Bone by Bone

If you like a good mystery, you'll like this book. It takes a while to sort out the many characters in the book, but pay attention to details! Many years ago two brothers go into the woods together, one carrying a camera. Only one brother comes home that day and the camera is never found. Was the missing brother murdered or did he run away? And regardless, who would want to kill a teenage boy - unless perhaps he took a picture of something he shouldn't have?? Years later, Oren, the older brother, returns home per the urgent request of his father's housekeeper, Hannah, and discovers his younger brother has slowly been returning home - bone by bone, each piece left during the night on his father's porch steps. The investigation begins anew.... only this time there is some very interesting new evidence.

First Sentence: A batty old man of the cloth had once described the Hobbs boy as a joke of god's: an archangel of the warrior cast and a beacon for women with carnal intentions. Almost 20 years ago, 17-year-old Oren Hobbs and his younger brother Josh, went into the woods. Oren came home but Josh was never found. Told that his father is dying by the housekeeper who has been with the family since early childhood, Oren resigns his position as investigator for the Army's Criminal Investigation Division and returns home. His father is fine but bones belonging to Josh are being left on the front porch, one at a time. O'Connell didn't start her writing career until her 40s and after a career as a painter, proof reader and copy editor, skills which are apparent in her writing. She knows how to hook the reader from the first sentence; without a prologue or a single portent. I'm delighted to add. Her humor is slightly off center, which I appreciate. "It had been her mission to save him from literacy and send him outdoors in search of a life." "...why does the town have so many loonies?" "Tolerance." To me, it is the since of a fine writer who can create an eccentric cast of characters but, without manipulation, justify each one. The characters are fully developed but in an artist's way of creating layer upon layer until the full representations are clear. The characters drive the story, and there are some wonderful characters. But they also show how our foibles and the constraints we often put on ourselves by not saying things out loud can cause great damage to ourselves and to others. The story is very well plotted. This is not a fast-paced, quick read, but one with intrigue and as intricate as the tango which occurs late in the story. "I don't think I've ever seen blood drawn on a dance floor." A hint of magic and mysticism only add to the feeling that should one find this town in a map, one would be wise to drive around it. O'Connell has such a deliciously subtle style that plays with your emotions and provides an ending that is both heartbreaking yet filled with promise.

Oren Hobbs has been gone for 20 years. Now he has come home. His brother, Josh, will never be home again. At least not alive. On a bright day two decades ago, Oren and his brother walked into the woods around the northern California town of Coventry, but Josh never came out. Until now. Bone by bone, he is returning under the cloak of night. "The bones of the body were dusted with soil, but the skull bore the circular marks of cloth-wiped dirt. No part of the skeleton showed signs of exposure to the elements...Raw burial could only be read as murder." With a word like "murder" on everyone's lips, Josh's brother is eager to learn the truth of that long-ago day, a day that has haunted him since he left. Or, more accurately, since he was sent away. He spent time in the intervening years as part of the Criminal Investigations Division of the Army, so if he can manage to put aside his emotions, Oren will be the ideal person to look into the death that rocked his small hometown. The boys' father, Judge Hobbs, now retired, has suffered much since the loss of his youngest son. If not for his housekeeper Hannah, the judge himself might not have survived. Can the three of them unearth the secrets the forest holds? If they can't, it's a pretty sure bet the local police can't. The sheriff is nothing if not incompetent, and his deputies are even worse. Or do they have something to cover up? Of course, small towns have secrets everywhere, and Coventry is no exception. In fact, it may have more than most. Teeming with eccentric residents, Coventry sounds like an ideal place for misfits to escape to. It has a distinct personality all its own, peopled with folks who are just a little bit unusual. An oft-voiced joke around the town is that no one goes to the library. Admittedly, the librarian has a tenuous grasp on sanity, but is there something about the building itself that houses a shady past? Naturally, an event like the discovery of a skeleton, especially when it comes in installments, attracts the attention of the media. So not only does Oren have a murder to figure out, he also has a cadre of news hounds to keep at bay. Their meddling can cause all sorts of unwelcome publicity, and does. As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that Oren always loved women, and they loved him. Josh always loved photography. That certainly could be an explosive combination. Is it possible that Josh captured a crime in progress with his camera? Or maybe he came upon lovers with more than just an affair to hide. Whatever the reason, Josh is dead and Oren wants to know why. Or does Oren know why? There are more mysteries in Coventry than Josh's disappearance. Full of robust characters, BONE BY BONE unmasks the murderer as it exposes a family's tragedy. As complex as it is entertaining, Carol O'Connell's latest novel will more than thrill its audience. Well written and beautifully paced, this is a must-read for mystery buffs. --- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

An interesting concept, to be sure. Oren and Joshua Hobbs went into the woods one day, and only Oren, the older brother, came out. The younger brother disappeared. After years at school and later working for the CID in the army, Oren returns home - called back after his father's housekeeper writes to him. He then learns that the bones of his brother are being left on his father's front porch, bone by bone. Most thrillers keep the reader digging and guessing for a suspect. What sets this novel apart is that the author instead inundates the reader with suspects, every one of them with plausible motive to have killed the boy. Josh was a brilliant photographer who followed people, capturing their secrets on film...and how many people would kill to hide their secrets? You then wonder how you would handle it - could you investigate the murder of your younger brother, and to what lengths would you go to solve it? How much emotional pain could you inflict on yourself and those around you to bring the truth to light and a murderer to justice? It is an excellent novel, and Carol O'Connell weaves an intricate tale. My only criticism is how quickly she switches between characters is a little over-used. While later in the book, once you are familiar with the characters, it's a great plot vehicle, at the beginning it just makes things downright confusing. That minor point aside, I highly recommend this book.

I am always leery to read books where the author has made a departure from writing about a serial character; but Carol O'Connell did not disappoint. I have read all of her novels and I have found her characterization of Mallory to be unique - her main character in Bone by Bone has proven to be just as unique and captivating. I found that I was unable to put the book down and consequently read it in one sitting. I especially like the way that O'Connell also develops the other characters in her book - to me, the sign of a good read is one where the reader can immerse themselves into the plot being weaved and O'Connell is a master at pulling the reader into her story. I hope that she continues with this new character - while not abandoning Mallory.

In Bone By Bone, Carol O' Connell blends the eccentricities of a small town with a murder mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end. Beautifully written, it's the story of a man named Oren, who returns to his home town in California after working in the Army's CID (Criminal Investigations), after his father's housekeeper, the omniscient Hannah, sends him a cryptic letter. But he returns to find a horrible scenario is playing out at his father's home- someone is leaving the bones of his younger brother, Josh, on the front porch. One bone at a time. The cast of characters in this novel is reminiscent of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," with a large, richly drawn out cast of eccentrics. The only character I wish we'd had more information on is Oren himself. The small town is full of secrets, and people who keep them for various reasons. In a town where everyone knows everyone else's business, this is a crime that has gone unsolved for twenty years. But why? Is it really a difficult mystery, or has an entire town covered up the murder of a young man? Even when you're sure you know who the guilty party is, you're likely to be wrong. This was a beautifully written mystery, more of a high brow who dunnit, and I'm looking forward to her next book!