Thank you Brilliance Audio for the ALC and WunderKind PR , #partner, for the advanced copy of The Family Bones in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer / Brilliance Audio
Published: March 7, 2023
Summary:
What makes a psychopath? A young woman delves into her family’s shadowy legacy in a terrifying novel by the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of Strangers We Know.
Psychology student Olivia Eriksen’s family is notorious among true-crime buffs. Faced with a legacy of psychopathy that spans generations, Olivia has spent much of her academic life trying to answer one chilling question: Nature or nurture?
Although she’s kept a safe distance from her blood relatives for years, Olivia agrees to attend a weekend reunion. After all, her fiancé is eager to meet his future in-laws, and the gathering may give her a chance to interview her elusive grandfather about the family traits.
But nothing is ever peaceful among the Eriksens for long. Olivia’s favorite cousin is found dead in a nearby lake. Then another family member disappears. As a violent storm isolates the group further, Olivia’s fears rise faster than the river.
And an uninvited guest is about to join the party. True-crime podcaster Birdie Tan has uncovered a disturbing mystery in her latest investigation—and she’s following it right to the Eriksens’ mountain resort. There’s a deadly twist in the family plot that even Olivia doesn’t see coming.
My thoughts:
This is the third book I’ve read by Elle Marr and I just cannot get enough of her books! They are twisted and thrilled and keep you engaged from start to finished – just how I love my thrillers!
As soon as I saw that this was about psychopaths, I knew I had to read it, especially as it involved a family of psychopaths and one family member that was studying the age-old question of nature vs nurture when it comes to pschopathy. How could I pass up a book on that? And let me just tell you…this one does not disappoint! It has so many of my favorite tropes of a thriller all rolled into one without being overbearing – a locked-room mystery, a completely dysfunctional family, alternating points of view and the use of diary entries scattered throughout the story – this book totally captivated me from the get-go and I loved every minute of it. I had no idea where it was heading and I could not get through it fast enough!
I loved that I questioned quite a few of the characters as things started going haywire and yet, I couldn’t have been further from the right path. But that’s what makes this such a good story! And the pace is just right to keep you engaged without it dragging at any point.
I have one Elle Marr book to read that I somehow missed along the way – Strangers We Know – and I’ll be picking that one up pronto while I wait to see what this talented author gives up next. If you haven’t discovered her books yet, you are in for a treat…all of them are so good, and they are quick reads, too!
Audio thoughts:
I thought this was a great audio to listen to. I’m always a fan of listening to thrillers as they seem to really keep my attention and this was no exception. I liked that there were multiple narrators as it seemed to make the transitions between the different points of view stand out a little more. The narrators all did a great job with the pacing and I quite enjoyed listening to this one.
