this book but the deeper, grittier events are handled with care. A huge cloud of suspicion hangs over the town and its’ residents and many layers have to be peeled back to discover the truths behind the lies.

We get a look at a young woman who was desperate to flee after high school to escape heartbreak and betrayal and is drawn back to her hometown due to loss and has to face guilt, deception and several ugly truths to unravel a bone-chilling mystery and a young man who made a stupid, drunken decision that shattered his dreams of escaping his awful childhood but gets stuck instead living the life he despised and the far-reaching ripple effect that one fateful night made affecting multiple lives and leaving many unanswered questions, including a mystery involving missing teens that was left unsolved. When all the layers are pulled back and everything is laid bare will these two characters be able to pick up the pieces and mend their shattered souls to have the happy ending they had once dreamed of?

This story is more than just a wonderful thriller; you also get ongoing mystery and suspense in each and every page that will hold you captive and an emotional second chance romance with a promising ending.

*I received an advanced copy from the publisher, via NetGalley, and am providing my honest review.

Gut Wrenching Psychological Thriller! I have to admit full disclosure I am huge fan of Loreth Anne White. I thought I had read Book 1 in the Lure series when I asked for this arc, but I had not. There was no problem what so ever reading this, it can definitely be read as a stand alone, Book 1 would make you more familiar. You are caught right off the bat with the prologue, running, ducking, searching and it keeps going. There isn’t non stop action, but there is non stop suspense. Rebecca look out, be careful. Ash what is so dark, Tori so faithful to RIck and Rick trying to do the right thing. This book touched so many emotions, and touched on so many issues in life, rape, molestation, drugs, family, love, second chances and hope. This was a one setting read, having to lay the book aside or a few minutes here and there to breath. So grateful to Loreth Anne White, Montlake Publishing and NetGalley for this arc!