‘A nail-biting chiller that will make your heart race and send shivers up and down your spine. Her Sister’s Bones is a spellbinding and sensational crime novel that is impossible to put down.’ Bookish Jottings, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐‘She reached into the pram and placed her hands on the cotton blanket. It was still warm. But her smiling, new baby sister, with her wide blue-grey eyes, was gone…’Twenty five years … wide blue-grey eyes, was gone…’
Twenty five years later, three bodies are found at a ramshackle cottage in the Irish countryside, and Detective Iris Locke is sick to her stomach. The victims are Anna Crowe and her two young children.
Iris has only recently joined the Limerick Murder Squad. Against her father’s advice, she’s working the narrow lanes and green hills of her childhood. Iris still remembers Anna, who was just a small girl when her baby sister was snatched, never to be seen again. It was the one case Iris’ own father never solved, and Iris can’t help but wonder if the two crimes are connected.
She’ll stop at nothing to find Anna justice, but a fire has destroyed almost all the physical evidence, and Limerick is the same small town she remembers: everybody protects their neighbours, and Iris has been away for too long.
Can Iris unpick the lies beneath the surface of her pretty hometown, and catch the most twisted individual of her career, when reopening the old case means reopening old wounds for her team, the rest of the community, and her own father?
Fans of Patricia Gibney, Angela Marsons and L.J. Ross won’t want to miss this – the first book in a gripping and unputdownable new crime series.
Previously published as ‘Silent Night’.
Readers are hooked on Her Sister’s Bones!
‘Fantastic!… enthralling, heart wrenching, overall wonderful read, definitely have you feeling all the feels… I will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I couldn’t read it fast enough. All the characters were believable even down to the inevitable drunk with attitude and personal problems. The ending is mind-blowing and totally unexpected. I loved itand look forward to the next in the series.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Wow! amazing book! tons of twists and turns and suspense. held my attention from the first page to the last page. will definitely be recommending this to others and can’t wait to read more by this author!’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Kept me gripped from beginning to end… no hesitation in recommending.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Brilliant… can’t wait for book 2’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Great read… kept me gripped… I’m glad that there will be more books to follow.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Well what a FANTASTIC book. BRILLIANT characters with strong storylines, excellent plot I did not guess at all took me by total surprise. I can highly recommend this OUTSTANDING book.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Amazing plot twist and the end that I never saw coming. I’ll def be looking for more in this series’ Goodreads Reviewer
‘A great start to a new series and I can’t wait to read more of it.’ Spooky’s Maze of Books
‘The wonderful characters and great storyline had me hooked.’ Goodreads Reviewer
‘This is a new author for me so was looking forward to reading this. It’s a good start to a new police procedural series and I really enjoyed the storyline. It was good getting to know the characters of Iris and Slattery and hopefully will find out more about them in future books in this series. I would recommend this and look forward to reading more of the series.’ NetGalley Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Many crime thrillers claim to be “absolutely gripping,” but sometimes don’t live up to the hype. I’m happy to say that Silent Night by Geraldine Hogan does live up to the phrase. There is a lot to wade through at the beginning, but once the characters and setting are established, the action takes off. The reader is taken on quite a ride through the twists and turns of the murder investigation. I thought the author did a great job of keeping the action taut because it kept me hooked to the end. For more thoughts on what was so right about this five-star read, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and the author for a complimentary, pre-release, digital ARC of this book.
4.5 for me !
All I can say about Book 1 in the Detective Locke series set in Limerick is I can’t wait until the next book in the series.
I loved Iris and Slattery , flawed characters but that makes them so real.
The case of who killed Anna Crowe and her two children isn’t solved easily . Is it tied to the disappearance of Anna’s baby sister who disappeared 30 years ago?
As Iris finds out, it is never easy coming home.
The ending will surprise you !! You won’t see it coming !!
Looking forward to the next book and see how the characters develop.
I am ready !!
Many thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read Silent Night.
Favorite Quotes:
Ah yes, the good old days when they moved you every couple of weeks. It tended to weed out the men from the boys, and the women entirely.
Boran was an electric eel of a man, long and reedy, jumpy and giddy; with deep-set eyes that Iris supposed might set him aside as an artist, or in Iris’s line of work, a player.
Rumour has it she’s looking to catch you out, Slattery, better watch yourself. That one, she’s a hairy bit of work on a bicycle, take it from me. You watch yourself up there now.
Iris lowered her voice, conscious once more of her surroundings. St Abbati’s Terrace wasn’t exactly Soho. It was the kind of place, Iris figured, where the neighbours knew if you flushed twice within the hour and they would be counting.
Slattery, more than anyone, knew that truth was a costly commodity; he knew it because from what he could see, it was rarer than hens’ teeth.
My Review:
While the clever story threads and plot lines were unpredictable and smartly paced, I was far more taken by Ms. Hogan’s exquisitely crafted, evocative, and slowly evolving storytelling. She snared my attention on page one and kept me immersed in her intriguing tale to the last sentence. Her writing was deftly penned and scrolled smoothly through my brain with ease. It was as if I were watching a film.
Each scene was thoroughly set to engage all the senses from vivid visuals to heart-squeezing emotional tones, with an added treat of agilely inserted incidental details and keenly entertaining observations that tickled my brain cells and continually prodded my curiosity.
What an unexpected delight! I am all in with the lovely Iris and am eager to see what the crafty Ms. Hogan shakes loose for her next murder case. And for a bonus, I learned a fun Irish idiom of “on the gargle” – meaning to be boozy.
Silent Night, a treat for thriller lovers! Many twists and turns that keep you wanting to turn the pages as fast as you can! Once you get to the mind blowing ending, you can’t wait for Detective Iris Locke Book 2. Definitely a 5 star read!
I volunteered to read this book through Netgalley.com
I absolutely loved this book!
The characters quickly drew me in. Slattery and all his baggage, and Iris with her determination and dedication to be part of the Murder Team, sees through all his grittiness and they form a formidable team.
I look forward to seeing the softer side of Slattery and see where Iris and Grady go.
A really good first book in a new series. Starting out with a house fire and bodies found in the ruins, the case is getting complicated when Iris Locke finds a connection to an old cold case almost 30 years ago. She’s trying hard to find the murderer, but being the new one in there isn’t much support from her colleagues. Her partner Slattery, is a disillusioned sergeant, finding the bottle of whiskey more appealing than his work. Iris is having a hard time finding her footing in a murder team she didn’t want to join in the first place and the memory of the one time she met the victim briefly. The case gets more personal than Iris could’ve imagined. Liked the story and writing and I will definitely pick up the next book with Iris Locke and the Murder Team.