Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

As the Plague returns to England Oswald de Lacey is faced with a stark choice, risk staying in his estate or take his family to the remote castle owned by a friend and stay there in isolation for the winter. When de Lacy arrives his friend locks the gates and a disparate groups of strangers settle in. However when murder strikes de Lacey finds that his family may be in more danger within the walls.
This is setting up to be a solid series of stories about the reluctant aristocrat and his extended family. Here the setting is pure Agatha Christie, an isolated castle, a locked door and a mysterious murderer. In fact the plot is very simple yet clever and the setting chilling and well-researched.

This is one of the few series that have maintained their original punch. Despite the inevitable body count, "The Bone Pit" lives up this author’s previous excellent work on the Somershill Manor Mysteries with Oswald de Lacy reluctantly applying his inconvenient talent for rooting out elusive murderers.

Not ideal that, especially when you and your nearest and dearest have opted to be sealed inside a friend’s castle to escape the plague riddled world outside, a sanctuary that could very soon become an unexpected tomb.

Their original intention of riding out the storm until danger has passed fades into insignificance and Oswald continually fears for his family’s safety, though I get the impression he’d happily consider shoving his mother down the well to prevent her embarrassingly blunt and loud comments being vocalised further.

The familiar wealth of elements make this book (and the series) not just a good read, but a great one: a persuasive plot, a varied and unpredictable cast, a conciseness that has the ability to set the mood for an entire scene in a single sentence, moral failures and triumphs, plus it’s not without its humorous moments.

It’s set to be a very long and unsettling time for the de Lacy’s… not for me though, as I flew through this one! LOVED IT.

This is the fourth in the Lord Oswald de Lacy historical murder mystery series set in the medieval era by SD Sykes, but my first read, and it works reasonably well as a standalone although there are references to previous events. It is 1361 and the devastating plague has returned, with large numbers of people infected and dead, burned in the plague pits. Those who can, are moving to what are deemed to be safer areas. Oswald has made the decision that his family must move from Somershill in Kent, to the Romney Marsh, to the remote Isle of Eden, and the castle of his acquaintance, Godfrey. So with a cart load of food supplies requested by Godfrey, his second wife, Filomena, his mother, his young son, Hugh, and his Italian valet, the teenage Sandro, they embark on the tough and harrowing journey, facing the most inclement of weather that delays them with the ferries prevented from making the trip to the island. Filomena and his mother are less than happy to be moving, compounded by the fact they do not like Godfrey.

Upon arriving on the island, Godfrey is not there to meet them as agreed, and they have to find their own way to their sanctuary, only to be greeted by the most unwelcome of sights, the burning of a house and its plague infected occupants, a worry as they had assumed the island was free of the plague. The group are not made to feel very welcome at the castle and Godfrey is an uncomfortable and unsettling figure. He is a believer in the End of Times, and a follower of Wyclif and his principles. Wyclif thinks the church is corrupt, he is a man who reads the bible, and is branded a heretic by a church in which so many have not read the bible themselves. Godfrey is convinced that the plague is there to punish an ungodly church that has moved so far away from its purpose and assumes that Oswald thinks the same as he does. This is not true and Oswald becomes ever more irritated with Godfrey. There are others seeking sanctuary in the castle, including Lord Hesket, his wife, Isobel and their strange daughter, Lady Emma, Godfrey's lascivious and dissolute brother, Edwin, Sir Robert of Lyndham, The Fool for entertainment, Pieter de Groot, the clockmaker and his apprentice, Han.

Godfrey entrusts Oswald with two letters and tells him he will be leaving the castle to bring two more individuals into the castle. However, the following morning Godfrey's murdered body is found posed in the clockmaker's chest. Oswald looks to find a murderer amongst them in the castle, all to aware of the risks and danger this will bring. Sykes does a great job in portraying the feel of the historical era and the devastating effects of the plague, and its implications, the deaths, the fear, and of peoples' lives disrupted. This is a entertaining and enjoyable read, full of intrigue, and with a great set of characters. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.

1361. Oswald de Lacy,Lord of Somershill,is forced to leave his estate because the plague is coming uncomfortably closer. So with his wife,his young son and his cantankerous mother,he seeks refuge in the isolated castle of Godfrey of Eden,on the Isle of Eden. The castle, perched on a lonely cliff is surrounded by nothing but marsh. But Godfrey has other problems than the plague. He has a layabout brother,is suspicious and has very strong religious beliefs. To his mind the plague,apart from heralding the end of the world, is also the punishment of God upon humanity and especially upon the church and the clergy. Oswald and his family are not the only ones seeking refuge in this cold and bleak castle. From the first night tensions run high and the atmosphere is somewhat unpleasant. And then Godfrey is murdered. Oswald takes it upon himself to discover the murderer(s) but only encounters more mysteries and more deaths.
I remember reading the first book,The Plague Land, in this series and I wasn't completely enchanted by it. So,I was a bit apprehensive when I started The Bone Fire,but there was really no reason for it. It is a classic mystery story in a historical (and his this case,haunting )setting.
It is well written,the characters are well defined and well,I just wanted to finish it. And then I felt a bit sorry that it was finished...Always a good sign!