Whether I intend to or not, when I choose crime thrillers, I tend to gravitate toward those set in Great Britain. I don’t know if it’s the covers, the blurbs, or the stories, but I definitely seem to have a type, even without intentionally seeking them out. When I saw the cover for Small Bones, I was instantly drawn to it. When I read the blurb, I knew I had to read it. Once I started, I was hooked. And I couldn’t put it down.

Small Bones is book 2 of Kerry Buchanan’s Harvey & Birch series, but I didn’t realize that until after I was well into the story, and it didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all. This is easily a standalone, though reading the first book would undoubtedly enhance a reader’s experience.

Buchanan has a distinct ability to create characters of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds with equal believability, which is a gift. I rooted for the protagonists and loathed the antagonists with equal passion. Even the secondary characters were well-developed and relatable, but of the entire cast, I had a particular fondness for William.

I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting Belfast, but the author brought the area to life for me. And the unveiling of the plot kept me turning the pages. The ending promises a third book, which I look forward to reading.

Small Bones delivers a solid crime thriller in what is shaping up to be an enjoyable crime thriller series. An easy 4.5 stars from me.

I received a gratis copy of this work from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Wow! This book was such a page turner! It pulled me in from the first page with the interesting, well rounded characters and was a thrilling roller-coaster ride, throughout. The protagonist, Sue, is first, likable and then, relatable in her concern for her father and love for her family. Yet she's opens herself up to new and, possibly troubling revelations. I can't forget to mention the main characters for this series, Asha and Aaron, who are the detectives on the case, They're great at what they do and they have a bit of a spark between them, too. I'm already excited for the next book in this series. There's a bit of a cliffhanger, at the end, but it's not central to the main story and the ending is rounded out very well.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Jaffe Books for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is the 2nd in a series. I have not read the first, but this reads well as a stand alone. I found this to be a sad mystery. Interesting characters, and more than one mystery. 3.5 stars

Small Bones is second in the Harvey & Birch series but can be read as a standalone. Northern Ireland, 1992, someone buries the body of a small child in the Hearns' garden. Present day, Sue Hearns finds the skeletal remains and acting DI Asha Harvey is assigned the case. During the investigation, Sue mentions that her mother went missing in 1992, and Asha turns up evidence that the two cases may be linked and that corrupt police may be involved. The plot alternates seamlessly between 1992 and the present investigation, revealing pieces of the puzzle a bit at a time. Lots of action, a twist here and there, hints of a greater conspiracy that will presumably come into play in future book(s) in the series. The characters are well written, likeable, and draw you into the story. An excellent police procedural.

I have enjoyed reading this book better than i thought i would it has a great story and characters that go together so well.5*

I enjoyed reading this book more than I thought I would. Sue finds small bones while digging in the garden. Her aging father has dementia which makes it difficult for Sue to unravel the mystery of what happened to her mother thirty years ago. Detectives Harvey and Birch work to discover what happened to a child that was buried thirty years ago. Family secrets and mysteries unravel for Sue. I think this is a great mystery novel. #SMALLBONES #NetGalley

Oh My Goodness, I just knew it! Oops, I'm getting ahead of myself. SMALL BONES by Kerry Buchanan is the second in the Harvey & Birch series located in Belfast Northern Ireland. This book is a non-stop mystery and is filled with action. Acting Detective Inspector Asha Harvey and Detective Aaron Birch are about to be pushed to the limits as they work to solve more than one mystery.
The opening prologue is set in 1992 and a mysterious man is burying the body of a small child in a garden area of a large home. The man knows a greenhouse is scheduled to be built in this spot so the small grave will be protected under the building.
Chapter one starts in the present day and Sue Hearn had decided to plant some vegetables in the area where the old greenhouse had stood until the previous storm had collapsed the building. Her family had owned the huge old house for many generations and now she is the last of the Hearn family name. She has given up her job as a pathologist so she can care for her aged father who now has dementia. As she prepares the soil, she finds pieces of old clay pipe and an item that looks suspiciously like a finger bone. Sue carefully digs a bit more and sees a small skull. This begins a series of unexpected events that will eventually place her life and others in danger.
Acting Detective Inspector Asha Harvey and Detective Aaron Birch try to solve the mysterious death of a small child that had been buried about thirty years ago. They also learn Monica Hearn, Sue's mother, had gone missing thirty years ago. The story is intriguing, and I don't want to post spoilers. I enjoyed this book from start to finish. I did suspect something that is revealed at the ending of the book.
Publication Date: June 3, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Even though this was book number two in the series, I did not feel like I had missed out on anything by not having read the prior story. In fact, this novel only made me go back and add book number one to my t0-be-read pile (it's currently free if you subscribe to kindle unlimited).

This was a gripping novel that kept me glued to the pages as I raced alongside Asha and Aaron as they tried to not only unravel a thirty-year-old murder mystery, but also try to uncover the corruption that had plagued their department for decades at the same time.

