The Unquiet Bones

A Novel

By: Loreth Anne White

Narrated by: Carly Robins

Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

A shocking discovery of human bones reopens an almost fifty-year-old cold case—and rips apart the lives of a group of friends—in a riveting novel by Loreth Anne White, the Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of The Maid’s Diary.

When human bones are found beneath an old chapel in the woods, evidence suggests the remains could be linked to the decades-old case of missing teen Annalise Jansen.

Homicide detective Jane Munro—pregnant and acutely attuned to the preciousness of life—hopes the grim discovery will finally bring closure to the girl’s family. But for a group of Annalise’s old friends, once dubbed the Shoreview Six by the media, it threatens to expose a terrible pledge made on an autumn night forty-seven years ago.

The friends are now highly respected, affluent members of their communities, and none of them ever expected the dark chapter in their past to resurface. But as Jane and forensic anthropologist Dr. Ella Quinn peel back the layers of secrets, the group begins to fracture. Will one cave? Will they turn on each other?

The investigation takes a sharp turn when Jane discovers a second body—that of the boy long blamed for Annalise’s disappearance. As the bones tell their story, the group learns just how far each will go to guard their own truth.

©2024 by Cheakamus House Publishing. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Fans of Louise Penny should try this gripping story from White that combines the best elements of a cold-case investigation with a well-developed suspense novel.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“[A] thought-provoking cold-case mystery.”—Manhattan Book Review

“A deftly crafted and simply riveting read from fist page to last…”—Midwest Book Review

Unquiet and Disquieting

Ms White’s work is now an automatic add to my TBR list. But this one went to the top because I just finished the Angie Pallorino series. When I read the book description for this novel, I knew I had to read it because how could an author forget about a character or have characters with the same name?! I need to know the answer!

Le sigh… The answer is the author has used the same name for two different victims. Why? No clue especially since an author names and/or re-names all characters. Is this because Ms White has written so many stories she can’t keep track of names she’s used? And/or her editor? May I suggest that someone on Ms White’s team create and maintain such a list.

Anyhoo, back to the story and my review 😅 This wasn’t as rich and enthralling as the Pallorino series. It’s all about a bunch entitled, privileged white teenagers and the lies they told — told to one another and mostly to themselves. The lies come back to bite them all 47 years later.

(Spoiler for the Angie Pallorino series: In book one of the Pallorino series, Angie had a case of a missing young woman named Annalise Janssen that went unsolved… until the third book of the trilogy. Angie rescues her from a serial murderer. Once again, Angie is in the media only this time she shares it with her former partner, Kjel Holgersen.)

Part of the Kindle Unlimited catalog.

Excellent story and narration

Highly recommend! I wish this was part of a series. I’d love to revisit some of these characters.

Great story, tough subject matter

I really enjoyed this book, the multiple points of view, and the jumping from past to present. The subject matter is tough, so definitely beware before reading. Great writing and story though

Great all around!

I enjoyed this listen! Couldn't get enough. The various characters and off-shoots of each contributed perfectly to a great whodunit. Enjoyed the narrator as well.

Not my favorite 

This was a OK story. For some reason I just didn’t like the jumping around from the different characters. I also didn’t like some of the political views that were stated. as if they were fat.  I am usually a huge fan of this author, and all of her books that I’ve read prior to this one.

The twists and turns

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing the entire time. Every time I thought that I had it figured out, I was wrong. Definitely a surprise ending that I didn't see coming.

Hard to follow, sensitive content

The story jumps around from past to present, character to character, case to case, and place to place, so even when a key character dies, it’s a bit hard to remember that person’s relevance. The story was complex and interesting. Perhaps the book is better in print than as an audiobook, though I really would have preferred a different culprit and circumstances in the end.

Also, wasn’t fan of the narrator’s voices for minor characters. The accents were muddled, and some voices sounded lecturing or highly confident at moments when a character should have been vulnerable. It starts right at the beginning, with the grief group leader who sounds like she’s giving a sales pitch or a dressing down to a group of grieving people about why their feelings are wrong, and continues especially among minor female roles.

SPOILER / CONTENT WARNING
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This book contains references to domestic sexual abuse, incest, and sexual activity between an adult and a minor. If you prefer not to read about these topics, skip this book.

Twist and turns

Kept me guessing all the way to the end. Never a dull or slow moment.

Great Mystery

I loved the twists and turns of the story. I was excited when it was revealed I had guessed correctly. My son thinks I'm nuts as I started shouting "I Knew It!".
My only dislike was not getting a epilogue type closure. Perhaps there will be a sequal to this book.

Great

Well written and read beautifully. I loved this book. I will definitely read more from this author