Cherrie changed her name at 17 to get rid of the association with her serial killer father (Mr. Bones). When she was 8, he was found guilty for the murder of 11 young boys to create art projects with their bones, an activity his daughter assisted with. 25 years later, a local boy goes missing and Cherrie's past comes out via a podcast, which leads to her own son also going missing.

The setting and premise of the book are both great. I guessed some of what happened and whodunit quite early, despite the amount of red herrings stuffed into the plot. However, there were other parts of the plot that mostly kept me guessing until the reveal (which I wasn't fully convinced by). The amount of red herrings, potential suspects and secrecy was a bit lazy and overdone in my opinion. I felt like the truth was hidden like a big game of pass the parcel. You could tell x, y, and z didn't do it but still knew you needed to go through them before getting to the final suspect. The podcast element and true crime reporting was under utilised, compared to what I know it could have been. I think having newspaper articles or reporting about the original Mr. Bones case would have added something to the story. When it was clear that wasn't going to happen, I hoped that Cherrie's dad would be used more in the same vein of Michael Sheen's Martin Whitly in Prodigal Son.

I really liked Cherrie as a narrator, due to a lack of sleep and worry about her missing child she starts to question herself and becomes and unreliable narrator to herself, questioning everything she has done or thinks she has done. She is cunning and relentless in trying to find her son. She becomes more unstable as the book moves forward, which is completely understandable as she has lost her son - yet the portrays this in a manner than along with her past makes her very suspicious (in the world of the book, not to the reader).

3.5 stars, I just felt it could have been better and a bit shorter - but I did really enjoy it and it was hard to put down.

Eight-year-old Leigh-Anne has had a troubled childhood. Her mother took her own life and her father is Mr Bones a serial killer who abducted and kill young boys and used their bones for sculptures. Her father was convicted for the crimes. Leigh-Anne hasn’t seen him since. She was nicknamed Little Bones.
When Leigh-Anne turned 17 after living in foster care she changed her name to Cherrie and started a new life. Present day Cherrie now has a boyfriend and a son called Robin. When a child goes missing, somewhere someone finds out about her past because of a podcast, accusing her as the number 1 suspect and when her own child Robin goes missing the rumours spread that she has abducted and killed both boys. Like father Like daughter.
I have read a lot of books in this genre, but Little Bones has a unique, dark storyline that I enjoyed very much. There is a lot of twists and turns that kept me captivated throughout. I thought that this was an exceptionally good start for a debut novel. I can’t wait to see what the author has in store in the future.

This story is told from Cherrie aka Leigh-Ann’s perspective as she goes about her normal life, as girlfriend, mother and employee. Then, a local boy goes missing, and she instantly thinks of her father’s past, and the role she played in helping him to adult young boys. Her father is in prison, never likely to see the light of day again, and no one knows who she is. Until, of course, one day her secret past is revealed, and everything starts to go wrong.

I don’t want to say much more about the plot for fear of including spoilers; however, I have to say this just didn’t work for me. The idea if brilliant – the child of a serial killer, what isn’t to love? There’s a chance to do so much with nurture/nature etc that I thought this would blow me away. Sadly, it left me feeling really cold.

Cherrie is an interesting character as she swings from being “normal” to quite frankly, unhinged. Personally, I actually quite liked the fact she wasn’t portrayed as some demure, scared, quivering mother desperately hoping her child would be returned. It’s refreshing to read about a woman with a bit about her, and who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.

That said, this quickly became a bit of a jumbled mess for me, with Cherrie’s internal monologue’s rambling in so many different directions it was difficult to keep track of her thoughts. On many occasions I found myself feeling bored, and tempted to skip ahead.

I also found the amount of red herrings/potential suspects overkill (pardon the pun). Filling a book with a lot of could he be suspect A/B/C/D/E or F is lazy plotting as far as I’m concerned; hiding the truth behind multiple doors is not a skill, it’s bombarding the reader and I was very disappointed. Sadly, it didn’t even work as to me, at least, the villain was obvious from early on, and the games and false leads were just frustrating.

