Circle of Bones

OMG this author just gets better with every novel, words can’t express the feelings triggered from this newest story. Unbelievable I absolutely loved this one. If you try one new author this year, make it Malcolm Richards.

In this first Blake Hollow book, we get to know his world and delve into the seemingly peaceful life of Cornwell. Richards' writing style keeps you in suspense and leads you to discover how life in the countryside hides all kind of torments, impulses, and grief. The beginning of a journey through past, a story that shows how little we know about the closer persons in our lives, and how face our own demons is a path to freedom. I am looking forward for Hollow next chapter.

CIRCLE OF BONES by Malcolm Richards Blake Hollow left her Private Investigator practice in Manchester to return to her home town of Wheal Marow in Cornwall to help care for her mother who had a badly broken leg. That same night, a 17 year old girl disappeared, in exactly the same way that Blake’s best friend Demelza had disappeared 18 years previously. One week later, two more girls disappeared. Blake’s friend, Judy, now a news reporter has kept a file of young women who had disappeared and never turned up going all the way back to Demelza. Searching through those files, removing the ones that didn’t fit the profile of Demelza and Lucy, they learned that all had been roughly the same age, church going girls, pretty and outgoing, and all disappeared on a Sunday, one each year. The kidnapper must have been the same person, but why? And why was Lucy the only one to have been found? Posed in the door of the abandoned Ding Dong Mine in a partial crucified position, one hand nailed to the doorpost and both feet nailed to the step below, and the other hand pointing like an arrow toward a stone circle across the valley. The Maidens. As clues turn up, Blake’s father Ed appears to have been guilty! And Blake recalls that Ed had changed the night Demelza disappeared, no longer the loving outgoing daddy of her youth, but becoming morose and secretive. Yet, she can’t believe he could have done such a thing. When he is arrested, she learns that Lucy had written in her diary that Demelza had been pregnant and Ed was the father. Can Blake solve the crime, absolving her father, and finding the real culprit before he finds her? Richards is the only mystery writer I know of who doesn’t reveal his bad guys until nearly the end, in fact, he is the only one who has surprised me with the identity! His characters are completely lifelike and his word smithing will keep you enthralled all the way to the end.

I was on the edge of my seat as the main character Blake tried to solve an unspeakable murder in her home town of Cornwall. Using her detective skills, Blake finds a connection between this murder and the disappearance of her best friend 18 years earlier. The book kept me guessing until the very end even as more clues were uncovered which is what I love about this author!

I am a fan of Malcolm Richards books and he continues to write great books with varied storylines. This book takes you through a up and down journey with Private Detective Blake, the main character, and it keeps you focused on the chilling events that happen at every turn. Blake is a focused, never give up person and she fights for getting to the truth, no matter where it takes her. You will not be disappointed with this book. Great read!

As I was reading this story I was pretty sure of the outcome. Boy was I wrong. A well written book with great plot line throughout.