I was wrong; dead wrong about whodunnit. And I’m not mad about it. 😂

The Plot: I did not know where this was going when I started reading this book. At first, it seems like a horrible tragedy: a guy hangs himself on a tree known as “The Hanging Tree." But it doesn’t stop there. When another man turns up dead, DI Corstorphine and his colleagues are not prepared for where this case takes them. Heck, I wasn’t prepared either. I mean, my mind was blown as I read what horrible things happened in the small town. I was going through the list of suspects I curated in my head, trying to figure out who was killing these people. Did I blame the murderer? No, and you’ll understand where I am coming from if you read the book. And the ending! Ho-ly cow! I was shooketh. I think some might find the ending too abrupt or unsatisfying, but I think it ended brilliantly.

The Characters: I need to get this out of the way: Margo was annoying. I really disliked her, to the point of hating her. I guess I don’t blame her for being the way she was and the distrust she harbored toward the police, but still, she pissed me off. So much so, that my brother was a little worried. 😅 I’m probably overreacting, but man, she made the detective's life difficult, all for money! Why, why, why? I do not understand her, but thank God she wasn’t the main focus or I would’ve lost it. 😂 But everyone else was great. I liked James and Frankie, who both struggled with a sense of loneliness. The former was a widower and the latter was divorced. There wasn’t any character development, besides James going on a date even though he felt like he was betraying his beloved wife, which is a big step since he likes to keep to himself. But the plot made up for the lack of growth and change in the characters. But maybe there will be some in the second book. 😉

The Writing: Greig is a fantastic writer. I was hooked right from the start and the book just got better and better. I gasped, I got angry, and I got excited when Corstorphine and his colleague, Frankie, were close to solving the case. It was easy to read, the dialogue was engaging, and everything flowed well. I wasn’t confused one bit about the characters or the plot. He did a great job. 👏

Overall Thoughts: This was such a good book! It’s been a while since I’ve read a good mystery novel that kept me guessing to the very end. I will warn you, though, that it is gory and there are mentions of abuse that I will list in the content warnings. That was horrible. Before returning to read the book, I had to step away to keep from crying. Am I going to read the sequel? You better believe I am, and I hope it’s as good as this one. ☺ I highly recommend this book to all mystery lovers!

Content Warnings: violence, domestic abuse, child abuse/pedophilia, excessive swearing, murder, blood, animal death/cruelty, torture, suicide

Pub Date: 04/17/25

Thank you to Storm Publishing for gifting me an arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and statements are my own.

#TheBoneClock #NetGalley

Originally published in 2020 under the title Whirligig, The Bone Clock is a rerelease of book one in Andrew James Grieg’s Detective Corstorphine mystery series, and it was captivating read that left me wanting more. There is a second book in the series, and I’m hopeful that with this new edition, more books are planned.

Set in the highlands of Scotland, The Bone Clock is a dark mystery full of secrets, deception, and intrigue. It opens with a disturbing scene set in 1997, then jumps around twenty years, although the exact year is never specified that I can recall.

Soon the reader is drawn into the mystery of what the locals refer to as The Hanging Tree, and we follow Detective Inspector James Corstorphine as he and his fellow officers try to find a killer before more people die.

This is one of the best mysteries I’ve read lately. It captured my attention and kept it throughout the story. The characters were interesting and felt real, dealing with some of their own personal issues as well as the mystery at hand.

The mystery was quite dark, and there were a couple of scenes that were pretty gruesome in their detail but I think necessary to understand how disturbing the deaths were.

If, like me, you are a lover of mystery series (or shows) like Vera, or Shetland, I think you will really enjoy this book as much as I did. I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series and hope for more.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is brilliantly written. It is dark, ruthless and a fantastic crime story.

The novel is set in a quiet Scottish town where a gamekeeper is found hanging from a tree. It appears to be a suicide but on closer inspection a mechanism had been setup and cause this death.

I was invested in the characters, the story line and in finding out the truth behind the murders.

~Thank you NetGallery and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

The gamekeeper is found hanging from a tree, the same tree a young reporter hung herself from over 20 years earlier. DI Corstorphine is not convinced its suicide and when bits of bone carved to form wheels and gears are found in and around the tree it is obvious this was an elaborate murder. Then the minister is crushed by his church bell, another elaborate murder? The murders are linked by the remnants of the bone gears, but by what else?
DI Corstorphine and his small team race against time to solve the mystery.
Well written and had me gripped from the start, my thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

Thank you so much for this arc. this is a very intreresting premise. with crimes that spands decades, dark, fast pace, good characters. really good scottish mystery.

