They had me at abandoned asylum! I don't think I've ever read a book about one of these that wasn't awesome. The creepiest of settings with a dark haunted atmosphere, and Blackwater Asylum is no different. A murder victim is found deep within its walls and it's up to Detective Lew Kirby and team to figure out why. A feat not made any easier when one of their early suspects is also found murdered nearby. What went on in this place? Because surely it involves someone who lived or worked in Blackwater, making a statement by committing the crimes on or near the property.

Connie Darke is also investigating the case, but on her own. She's not a detective though, she lost her sister to a tragic accident on the asylum grounds. She knows there are dark secrets just waiting to be exposed and she wants to be the one to uncover them. She makes contact with a former patient who lives on the grounds but his damaged past makes it hard to trust and believe him. Does he really know truths, or did certain events take place only in his mind? Surely, the staff would not have experimented in such ways...but this is an asylum, after all.

Anyone with an interest in asylums or abandoned places would love this mystery, just for the atmosphere alone. But there are also plenty of twists and secrets exposed that draw you deeper into the story. You won't rest until you know everything Blackwater has hidden and you won't be disappointed!

The secrets of Blackwater Asylum are beginning to reveal themselves... the body of an elderly woman is found in the derelict asylum on the banks of the river thames and it is left to Detective Lew Kirby to discover them especially after another body is found further down in the river

Not read anything by this author and was taken by the blurb for this story, this is the first in what hopefully becomes another gripping must read series

The Bone Jar by S.W Kane is an atmospheric and chilling debut novel that had me from the first few pages. A snowstorm,an abandoned asylum and the discovery of a body...what else do you need to set the scene? I was spooked out immediately. With the exception of one man who lives within the grounds there is nothing and noone near. The police come to the conclusion this case is not going to be cut and dried anytime soon.
We are introduced to D.I Lew Kirby who is the detective working on the case along with his partner D.I Pete Anderson. They identify the body as an ex- nurse who spent her retirement visiting local hospices, the detectives can't find anyone who can say a bad word about her but this doesn't marry with her being left in the old asylum in anyway, surely someone out there has a grudge. A mobile phone is found at the scene which leads the detectives to search for the owner, an Edward Blake and discover someone is searching for him also.Connie Darke an urban explorer or Urbex, was meant to meet Edward at the asylum and he did not turn up so she has been looking for him since. Connie is interviewed by D.I Kirby and D.I Anderson in light of their enquiry but as the case goes on another body is discoveres and Connie gets drawn into the investigation herself.
All the secrets and dark pasts start to come to the fore and reveal a disturbing set of truths as the case unfolds. I was so creeped out at times but could not put the kindle down! It was all worth the spookiness as I arrived at the final portion of the book. The pace rackes up and I was dying to knie whay was going to happen! The twists were great and the finale was intense.
The characters were well drawn out and I easily earmes to them. I loved how Lew could not stand his police issue Corsa and Pete had his lucky rabbits foot, made me giggle a bit. Their chemistry was fantastic and in turn their team are spurred on by them. A great plot that, as I said, held me from beginning to end and I would absolutely love to go on another spooky adventure with Lew and Pete, any day! Thanks go to Random Things Tours and Netgalley for allowing me to on this blog tour and for the copy of The Bone Jar, a chilling debut!

4.5 STARS

I read this book for a blog tour, so thank you to the blog tour organiser and the author for letting me take part in this tour, and thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I was really looking forward to reading this book because the blurb and the cover really drew me in, I really like mysteries, but I'm quite picky and only like a few that are really centred on the actual investigation with forensic elements and police as well, and this one was exactly that, so I was sure to really enjoy it.

This book gripped me from the start and even though I was quite distracted at the time I was reading it for various reasons, it kept drawing me in and really held my attention when I was able to read. I thought that the setting with the asylum and the murder possibly being linked to something that happened while the asylum was still running was really interesting and I enjoyed this plot a lot.