One of the things that makes Small Bones stand out against the others of this genre I have read recently is just how the author went about building things up. There was a near perfect mix of the police investigating in the present, the events that happened in the past, and how everything intertwined both through police work (although it relied a bit heavily on Sue being forthcoming with them when she had no reason to do so originally).

I felt that there was strong character development across the board (even if Asha and Aaron seem to have more bad luck than should be humanly possible; Aaron especially if the insights from book one are to be believed). However, I did have a small issue with the name inconstancies that were never explained when it came to Monica. She was either known as Mrs.Hearn or Monica, unless the story was being told by a student (in the past), or someone who remembered her as a teacher, at which point she became Miss Stewart, something that was never explained even though it was obvious it was the same person. Was she not really married to Sue's father? Or did she just not have her pupils call her by her married name (although this seems a bit farfetched considering she had a teenaged daughter at this point).

My one big gripe with Small Bones is that it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger ending. This wasn't enough for me to deduct stars though because although the ending of this story did leave a few important ends not completely tied up, it did perfectly pave the way for another novel in the series; a novel I am very much look forward to.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Small Bones starts when Sue Hearn, a woman caring for her ailing father, digs up a skull in her back garden. When the police investigate they determine that the bones had been buried for thirty years. Sue asks her father about the body and is shocked to hear him mention a police officer being involved. She tells Detectives Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch, who find themselves in a dangerous search for a corrupt police officer. The book does a good job of providing background in the flashback chapters while building the tension in the present tense chapters. It also has a cliffhanger at the end, which made me excited for the next book in the series. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book grabbed my attention from the first chapter, and didn't stop untill I finished the last page. I loved it.
Absolutely would recommend this to others

Grabs you by the throat and holds you there until you finish! Excellent detective mystery with strong ties to family history and privilege. Things are not quite as they seem, and woven together as the story moves along, digging up secrets along with the bones. Definitely a good read.

Detectives Harvey & Birch #2

Sue Hearn is planting a herb garden on the site of her grandad's old greenhouse. She's spent the morning digging up all sorts of odds and ends already. But she didn't expect this grisly find. Could it be the remains of her mother Monica, who went missing thirty years ago? Sue's father is in hospital with dementia, insinuates that a police officer was involved with her mother's disappearance. Detectives Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch might be looking for a bent copper. As they dig deeper into the past, Sue and Asha find secrets so dangerous it will put all their lives in danger.

When Sue Hearn is digging to make a new herb garden, she doesn't expect to dig up a skull and part of a fingerbone. She used to work in the path lab so she knows what she's looking at. She thinks it's her mother Monica who went missing thirty years ago. Detectives Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch have been called in to investigate.

Filled with twists, this well written story had me pulled in from the first page. It's tense and action packed. The characters are well developed and they all have their part to play. I did predict where the story was going. I will need to try and read the first book in this series before the next book is published.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #KerryBuchanan for my ARC of #SmallBones in exchange for an honest review.

Small Bones is the second in Kerry Buchanan’s crime series featuring Detectives Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch, the first being Knife Edge. I’d say that reading the previous book isn’t a requirement to understanding the events in Small Bones as the second installment in the series reads perfectly well as a stand-alone.

I had some reservations about picking up Small Bones as I had a couple of gripes about Knife Edge but I am thrilled that I gave the book a chance as it was a fast-paced nail-biter of a book!

Already familiar with Acting DI Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch, I found them to be enjoyable, quirky characters that I found myself rooting for and it was great to see them both taking center stage in their investigation. At times the plights they face push the limits of my suspension of disbelief and yet I still found myself turning pages with increasing rapidity to find out their eventual fates. These two lead characters are incredibly strong and have their own personalities which are growing between each story featuring them. I look forward to seeing how they develop further and if there’s anything to the slow burn relationship that could be blossoming between them, and, how that all could come crashing down!

The plot of Small Bones is easy to follow thanks to Kerry Buchanan's fast writing pace and effortless descriptions. Sue Hearn discovers the skull of a child while digging over her Grandfathers garden. With a mother that has been missing since her teenage years, could these remains hold the clues to what happened to her? I personally found the intrigue of the cold case to be the most captivating element of the overall plot; which also houses corruption and extortion. As the case progresses and the truth comes out there is an emotional sensitivity to what happened that gives the reader a real feeling of sympathy for those involved, especially the younger William. At one point, I was moved to shedding a tear for the fate of the little boy, for an author to bring about such emotion in a reader – anger and tragedy – showcases their talents.

While I enjoyed the plot – there was enough intrigue to keep the pages turning – I didn’t find it left me guessing. It was a pretty cut and dry story, which had a few elements of mystery, the main hook was revealed easy to guess at. However, the mystery is sensitively handled considering how sad it is and is carefully revealed as the plot progresses – lending itself to the pacing of the book as a whole. No part felt rushed or out of place.

