Friday, October 2, 2015

Book Review: The Bones Will Speak by Carrie Stuart Parks

The Bones Will Speak (A Gwen Marcey Novel Book 2)

By Carrie Stuart Parks
Publisher:  Thomas Nelson 
Published: Aug. 11, 2015
ASIN: B00PWOH87M

Amazon Synopsis:

A killer with a penchant for torture has taken notice of forensic expert Gwen Marcey . . . and her daughter.

When Gwen Marcey’s dog comes home with a human skull and then leads her to a cabin in the woods near her Montana home, she realizes there’s a serial killer in her community. And when she finds a tortured young girl clinging to life on the cabin floor, she knows this killer is a lunatic.

Yet what unsettles Gwen most is that the victim looks uncannily like her daughter.
The search for the torturer leads back in time to a neo-Nazi bombing in Washington state—a bombing with only one connection to Montana: Gwen. The group has a race-not-grace model of salvation . . . and they’ve marked Gwen as a race traitor.

When it becomes clear that the killer has a score to settle, Gwen finds herself in a battle against time. She will have to use all of her forensic skills to find the killer before he can carry out his threat to destroy her—and the only family she has left.

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My Thoughts:

Things start off rapidly when Gwen Marcey’s dog brings home a human skull. The pace doesn’t slow down all through the book so you’ll need to be prepared for a fast and furious ride through this suspenseful thriller.

There is someone on the loose who is killing victims that look a lot like Gwen’s daughter. But he doesn’t just kill them – first he tortures them.

It’s obvious from reading the author’s bio that she writes what she knows as a lot of her own background is in the book. That’s a good thing because it helps to make the book more realistic. Her characters felt lifelike; their conversations were smooth and natural.

There is much more to this case than just a simple serial killer. Some of the bones that have been recovered have been gnawed on. Did the killer murder these women or did the wolves they’ve been hearing at night get the women before the killer got to them? Through a variety of twists and turns, Gwen discovers the killer is connected to a previous case Gwen dealt with, and the killer is out for revenge. The plots twists and turns will have you guessing throughout the book and still surprise you at the end.

I enjoyed Carrie Stuart Parks writing style. She was descriptive enough that you could definitely feel the pain and fear along with the victims, but not so graphic as to be considered gory or X-rated by any means. I felt like I was right there alongside the characters.

There was no profanity or erotic content within this book. It was a very clean read. This also made the book more enjoyable in my view.

If you enjoy suspense novels, then I would recommend The Bones Will Speak for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I gave this book a rating of 5 stars out of 5.


Thank you to the publishers via BookLook Bloggers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

About the Author:

Carrie Stuart Parks is an award-winning fine artist and internationally known forensic artist. Along with her husband, Rick, she travels across the US and Canada teaching courses in forensic art to law enforcement as well as civilian participants. She has won numerous awards for career excellence. Carrie is a popular platform speaker, presenting a variety of topics from crime to creativity. 

Animals have always been a large part of her life. Her parents, Ned and Evelyn Stuart, started Skeel Kennel Great Pyrenees in 1960. Carrie inherited the kennel and continues with her beloved dogs as both an AKC judge and former president of the Great Pyrenees Club of America. She lives on the same ranch she grew up on in Northern Idaho.

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