The Stars
Just 2 stars from me, as this was a very bland and uninspiring read. This felt like it was written for a younger audience, rather than an adult thriller.

Cherrie Forrester seems to be living a lovely life with her charming young son and a boyfriend who adores her. What others didn't know is that she's also the daughter of a notorious serial killer (famously known as Mr Bones) who had been sentenced to jail 25 years ago. Cherrie has reasons not to think about the past not only she's Mr Bones' daughter but also, she feels guilty in helping him in a way by luring the boys into his car. She was eight then.

Cherrie thinks her past and secrets would be hidden safe forever, until the disappearance of a boy and a podcast link them to her father's crimes. Despite Mr Bones is convicted, many people are still intrigued by him and his young daughter, Leigh-Ann. Cherrie tries to remain low profile, but the podcast has doxed her as Little Bones, leaving her both enraged and helpless. To complicate matters, Cherrie's son goes missing during their trip to an amusement park. Cherrie fears someone may seek revenge over the past crimes as she searches frantically for her son while dodging from people's curiosity and allegations that she might be involved in her son's disappearance.

Little Bones started out with a bang and I found the concept and the identity surrounding a serial killer's daughter's was quite enticing from the thrillers aspect but while it has an interesting premise, Cherrie came off as more annoying (in her behaviours) than intriguing for a character and it was a disappointment given that there's so much potential in this story. To be fair, there are a few gripping moments but there are also others that went on a bit too long and repetitive. The ending may not be a surprise to some readers and while this isn't a bad thing, I find it lacks some elements which constitute a great thriller. That said, it was considerably promising for a debut thriller and I'll be curious of the author's next book.

I was very kindly offered the chance to review this book by @avon_books and @netgalley out on 31st October this book is perfect for the coming season!

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The story is based upon Cherrie, a daughter of a convicted serial killer who despite changing her identity finds the past is never fully hidden and threatens to upturn the new life she has build when a recent disappearance is linked back to her father’s crimes.

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I enjoyed this book and read it really quickly as I was desperate to discover what was going to happen. Peacock did an excellent job of setting traps for the reader, I would get a hunch I had figured it out only to realise I been lead down another false path!! Cherrie does begin to unravel as the story develops and you are left questioning if it is a case of like father like daughter? Or just the actions of a desperate mother?

Thank to Netgalley for the preview of this book. It was a good read It will keep you entertained & guessing throughout the read. I felt it feel a bit flat towards the end but overall it was a good if not amazing read. Slightly predictable but entertaining

I received a copy of this book through netgalley.

What can I not say about this book? N V Peacock came out of nowhere in my reading world and enraptured me from the moment I began this book. What a whirlwind story that will captivate you from its first moments and leave you breathless at the end.

The story literally kept me on my toes and guessing the whole time.

Remember readers... you will think you know early on... however, keep guessing, because you won’t realize until the end. The twists and turns in this novel make you second guess yourself and what you are reading.

Could not put it down and cannot think of greater words to say about this novel. Utterly fantastic

This one was disappointing.

The plot intrigued me initially - this woman who is the daughter of a serial killer. She would help him lure young boys into his car, and he would use their bones to create art. I thought, wow, what an interesting plot!

Cherrie, aka Little Bones, has a family. Her life is pretty normal after changing her name and having nothing to do with her father, Mr. Bones. Then, after a meeting with a psychic, who tells her her son is in danger, she discovered a podcast exploring the crimes of Mr Bones, and her life starts to fall apart.

I thought this was going to be a dark, real gritty thriller. Instead what I got was an over-dramatic, predictable story that focused very little on the story of Little Bones and her past. The Mr Bones, Little Bones plot felt sidelined to make way for a rather boring kidnapping mystery that I was struggling to finish.

