Luca Veste | THE BONE KEEPER

Plot (via Goodreads):

He'll slice your flesh. 
Your bones he'll keep.

Twenty years ago, four teenagers went exploring in the local woods, trying to find to the supposed home of The Bone Keeper. Only three returned. 

Now, a woman is found wandering the streets of Liverpool, horrifically injured, claiming to have fled the Bone Keeper. Investigating officer DC Louise Henderson must convince skeptical colleagues that this urban myth might be flesh and blood. But when a body is unearthed in the woodland the woman has fled from, the case takes on a much darker tone. The disappeared have been found. And their killer is watching every move the police make.

Review:

Again, an author that is new to me has completely blown me away with my first read from them. Luca Veste's THE BONE KEEPER is the kind of thriller that will leave you breathless and terrified to inhale. Right from the haunting and eerily atmospheric opening that is reminiscent of a good old fashioned horror movie,  I was completely taken aback with how chilling this novel began.

The plot to The Bone Keeper is not only part thriller, cold case, and police procedural, but is brilliantly paced and sprinkled with an urban legend/horror movie setting. What I loved was how effortlessly Veste combined all of these different elements and created what I consider to be a genius story. Not only was I immersed in this plot, but the characters were stunning and haunted. It's as if the plot was the outline of a puzzle and each character - their words and actions - the puzzle pieces that created a bigger picture. The story not only flows fantastically, but kept me invested in one of my favorite ways possible. I find with some stories, you're invested while you're reading and then when the book is put down, you move on with your daily life and give it little thought until the pages are back in front of your face. With The Bone Keeper, every moment spent not reading it was a moment spent wondering where it was going, trying to act as a detective in putting the pieces together, and preparing myself for what was to come next. Luckily, this was a weekend read for me, so I didn't have to venture too far away from this terrifying read.

I thought I had all of the pieces put together, but the last quarter of the novel really progressed in its pacing and the revelations were one after another after another of shocking and violent scenes combined with twists and turns that weren't over the top (given the story) but just the most chilling journey to a finale that not only left me in complete shock, but saddened and really feeling terribly for a few main players. This is the kind of novel that you dive into, relish in its beauty, and then immediately look at the back-list of other titles by this author. A brilliant and eerie read that will make you question on if you should spend at least one night sleeping with your bedroom door locked and the lights on.

Special thanks to Sourcebooks for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5