It was a nice surprise to discover how much I liked the book since I was not much impressed with the cover.
Old Bones is about the discovery of a skeleton in a garden. Bill Slider's boss thinks an obviously cold case will keep his detective out of trouble since Slider's previous investigation of an underage sex ring involving upper echelons in the police hierarchy has put him under a cloud.
The case does get under Slider's skin. The skeleton of a fourteen-year-old girl who went missing two decades previously will be difficult--memories of the day Amanda Knight disappeared are twenty years old, files are missing, and possible suspects are dead or have moved away, but Slider's team will give it every effort.
Old Bones is an excellent police procedural with good characterization and an intriguing plot. That alone would have been enough, but what raises the bar even further is Harrod-Eagles writing. She skillfully maneuvers all elements of the story--the characters, plot, and pacing.
And then there are the occasional lines that brought a little humor, an allusion, or a neat comparison:
"That's what I like about you, Maurice," Swilley said sweetly. "Always ready to go the extra meal."
"...as lively as a botoxed brow."
"You're no fun on a road rip, Thelma."
on architectural styles: "Twentieth Century Insensitive"
All in all, a book to be enjoyed on many levels, but first and foremost the competence of the author in presenting a serious and intriguing cold case police procedural.
Favorite minor character: Connie Bindman, the police archivist.
Read in Oct.; blog review scheduled for Jan. 23, 2017.
NetGalley/Severn House
Police Procedural/Mystery. Feb. 1, 2017. Print length: 265 pages.
I haven't heard of this author before. But I'm intrigued by the premise of her story. I'm excited to have another new author to try. :)
ReplyDeleteGood plot, interesting characters, and those clever bits of humor made this one a great read!
DeleteSounds good! Will add this onto my wishlist. Not a fan of the cover, though.
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame about the cover--it would never have induced me to pick up the book. I'm so glad I read it, though! And this is one of those books that picks up momentum as it moves. :)
DeleteI read a couple of the Bill Slider books, Orchestrated Death and Killing Time in 1999. At the time, I wrote that I enjoyed all the Cockney slang in Killing Time. I said they reminded me of the Jack Frost British procedurals. Coincidentally, I'm reading a new Jack Frost mystery tonight. First Frost. It's the 2011 Jack Frost mystery written by James Henry (actually a writing team) who took over the series after the death of R. D. Wingfield. I got it out of my Little Free Library and happy to get reacquainted with Frost.
ReplyDeleteI checked with our library, and they do have a couple of books in the Bill Slider series. Now, I'll have to check on the Jack Frost series. :) Your Little Free Library is still going strong!
DeleteI feel like I've heard of this author before but thought she wrote a different genre. Sounds like a great police procedural! Will have to add it to my TBR list!
ReplyDeleteShe had a historical series about the Morland family. I think Kailana(?)used to talk about this series with enthusiasm.
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