Book Review - Bone by Bone by Carol O'Connell

Synopsis: In the northern California town of Coventry, two teenage brothers go into the woods one day, but only one comes back. No one knows what happened to the younger brother, Josh, until twenty years later, when the older brother, Oren, now an ex-investigator for the Army CID, returns to Coventry for the first time in many years. His first morning back, he hears a thump on the front porch. Lying in front of the door is a human jawbone, teeth still intact. & it is not the first, his father tells him. Other remains have been left on the porch as well. Josh is coming home - bone by bone.

First Line: "A batty old man of the cloth had once described the Hobbs boy as joke of God's: an archangel of the warrior cast & a beacon for women with carnal intentions."

Random Quote: "Isabelle and Ferris Monty smiled at each other, & there was no protest or insinuation. They had mutually & silently agreed that he would have to make do with this stew of truth & lies."

Review: I really like Carol O'Connell's Mallory series of books & enjoyed her other stand-alone book, Judas Child, so I picked this one up with anticipation. I enjoyed this book, but not quite as much as her others.

This is a gothic confection of a tale about two brothers who go into the woods with only one returning & what happens 20 years later when Oren, the surviving brother returns home to find that his missing brother is returning home - bone by bone.

The opening chapters and setup are great. There are

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some wonderful eccentrics populating the small town of Coventry, CA where the action takes place. There is one scene late in the book, depicting a dance between two characters who were once lovers that is breathtaking & this small set of 3-4 paragraphs alone would be worth the read.

There are some downsides. The book is ultimately more plot than character - sharp departure from O'Connell's other books. In particular, O'Connell seems too distanced from her central characters, Oren & Josh, making them less interesting than some more fleshed out minor characters which makes the impetus of the whole thing less interesting. O'Connell's writing and plotting seem much less precise here than in any of her other books. The plot tends to wander about an awful lot in ways that seem more calculated than natural - another difference between this and her other books.

For all that, this is a fun read & should tide Mallory fans over until the next one in that series.