The Bone Keeper by Luca Veste

Today Mandie is sharing her thoughts on The Bone Keeper by Luca Veste. It’s a book we’ve both had in out TBR for far too long, so Mandie has pulled it to the top of the pile to give it a bit of book love. Here’s what it’s all about:

About the Book

What if the figure that haunted your nightmares as child, the myth of the man in the woods, was real?

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 sceptical 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.

Mandie’s Thoughts

This book has been on my TBR pile ever since I picked up a proof copy at a crime festival (It has been that long I can’t even remember which one now) but as I am determined this year to read some of my ever-increasing backlog alongside authors I have not read before it seemed like the perfect time to dust it off and get stuck in.

The Bone Keeper is an urban myth perpetuated over time by children to scare each other or so everyone thought. When Caroline Rickards is found with multiple injuries and no real explanation on how she got them DC Louise Henderson and her partner DS Paul Shipley are called to investigate. It is only when another body is found near the same area things start to get complicated and the myth of the Bone Keeper suddenly seems a little more real. They know that Caroline is hiding something from them they just don’t know what, then again it is quite clear from the start that DC Henderson has some secrets of her own that are starting to have an impact on her investigation.

What I loved about this book is that it gives urban myths a new twist. Playing heavily on the readers imagination from the first chapter you know that events from the past are going to play heavily of what is to come, what you have to do is work out how. The clues are there but with so many twists and turns you may be surprised exactly how things turn out.

Both Louise and Caroline are quite complex characters that at times can appear cold, yet you are still routing for them to get the answers they are seeking. The fast pace of this book means that you never get the chance to get bored and the dark undercurrents will have you checking behind you as you walk alone. The final chapters of the book bring all the elements together perfectly and are certainly packed full of action. What this book highlights perfectly is how the lonely and forgotten can be victims in more ways than one as they become easy targets. As a standalone book this is just perfect and due to the subject matter will appeal to fans of police procedurals and those that love that slightly spookier elements to their reading.

About the Author

Luca Veste is the author of The Bone Keeper, as well as other novels. He is a writer of Italian and Scouse heritage, married with two young daughters. He studied psychology and criminology at University in Liverpool.