The Bone Keeper by Luca Veste

The Bone Keeper by Luca Veste
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 400

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Source - Amazon

Blurb from Goodreads

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.

The brilliant new police procedural from Luca Veste, featuring series characters Murphy and Rossi - a guaranteed page-turner.



My Review

We open with some young kids spooking each other, taunting over the legend that is The Bone Keeper. A chilling rhyme the kids sing about a boogey man who skins your flesh and keeps your bones. At the beginning of the book her brother goes missing and we come to present day. Louise Henderson is a cop called out to a case. When the woman tells them she was attacked by the Bone Keeper Louse and her partner react differently. Louise very much believes the legends could be real and is trying to keep on top of her anxiety. As the case progresses they have to consider could the legend of the bogey man actually be real after all?

So this is one of those reads that if you had tales of a local bogey man growing up then this will grab you quickly. Police procedural with an attack on a female being investigated, the victim is claiming it was the bogey man so initially they don't think much of it. As they investigate things get a little big spooky and eerie. There are a few parts to the book, Before and Now, Now is present Day, Before goes back to the kids messing around and one going missing. The Bone Keeper Legend and then Louise being the main character and her personal issues whilst trying to keep on top of an active investigation.

The chapters are short which I love, it took me a wee bit to get into and I wasn't always sure where the story was heading. By the end things you read earlier start to click but for a wee bit I wasn't too sure. Veste tackles a few things in the book and brings together police procedure with horror and chilling moments. Good for a night with the lights off and a wee candle, I also think this would work really well as a movie, 3.5/5 for me this time.

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City Girl by Patricia Scanlan

City Girl by Patricia Scanlan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 484

Publisher - Simon & Schuster UK

Blurb from Goodreads



Delivering stories that span generations, and offering warmth, wisdom and love on every page - if you treasured Maeve Binchy, read Patricia Scanlan

Three very different women face heartache, upheaval and reinvention in this romantic drama, which praises the power of friendship to pull you through when life gets tough.

At 21, Devlin is seduced by the suave, sophisticated Colin Cantrell-King, an older married man and her boss. But this affair will leave her with some tough decisions to make.

Caroline is afraid of being left on the shelf so jumps at the chance to marry the cool, detached and very attractive Richard. But, why does he never return her ardour with equal passion?

Married mother Maggie feels trapped in a loveless marriage until she discovers her husband's infidelity. What will she do with her new-found sense of liberation?


My Review

A story about three women, Devlin, Caroline & Maggie. All in very different circumstances and coming from different backgrounds the three form an unlikely friendship. The story goes over several years and looks at how life choices can have a massive impact on their whole lives and how they cope, survive and pull together to get through their experiences.

I have read Scanlan before and to be honest she is becoming an author I really like. I don't think you could call it chick lit because she hits some hard issues in a delicate and sensitive way. This book examines abuse, love, relationships, loss, parenthood, loneliness and hardship, to name a few of the topics covered.

The three main characters are very different, Devlin is beautiful, forceful and a force to be reckoned with but soon learns actions have long lasting consequences. Caroline is almost a slave to her own family looking after the boys, going from "an ugly duckling" to a beautiful young woman, Caroline fails to see her own beauty. Her lack of self worth follows her into adulthood and impacts on many aspects of her adult life. Maggie has always been spunky, never one to allow social attitudes, or her family, to dictate what she should do with her life Maggie makes her decisions to live her life as she wants. Soon realizing, as with her friends, actions have long lasting consequences she seeks solace with her old friends as they pull together to survive their demons.

A thought provoking tale of friendship and real life, I think many readers can identify with one or all of the characters at some point. The book packs some emotional punches as we follow three very different woman into adulthood and survival. How friendships can be broken and some can survive everything life has to throw at them. Carving out strong women who have weaknesses that shine through this is a story about life and the curve balls it throws you but more importantly, coping to get through it. 4/5 for me this time, there are I believe two more stories to follow this one with the same characters, I will be buying them for sure!

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ZomB City by Darren Shan

Zom-B City by Darren Shan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 1 day

Publisher - Simon & Schuster UK

Pages - 213

Blurb from Goodreads


How many survived the zombie apocalypse?Where do the living hide in a city of the dead?

Who controls the streets of London?

B Smith is setting out to explore...



My Review

B is out from underground, picking up from where we left book three, she is weak, hungry and disorientated. Stumbling about she hits the streets of London, among the undead to try and find her way through the new world and what her place in it might be.

You can read this book as a stand alone as Shan does give a brief recap of what you have missed, however if you can I would suggest going back and reading the others. B is determined she won't be attacking humans but she knows what she needs to do in order to survive. Despite being undead and never being able to age, B is growing up fast and trying to adapt to her new way of life. Coming across the undead is not her only problem, there are much worse things than zombies out there and what do they have planned for her?

More death, gore and self exploration, some of the scenes cover innocent and young victims which some readers may find distressing. If you have read the previous and enjoyed you won't be disappointed with this one. B's journey continues, we are offered a bit more insight into what has happened and how our world looks now. I can't wait to see where the next installment takes us, 4/5 for me this time.

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