At around the 65% mark of the book the focus shifts from discovering the case to catching those that are responsible for what happened. This is where the pace really ramps up and the action comes to the fore; while well written in itself, I do feel like some of the writing magic had worn out by this point. All the clues of the cold-case had been solved and it was the climax of the ‘wrap-up.’ Thankfully, the case gets solved and nicely wrapped up as the book concludes, but there’s the thread left that not everything is as good as it seems to Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch and the hopeful hint that there is more to come in the series. Fingers crossed!

A lot happens to the main characters in the book; they’re kidnapped, injured, assaulted verbally, given death threats, and have attempts made on their lives. All of these, add an element of desperation to the frantic pace of the book. Each of these events is plausible considering the overall feel of the rest of the book and the type of investigation they’re undertaking, yet, to have so much happened to them all feels somewhat incredulous. Still, it’s exciting and offsets the slower moments of research of the cold-case, so I can understand why they’re all included. They help to balance the narrative.

What I admire about this book is its diversity of characters and cast. So many times I’ve had conversations about the lead characters of novels and a trend of ‘forced diversity' in other settings; here the variety in the cast of the books feels organic and completely natural and for that, I wholeheartedly applaud Kerry Buchanan. And, for better and worse, some of the characters within reminds me of people that I know and have spoken to. There are instances of sexism, misogyny, and racism that are enraging and uncomfortable to read about in relation to the lead character, Asha Harvey, which is entirely credible considering her position within the police force.

A brilliant story, with characters that manage to avoid the Catholic & Protestant stereotypes. Part of the story is set in Belfast during 'The Troubles' in Northern Ireland. It reminds me of how much sectarian violence was, and how divisive it was to the society. Nobody could be taken at face value. This is a book about corruption that happens everywhere. Murder, drugs, bodies that were buried thirty years ago.

A story well told, with an ending that isn't an ending - as happened in the first book in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

This was a fast read with some interesting characters, and it was easy to read. I always like to read books set in Northern Ireland. I could feel the wind and the rain, and the atmosphere. Sue is planting her herb garden where her grandpa's greenhouse was. She did however not expect to find human remains. Her mother went missing years and years ago, could it be her?

Sue's father suffers from dementia and is not exactly a reliable source of information. Sue grew up in a house where no one ever talked about her mother gone missing. Weird things start happening, and soon the dark past will become present.

It's a nice enough read to spend an afternoon with, even though I liked the first half a lot more than the latter half. The build up was somehow intriguing, and it felt different from most other books in the genre.

Harvey & Birch book two Belfast Northern Ireland.
Sue Hearn at her home Carrow Lodge is gardening her vegetable plot, and unearths a gruesome find this is going to open a can of worms instead of the police she calls in Professor Mark Talbot for help and he promises to examine the skull and finger bone for its ageing but has no choice this is looking like murder, something happened thirty years ago in her family it's the skull of a child around ten years old and happens around the time Sue's mum Monica went missing. The book takes us back and forth to 1992 Sue was told nothing what her family have done.
Asha Harvey along with Aaron Birch are by her side. Small Bones what is the story behind all this?
Wow after enjoying book one I was eager to get into this book and the author never let me down loves these characters and I hope we get many more in the series to come. this book is full of twists and turns all the way and a big hard hitting story. well worth stars and more from me

Thank you Netgalley for an e - ARC in exchange for an honest review!

My rating - 3.5/5

The Harvey Birch detective duo is back with a gripping mystery and I am so here for it! Asha is such a refreshing character to read about especially in a setting like this because it's quite rare to find a good female protagonist, and the fact that she is well connected with her culture is just a bonus for me.

The premise itself is okay, but a fast paced plot and every character having a well developed background makes up for it. Sue Hearn has been explored in detail in this book and it is evident that her story has been mapped out with a lot of effort, and she adds a layer of interest to the story.

Overall the plot keeps you on your toes and there is never a dull moment throughout the book. The back and forth narratives made the ending a little predictable but I am excited to see where Asha and Aaron's relationship will work out in the future and also waiting for the next book in the series because the cliffhanger left me wanting more.

The skeleton of a long-dead child is found in the garden of a house where the wife and mother of its residents disappeared without trace more than 30 years before

Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch put themselves in considerable danger when they start looking more closely at the past....

Brilliant

It was good to meet up again with Detectives Harvey and Birch. An interesting and intriguing story centered around Susan Hearn. Susan digs up a child skeleton in the garden of her family home! Lots of action and drama, which I thoroughly enjoyed and left me wanting more. Looking forward to Book 3 in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for my digital copy.

Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
Sue Hearn is preparing to put in an herb garden when she finds bones and a skull. The police team of Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch are told it's the 30-year old skeleton of an 11-year old boy.
After an intense investigation they suspect there was police involvement and try to keep their suspicions to themselves while still digging into the case, speaking with Sue to figure out how and if her family was involved.
This is the second in the series and I really liked it. Asha and Aaron were sympathetic and well fleshed out, much more so than the first book (which I liked) and impressive for a new author. I also really liked Sue. All three of them were badly hurt during the case; there are some really bad, scary actors in the story, but the good guys win! The ending made me look much forward to no. three in the series. Definitely recommended!