This book is already a classic for me. It is packed with clever references, and ideas and weaponry which were a delight to read and discover more of. This book mixes the cruelty of death and murder out in the world, alongside abuse and hidden secrets alongside an almost cosy feeling of friendship and colleagues in the police environment in a strong way. The book is fast paced almost to the point of breathlessness and yet there is something tender about it, through the police officers and their words and the police interviews and techniques,
I am moving on straight to the second book in the series!

A dark but thought provoking book that had me totally gripped and was this completed in a single sitting. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for chance to ARC this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

This was interesting! A small Scottish town is shocked by a grizzly murder of one of their unsavory characters at a site related to a terrible incident that occurred 20 years prior. The murder scene has a strange mechanism constructed from human bones. It is bizarre and gruesome. Detective Corstrophine, who is struggling with his own personal issues, investigates the case with his team. They are hit with another murder less than a week after and now they have to connect the dots between the two murders and the history of residents of the small town. This is a multi POV book, most important of which are DI Corstrophine and Margot, girlfriend of the first victim.

I enjoyed the writing, descriptions of small Scottish town and nature around it, and how the mystery was gradually solved. I look forward to Book 2, The Devil’s Cut. And if these books ever become audiobooks with a proper Scottish accent; they would be a treat.

The Bone clock is kicking off a whole new series featuring DI James Corstorphine and his constable Frankie McKenzie.
The book starts when the local gamekeeper gets trapped and killed by one of his own snares right after he has abused his pregnant girlfriend Margo. He is hanging right next to a trapped rabbit. Forensics discover bone discs which Frankie later discovers with the help of a clockmaker are part of an intricate clockwork mechanism, a kind of human bone timing mechanism.
While James private life, he is a widower for two years, seems to be taking a turn towards a new romance more violent deaths are occurring. They all have the bone clock mechanisms in common or another form of human bone is found with the murder victims. Another thing they have in common is that they really are not very likeable people. Some of the deaths are really creative.

There is lots of suspense in this book and enough clues and red herrings to keep you double guessing who the murderer is. Did not really see this one coming. I already downloaded the second book in this series and am looking forward to reading it. Hope to get some more details about Frankie too, because her character, though interesting, is not so well worked out.

5 stars for the creative ways the murders are set up, the nice descriptions of the Scottish highlands and the well written story.
Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC of this wonderful book, all opinions are my own.

I DNF'd this book after 10 chapters. I was excited for the premise. The intricate killing mechanism was very intriguing. Unfortunately, I didn't click with the writing style. There's nothing in particular I can put my finger on as to why it didn't work for me, I simply couldn't get into it.

Thanks to Storm Publishing for the eARC.

The Bone Clock is set in the Scottish Highlands. It follows DI Corstorphine and his small police team in investigating a gruesome murder that took place. when a notebook is found amongst the victims' possessions, which is linked to a suicide that took place 20 years prior. Corstorphine realises this isn't going to be a simple crime to solve. Dragging up cases from the past, can DI Corstorphine find the killer before another person ends up dead?

I love a good police procedural, and this one kept me turning the pages.
Andrew James Greig doesn't shy away from writing a variety of imaginative and gory ways for his characters to die. Some are not for the faint-hearted.

The characters are well rounded, and I liked getting to know all about them. They felt real and relatable. Some are downright evil. DI Corstorphine is a very likeable character, and so is DC McKenzie. You want to know more about them and want them to succeed.

I really enjoyed the plot and how it all came together. It was suspenseful, tense, and dark. For the most part, it kept me guessing. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was because I worked out who the killer was quite early on.

The story tackles some heavy subjects, including suicide, child death, and child abuse. The CA is not an in-depth account, which I like that it didn't go down that root. It hit hard without reading about them.

This is a series that I would carry on reading. It held my attention, and I can't wait to see what case DI Corstorphine is investigating next.

Thank you, Storm Publishing, for my advanced copy
my opinions are my own.

