EXCERPT: .... as she took her place in the witness box, a chill trickled down her spine. She was barely able to register the court official in front of her, let alone recall how she'd gotten to the box.

'Do you, Sergeant Rebecca North, solemnly affirm that the evidence to be given by you shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?'

He lied.

You both lied.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: When Detective Rebecca North left her rural hometown, she vowed never to return. Her father’s apparent suicide has changed that. The official report is that retired cop Noah North shot himself, knocked over a lantern, and set his isolated cabin ablaze. But Rebecca cannot believe he killed himself.

To prove it, she needs the help of Ash Haugen, the man she left behind. But Rebecca and Ash share more than broken hearts. Something darker lies between them, and the investigation is stirring it back to life. Clues lead them to the home of Olivia West and her deeply troubled twelve-year-old daughter, Tori. The child knows more about the murder than anyone can imagine, but she’s too terrified to say a word.

And as a cold-blooded killer resurfaces from the past, Rebecca and Ash begin to fear that their own secrets may be even harder to survive.

MY THOUGHTS: I had previously read and loved a book by this author, unfortunately not A Dark Lure, the prequel to The Dark Bones. Although I really enjoyed this read, I think it may have been even better had I had the full back story.

But putting that aside, although I really do recommend you read A Dark Lure before The Dark Bones, it was still an intriguing and exciting read. The author's descriptions are often graphic, whether it be of the crime or the scenery. She does both beautifully.

But this is so much more than a crime novel, it is a story of redemption, of love, of rebuilding relationships.

I need to read more by this author.

****

THE AUTHOR: Loreth Anne White is an award-winning, bestselling author of romantic suspense, thrillers, and mysteries.

A three-time RITA finalist, she has also won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Romantic Crown for Best Romantic Suspense and Best Book Overall, in addition to being a Booksellers’ Best finalist, a multiple Daphne Du Maurier Award finalist, and a multiple CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award winner.

A former journalist and newspaper editor who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she now resides in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest with her family. When she’s not writing, you will find her skiing, biking, or hiking the trails with her Black Dog.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to MOntlake Romance via NetGalley for providing a digital copy of The Dark Bones by Loreth Ann White for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.

There's nothing quite like getting lost in a Loreth Anne White novel. I just can't understand why we still haven't seen any movie deals yet? A complete and utter mystery to me.

The Dark Bones is the second installment in The Dark Lure series. Although this novel features our beloved Olivia and Cole... and even Tori from A Dark Lure, this novel however centers around Rebecca North and Ash Haugen. Their story begins 20 years ago, when choices were made and hearts were broken. Rebecca North is forced to return to her hometown when she learns of her father's passing. Rebecca, being of the RCMP begins to suspect foul play involved with her father's death. What she doesn't realize is that the events that took place 20 years ago still plague the small town of Clinton.

The closer Rebecca gets to the truth, the close she gets to danger, and the more unsettling her feelings become toward her ex-love, Ash. Rebecca has to make a choice, can she trust him?

A Dark Lure was my first Loreth Anne White read, and while it has never been my favorite, at the time I found a great appreciation for Loreth Anne White's writing. The more I have read from her, over time, she has simply become my favorite author. Her descriptive writing is by far superior. Her ability to place a scene inside one's head is truly remarkable. For me, the storyline means nothing if you can't bring it all to life with descriptive writing. The Dark Bones is another example of excellent writing. While this is the second installment in a series, I would go as far to say it could be read as a stand alone and one would not be too lost as the main characters are given their own story that seldom intertwines with the past.

I want to thank NetGalley, Montlake Romance, and Loreth Anne White for allowing me the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my review.

The second book was much better than the first book IMO. The main reason lies in the the main character, Detective Rebecca North. I like her honesty, directness and loyalty. I also like the idea of the mystery case much better than the one from the first book. I have to confess that I prefer the analytic side in crime solving to the graphical description of the savage brutality of a crime.

Rebecca returns to her hometown to bury her father, former RCMP officer Noah North, who committed suicide after setting his lone cabin on fire. But something is not right here: from her last phone conversation with her father, who was working on some old unsolved case, she knows that he found some important information that could help to solve the case. Was his suicide staged to protect the real murderer or murderers? She needs the answers and she needs the help of someone she can trust. But can she trust Ash Haugen, the man who broke her heart long ago and who is one of the main suspects on her personal list?

The author created a very thrilling atmosphere of a rural Canadian town, full of hidden dark secrets, the wrong and the rights decisions that were made. The story-line remains exciting until the very end.

The Dark Bones could be read as a stand-alone. The characters from the first book play a secondary role in the second book, and you don't need unnecessarily to know their background story to enjoy this one.

The Dark Bones by Loreth Anne White is a suspenseful page-turner that holds your interest from page 1. This is a highly recommended read.

While I did not read book one I did still enjoy this one very much. I loved that characters and the setting and I can not wait to get a copy of book one. I loved the frozen setting and the close knit town. I could not put this one down at all and I finished it in less than a day!

Rebecca North is a great protagonist. She's relatable, brave and has great common sense for a dectective. Her past is a mess but she returns to her hometown after her father's death from suicide. But when she starts searching for answers about what brought her father to this point, what she uncovers is surprising. Good, writing, good plot, good mystery.

An excellent read, great characterisation and plenty of tension and suspension to keep you turning the pages. The description of setting is so vivid you feel as if you have been transported there.
This is the second book in a series but I had no problems following the story and I will definitely be reading the first one.
Highly recommend this one.

The Dark Bones is a chilling suspense story with a young love gone wrong and having second chances.

When Detective Rebecca North left her rural Canadian hometown, she vowed never to return. A call from her drunken father made her nervous, a follow up call notifying her of his apparent suicide brought her home. However, Rebecca is not content with the suicide findings and is determined to find out what her father was doing before he died, who he was with and why the townspeople are behaving so strangely. Excellent read!

The book was well written. I did not realize it was the second in the series, so it was a little hard to get into it. Detective Rebecca North left her hometown. She is getting a message from her father, but when her father is killed by suicide, she comes back to find out what happened. Why did he kill himself when he left a message about a cold case in the town? There is a noir feeling to the writing which is interesting. I did like the back in forth in history. A good book thanks you Net Galley. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

The Dark Bones is the second book in the Dark Lure series and really should be read after reading the first, which I was unable to do. The story was understandable on its own, but I missed quite a bit of pertinent backstory, character development and emotional attachment that I would have had if I had read The Dark Lure first. That said, it was a well-written, thoroughly crafted dark, small town mystery with a bit of romance mixed in.

The story centers around Rebecca North, a Canadian Mounted Police detective who is called home upon news of her father’s apparent suicide. She has her own reasons from her past that make her reluctant to return home, but she also has a hard time believing that her father would kill himself. She soon discovers that her doubts have merit. As she begins to investigate the cause of her father’s death, she finds that her former love is deeply embroiled in the mystery himself.

This novel definitely has darker elements to it and is not always an easy read given certain content. I had a bit of a hard time keeping certain characters straight and following some of the plot lines, and did have an idea, given the narrative, who the culprits were. That said, I did not anticipate the surprising reveal at the conclusion. Overall, The Dark Bones is a chilling, well-developed, complex plot with a nice conclusion.

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had a hard time getting into this book. I found it boring and not particularly interesting sadly. Had high hopes but became disappointed. I’m tired of female federal agents/cops coming to their hometown to solve something and of course there is an old flame there waiting for her, and they start they whole “will they-won’t they”. I’m tired of the main character compromising themselves and letting others make the decisions.

Amazingly good. Plenty of twists and secrets.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the first time I have read this author and she grabbed me from the very beginning. It’s difficult to describe an artists work. And that’s what I think of her writing skills. She is an artist.

White doesn’t just type words into a paragraph. She literally paints the picture in your mind and it seems like you are right there In the midst of the icy cold trying to solve the case.

The Dark Bones throws so many emotions at you. It is a combination of suspense, thriller, second chance romance, mystery, and a damn good fiction book.

Trying to capture my feelings is difficult because they are all over the place. One thing that I do know is that this book was one of the best I have read this year and it is truly an grossing read. I could not put it down nor did I want to.

While this book is part of a series of sorts, I really did not feel I was missing anything from the previous plot(s). But I do know that I am definitely going back and grab more books from this author.

She writes in such a captivating manner, I can’t wait to get my hands on more stories from her. Run, don’t walk, to your nearest book seller and grab this book! You will love it too. I know it!

I recently read The Dark Bones by Loreth Anne White. It’s a romantic suspense, and I’ve got to say, it’s just about a perfect book.

First, the back cover blurb:

She’s come back to solve the mystery of her father’s death and confront her own dark past.

When Detective Rebecca North left her rural hometown, she vowed never to return. Her father’s apparent suicide has changed that. The official report is that retired cop Noah North shot himself, knocked over a lantern, and set his isolated cabin ablaze. But Rebecca cannot believe he killed himself.

To prove it, she needs the help of Ash Haugen, the man she left behind. But Rebecca and Ash share more than broken hearts. Something darker lies between them, and the investigation is stirring it back to life. Clues lead them to the home of Olivia West and her deeply troubled twelve-year-old daughter, Tori. The child knows more about the murder than anyone can imagine, but she’s too terrified to say a word.

And as a cold-blooded killer resurfaces from the past, Rebecca and Ash begin to fear that their own secrets may be even harder to survive.

My Review

Like I said, this is just about a perfect book. Why? First, the structure of the story maximizes tension, surprise, and keeps you wondering all the way to the end. Second, the atmosphere. It’s set in a small town in the Canadian winter. The cold seeps into you and the isolation, the dark, and the poverty and lack of resources, along with a sense of claustrophobie: that everyone knows everybody’s business and you have no privacy. Third, the characters. Rebecca’s father comes alive, even after his death. So does Whitney. All the characters are flawed, with compelling stories. Even the secondary characters feel complex and rich. Rebecca is driven, smart, and logical. She’s got a lot in her past to deal with. That’s slowly revealed through the book as she deals with her grief, guilt, and old feelings for Ash.

The relationship between Rebecca and Ash is far more complicated than she is aware of. There’s more in their past than he’s revealed to her, and those secrets continue to drive them apart and as they come to light, implicate him in her father’s murder. Ash is still in love with Rebecca, but a mistake when he was seventeen broke them up and Rebecca can’t forget his betrayal. But she learns more about the past, about a long ago murder, she starts to understand that what she thought she knew was wrong. That she’d interpreted the facts incorrectly.

What I like is that she doesn’t start doubting herself as a cop. She keeps investigating and looking for the truth. She grows and changes, as do many of the other characters.

The addition of Ricky and Tori adds depth and highlights the tension, the atmosphere, and motivations. White weaves all these elements into a complex story that is hard to put down. I highly recommend this book and plan to pick up more of White’s books.

A well-written, intriguing mystery, with a heartwarming love story intertwined, set in a small, remote town in British Columbia.

Rebecca grew up in this town, left as soon as possible, and didn’t look back when she moved to the city and began a career as a detective of white collar crimes.
She rarely returned to visit her father and friends, but after 20 years, a family tragedy, and an unsolved crime call her and she reluctantly goes back to take care of family business and ends up solving a cold case that involves her friends and loved ones; one that has been unsolved since she lived there as a teenager.

Secrets and lies have caused mistrust and fear, and after learning more, she is able to reevaluate her feelings about this place and people she used to know so well. She reconnects with friends she grew up with, and rekindles a romantic relationship that had seemed to be dead. This heartwarming love story permeates the events of the story and adds to the enjoyment.

I enjoyed this and recommend it to you as well.

Note: I received an advance copy of the ebook in return for an honest review.

Set in British Columbia, <i>The Dark Bones</i> is the story of Detective Rebecca North, who returns home when she receives news that her father, a retired Mountie, has been found dead of an apparent suicide. But this conclusion just doesn’t sit right with Rebecca especially in light of a recent phone conversation with her father in which he said he had uncovered some important information about a cold case involving two teenagers who had disappeared twenty years ago. There are a number of twists and turns as Rebecca revisits her past as she puts together the pieces of a murder that someone ruthlessly tries to keep buried.

Suspenseful and gritty, <i>The Dark Bones</i> accurately captures the extremes and dangers of this cold wilderness as well as life in a small rural town. This is the second in the Dark Lure series, but it also worked well as a stand-alone. This book was my introduction to Loreth Anne White and I look forward to reading more.


FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Thriller
Triggers: Murder, Stalking, Alcoholism, hints at abuse

Rebecca is a mounted Canadian police officer who was heartbroken by her childhood sweetheart. When she left behind her small town to pursue bigger career aspirations, she always thought that she would have time to return and that her dad would always be there for her. When she receives a cryptic call from her dad, Rebecca isn’t quite sure what to make of it. However, when her dad winds up dead under strange circumstances, Rebecca has to return to her hometown to figure out what happened to her dad.

Ash tried so hard to get out of his hometown. But even though he tried everything he could think of, he became stuck. When Rebecca left, he understood, but it didn’t hurt any less. He tried to keep an eye on her dad over the years. He felt like his dad too since Ash’s own parents were less than stellar. Secrets have a way of making their way to the surface and when his secrets start to come to light, Ash has to decide if it’s worth keeping those secrets hidden.

This story has a lot of setup. You read the past and the present together and while it’s not confusing to know which you’re reading, it does take up a lot of the first half of the book. However, after the first 50%, the story really takes on a life of its own. And while it’s not a cliffhanger, White leaves enough of a hint that there could be books and a story after this one, which I hope there is.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
The Dark Bones is an excellent murder mystery. Rebecca North returns to her hometown after years away due to her father’s apparent suicide. Because the story is told from various points of view, we know that Rebecca’s father’s death was not a suicide and that there is much more going on in this little town and it appears to all link back to the disappearance of two teenagers 20 years prior. Glimpses of the past in this story give us just enough information to suck us in and have us asking questions and in my case, coming up with different theories about what happened then and what is happening in the here and now.

Loreth Anne White does such wonderful job laying out of the different strands of the story and pulling them together, including a love story between Rebecca and her high school boyfriend, Ash, which is playing out in the middle of the murder investigation. The author is also great at setting the atmosphere of the freezing Canadian winter – I was cold reading this book.

I loved The Dark Bones. It is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. I have not read the first book in this series, but I’ll be adding it to my To-Be-Read list. If you are a fan of romantic suspense stories, The Dark Bones is well worth reading.

From the first page, the eerie atmosphere and moody plot drew me in. Rebecca is a well-drawn character and the reader can feel her guilt and trepidation as she investigates the demise of her father. His death leaves her with a lot of questions as there are many loose ends that don't add up. I look forward to looking up more of Ms. White's writings.

Thanks to the author, Montlake Romance and Netgalley.com for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book.

If you enjoyed “Girl on A Train,” then “The Dark Bones” is a book for you. A police procedural, this mystery/thriller will grab your attention from the first page to the last. There so many twists and turns that you will bite your nails while turning the page as fast as you can to know what happens next.

Detective Rebecca North went home to her rural hometown to bury her father. But she cannot accept that her dad committed suicide. To figure out what really happened she needed the help of the whole town in general and Ash Haugen, her high school sweetheart, in particular.

In this tight-knit community, Rebecca felt like an outsider for being away for so long. As she began to second guess herself, clues kept on coming up that referred to an incident that happened a decade ago, the day that her heart broke.

To add insult to injury, the only person she can trust seems to be the epicenter of everything. Rebecca only have to credible witnesses and both are children who are refusing to talk.

In an era of Criminal Minds and CSI, setting a police procedural in a rural town with only one law enforcement officer seem like a contradiction in terms. Yet author Loreth Anne White pulled if off splendidly, proving that she knows her craft.

Everything is believable and relatable. There was nothing in the storyline that will make you ask, “where did that come from?” Rather, you say, “wow, I knew that part was important… now I know why.”

Like fine wine, “The Dark Bones” should be enjoyed. Set aside a lazy afternoon or better yet, make this a read for your book club. There are so many points to discuss, it will surely be a lively discussion.

“The Dark Bones” is Rated T for Teens for thematic violence.

Readers of Loreth Anne White’s other books will recognize the setting of The Dark Bones, as she returns to previous characters from A Dark Lure. Though they are the hook in, Olivia and her daughter Tori are minor characters and this can be easily read as a standalone. Rebecca North is front and center as she returns home after the death of her father to unspool events of twenty-years ago. I am a huge White fan and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.

"The Dark Bones" is an impressive and intense romantic suspense novel with large helpings of mystery and the fast-paced action of a great thriller. There's something for everyone in this extraordinarily good novel!

Even though it is book two in a series, it worked very well as a self-contained read. Captivating from the start, I loved the character development from Loreth Anne White, which made them very convincing. The short chapters helped to make this an easy read.

I will be reading the first book 'A Dark Lure' as soon as I am able to. This book is very highly recommended and worth every one of the five stars.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my own request from the publisher via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.