When a lobster fisherman finds human remains in his lobster pot, Detective Alana Mack and her team are called in to investigate. On the other side of Ireland, the fisherman's adoptive brother has gone missing. Alana feels there is a connection especially as he allegedly left home without his dog - the dog accompanied him everywhere. She sends two of her team over there and another body is found.
As the investigation progresses and the bodies start to mount, it becomes clear that the killer has a grudge against the family and the investigation team.
A good read which I enjoyed, but left me with lots of unanswered questions beginning with "Why did?"

Detective Alana is back with another great detective story.

When a bones turn up in a creel/ cage meant for lobsters/crabs, the drama starts, whose body is this and where is the head?

I really enjoy reading about Alana and her crime that she’s trying to solve. She’s a likable character and very knowledgeable. It’s a fast paced read that I read in one sitting.

Great crime drams 4.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

As the local crab fisherman raised his pots, he couldn't work out why one pot was filled with dead crabs. Until he saw the bones, which looked decidedly human. Calling the garda, Detective Alana Mack was soon on the scene, along with forensics and the doctor, among others. As Alana - a paraplegic from a serious accident a few years earlier - rallied her team together, she had no idea that this case would be one of her hardest to date.

When Alana was attacked in the car park of her home, dragged from her wheelchair while her phone and handbag were stolen, a broken wrist and bruising wouldn't keep her from work. As the body count rose, the strangeness of the investigation bothered Alana, Paddy and William. Why was it that one of the people in question had two mothers? DNA didn't lie. One had died in a fire forty years ago; one had died recently. Frustrated at the lack of success, Alana knew she only needed one thing to match. But would it happen?

Set in Ireland, Cage of Bones is the 3rd in the Detective Alana Mack series by Jenny O'Brien and it was a superb police procedural! Alana is an excellent character, strong, determined and never one to give up (even with her boss telling her to go home!) Her team are right up there in their support, and the introduction of Wally (the dog) was a masterpiece! I thoroughly enjoyed this episode, and look forward to #4 eagerly :) Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & Storm Publishing for my digital ARC to read and review.

Another great book from Jenny O’Brien. This is the third in the Alana Mack series and I think the one I enjoyed best. It is full of twists and turns and a real page turner.

Cage Of Bones by Jenny O’Brien is a brilliant book and is the third in the Detective Mack series. It is a truly gripping and addictive thriller. The story is about human remains which are found in a fisherman’s crab pit. Alana and her team must now try and find out who she is. Alana and her team must navigate and unravel a complex web of genetic links as they find a second and then a third body as Alana realises, they are all related to each other.

Alana also finds she is being targeted after a random attack which leaves her with a broken arm and Alana must now have to rely on her ex-husband for help as she cannot minovery her wheelchair around with one hand. Packed with pulse-pounding suspense and shocking twists, this gripping thriller will keep you riveted until the very last page I highly recommend this book and Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What a cracking story this was. Kept me gripped from start to finish. I loved getting some deeper insights into the personal history of Alana Mack, as well as the brilliant plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. I read this book in a day, and resented the 8 hours I had to interrupt my reading by going to work…
Jenny O’Brien is such a talented writer, conveying brilliant details of characterisation and setting with her clever descriptions and sharp dialogue. I love the underlying dark humour in this series, too, which offsets the grim storylines and often puts a wry smile on my face. I can’t wait to read her upcoming historical novel, but can’t help hoping there will also be more in this series. It would make a fabulous TV series - any producers out there should take note!
Highly recommended.

"Cage of Bones" is the third Detective Alana Mack book I have read and enjoyed. Full of twists and turns to keep the reader enthralled. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

This was an interesting story and anyone who likes a murder mystery will enjoy it. It is fine as a standalone, although I think I would have felt more involved if I had read the previous two books in the series. It was well written (although there were some really long sentences!), and I liked the team dynamics and the occasional touch of humour. The plot was, for me, overly complex and implausible but it did keep me turning the pages! A bonus was Wally the dog and I would read the next in the series just to see what happens to him, and to find out why Alana was attacked three times. I’m not sure if this was part of the plot or something that will become clear in the next book. I presume this was an uncorrected version and hope the errors I spotted will be corrected before publication. Thanks to Storm and NetGalley for inviting me to read this ARC.

The 3rd in the Detective Alana Mack Series and I think my favourite so far, although they are all excellent. For anyone who doesn’t know Alana is a feisty detective who is paraplegic and determined not to let her disability define her - and she’s doing a good job of it. Although there is an ongoing storyline around the detectives, particularly Alana, this reads well as a standalone. Well written and well plotted, you can see that there has been a good deal of research behind the storyline.

Briefly, a fisherman is pulling in his crabbing pots when he makes a terrible discovery. A pile of human bones in one of the pots. The only hope of identifying the victim is DNA but it’s not easy for the forensic team to obtain. In the meantime another person is murdered and they are ‘related’ to the fisherman and who believes in coincidence! What secrets are this family hiding? A complicated case but this time it’s personal when Alana is attacked.

Some great twist and turns had me guessing all the way through, and it wasn’t long before the reveal that I guess who the killer was. I know some of the areas mentioned in the book which always adds to the enjoyment for me. A good team of characters and some personal insights and I liked the addition of Eva, there’s obviously more to come there. A fast paced police procedural with a great storyline and I enjoyed it a lot.

Twists and turns the entire time. There was several times I thought I had it but didn't! Very engaging and kept my attention the whole book.

