What an amazing audiobook. This comes at the subject of child abduction from a very different angle to the usual crime books I have read. All is definitely not what it seems, and there are twists and turns a plenty. I had sussed out the suspects pretty early on, but which one is the guilty party, and what is the crime? I didn't get it until the end.

The narration was good too, it kept the story flowing, and managed the characters really well.

It was a real page turner, and I couldn't leave it alone. I hope N V Peacock has written other books, as she has just gone onto my "favourite authors" list!

This is a story that will stay with me!

Let's first look at the narrators. I think they did a stellar job! It was one of the best productions on an audiobook that I've heard in a while. I loved all the little special effects that were added to the story. It made me feel like I was listening to a television drama instead of an audiobook.

Now to the story

I have to shamefully admit that the sleuth in me fell for most of the red herrings that the author left for us in the storyline. Close to the end, before the big reveal, I finally saw The Light but also only because like the main character in this book I was starting to run out of suspect! When I finished the book my first thought was.... a very clever start to this book but I'm not going to give more details because I think you need to find out for yourself. One thing that I struggled with is the main character, Cherrie. I cannot decide if I like her or not. I found her quite irritating at times and I don't know if that is because of the writing or BECAUSE of the writing. It can be because the character wasn't written that well but I think it is the fact that the character WAS written that WELL!  I found myself throughout the book speaking out loud to the main character telling her off, yelling at her and pulling my hair out of the head because of her actions so a big thumbs-up to the author for creating that emotional connection that I made with Cherrie.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, this was a fascinating listen. Not only was the narration a delight to listen to, but the story line had me hooked. Excellent suspense. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who likes something that keeps you guessing. My thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an audio version to review.

I loved this book. It is dark without being too much so. The narration was spot on too, which always helps. I need to check out some more titles by NV Peacock

My thanks to HarperCollins Audio U.K. for a review copy of the audiobook edition of ‘Little Bones’ by N V Peacock and narrated by Stephanie Racine. Its running time is 13 hours, 47 minutes at 1x. I already owned its ebook edition and so read alongside listening for an immersive experience.

I will only touch on the plot in order to avoid spoilers. Cherrie Forrester has a settled life with her boyfriend, Leo, and their eight-year-old son, Robin. Yet Cherrie has a secret. She was born Leigh-Ann Hendy and in 1990 when she was eight her father was arrested for the murders of a number of children. He was nicknamed Mr. Bones, and his daughter, who he had used to lure his victims, became known as Little Bones.

When a local child goes missing, Jai Patel, the host of a true crime podcast reveals Cherrie’s new identity and hints that she might not only be involved in the recent disappearance but also had been her father’s apprentice. This revelation threatens Cherrie’s new life.

This was a terrific psychological thriller. Cherrie was at times a very difficult character to empathise with though was certainly fierce in her determination to distance herself from her father’s dark legacy and to protect her loved ones.

The audiobook was excellent and contained exclusive bonus material in the form of dramatisations of a number of ‘The Flesh on the Bones’ podcast interviews. These added an extra dimension to the narrative, including a sting in the tale final scene. These were read by Raj Ghatak, Lisa Armytage, Jessica Ball, Candida Gubbins, John Sackville and Richard Trinder.

The main narrator, Stephanie Racine, is a well established voice actor with a wide range of titles to her CV. Her voice is rich and I felt that she did an excellent job in bringing Cherrie/Leigh-Ann to life.

Definitely an unusual crime thriller and I would thoroughly recommend its audiobook either in combination with the print edition or on its own.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HarperCollins UK Audio in exchange for an honest review.

Little Bones is a thriller with a lot of elements. At its core, it's the story of Cherry, a woman who is the daughter of a famous serial killer, Mr. Bones. When a child in her local area goes missing, a new podcast accuses her of being involved. Next her own son vanishes and she must deal with trying to find out what's happened to him whilst also being accused of murdering him herself.