In this book, we follow detective Lew Kirby as he is trying to piece together the murders and also try to find the culprit, as well as he is dealing with his own family issues. We also have Connie Darke who is having to deal with the same things and trying to find her friend Ed who has disappeared. As well as these two, we have Raymond who is an ex-patient of the institute, is still living on the grounds, and the title of the book is linked to his character, but I won't say more about it. I really appreciated that we got these three characters as well as the investigation because it made the book more complex and really gave us some intriguing subplots that kept me reading right through! I'm really hoping there are going to be more books, hopefully, a detective series, because I want to know more about these characters.

I wasn't expecting that ending and I definitely think there is potential for more books as even though I thought the crimes in themselves had been well wrapped up and the threads tied up and explained, something happens at the end that makes you think there is going to be more, so I'm really intrigued to find out.

I thought this was a great book, I really liked the backdrop of the asylum, and I thought that some of the subplots that were explored in this book, that were linked to the asylum and these three characters were really important topics and I found them to be really interesting. I do usually really like mysteries, and this was definitely the type of mysteries that I really enjoy.

I gave this book 4.5 stars, I really enjoyed it, it was a great mystery with a great plot, the characters were really relatable and well developed, the story was well written and kept me entertained right through. It was just missing that 5-star feel, but I did really enjoy it and would highly recommend.

Omg what a chilling book. It did freak me out and was spinechilling. Really good page turner and loved it

Just the name - The Bone Jar - gets those hairs on the back of your arm tingling, it conjures up creepy places, unpleasant people with horrible agendas. Now with a name like that this book needs to live up to its spooky name, thankfully it does!

Detective Lew Kirby is tasked with finding a murderer of a seemingly innocent elderly lady, her body was discovered deep within the bowels of the majestic yet derelict Blackwater Asylum. The asylum is steeped in local lore, the vast complex is full of secrets and is a mecca for urban explorers such as Connie Darke.

Connie is mourning the loss of her sister, An urban explorer, Connie’s sister was found dead at the asylum years previously, her boyfriend has tried to find out more about her death and along with Connie they have explored the asylum grounds extensively. However her sisters boyfriend goes missing and when another body is pulled from the Thames, she finds herself working with Kirby to get to the bottom of Blackwater’s secrets.

Someone who knows a lot about Blackwater is Raymond Sweet, a former patient who has squatters rights within a house on the site, he has seen things and he remembers things, can they trust him or does he know more about deaths than he is letting on?

As they dig, they find out that the elderly victim was far from sweetness and light, they uncover a tangled web of lies and intrigue, I know that is a little cliched but it is a great web and SW Kane has done a great job of keeping you guessing until the very end.

This is a fantastic read, its perfectly set with the asylum described perfectly, the decay of the buildings inside and out comes through in the text and it gives you a definite sense of foreboding every time they set foot within the grounds.

I’m hoping there will be more stories with Lew, I have a feeling Connie will pop up again if there are more, sparks did fly between these two and as an urban explorer who knows what Connie might find the next time she is delving in to the unknown and unloved.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A terrifically exciting murder mystery/police procedural focusing on a long-abandoned London asylum, slated for expensive redevelopment, its history of horrifying secrets, and its connection to the late wealthy family in the neighboring mansion, THE BONE JAR is both riveting and wildly entertaining. Weaving the current case with Blackwater Asylum's ugly, unforgettable past, and the backstory of the protagonist, London MIT Detective Lew Kirby, the plot keeps the reader well engrossed, even to the extent of reading heart-in-mouth.

The Bone Jar takes place in London Town where an old abandoned asylum is about to be redeveloped into prime luxury real estate, the only kicker being a squatter who, after 20 years of residing on the premise has won squatter's rights to keep a small portion of the estate for himself.

Have you ever heard of Urban Explorers(a.k.a the classy word for trespassers)? The Author apparently is one, and brings the Urbex experience into a spooky murder mystery. We all love abandoned buildings with the haunted and sinister past of an asylum. Who can resist?

But this building has a long history of abuse, murder, suicide, and controversial experiments.

A sweet old lady has been found dead in the asylum and as it turns out, she is anything but sweet.

