The Bones Will Speak by Carrie Stuart Parks

The Bones Will Speak by Carrie Stuart Parks ISBN-13: 9781401690458 Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: August 11, 2015

Source: Review copy from the publisher through BookLook.

Book Description from Back Cover:
In Copper Creek, Montana, Gwen Marcey is struggling to put together her life after cancer and divorce. When her dog retrieves a skull of a murder victim and leads her to the victim's grave, Gwen uses her forensic art ability to identify a serial killer. She is horrified to discover all the victims look like her fourteen-year-old daughter.

The murderer is a "lone wolf," a member of the terrorist group Phineas Priesthood-and he has a score to settle with Gwen. Unraveling the tangled Christian Identity movement, where race-not grace-provides salvation, Gwen is in a frantic rush against time. She must use all her skills to uncover the killer before he can carry out his threat to destroy her and everyone she loves.


My Review:
The Bones Will Speak is a Christian suspense novel. This is the second book in a series. This book didn't spoil the previous mystery, but I'd recommend starting with that one. I didn't always understand why Gwen and her daughter acted like they did, and the first book might have helped flesh that out.

Gwen was resourceful, but she deeply resented her ex-husband and that effected her judgment (and her driving) at times. Her best friend urged her to forgive her husband so she could heal. Gwen's daughter really confused me. At times, the 14-year-old acted like she resented her mother and was in full rebellion. She knew she was in danger, but she didn't lock the doors when told to and even refused to jump into a river because "it's cold." But then she'd act like a naive, trusting 5-year-old who just knows mommy will make things all better. She trustingly opened the door to a stranger. There was a reason to open the door, but a teen would have realized a potential flaw with that reason.

The mystery was clue-based. Whodunit deliberately left obvious clues and Gwen pointed out others, so it was easy to put together whodunit. There were two possible people for the unknown challenge-coin holder, but clues quickly cleared that mystery up, too. So the story hinged on its high level of suspense. This was a creepy story with a sick whodunit who cruelly killed many animals and people. There was danger at every turn.

Still, I had a hard time believing how easily the killer was able to find girls whose facial structure looked just like Gwen's daughter and who had a genetic disease or disfigurement. There was no sex or bad language. The crime scene gore was not graphically described.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.