I was pleasantly surprised by this thriller. Ordinarily I don't like missing children books, and I wouldn't actually have requested this ARC if I'd known the main character's child also went missing (this happens very early on but is absent from the blurb). Having said that, this completely won me over by the end. Cherry was a fantastically complex protagonist and I loved it when the book focused on her childhood with her serial killer father and how it had affected her as an adult. These moments were infrequent but fantastic when they happened.

The main strength of this thriller is it manages to be interesting, which sounds like a low bar but honestly it does it so well. There are plenty of characters and what's more, they have a role in the narrative beyond 'potential suspect'. This isn't an edge-of-your-seat thriller but it has a solid story and you feel like Cherry is a real person acting mostly reasonable (she still makes the odd thriller protagonist mistake but I can forgive her for that). I wasn't sure how it was going to end and I found the eventual ending satisfying. It does go on a bit after the ending but that might have been due to me being more used to written thrillers which I can read faster than listening.

Speaking of the audiobook, I was pretty pleased with the narrator. I liked the different voices and it made it really easy to follow what was going on, even whilst doing other tasks. I have two minor gripes: firstly, the voice for Mr. Bones was a little annoying just because it was so gruff and the use of 'mon cherie' was so repetitive. I also found it very annoying to listen to the phrase 'Little Bones' so many times, though this is a fault of the author and not the narrator. I couldn't help thinking it would make a fantastic drinking game.

Overall, this is a solid and entertaining thriller and definitely worth the listen/read if you're a fan of the genre. Just be aware that it is a missing child story primarily as I feel this aspect is hidden somewhat (at least, the fact the main character also loses her child is hidden) and the blurb does suggest more of a focus on the unreliable narrator angle which isn't a big part of it. But I thoroughly enjoyed Little Bones and would strongly suggest checking it out.

Overall Rating: 4/5

"Little Bones" by N V Peacock is a dark, gripping and twisty thriller. I liked that Peacock addressed the current trend of doxxing and self-appointed justice seekers who are essentially vigilantes. I listened to the audiobook version. The narrator is listed as Stephanie Racine but there's also a highly skilled male narrator featured who needs to be credited. The podcast host's mother arriving with a cup of tea mid-podcast is brilliantly done and lends the air of a radio play. Overall the narration is first class and raised the book from a 3 to a 4 star for me. I thought the prologue was terrifying until I heard the epilogue, which scared the living daylights out of me.

Audio version of this book 📚- I really enjoyed this book ! It was so gripping with so many twists and turns. The storyline was really unusual and nothing like I’ve ever read before . I’m glad that I listened to the audio version of this book as I’ve read other reviews that say how awful the main character is, she isn’t the nicest of people however, due to the fantastic narration of her character, I found that in certain parts of the book what probably read as nastiness, the narrator read it with sarcasm which totally changed the character. I will definitely read more by this author.

Will delving into her past help Little Bones to save her son's future.

This book was wonderfully tense, with dark secrets weaved into the narrative. There were also some great lighter moments, particularly in the relationships between the characters. The action was well written, if a little predictable, but I really enjoyed the story so seeing what was coming didn't take away from it. Cherrie's desire to do anything to save Robin really drove this forward, her drive & desperation were well delivered by the narrator. Mr Bones was chilling in his complete disregard for the lives he took & the manner in which he went about creating his art with Leigh-Ann his young apprentice.

As an audiobook this was a great listen, the narrator was brilliant & I particularly liked the dramatisation of the podcasts as it added an extra dimension to the story.

Even better than expected! The story of Cherrie and her settled almost mundane life tricked me into thinking this was going to be your run of the mill thriller, however with a gruesome back story as Leigh-Ann (Little Bones) and an influx of equally weird and suspicious characters following her son’s disappearance I must admit I was wrong. This book was deep, with enough twists to make things captivating without being confusing. I found myself guessing, then re-guessing and then going back to my first guess at who the kidnapper was. This book is a million miles from being predictable.
I thought the narration was perfect, and I especially loved the sinister added extra the Audiobook provided with a little something from Mr Bones himself at the end.
Highly recommended

This was absolutely amazing! What a debut.

