The Bones of You by Debbie Howells

The Bones of You is a powerful and page turning debut reminiscent of the Lovely Bones. Rosie Anderson is a quiet and studious young girl so when she goes missing the community pull together but when her body is found and it is revealed that she was in fact murdered, the small village the Anderson’s live in is shocked and afraid. Her father is a well known TV reporter her mother a glamorous yummy mummy and the family’s home life seems picture perfect. Local gardener Kate is a good friend of the family and with a daughter Rosie’s age her heart aches for the Andersons but as she becomes entangled in their grief and the murder investigation the perfect façade begins to crack. Narrated through Kate, Rosie and her younger sister Delphine this is a portrait of shattered lives of everyday cruelty and of the horror that hides behind closed doors. Set in the heart of middle England this is a tale that gradually peels away the layers cleverly exposing the imperfections underneath. Undoubtedly Howells is a major new talent and this cracking literary thriller will appeal to fans of Paula Daly and Clare Mackintosh.

This review originally appeared on the Bookseller review website, We Love This Book, you can see the original HERE