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The Bone House
by Brian Freeman

Release Date: 27th Sep 2010
Publisher: Headline
ISBN: 978 0 7553 4878 7
RRP: £19.99

Average Customer Rating: 
(0.0 based on 0 ratings)

A secret, a sociopath and small-town America...

Set in the rural backdrop of ‘Death’s Door’, Wisconsin, The Bone House draws on the fascination with backwater America; from the wildness of the countryside, to the tight-knit community where everyone drives a rusty old truck. And as the title suggests: the claustrophobia of small-town mindedness clashing with the vast, remote backdrop is deliberate; fuelling an enduring sense of foreboding in this crime thriller.

The Bones burn to death in their own home; the daughter, Jen, spared for the simple reason of a sleepover at a neighbour’s house. The father is found standing, staring at the burning remains. Years later, and the same community ostracises a teacher as a suspected sexual predator. Mark Bradley and his wife have stoically denied the allegations and the ‘victim’ refuses to confirm the accusations. One year on, the body of a teenage girl is found in the surf on a beach in Florida and Mark Bradley was seen with her.

This dark and convoluted tale of secrets, a sociopath and mob mentality is drawn out taut like a measuring tape slowly extended outwards, pulling you along a set path only to snap back, walloping careless fingers in the process. Despite its brittle outer shell, there is a gooey centre of a woman’s bullish faith in her husband and a battle for love. The Bone House perfectly illustrates the danger of gossip mongering, the value of one’s reputation and the fragility of trust.

Freeman writes with certain aplomb: his opening is both dramatic and essentially malevolent, which is a winner in terms of piquing interest. However, the plot seems to wane and lose pace; with distractions from Detective Cab Bolton’s uneasy past that aren’t exactly relevant. But when this story gets going, it’s like someone has lit a fuse and we are caught captivated, waiting breathlessly for the bomb to go off. Eerie, atmospheric and melancholic, The Bone House delivers an astute thriller with a very human subtext.

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