Inherit the Bones by Emily Littlejohn Published by Minotaur Books on November 1st 2016
Pages: 322
Goodreads
Secrets and lies can’t stay buried forever in Cedar Valley.
In the summer, hikers and campers pack the small Colorado town’s meadows and fields. And in the winter, skiers and snowboarders take over the mountains. Season by season, year after year, time passes and the lies, like the aspens and evergreens that surround the town, take root and spread deep.
Now, someone has uncovered the lies, and it is his murder that continues a chain of events that began almost forty years ago. Detective Gemma Monroe’s investigation takes her from the seedy grounds of a traveling circus to the powerful homes of those who would control Cedar Valley’s future.
Six-months pregnant, with a partner she can’t trust and colleagues who know more than they’re saying, Gemma tracks a killer who will stop at nothing to keep those secrets buried.
“…I’ve always thought there are currents running through our world and our lives, threads if you will, that touch and connect all things. Events, years after they’ve happened, leave faint fingerprints that linger and change the surface of places over time.”
A murdered clown. An unknown murder weapon. A surprise ID. A pregnant lead investigator. Her partner with questionable professional ethics. A wealthy family with generations of secrets. Murders that have gone unsolved for forty years.
WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR??
Inherit the Bones is a well-paced police procedural. It has just enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning, without making one’s head spin too much. I really enjoyed the introduction to Gemma Monroe. She’s quite likable. Emily Littlejohn did a great job in rendering her as a well-balanced character. She’s tough enough to thrive in a male-dominated profession. She’s compassionate enough to comfort grieving families. Most importantly, she’s a competent, fully invested cop who’s going to making sure the perpetrators get what they’ve got coming to them.
The scene of the crime is a traveling circus. The murder weapon could not be immediately determined. This was certainly more interesting than the cliché, partially-clad, strangled body, hidden in the woods, not far from the roadside, to be discovered by a man/woman walking a dog… As for the rest of the details of the crime, I don’t do spoilers and I’m afraid discussing the other characters or details in any greater length may prematurely influence the prospective reader. I’ll say only that there were plenty of suspects and the identity of the murderer was not readily apparent.
The secondary story in this book is Gemma’s relationship with her boyfriend, Brody. He’s a scientist who is absent through most of the story. He’s in Alaska for work, where he may or may not be cavorting with some slut a woman with whom he had previously had an affair. I must admit I didn’t really care for him, and was sort of hoping she was going to dump him halfway through the book. Which leads me to this….
Inherit the Bones needs a sequel. I’m not sure how it should be done. A new crime in Cedar Valley? A relocation? Gemma is recruited by the FBI? I’ll leave that part to Emily Littlejohn. I just want to read it.
Many thanks to Minotaur Books for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A great review of an interesting take on the police procedural – I like that you say that there was the right number of twists and turns – too many tricks and devices turns me off a little.
Thank you! I agree. As Grandma used to say,”Too much of a good thing isn’t good.”
“She’s tough enough to thrive in a male-dominated profession. She’s compassionate enough to comfort grieving families. Most importantly, she’s a competent, fully invested cop who’s going to making sure the perpetrators get what they’ve got coming to them.”
and she does all this while growing a human! How exhausting lol