I disliked the main character. A LOT. She was way too intense and the way she treated people was horrible. You could argue the reason for her actions, and I get it to a degree, but she was unbearable to read and I felt awful for the side characters around her. I found the side characters more interesting than Cherrie. The dialogue was bland, and we got a constant internal monologue and not enough 'show' for my liking. It was repetitive and lacked any kind of atmosphere.

I was hoping for a dark thriller. A creepy thriller. The way this book is described does not reflect what it's actually about and I'm mad.

I liked the Mr Bones plot. Wish there was more of it. Other than that, I don't recommend this.

This started off really promising, in fact I had a moment about 20% in that caused me to gasp and start recommending this book to others. Unfortunately it might be that "Little Bones" by NV Peacock, for me, peaked too soon. I jumped to conclusions on who the murderer is but as time went on, it turned out that this was a red herring. It was a shame that more doubt couldn't have been cast over the murderer's identity. Anyway, it redeemed itself partly in the end, with a creepy description of the main character's father.

Loved it. Kept me enthralled the whole time. Will keep this author on my watch list. Highly recommend.

How true is the saying ‘like father like daughter’?

Cherie’s changed her name and created a new life for herself but someone finds out she is the daughter of a serial killer called Mr Bones and then her son goes missing. Has she killed Robin? Will she kill others to find the truth?

There are a lot of twists and turns in this book where you are lead down a path only to find it twists again. About 25% before the end I guessed the ending but this didn’t stop me enjoying the ride.

Cherie’s decent into sleep deprived madness was a little infuriating. I just wanted to reach into the book and slap some sense into her, but if the shoe was on my foot I would probably react the same.

Overall I think it’s a quick easy read, with lots of twists albeit with the final twist being one that was a little easy to predict.

Cherie as she is known as an adult, has had a very disturbing childhood. Her father was a serial killer. Known to everyone as big bones. Fittingly, she became known as little bones. As a child she watched as her father did cruel things to people. So one can imagine the torment and hell she went through. I want to say that at this point the author does an immaculate job of ensuring that everything was written In such a way that is fluid and easy to follow. As you read this story it is almost as if it is you, the reader, experiencing the emotional trauma. Cherie as an adult is much different now. She is married and has children. Just as it seems she is over the trauma, people start disappearing. Not just disappearing but exactly as the did when her father was killing them. Why is this happening now? The ending will surprise you completely. This is one hell of a ride and written in such a way that you are immersed completely and cannot wait to see what happens next. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves this genre!

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book grabbed my attention right away. The premise of a serial killer's daughter trying to form her own life is intriguing and the writing was good but I did have some problems with this book. I'll start with the good stuff. This book has suspense. It has the creepy factor of a serial killer who preys on little boys, that in itself is horrifying. When I read the prologue, I was floored. It left chills and the idea of killers among us, those men who can do horrible things while posing as normal fathers and husbands is a chilling concept, ala The Fall, that I immediately loved. If the whole book had been in this vein, this level of intrigue, I would have gone all in... but it didn't.

First, Cherrie. The main character starts out sympathetic but morphed into a confusing mess. I understand that she is struggling with her past identity and who she is now as a mother, but I'm not sure if it was the intension of the author to make her episodes fueled by anger or denial or regressed pain... It got distracting instead of moving the story along and almost made me not finish.

Second, there were a lot of "suspects" that seemed introduced in obvious ways that always made me discount them. I felt like the ending was not a surprise twist, although satisfying. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll leave it at that.

I love a lot of things about this book conceptually. As an idea, it is marvellous, successfully using the idea of the internet's propensity to assume the worse and indict before evidence, the concept of a child's connection to her aberrant parent, and the use of a twisting plotline that introduces a lot of red herrings. I will say that this book kept me guessing very successfully, and I really enjoyed that it was such a ride of story.

However, there are letdowns from this book. I really found it hard to slog through with the internal monologue of the main character, especially her inate rage (which I understand and she had the motivation for, but it became so repetitive). I guessed the ending at a certain juncture in the book fairly successfully, and fairly early on- so that was a little disappointing too. I like it when a book gives clues to something, but not when it gives itself away too much (a hard balance to strike, I am aware). I also think this book could have benefitted more from more humanising of all the characters, and I think it was just a little flat in that respect. With that said, the author shows great promise- it's just making things a little tighter, and carrying those ideas all the way through that will make an absolute world of difference.

