Loreth Ann White has been popping up on my social media feed a lot this year with her A Maid’s Diary hitting all the right notes and being noticed and appreciated amidst the cacophony. I haven’t yet had a chance to read that one but when offered a chance to read and review another cracker coming up in 2024, well no prizes for guessing, grabbed it with both hands of course.

The author chooses the much used plotline of a group of friends hiding behind lies and secrets and for whom the secrets come to roost almost half a century later. The cold case that opens with the discovery of bones is not just about unveiling the truths hidden for decades but it is primarily about the repercussions that follow in each character’s life and the emotional upheavals that were wonderfully captured by the author. There are multiple POVs and also past and present timelines, so the beginning does tend to get a tad confusing but once each of the six friends dubbed by the press as Shoreview Six is introduced the story races to a thrilling and jaw dropping finale.

As the past unfolds through the POVs of the six friends, the readers are kept on tenterhooks as to the reasons for Annalise’s death and the various mysteries surrounding her. There is a stalker, her promiscuity, her sudden mood changes, there is also a teacher who had vanished at the same time and more than one thread to follow for the final puzzle piece to fall in place and truth be told, after all that guessing, I was completely taken aback at the climax that the author brought forth, never did see that punch coming in.

Detective Jane Munro has her share of trauma to deal with, that of her missing boyfriend but the discovery of Annalise’s body and the mystery of her death gives Jane the much needed momentum to hang on and surge forward in life. We are also introduced to Angela a nosy reporter who has no qualms about doing whatever it takes to get the news but one who develops a conscience later and strives for a balanced impact in reporting and I loved how the author has left an opening for these two characters along with Dr Ella Quinn to continue the series, if any. There was also a subtle romance being hinted at and if there is a series planned, I am sure the story of Jane’s “missing boyfriend” will be one I would be happy to gorge on.

The layered storytelling delving into the lives of each character and the guilt of the past that never lets go was quite brilliantly done and I do admire how the author ties up all those numerous threads to form a cohesive ball without any wrinkles. The science behind forensic genealogy and familial DNA testing has been explained through Dr. Ella’s character and does give weightage to the title of “THE UNQUIET BONES”.

Top of the charts this one!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Montlake Publishers, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

I could not finish enough of this book to be able to leave a comprehensive review, but I hope it finds its audience and I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Loved this book! Loreth Ann White is one of my favorite authors - her stories never disappoint. Well-written with great dialogue she never fails to provide a great story with intriguing characters.

Teenager drama and secrets that snowball...I figured it out but really enjoyed reading it to the end.

Thank you #netgalley and #montlake for the eARC.

In the realm of literature, I recently delved into a book that surpassed all expectations, proving to be an ideal companion for a buddy read. The narrative intricacies demanded my attention, allowing me to appreciate every detail and character introduced, making the experience truly immersive.

The detective's journey, filled with twists and turns, was particularly engaging, and I found myself thoroughly absorbed in the world crafted by the author. The depth of the characters and the complexity of the plot left a lasting impression. One aspect that stood out was the portrayal of the detective's life.

I'm hopeful for a sequel that explores this fascinating character further, as the book left me eagerly anticipating more adventures. Overall, the book was a delightful experience, and I can't wait to see if there will be a continuation of the detective's story.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕. 𝑬𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕. 𝑨 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒖𝒑 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔. 𝑰𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒅. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.

I've had a fascination with cold cases ever since I watched the long-canceled show Cold Case with Detective Lily Rush. She was someone who truly cared about bringing closure to a grieving family who often found themselves on pause while the rest of the world went on living.

I saw a lot of Lily in Detective Jane Munro, pregnant and no stranger to loss. When human bones are found beneath an old chapel in the woods, evidence suggests the remains could be linked to the decades-old case of missing teen Annalise Jansen. For Annalise's friends, dubbed "The Shoreview Six" by the media, the discovery sends them into a panic. Would they pledge they made almost 50 years ago be called into question? Now mostly affluent, prominent members of their community, would everything they worked so hard to build crumble like the remains found under that chapel?

Told in alternating points of view from Jane and several other characters, there was a quiet intensity infused in these pages that kept me reading long into the night. Through the alternating points of view, I got to know Annalise, a teenage girl on the cusp of her life who was harboring a monstrous secret. When a second body is found, the boy blamed for her disappearance, the investigation took a turn that I never could have predicted.

I do hope to hear more about Jane Munro as she was just as fascinating as was this cold case. Many thanks to NetGalley for this early read. This book will publish March 5, 2024.

Renovations at a ski resort unearth human remains in The Unquiet Bones. When the remains reveal a homicide, Cold Case Det Jane Munro is assigned to unravel the mystery. Her investigation leads to a missing teen case from the 70’s, and the classmates of the long missing team, once considered suspects in her disappearance, now band together. But there are cracks in their bond, and secrets are revealed. No new ground broken here (no pun intended), but the plot does hold your interest. There’s a lot of characters to keep track of, and the book tends to get repetitious as they recap the investigation every few chapters. But overall it’s a decent read worth a look. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Too Many Characters

3.5 stars

“Our lives are written into our bones.”

The Unquiet Bones is a mystery about the remains of a body found buried under a chapel at a ski resort connected to a 15-year-old girl who went missing 47 years ago.

47 years ago, Annilese Jansen went missing after attending a party. Her immediate friends are thrown into the spotlight, and the media dubs them the Shoreview Six.

In the present, bones are recovered under a chapel in the woods. Sergeant Jane Munro is assigned the case. Jane, who is 6 months pregnant, is also going through a trauma as her fiance went missing 6 months ago.