The Bone Jar by S W Kane is a debut novel, and one that caught and held my interest. Since this is listed as Book 1, I'm happy to know there will be more.

From description: Two murders. An abandoned asylum. Will a mysterious former patient help untangle the dark truth?
The body of an elderly woman has been found in the bowels of a derelict asylum on the banks of the Thames. As Detective Lew Kirby and his partner begin their investigation, another body is discovered in the river nearby. How are the two murders connected?

Before long, the secrets of Blackwater Asylum begin to reveal themselves. There are rumours about underground bunkers and secret rooms, unspeakable psychological experimentation, and a dark force that haunts the ruins, trying to pull back in all those who attempt to escape. Urban explorer Connie Darke, whose sister died in a freak accident at the asylum, is determined to help Lew expose its grisly past. Meanwhile Lew discovers a devastating family secret that threatens to turn his life upside down.

DI Lew Kirby is the protagonist, but he does not take over the plot; a couple of secondary characters are as involved and important as the DI, giving the novel an almost ensemble feel. Raymond Sweet, a former patient, lives his eccentric life on the grounds of the old asylum, and Connie Darke wants to know who was with her sister the night she died and
what has happened to a friend and fellow urban explorer who is now missing.

In the investigation to discover who wanted an 84 year old woman dead, secrets from past and present come slowly to light.

Like many readers, I find plots involving mental asylums suggestive of a thrilling and suspenseful experience, and the long abandoned Blackwater Asylum blends atmosphere, history, and memories that satisfy that notion. A promising debut and a suspenseful mystery set in the midst of a frozen winter, The Bone Jar more than met my expectations.

(Although this was a NetGalley offering, it is also available on Kindle Unlimited.)

NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer
Police Procedural. July 1, 2020. Print length: 327 pages.

The body of an elderly woman has been found in the bowels of a derelict asylum on the banks of the Thames. As Detective Lew Kirby and his partner begin their investigation, another body is discovered in the river nearby. How are the two murders connected?

Before long, the secrets of Blackwater Asylum begin to reveal themselves. Lew along with the help of an urban explorer, Connie Darke, whose sister died in a freak accident at the asylum, must put the pieces of the puzzle together to keep the killer from striking again.

I really enjoyed this book. I was immediately intrigued with this book when the premise mentioned a murder in an asylum. That itself creates an interesting atmosphere for creepy thriller.

While at times I did get confused while reading because there were so many characters and sub plots going on at the same time. But, at the end all of it with all its twists and turns come together for a thrilling finish.

Overall an excellent start to a new series. Looking forward to more books in this series!

Thank You to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC

I nearly chose this as my amazon first reads choice but decided on another title, so I was so pleased to get this through Netgalley.
This was so my kind of book, I have a morbid fascination with thrillers about mental asylums but this took forever to get going. I was at 20% before I found out the identity of the murder victim!
Lots of characters with not enough clarity between them made this really challenging, and I found I wasn't engaged fully with wanting to know the ending.

I couldn’t get enough of The Bone Jar. I was afraid I wouldn’t finish it in time for this review but, once I started, I just flew through it.

What really drew me was the murder location of this book: a former asylum. I love any book set in some kind of abandoned building, especially one where bad things happened in the past. You just know that it will give the story a chilling, haunted vibe, and The Bone Jar didn’t disappoint. Of course, Blackwater Asylum and what happens there is completely fictional. However, it feels totally realistic based on the stories we have heard regarding what went on in places like this.

Although the plot presented enough twists and turns to keep me on my toes, it wasn’t what carried the book. The characters were also great. The best thing about them was that they didn’t fit the stereotype I often come across in these kinds of books. Connie was brave and smart and she didn’t make stupid mistakes. Kirby was pretty normal for a detective, and by that I mean he wasn’t an alcoholic, moody, adverse to other people (you know the usual characteristics), he was just the average person. However, while these characters stood strong in The Bone Jar, it was the unpredictability of Raymond Sweet, a former patient, that gave the book its edge.