I liked this mystery crime read, loved that it was set in the Scottish highlands. DI James Corstorphine is the guy in charge after finding a gamekeeper hanging from an old oak tree, his wife has recently passed so maybe that’s the reason, is it suicide or murder? Chilling facts start to emerge about a children’s home and a murder back in 1977. A enjoyable read and looking. Forward to the next in this series. A 4 star read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

This is a new author to me, and the story is good.
I do like thrillers, and this one ranks among the best.
Situated in Scotland, a small community, DI James Corstorphine and crew have their work cut out for them
The basis of the story began 20 years ago when a young journalist hanged herself, which was the official verdict, and she left behind a small daughter who was taken into care, and the oak tree, which is still there 20 years later, has always been known as the hanging tree.
Roll on 20 years, the laird's gamekeeper nasty piece of work, ends up on the hanging tree, how and why? as he passes it very often, so he knows it's there.
The author has put the characters nicely suited together, which ensures the reader carries on reading My only fault I can find is the ending, didn't really bade well, to me I think it could have been better.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Storm Publishing for a ARC copy, a very enjoyable read.

'The Bone Clock' is the first in a new series. It's tartan noir at its best! It's a little bit gruesome, a little bit dark but a very big bit exciting, fast paced and thrilling. DI James Corstorphine and DC Frankie McKenzie are well rounded characters in a well written book. I absolutely raced through this first novel and can't wait to read the next one. Thanks to netgalley, author and publisher for an early read. Highly recommend!

Top notch detective mystery, talk about a page turner! Complex mystery weaving crimes of past and present, red herrings at every turn, political corruption, and secrets everywhere. All the elements for an addictive crime thriller with a solid investigative team. Just read it!

Great plot, fast-paced read🕵🏻‍♂😢

4.5🌟 stars
An excellent story and well-wrought mystery by a skilled author.

Lots of suspense, tragic deaths and abuse of the innocent, mixed with payback murders, this latest by the author of the Tearlach Paterson p.i. series starts a new series with police in a quiet Highland backwater up against a clever murderer dredging up the year 1997 and the apparent suicide of a female investigative reporter. Their small police force makes surprisingly good headway despite a blanket of silence hanging over the abuse the dead reporter had been working to expose and how it connects with the present day.

It was easy to eat up the pages on this one and I really got a kick out of id'ing the murderer way before Detective Corstorphine brings all the pieces together. The ending brings some surprise but I liked the way things panned out for most concerned. I'm a bit on the fence about the main protagonist. He's a lonely widower just getting back into the dating game and somewhat closed off from his team. I felt he relied awfully heavily on the female detective in the station to do the legwork, sometimes literally as she trods about on a search in the countryside while he and a more junior male officer explore in the comfort of their vehicles!

I'll definitely be looking for more from this author.

NB: the abuse is referred to but without graphic detail.

Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Review shared on 4/7/25 on Goodreads and Bookbub, and with BAM and Barnes & Noble. To be shared with kobo after release.

I read this back to back with the Devils cut as I enjoyed the latter so much and was not disappointed by the bone clock. With a variety of unpleasant characters meeting ever more bizarre endings Corstorphine has his work cut out trying to find the connection between such a dissonant collection of people, confounded further by the strange clockwork elements found at the crime scenes.
Grieg manages again to plant red herrings that lead you to an obvious suspect only to have your theories blown out of the water time and time again and I am eagerly anticipating the release of book three for Corstorphine!

First in a new series of DI Corstorphine and his small police team. A hanging from an old oak tree is only the start of a trail of vengeance planned over a number of years.
This will soon become a page turner as you cannot wait to solve the murders alone with DI Corstorphine. A strong start to new characters. You wait for the next crime to be solved with bated breath.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

The Bone Clock by Andrew James Greig
Advance review copy.
I was thoroughly entertained by this captivating novel. The book's dark content is expertly woven into a narrative that's both engaging and thought-provoking.

The storytelling is cleverly constructed, with numerous twists that kept interested. The main character is likable and well-developed, making it easy to become invested in their journey.

As the first book in the Detective Corstorphine series, "The Bone Clock" introduces us to a compelling protagonist and an intriguing world. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series to see where Detective Corstorphine's investigations will take us.

Overall, "The Bone Clock" is a compelling read that's sure to appeal to fans of crime fiction and mystery.
Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader copy.

I loved reading this book by Andrew James Greig

Detective Inspector James Corstorphine, small town detective and his team deals with a big town murder mystery.

Very well written. Recommended to anyone who enjoys police procedurals to unmask the serial killer

I won’t forget this one in a hurry - fantastic

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing