Vivian Barz | FORGOTTEN BONES

Plot (via Goodreads):

When small-town police officers discover the grave of a young boy, they’re quick to pin the crime on a convicted felon who lives nearby. But when it comes to murder, Officer Susan Marlan never trusts a 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?

Review:

Vivian Barz's debut is in my opinion one hell of a stellar start to what I believe is going to be a new series. What I loved about this one was that the plot was really dark and had a cinematic slasher-movie opening. I loved the rural California setting, the dual character stories featuring one police procedural and one a brutal haunting with supernatural elements, and finally - an ending that was severely entertaining.

I think this one is a great debut novel and I can't wait to see where this series goes. It was a fun and wild ride that kept me entertained throughout. I will admit, I think we could've shaved a few pages off from this as there were some spots that kind of felt slow to me after some pivotal moments in the book, but I enjoyed these characters and this story. I felt like the supernatural aspect was done really well and creepy compared to being too over-the-top.

If you're looking for a spooky binge-worthy read that will creep you out and prepare you for your horror movie marathon this fall, I think this is the perfect way to kick-off all your scary reads!

Special thanks to Amazon Publishing and Thomas and Mercer for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5