Is there anything creepier than an abandoned mental asylum? I don’t think so. A woman’s body has been found deep inside the cellars of the old hospital, Blackwater Asylum and another body is discovered in the Thames nearby. Detective Lew Kirby is assigned the cases, are they related, and if so, how? Kirby is joined by urban explorer, Connie Darke, whose sister was killed in an accident in the asylum. Together they explore the past and present of the old building as they try to uncover its secrets before someone else is killed. Brooding and atmospheric, this story kept me riveted

* spoiler alert ** 3.5 stars

I do like a book set in a creepy asylum.
The more deserted and neglected the better... adds atmosphere.
This certainly had that when a dead body is found on one of the empty wards.
This ticked the right boxes for creepy setting,strange characters,hidden tunnels,secret rooms,family secrets and murders.
It had a lot of good stuff going on.
It also had a decent central character,in what is hopefully going to be a series.
Some excellent twists in the plot,and the ending left me just wanting more.

The Bone Jar was right up my street - creepy, chilling and atmospheric. Set in the middle of winter, snow all around an elderly woman is found in an abandoned asylum Blackwater on the banks of the river Thames. How she got there without being seen on the security cameras is a mystery that Detective Lew Kirby and his partner have to solve. As their investigation goes on secrets from the Blackwater asylum begin to rear their ugly truth as connects to dead woman come to light.

There are many characters in this story and a lot of interconnecting story lines that will keep you on your toes, though I did find myself getting confused at some of the red herrings thrown in. That being said, I really did enjoy this book and I hope that there will be more coming for  Kirby in the future

5 star

'The Bone Jar' by S.W. Kane is the first book in the Detective Lew Kirby series, a story that circles around the discovery of an elderly woman's body in an abandoned asylum on the banks of the Thames. As DI Kirby and his partner start digging into the details of the woman's death, a second body turns up in the river nearby.

Secrets begin to unfold regarding hidden rooms, secret experimentation, and the legends that places like Blackwater Asylum so often develop.. that there's a force about them. Ghosts of the past. Or at least, an inescapable vortex that seems to draw others to their doom.

When Kirby meets with Connie Darke, an urban explorer whose sister died in an unexplained accident on the asylum grounds, his queries spur her own obsessions with the truth and she grows determined to help him find answers.

There are several questionable characters that pop up throughout the investigation, some of them tight-lipped and severe.. others wild and brash. Each one is richly portrayed, their distinctive quirks making them easy to keep track of even with a wide suspect pool.

To start with.. there's Raymond Sweet, the former resident of the asylum who ends up living on the property for decades after it closes. He's an unusual man, but he seems almost sweet in his strange way. There's the hot shot developer who ends up losing Sweets plot of land to him via squatters rights litigation, the missing urban explorer whose cell phone is found at the scene of the crime, the heir to Marsh House just in from Perth, the daughter of the deceased who is more than a little rough around the edges, and plenty of others.

Nearly everyone has secrets they're keeping, some of which are devastating and not all of them even relate to the case. In fact, while Kirby is trying to track down the killer, he's fielding calls from his parents about something his mom has been hiding. Admittedly, I found her reveal a little odd, but the story was still great.

I loved the dark, gritty setting. The description of the property throughout the book is so vividly stark. The asylum has stood on the grounds for years and it feels as if its affected almost everything within its reach.