I consider myself already a fan of this author and will be looking forward for the next book.

It's so well written, the dialogues are fantastic, the character feel real, the situations are well described, the plot is perfectly crafted.
I enjoyed the slight humor throughout the story, which made it more palatable to read about such dark themes and made the main character so easy to connect with despite her horrible past. The core of the story, her past as Mr Bones' daughter, is gruesome for sure but it is put in a way that the reader can't help but understand her plight, put themselves in her shoes and imagine how would we react to the childhood she had. How would any of us be formed with such a start in life? Who can tell?

It also brings forward the dangerous world of true crime podcasts; the line between telling the story as it happened and as you imagine it did, and how it can ruin lives in the process.

The narrator of the audiobook did an incredible job bringing each character to life.

All in all this is a novel I cannot recommend enough and one I am sure will soon become a hit.

I'd like to thank Netgalley an the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Great audiobook filled with twists and turns.

Cherry's dad was a child serial killer and roped her in when she was a child to help kidnap boys then later to clean the bones.

Years later her own son goes missing and she has to dig up her past to discover what has happened today.

Really recommend if you enjoy a good crime story.

Such a twisty, mind-boggling, complex psychological thriller. I'm obsessed.

I had way too much fun with this audiobook. As a diagnosed psychological thriller junkie, I've read a lot of them and it's not easy to impress me anymore. However, this clever novel totally took me by surprise as I was trying to figure out what's going on.

I think that's a really accurate recommendation - if you're into very complex mental images, unreliable narrators and having to think rather than just relax, this audiobook is for you. This novel follows a woman with a very tragic past. Little Leigh-Ann witnessed her serial killer father's murders, which is when she earned the nickname Little Bones. In order not to be associated with her hideous father, she changed her name to Christie, became a mother and led a normal life... until a podcast began to dig into new, similar murders, considering Christie as her father's successor.

Much of it was confusing, so I actually might give it another listen. Nonetheless, I couldn't predict the plot twists and really enjoyed my experience.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A child is exposed to the most unbelievable violence by her serial killer father, and is understandably, marred for life. Twenty five years later, the little girl has grown up and become Cherrie; she is a mother and believes she has finally put her past behind her. Then a true crime podcast detailing the crimes of serial killer Mr. Bones airs, and against her better judgement, Cherrie listens to it. A recent murder looks a lot like the handiwork of Mr. Bones and the press has identified Cherrie, or Little Bones, as she was called. The court of public opinion is not kind to Cherrie and believes she has more of her father in her than she’s prepared to admit. This is a totally creepy story that kept me guessing, is she or isn’t she until the end

I am very sorry to say that I didn't really enjoy this audiobook. I found the plot weak and predictable and the main character was narcissistic and annoying. I almost didn't want her to get her son back! The premise was interesting however and I did enjoy the final 2 chapters. I will definitely give this author another chance! The narration was hit and miss for me. The narrator was perfect for the character but I found her tone annoying.

