I purchased this book for my own personal collection.
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Published: September 1, 2022
Summary:
THIS REUNION WILL TEAR A FAMILY APART…
Summer, 2021. Nell has come home at her family’s insistence to celebrate an anniversary. Fifty years ago, her father wrote The Golden Bones. Part picture book, part treasure hunt, Sir Frank Churcher created a fairy story about Elinore, a murdered woman whose skeleton was scattered all over England. Clues and puzzles in the pages of The Golden Bones led readers to seven sites where jewels were buried – gold and precious stones, each a different part of a skeleton. One by one, the tiny golden bones were dug up until only Elinore’s pelvis remained hidden.
The book was a sensation. A community of treasure hunters called the Bonehunters formed, in frenzied competition, obsessed to a dangerous degree. People sold their homes to travel to England and search for Elinore. Marriages broke down as the quest consumed people. A man died. The book made Frank a rich man. Stalked by fans who could not tell fantasy from reality, his daughter, Nell, became a recluse.
But now the Churchers must be reunited. The book is being reissued along with a new treasure hunt and a documentary crew are charting everything that follows. Nell is appalled, and terrified. During the filming, Frank finally reveals the whereabouts of the missing golden bone. And then all hell breaks loose.
From the bestselling author of He Said/She Said and Watch Her Fall, this is a taut, mesmerising novel about a daughter haunted by her father’s legacy…
My thoughts:
I have long been a fan of Erin Kelly and as soon as I saw this book published over in the UK, I ordered a copy from Book Depository, not knowing when it would be published here in the states. Turns out it is coming out here in January, but I’m so glad I got my copy early. I made it a priority to read it in December and as I expected, this book totally delivered!
What I love most about Erin Kelly’s books is that they are always so different from each other. When you pick up one of her books, you never know what to expect, except that you will get an engrossing, thrilling read and that is exactly what this latest one is. A gothic mystery with a dysfunctional family and layers upon layers of intrigue and secrets kept me glued to the pages. I loved how the story moved back and forth in time, slowly revealing things just at the right time, but also keeping you from knowing too much too soon. As we learn more about each character, you start to wonder whether they are truly trustworthy or not.
This book is both mysterious and bewitching in that it grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go until you finish it. And while the mystery is happening with the treasure hunt, we become privy to family secrets long forgotten that are the bedrock of these very dysfunctional families. It’s so easy to become lost in these pages once you start reading.
I absolutely loved this book and have a feeling that at some point I will be rereading it because there is just to take in. As I already stated, this is out in the UK and will be released in January here in the states, so if this sounds like your type of read, definitely grab a copy!
