Book Review

Loreth Anne White has been popping up on my social media feed a lot this year with her A Maid’s Diary hitting all the right notes and being noticed and appreciated amidst the cacophony. I haven’t yet had a chance to read that one but when offered a chance to read and review another cracker coming up in 2024, well no prizes for guessing, grabbed it with both hands of course.

The author chooses the much used plotline of a group of friends hiding behind lies and secrets and for whom the secrets come to roost almost half a century later. The cold case that opens with the discovery of bones is not just about unveiling the truths hidden for decades but it is primarily about the repercussions that follow in each character’s life and the emotional upheavals that were wonderfully captured by the author. There are multiple POVs and also past and present timelines, so the beginning does tend to get a tad confusing but once each of the six friends dubbed by the press as Shoreview Six is introduced the story races to a thrilling and jaw dropping finale.

As the past unfolds through the POVs of the six friends, the readers are kept on tenterhooks as to the reasons for Annalise’s death and the various mysteries surrounding her. There is a stalker, her promiscuity, her sudden mood changes, there is also a teacher who had vanished at the same time and more than one thread to follow for the final puzzle piece to fall in place and truth be told, after all that guessing, I was completely taken aback at the climax that the author brought forth, never did see that punch coming in.

Detective Jane Munro has her share of trauma to deal with, that of her missing boyfriend but the discovery of Annalise’s body and the mystery of her death gives Jane the much needed momentum to hang on and surge forward in life. We are also introduced to Angela a nosy reporter who has no qualms about doing whatever it takes to get the news but one who develops a conscience later and strives for a balanced impact in reporting and I loved how the author has left an opening for these two characters along with Dr Ella Quinn to continue the series, if any. There was also a subtle romance being hinted at and if there is a series planned, I am sure the story of Jane’s “missing boyfriend” will be one I would be happy to gorge on.

The layered storytelling delving into the lives of each character and the guilt of the past that never lets go was quite brilliantly done and I do admire how the author ties up all those numerous threads to form a cohesive ball without any wrinkles. The science behind forensic genealogy and familial DNA testing has been explained through Dr. Ella’s character and does give weightage to the title “THE UNQUIET BONES”.

Top of the charts this one!

My Rating

Book Blurb

A shocking discovery of human bones reopens an almost fifty-year-old cold case—and rips apart the lives of a group of friends.

When human bones are found beneath an old chapel in the woods, evidence suggests the remains could be linked to the decades-old case of missing teen Annalise Jansen. Homicide detective Jane Munro—pregnant and acutely attuned to the preciousness of life—hopes the grim discovery will finally bring closure to the girl’s family.

But for a group of Annalise’s old friends, once dubbed the Shoreview Six by the media, it threatens to expose a terrible pledge made on an autumn night forty-seven years ago. The friends are now highly respected, affluent members of their communities, and none of them ever expected the dark chapter in their past to resurface. But as Jane and forensic anthropologist Dr. Ella Quinn peel back the layers of secrets, the group begins to fracture. Will one cave? Will they turn on each other?

The investigation takes a sharp turn when Jane discovers a second body—that of the boy long blamed for Annalise’s disappearance. As the bones tell their story, the group learns just how far each will go to guard their own truth.

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Many thanks to Netgalley, Montlake Publishers, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

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