Book Review: The Bones of You by Debbie Howells

When 18yr old Rosie goes missing and is later found dead her village is in shock. Who would want to kill beautiful and gentle Rosie? And why? Local gardener Kate was close to Rosie and is wracked with guilt. Why didn't see this coming?

​Kate finds herself drawn into the investigation, sure the Police are missing something. And while her guilt turns to obsession she discovers that Rosie's perfect life was not all it seemed.

Husband bought me this book for Christmas and doesn't he know me well. The cover literally screamed 'READ ME!!!!. Definitely looked like my kind of thriller.

The Bones of You has a promising premise, but it's hardly original. Dead girl, small village, seemingly perfect family. Who could possibly have the motive to kill her?

Sounds familiar? I thought so.

The voice of Rosie's ghost, unable to move on, narrates the events leading up to her death and beyond (which reminded me a bit of The Lovely Bones, but without the tone and beauty which makes that book stand alone) and gardener Kate pieces together the mystery, well kinda, but it's a pretty half hearted effort which mainly involves talking to an old journalist friend (who doesn't seem to have any real purpose in the narrative apart from as a soundboard for Kate's theories).

If I'm being honest this book deflated me. I had such high expectations from the cover but the plot never really gripped me. I didn't feel very connected to Rosie or Kate as characters plus I was pretty sure who the murderer was from early on and the other suspects felt like half hearted red herrings. It was a disappointment as a good twist ending defines a successful thriller and I'd loved this story to have turned my theories upside down at the end. But it was not to be.

Overall 2/5

Linking up to #readwithme and #triedtested

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