⭐⭐⭐ -- The cover on this is so cool!

I really wanted to give this one 4 stars. For a debut novel it was impressive. I also found it highly entertaining. However, I had some issues that brought my rating down.

One of them was the character Angus. His character was weirdly all over the place with no explanation. The case was "getting to him", but WHY?! He acted like a complete lunatic at times and it gave me whiplash. Not to mention, you can't arrest people with no evidence! Bring them in for questioning, sure, but he literally arrests the wife for driving her husband's car the morning he disappears in the evening. Knowing the husband was seen later that night with friends and the wife was in another state. Then he does it again to someone else with the flimsiest of excuses. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Emma as well gave me whiplash with her mixed signals and back and forth. Lastly, it was obvious from the start who was behind everything. I wish the author had given us a few more "suspects" to chew on.

I know it sounds like I disliked this one a lot, but honestly, the above were just small annoyances that were peppered throughout the book. As i said, for a debut, this was a solid read. The potential is there for a 5 star read. I look forward to seeing more from this author in the future.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Bone Saw Serenade by Cody J. Thompson.
Everyone loves running into and reconnecting with an old friend. Someone you have lost touch with for any number of reasons over the years. It can stir up a cocktail of euphoric emotions through feelings of nostalgia, amusement, hope and love. That is exactly how Emma Goodwin felt when she ran into her high school best friend Charlie Claymore after they found one another randomly after a decade of not seeing or speaking in a small coffee shop in Seattle. Soon after their reunion, Emma's husband Eddie goes missing without a trace of evidence linking anyone to the disappearance. Anguished, she spirals into her old ways with Charlie. When Detective Angus Pratt is assigned to the case, Charlie is determined to stay by Emma's side, casting a dark veil over her he calls protection. As they close in on the truth, a sinister plan is revealed that is darker and more terrifying than the vast, uninhabited woods that lay on the outskirts of town. Angus will stop at nothing to find the truth, and Emma may learn the hardest truth of them all. That the flames you hold the closest always burn the worst.
Really good read. Twisty and dark. 5*.

Madness, obsession, and edge if your seat suspense. Normal people sucked into a crazed plan, no spoilers, but you will be clenching your jaw until the very end ... to the last 'oh no'.

The cover for this book is what initially drew my attention to it. It’s a beaut! And then we have this brilliant title. Of course I want to read this.

If you love, fast paced crime thrillers then I think you will enjoy this book. The authors enthusiasm for writing this story is evident from the start and I feel the writing really comes into its own in the second half of the book.

Unfortunately, I didn’t really enjoy this book. There was one too many cliches in it which meant I had figured it all out right at the start and the characters were too one dimensional. A lot of things were just a little too unrealistic; I couldn’t get behind Emma’s attitude or lack of it towards her missing husband so that disconnected me from the story quite quickly.

Thank you netgalley and Black Rose Writing for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.