Kane did a fantastic job of balancing character and story development with well-paced scenes filled with action or suspense. It's definitely worth the read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish - after all, with two murders, a derelict asylum on the banks of the River Thames containing all kinds of dark and grisly secrets and a former patient who cannot let go of the past, what's not to like?
Right at the start we read about a death but have to wait until much later in the book to find out its relevance. The story really begins with the discovery of the body of a badly beaten eighty-four year old woman lying on an old hospital bed in a ward of the long abandoned Blackwater Asylum in Battersea, South London. The old psychiatric hospital has a chequered past, including rumours of strange experiments, deaths and improper behaviour from the staff. Even after it was closed in 1993, there were several more incidents there such as arson and suicide. The whole site, including a listed chapel, water tower and a lake, has now been acquired by a developer by the name of Patrick Calder for redevelopment into luxury accommodation. There is one blot on Calder's landscape though. A former patient who should have moved into a B&B never actually left and Raymond Sweet stayed living for so long in the Old Lodge that he now has squatters' rights over a piece of the land. Raymond was first admitted to Blackwater at the age of seventeen, lived there twenty seven years till it closed and now at the age of sixty seven cannot imagine life anywhere else. A harmless soul with a less than perfect memory, he keeps himself to himself and tries to keep out of sight of the Creeper, the ghost he believes haunts the old building. The case falls to DI Lew Kirby and partner DI Pete Anderson of Mount Pleasant's Murder Investigation Team, and as their enquiries proceed, the victim is identified as local woman Ena Massey, a veritable saint of a former nurse who spent her retirement making home visits for a local hospice. No one seems to have a bad word to say about her but the placing of her body somewhere with a murky past can hardly be a coincidence. A mobile phone was also found at the crime scene and this leads the detectives to a search for the owner, a teaching assistant called Edward Blake. His fellow urbex (urban explorer) Connie Darke has also been looking for Ed without success. They were supposed to meet at Blackwater to honour the death of her sister Sarah, also Ed's girlfriend, who died there five years ago in a freak fall. Connie was delayed by the bad weather and Ed hasn't been seen since. Since the accident Connie has remained friends with Ed and has discovered the hobby of urbexing for herself. Her job as archivist at the Repository for Architectural Drawings and Ephemera has given her even more of an interest as she has access to the plans of many old buildings. The plans to Blackwater would be a major find but no one seems to know where they went, like a lot of the records from the hospital that also vanished. Connie is first interviewed by the police about Ed's disappearance, but as the case moves along and another body is found, she finds herself drawn into Kirby and Anderson's investigations. Very dark and disturbing secrets about what really went on at Blackwater start to emerge as family histories are thrown open and the past comes back with a vengeance in one of the coldest winters on record in London. The pace really shoots up at the end, and there are some great twists after an explosive finale where the truth finally comes to light. The book contained great well drawn characters that were easy to get to know. I really liked the pair of detectives and the humour in the story, such as the car Kirby loathes and Anderson's faith in his lucky rabbit's paw. They have a good rapport which in turn inspires the other detectives in their team. The plot is clever and has lots going on but I found it was always well written, and it was easy to keep up with the story which drew me in and kept me glued to it all the way through. I don't know what the plans are but I would certainly love to see this becoming a series featuring Kirby and Anderson. 5*

The Bone Jar is both police procedural and psychological thriller. When the body of an 85 year old turns up dead at the abandoned Blackwater Asylum, there's more questions than there are answers. This book was definitely a wild ride that keep me guessing at every step. I applaud the author for all the twists and turns because I was not ready for the ultimate reveal in the end. I will definitely be reading more books by this author in the future.

The Bone Jar begins with the discovery of the body of an elderly woman in the derelict Blackwater Asylum….she had been murdered.

DI Lew Kirby begins the investigation. He speaks to an urban explorer, Connie Darke who has reported her friend, Ed, missing. Her sister, Sarah had died in an accident some time before…..at the asylum.

Are these events linked? Does Raymond and his creepy bone jar know more than anyone realises?

I really enjoyed this creepy thriller. It has great characters in Kirby and Connie (and a 3 legged stuffed fox). I really felt for poor Raymond too, such a troubled soul. With its clever plot, this dark and twisted tale keeps you guessing. Gripping from start to finish.

Thank you to The author, the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.

This book is an Amazon First Reads choice this month and I almost picked it until I realised I already had the book as I was taking part in a #BlogTour. This is an excellent book and the kind of thriller I love to indulge in. I was hooked from the start when the body of Ena, an old woman is found in a derelict asylum. Why? How did she end up at the Asylum? Why did someone choose to kill her there, where she was a nurse when the Asylum was still in use? The most likely suspect is Raymond Sweet, a former patient who lives on a cottage on the grounds after winning the lease in court after squatting in the cottage for decades. But is he a little too obvious? This book raises so many questions and the author takes plenty of time to answer them. I thoroughly enjoyed this.