Thank you to Netgalley and N. V. Peacock for the advanced review copy of Little Bones. I absolutely flew through this book and raced my way to the end to find my suspicions confirmed! No spoilers here - Cherrie at first seems a difficult character to connect with until you learn of her past. When her family is in danger - she has to draw on her past to make sure no one gets hurt. My only dislike about this book is that of Leo’s character - I didn’t find him very likeable at all and only wish Cherrie would leave him!

Cherrie Forrester has a secret: her name's not really Cherrie and she's the daughter of notorious serial killer "Mr. Bones." As a child she helped her father lure young boys into his car and gained the nickname "Little Bones" for what came next. She's successfully put that past behind her, that is until a new little boy goes missing. What will happen when people find out who Cherrie really is?

N.V. Peacock has a killer concept for her book and starts with a deeply creepy prologue that had me excited for more. But the rest of the story devolved into clumsy writing, wooden dialogue, and a highly erratic protagonist, all leading to a predictable ending. Also included are a bizarre number of comments related to greasy food and emojis. The result is disappointing. A good concept that was executed poorly.

I wanted so badly to love this book. It started out with a creepy premise where we learn the MC has big secrets and her own son might be in danger. I also loved the psychic scene, and hoped for more of that. I felt like the clues given along the way were too obvious and that distracted from me being fully into the story as a whole. I also found the characters unlikable. Positives: I liked the Cherrie’s voice and could relate to her in ways. I appreciated the focus on the relationships in her life and how they affected her. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This book really kept my interest. I could not put it down. As a mystery it does a pretty good job. The author basically gives us two main viable suspects. I thought it was pretty obvious from the beginning which of the two was going to be the perpetrator and I was right. Don't expect a "big twist" kind of book or you might be disappointed. Some of the things the main character said and did were a little unbelievable but I thought this was a fun little mystery.

Engrossing, emotionally charged & well written. An interesting take on a well worn subject. For fans of 'Good Me, Bad Me'.

Cherie had been born Leigh Ann, but at 17 she had been forced to change her identity, because her father had been William Hendy or better known as Mr Bones a serial killer from 25 years ago, who kidnapped young boys boiling their bodies and using the bones to make macabre art. Leigh Ann was 8 years old, her father had used her as bait to get the young boys into his car.

Now Cherie has a son Robin, a boyfriend Leo and a job. She has left her past behind. No one knows who she is her boyfriend or her friends have no clue. Until a young boy goes missing and Cherie starts to follow the story. She sees a podcast ‘The Flesh in the Bones’ and out of curiosity she listens to it, little did she know that her new identity, her workplace and where she lived was mentioned. Now she doesn’t know what to do, half hoping people won’t listen to it, but knowing that someone who knows her might and gossip can soon spread.

She takes Robin to the fair one night and he vanishes into thin air, she had been watching him all evening, until she had received one text which distracted her, that’s when Robin vanished. The police are called, but when they learn who she is some of the questions make her feel they believe she killed her own son. With a few twists and turns to keep you guessing, although I guessed pretty early who was behind it.

When I first started this story I actually liked Cherie, but as I read more and more I gradually came to dislike her. She was so annoying at times, her anger took over, she just wasn’t acting like a mum who has lost her son, and the more she acted up the more I got annoyed with her. There were a couple of other characters that I found frustrating as well. Some of the story was gripping but then other parts just went on too long. Cherie’s musings were just too many. It just became unbelievable, I wanted to believe the story, but several plot lines were sadly just ludicrous and that just spoilt it for me personally.

The writing is good, it flowed, it had some tension in it at times, I just wish some of the actions of the characters could have been more believable, but sadly they weren’t.

I will however be looking out for further books by this author in the future.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #AvonBooks for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.