A classic police procedural, Cage of Bones (2024) by Jenny O'Brien, begins with a simple discovery of human remains in a crab pot. Detective Alana Mack and the team are tasked with identifying the person’s remains, when several promising leads turn the investigation into other unforeseen circumstances. As the team follows up on various possible leads, further murders turn the case into an integral crime investigation. It’s a delightful read and quintessential classic detective, complex crime mystery with a four stars rating. With thanks to Storm Publishing and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

When human remains are found in a fisherman's crab pot, Detective Alana Mack faces her toughest case yet. As she unravels a complex web of genetic links, Alana becomes the target of a seemingly random attack, leaving her injured and reliant on her ex-husband for help. Determined to solve the case, Alana discovers a chilling connection between the victim and Ciara Buckley, the sole survive of a house fire who shares DNA with the unidentified woman. But Ciara believes both her parents died in the blaze that scarred her childhood. When the fisherman's estranged brother is found dead, Alana uncovers a startling truth.
The third book in the series & it’s easily read on its own but as I’ve to read a series from the start, as always I’d recommend reading in order. I really like Alana & more of her backstory is revealed in his book. A well written, fast paced book with strong characters & a story that had the pages flying by
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This tense crime thriller is the third in the series to follow Detective Alana Mack. She comes back from holiday to a new case where bones have been found in a crabbing pot.

With only bones, the identifying of the victim becomes an issue, so they must delve into the possible history of the victim and the ones who discovered the bones.

Soon, with another body discovered the link seems to be getting closer to being unravelled, however Alana suddenly finds herself a target.

Will Alana and her team solve the case? Why is Alana being targeted?

This crime thriller is tense throughout as Alana tries to unravel not only the identity of the victim but the links to the motive.

There are plenty of secrets to be discovered as Alana starts to discover more of the truth, even if it could end up deadly for her to pursue.

I love reading this series and find Alana a very strong main woman character and I love the banter she has with her team, they almost seem like a family as well as a team.

Overall, a tense crime thriller where a discovery of bones leads to an intriguing case to unravel.

Detective Alana Mack is back with a bang and what a strange case she has walked into. Someone seems to be targeting members of one family. Alana and her team need to find out why.

A fantastic read and I can't wait for the next one.

5 stars

Detective Alana Mack is facing the challenge of identifying the human remains found in a crab pot.
Then she is attacked and left injured. Is it connected to the case?
Then a genetic discovery sends the case in several further directions.
Can she tir it all together before there are more murders?
Enjoyed this and have now read the first two in the series.

The third in the Alana Mack series and the best of the bunch for me.

Here Alana and her team are trying to identify the remains of a body that is found by a local fisherman in his crab pots while taking them in.

A really well told story that touches on some of Irelands dark past, the story is interesting and well plotted.

Alana juggles her personal life with her professional as she tries to unravel what’s going on, all from her wheelchair.
Some more back story about Alana adds more meat to the bone of her character, something that was somewhat missing in the previous two books as we didn’t really have an explanation as to how she ended up (relatively recently) in a wheelchair.

A lot of the setting for this book is in an area of Dublin that is only a few miles from me and which I’m very familiar with, so that added to my fondness for this book.

I think the series finally came of age in Cage Of Bones. It’s a really cracking read and if you’ve read the previous two then you are in for a real treat.

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

Wow – absolutely loved it! Pitch perfect from start to finish, with great characters, a thrilling, tense investigation and a very satisfying conclusion. Detective Alana Mack is wonderful – I love the way the story delves into the clashes between her private and professional lives. The situation feels so authentic and convincing. Her back story’s fascinating and her colleagues are all brilliantly realised too. I feel as though I know them and I’m missing the book now I’ve finished it. I can’t wait to read whatever Jenny O’Brien writes next.

I am a sucker for a really great police procedural and Jenny delivers every time.

I've read all 3 Alana Mack books and I have enjoyed them all thoroughly. This book is probably my favourite so far. It is detailed, intelligent, intriguing, fast paced, thrilling and impossible to put down.

The characters feel more like family with each book, and William and Wally have a special place in my heart.

I highly recommend this book if you're a fan of police procedural thrillers. Or if you like dogs, or you like fishing. Or if you were born on a day of the week that ends with "y"....

Third in the series about Detective Alana Mack. A body is found in a crab pot, discovered by a fisherman. Then the man's brother is discovered to be missing, although it was not his body found. Decent continuation of a good series. 4 stars.

Cage of Bones is the third book in a series of three, and while I'm sure much can be gained by reading them in the correct order, the fact that I hadn't read the previous two books did not detract from my enjoyment of this absorbing crime-thriller.

The Story: When Barney Mulcahy pulls his crab pots on board his fishing boat, he is shocked to find not crabs but human bones. Detective Alana Mack and her team are tasked with identifying the remains and the killer in this fast-paced police procedural.

Whilst investigating this case, Detective Mack is made aware of another case in Kerry, this time a disappearance, but with a link to Barney Mulcahy.

As the story continues there are more murders which can be linked to the initial case. Also, Detective Mack is mugged outside her home and loses her phone. Later, when she is assaulted by the same shadowy figure, she wonders whether someone is trying to stop her from getting to the truth.

I was quickly hooked and questioning the whys and wherefores of each murder as they arose, trying to solve the crimes. I did manage to identify the murderer, although I was not convinced by the motive, about which I had my own ideas.

I was also interested in Detective Mack’s team of detectives who worked well together. However, I wondered about Detective Sergeant Barry's unilateral decision to add Detective Eve Rohan, AKA ‘The Nun’, to Mack’s team as Rohan did not seem like a good fit for the team and came across as a rather ‘difficult’ individual.

A lot of research has gone into the production of this well-written novel which enhanced my enjoyment of the story. I was particularly interested in the Bonaparte genealogy programme, the DNA matching software, used by Interpol.

All in all, I would say that this is another enthralling and thought-provoking read from Ms O'Brien, and one which I would not hesitate to recommend.