MANY POVs are included , including all 6 members of the Shoreview Six: Rocco, Jill, Cara, Bob, Mary, and Claude. In addition, there is Jane’s POV, Annilese’s sister, a journalist, and about three to four others. Some POVs are shared late in the game, while others are steady throughout. Because there are so many characters, it is hard to connect, as their POVs are limited. Some only share one chapter, but Jane, Angela, and various members of the Shoreview Six dominate. I had trouble keeping track of who was who, and the many characters overcomplicated the simple plot.

The timeline alternates between the present and 1976.

In addition to the mystery of the bones and Annalise’s disappearance, there is also the mystery of another high school student who disappeared at the same time as Annalise. The mystery behind Jane’s missing fiance isn't resolved, and I can see her showing up in another book.

The mystery is intriguing, but the pacing is slow. I was a little bored in the beginning due to the number of characters, and it takes time for the plot to move, but the pace eventually builds, as does the tension.

The final chapters and reveal are difficult and uncomfortable to read and made me sick to my stomach (see the TW below). The ending is impactful and left me a little shaken.

Overall, this book does come together, but it would have made more of an impact with fewer characters and more development.

TW: Sexual abuse (view spoiler)

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Montlake in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I’m a fan of White’s and have read several of her books including Beneath Devil’s Bridge, A Dark Lure, In the Dark, and The Lucky Ones, and am always excited to read a new one. However, this one fell flat for me. The main character and plot were fine, but this book had way too much going on in the background that was totally unnecessary.

As a book editor, I always suggest that characters move the plot forward and consolidate characters when possible. This book had so many characters and some of them had nicknames that were not at all needed. The main character had a backstory that was fine, but then there was this random character who was thrown in as a previous love interest that served no purpose. The plot is about a murder and who did it, which is nothing new, but the plot twist at the end was ridiculous and felt shoe-horned in. I’m not going to give up on White, but this one didn’t work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for an ARC copy of The Unquiet Bones.

This book was...fine. I think the "group of teenagers make a pact to keep a terrible secret, until many years later when the ugly truth catches up with them" trope is becoming really overdone and this mostly followed the same script as others I have read. I also didn't love where they took the ending of the story.

Overall, I don't regret reading this but won't read it again or go out of my way to recommend it to other. 2.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to Netgalley, Montlake and Loreth Anne White for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Unquiet Bones. It was intriguing and mysterious with great twists and turns.
The Characters were all interesting, especially Jane. I would definitely be interested in reading more about her.

This is the first book I've read from this author and it definitely won't be the last.

I highly recommend.

4 stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Loreth Anne White is one of my favorite authors and I've given every book I've read of hers 5 stars. The Unquiet Bones lived up to my high exceptions I have for this author. Loreth Anne White is an excellent storyteller and always blows my mind with twists that I don't see coming. I found this one hard to put down.

Two brothers are excavating an old chapel when they discover human remains. The remains seem to be those of a teenager who went missing decades prior. The family may finally get their closure they are looking for, however the discovery may expose the dark secrets of a group of friends known as the Shoreview Six.

Even though at times there were many viewpoints from the characters of the Shoreview Six, I did not find the story hard to track or follow. Typically I struggle with multiple viewpoints, but the way this was written was masterfully done. There were so many good twists that I did not see coming. I devoured this book and was sad when it was finished. Highly recommend picking this one up!

Thanks to Netgalley and Montlake for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I do love a crime and mystery book but this was captivating from the get go!

The story is told through multiple POVs and you get little glimpses of the story, the present and the past, to decipher the clues all the way through. I don't think I picked up on the ending or the culprit, until the end but thinking back there's definitely some hints along the way to keep you guessing!

Overall I thought this was very intriguing and kept my interest all the way through! 10/10 would recommend to anyone who loves a crime and mystery sort of book!

“The Unquiet Bones” is a mystery/thriller by Loretta Anne White. I have to admit, I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into reading this book. A long ago mystery, six banded friends and an investigator going through her own grief … but it all worked together really well in the end. I found a few things seemingly randomly thrown into the mix of red herrings, but I think most (if not all?) were clear by the end. And either I wasn’t paying attention or too into the story to see the final twist coming … which is something I rather like. Four solid stars!

THE UNQUIET BONES is a bit different of an entry by Loreth Anne White, but as intriguing a read as always. Jane Munro is a new investigator to the regular LAW reader, and I hope this is the beginning of a new series. She has quite a good backstory in place for Jane that still needs to unfold. If I have any caveats, it would be that there are too many characters to keep up with, and the last twist really came out of left field.

Still a great read, and I’m hoping for more. Although not stated, this feels like the beginning of a welcome new series.

I really enjoyed this fast paced thriller. When human remains reopen a cold case, Detective Jane Munroe must figure out the connection between the deceased and her friendship group from when she was alive. The writing was very atmospheric and claustraphobic, and moved along at a really good pace. Very enjoyable and I didn't foresee the twist which for me is always the best success of a thriller.

This book was amazing.Kept me interested and read it in 2 day's. I always love this authors book's
I would give it more stars if I could. Definitely recommend this book.

Extremely well done mystery/thriller. Great characters and a plot that kept me reading.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/151984427

Wow. This book was perfection 🤌. I have read all of Loreth Anne White's books to date and this is my new fave. I was sucked in from page one and I could not put it down. This book made me cry,made me mad, shocked me but honestly it is written so well. I was so excited for the release of this book and boy it did not disappoint. Loreth has definitely set the bar for other authors. Can't wait for more books to come, might have to reread all her books again.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"The Unquiet Bones" is atmospheric and layered, told with different points of view. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the story and the fast pace. kept me reading. Like "The Maid's Diary" it is a darker suspense read, so I would recommend this for fans of Loreth Anne White and/or Shari Lapena. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved the police procedural aspect and the character of the pregnant detective.. However, this didn't have the wow factor for me compared to other books I've read by the author..