Little Bones takes you into the life of a serial killer’s daughter, exploring the stigma attached to someone related to a monster. The story deals with the horrors of child abduction and the lengths one mother would go to, to save her child. This audiobook provides a theatrical performance guaranteed to keep you entertained.
Little Bones told from Cherrie’s perspective shows you the inner workings of Cherrie’s mind. Some readers might find this book offensive due to the language used. I loved the dark and twisted inner thoughts. Being in Cherrie’s mind had me laughing out loud at times. The author took a very dark subject and managed to infuse humour when you least expected. Maybe it just spoke to my twisted nature, but Cherrie thoughts about her mother-in-law were simply brilliantly written.
Cherrie has put her past behind her. She has changed her name and moved on with her life. She has a loving boyfriend and a perfect little boy. Life could not be better. However, when a local boy disappears a wanna-be journalist, Jay Patel starts a podcast following the case. Jay uncovers Cherrie’s past and reveals her new identity as well as her connection to the notorious serial killer Mr Bones. Before too long the entire community is talking about Cherrie, and once again she is forced to deal with the media and everyone around her calling her Little Bones. Will she ever be able to escape the legacy of her father?
After listening to this audiobook, this dark and twisted tale, I find myself wondering about the children of true serial killers. How horrid their lives must be? The sins of the father are not reserved for works of fiction only. The author left me reflecting on this subject, wondering if I would be able to treat someone fairly if I knew they were the child of a monster.
Cherrie was absolutely brilliant! I loved her dark twisted thoughts. The author did a fantastic job creating this character. She was very much in touch with her dark side but at the same time a good and loving mother. This character leaves you wondering how far you would go to protect your child. I believe we all have a dark side, Cherrie reminded me of that.
I have been off audiobooks for a while, but the narrators did a very theatrical performance of Little Bones, making it an extremely enjoyable experience. I loved this book.
This tale will appeal to new and seasoned thriller readers. It is a very well-told tale and with some added humour it keeps you from getting too lost in the darkness that lies at the heart of the story. If you only listen to one audiobook this season – make sure it is Little Bones!

Little Bones by N.V. Peacock is an interesting true crime thriller. I was intrigued since the beginning of the book.

Mr. Bones is a serial that has been in prison for 25 years. His daughter Little Bones played with his victims and helped make artwork out of his bones. 25 years later, Little Bones has legally changed her name and nobody knows about her past.

A young boy goes missing in Cherrie’s town. Then, a podcast announces that Cherrie is Little Bones and assumes she is following in her father’s footsteps. Cherrie’s past is coming back to haunt her, and her family isn’t safe. Will Cherrie have to tell her friends and family about her past? Will they find out on their own? What happened to the missing boy? Is his disappearance related to Mr. Bones or a copycat?

Little Bones was a good thriller. I was very interested in finding out what was going to happen next. However, I did not like Cherrie. I didn’t feel like she acted rationally. I know she wouldn’t be thinking clearly when she was in a stressful situation. In her head she would assume she know who was responsible and then ignore everything else and go after them. This bothered me. I did really enjoy some of the other characters. Tracy, Cherrie’s best friend and all of Cherrie’s friends were very supportive and loyal. Kylie is a very interesting character and really added to the story. Mariah, a psychic is also a unique part of Little Bones. I liked seeing how the different characters reacted to Mariah’s predictions.

Little Bones really opens up the concept of villain versus victim which was very interesting.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Stephanie Racine and enjoyed her narration. It fit well with the story.

I recommend Little Bones to True Crime Thriller fans as long as having likeable characters is not important to you.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for Little Bones.

Leigh Anne is the daughter of Mr Bones, a notorious serial killer who is now in prison for the murders of several young boys. She changed her name at the age of 17 to Cherrie to get away from her nickname, Little Bones.

This wasn't quite the book I expected to listen to - it was so much better! It is an amazing debut novel which is well written with great characters, especially Cherrie. I was rooting for her all the way through, even though I wasn't always sure if I could trust her. The book is totally addictive. The audiobook is almost 14 hours long but I listened to it in two sittings. There were twists and turns galore many suspects, all quite believable. I thought I had solved the mystery of what happened to Cherries's son, Robin, but was totally wrong! And the conclusion is outstanding ...... so shocking!

I have to mention the narrators of this book. They were all absolutely brilliant and made listening to this book a real experience. A special mention has to go to the voice artist who narrated the part of Mr Bones (I don't know his name) who made that final chapter absolutely chilling.

In conclusion, this is an amazing debut which I will be recommending to everyone. I can't wait for the author's next book.