An Amazon Charts bestseller.An unlikely pair teams up to investigate a brutal murder in a haunting thriller that walks the line between reality and impossibility.When small-town police officers discover the grave of a young boy, they’re quick to pin the crime on a convicted criminal who lives nearby. But when it comes to murder, Officer Susan Marlan never trusts a simple explanation, so she’s … simple explanation, so she’s just getting started.
Meanwhile, college professor Eric Evans hallucinates a young boy in overalls: a symptom of his schizophrenia—or so he thinks. But when more bodies turn up, Eric has more visions, and they mirror details of the murder case. As the investigation continues, the police stick with their original conclusion, but Susan’s instincts tell her something is off. The higher-ups keep stonewalling her, and the FBI’s closing in.
Desperate for answers, Susan goes rogue and turns to Eric for help. Together they take an unorthodox approach to the case as the evidence keeps getting stranger. With Eric’s hallucinations intensifying and the body count rising, can the pair separate truth from illusion long enough to catch a monster?
more
3.5 Stars If I Could. Promising Premise; Ultimately Predictable
I’d really been looking forward to this one. I was intrigued by one of the lead characters having schizophrenia. I was excited to read a story in a genre I love where the person with a mental illness wasn’t the antagonist.
He (Eric) ended up being my favorite character. In fact, the most interesting thing about this book was his relationship with Jake, another character who was a “freak” (that’s the term he used). Their interactions were warm and genuine and were the best of the novel.
I thought the clues were obvious and couldn’t believe it took Susan (the female lead and a cop) so long to piece the puzzle together. And her actions at the end were completely illogical.
Like my title suggests, I found the premise intriguing. And Eric and Jake save the story. It’s worth reading for their interactions, but not for the mystery itself.
I was drawn into the world of this little town of Perrick and stumbled out at the end of the story shocked and shaken.
So well written you feel as though you can see and smell everything that Eric is experiencing.
I enjoyed this mystery. I really liked the different elements brought in thru mental health and aspects that are not normally discussed. I do admit that there was a bit of language and that wasn’t my favorite part. Also, I did have a little of it figured out.
Well written page turner. You won’t want to put the book down.
A turbo-boosted ghost story on steroids, FORGOTTEN BONES By Vivian Barz is a book I’m glad I didn’t read around the campfire because I’m sure I’d have never sleep again. Worse yet, never made it through the night alive in a tent. Or a cabin. Or the woods. Petrifyingly well-paced and excellently told, this story was hair-raising in every way.
Meet Eric, a professor, with an ex-wife, disloyal brother, a new job in a different state and is a schizophrenic. Eric is a very likeable man going through a dufficult personal time. He is trying his best in the rental, reaching basic classes and maintaining his need for his drugs and less stress. He happens to find a trunk that he feels he can fix up and uae in his temporary place
Susan has always liked detective work, although in a small town, there isn’t much of a crime infestation. Until a car wreck, a danaged light pole and young child’s body is discovered…..not far from Gerald’s home, the convicted child molester.
As Eric deals with staying present and not hallucinating or hearing voices….he has to deal with his ex-wife and her phone calls. By the way, she is a total narcissistic witch. As he works on fixing up the trunk, he sees scatches inside it and starts getting visions.
Meanwhile, Susan’s mentor and boss, Ed, is dealing with the FBI investigating not one child, but many more. Susan is told to stay out of it even when she gives Ed pertinent
information.
Susan and Eric meet and the case expands as together they try and solve the mystery using her knowledge and his visions of the children..especially Lenny, a dead child that lived next door to the pedophile.
Interesting mystery, no real gore or graphic information. Using Eric was a bold and good move and he is really quite interesting and well thought out character.
I did wonder why Susan never left town to pursue her career but she is also a strong character and I hope the author lets these two investigate again. 3.8 stars
I found this on KU. A serial killer mystery, nicely written. I enjoyed the unconventional hero, the man who sees things and doesn’t know if it’s his schizophrenia or ghosts. Also, the twist was telegraphed way in advance, almost Columbo style, and I like that kind of detective because it gives an “OMG, look behind you!” feel to a story. Well worth dipping into if you’re looking for a light read.
Forgotten Bones is a ghost thriller with heart. Vivian Barz has created characters that resonate wonderfully and, like any accomplished author, puts them in the center of hell in the guise of a remote farming community in California. The double protagonist is comprised of Susan, the ambitious young cop, and Eric, an emotionally broken academic who happens to be schizophrenic. Together, these two give the reader something new and fresh as they attempt to solve the mystery surrounding the decades-old death of a boy found buried in a shallow grave.
For those who enjoy police procedurals, ghosts, fear, and surprise, this book is for you.
Forgotten Bones has a great story. The characters are well written, as if I know them. The protagonist are very likable.
For me the mystery was easily solved however a nice little twist was added at the end making me less bothered by the evident outcome of the case.
I praise this book for starring a character with mental illness. I really enjoyed the intensity of the “hallucinations”.
#forgottenbones #vivianbars #bookstagram #bookreview #4star #lallahbookreview
Pre-ordered book two!
After finding the bones of a young child, Susan wants to be the one to bring the killer to justice. When more bodies are found, the FBI is taking over and Susan is ordered to stay away from the case. By chance she meets Eric, a schizophrenic, who sees dead children and a horse. Susan can’t let it go and teams up with Eric to ask questions and help solving the case.
I didn’t know that there would be some paranormal aspects to the story. I still would have read the book, but maybe it would have been more enjoyable. I liked Eric and how he lives a normal life with a job and friends, even having to battle with mental illness.
I’ve never read anything by this author before but the synopsis sounded good. I was so confused the first part of this book. Eric is a professor who’s wife left him and I’m wondering what this has to do with anything. Susan is a police officer trying to solve a old murder but she gets pushed out at every turn. The paranormal aspects of this book are super creepy. 60% into the book I was ready to give up but then it took off and was fast paced, super twisted did not see that coming suspense to the very end. I would read another book by this author. Hopefully the next one will be as good as the last part of this one was.
Haunting, thrilling, and entertaining are three words I’d use to describe Forgotten Bones. Many of the characters had no connection until the bones were discovered buried at a local farm. Then things started to be heard, images began to appear, and characters started to weave their stories together to find out the truth of who was behind all the bones that were found.
I had no doubt that the obvious suspect wasn’t the guilty person. If it was that obvious it would not have been a good book (and this is a good book). The story gave clues but I never saw the entire truth until it was laid out for me. I loved the suspense of what would come next, I can never guess but am always thrilled when a story takes a turn that I didn’t see coming.
Forgotten Bones is a mystery, thriller, and amazing story. I enjoyed the characters, the storyline, and everything else about the book.