The Bone House

By: Brian Freeman

Narrated by: Joe Barrett

Hilary and Mark Bradley are trapped in a web of suspicion. Last year, accusations of a torrid affair with a student cost Mark his teaching job and made the young couple into outcasts in their remote island town off the Lake Michigan coast. Now another teenage girl is found dead on a deserted beach... and once again, Mark faces a hostile town convinced of his guilt.

Hilary Bradley is determined to prove that Mark is innocent, but she’s on a lonely, dangerous quest. Even when she discovers that the murdered girl was witness to a horrific crime years earlier, the police are certain she’s throwing up a smoke screen to protect her husband. Only a quirky detective named Cab Bolton seems willing to believe Hilary’s story.

Hilary and Cab soon find that people in this community are willing to kill to keep their secrets hidden - and to make sure Mark doesn’t get away with murder. And with each shocking revelation, even Hilary begins to wonder whether her husband is truly innocent.

Freeman’s first stand-alone thriller since his Stride novels is a knockout.

©2011 Brian Freeman (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Brian Freeman is, quite simply, a first-rate storyteller.” (Nelson DeMille, New York Times best-selling author)

No crime in the prairies.

A pretty humdrum detective novel, part procedural, part soap opera. This isn't a true mystery, as there are no clues whatever pointing to the actual killer. Indeed, given the motivations of individual characters, much of what they actually do doesn't make sense. There are several occasions when the intelligent main characters, Mark and Hillary, do stupid things in order (seemingly) to enhance suspense. Many times I felt manipulated by the author's tendency to hint at important developments in the story, then suddenly switch to a different scene altogether. That was annoying. On the positive side, the reader did an excellent job with the upper-midwest accent without making people sound like caricatures from "Fargo." Also, the main detective, Cab Bolton, is interesting and complex; the novel was at its best when narration was from his POV.

Public perseption is not to be trusted.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It's good but frustating for the idea that people are innocent until proven guilty.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Bone House?

The decription of the area.

Which scene was your favorite?

Conversations between two people who trust and believe in each other.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Never believe everything you see.

Any additional comments?

It is truly a mystery.

Slow Moving

Thought the story was OK, but nothing real special. Guess I was expecting more. There were few twists and turns, but even when they did happen, they were not super exciting. However, J.B's. Narration was fantastic, including his accent of the characters from Door County and Green Bay. Will probably return it, and get my credit back to hopefully, purchase a much better selection.

Keeps you guessing!

I can usually figure out mysteries, but this one kept me guessing. Even after you think you know "who done it" there's still more to be revealed.

Fast paced. Each chapter ending is a mini cliff hanger that makes you want to listen to the next. I usually listen to a little of a book before bed, but I couldn't stop listening to this one.

Narration was great.

I'll be looking for more books by this author and especially with this narrator.

Ho hum

It was a decent distraction. I had extra credits and needed something mindless. The story didn't hang together that well.