Kate Moretti

In Her Bones by Kate Moretti is a highly recommended mystery/suspense novel about a woman on the run trying to uncover the truth.

Edie Beckett, 30, is just trying to live her life out of the spotlight. Fifteen years ago, her mother, Lilith Wade, was convicted of murdering six women, and sentenced to death row. The media frenzy continued after the release of the unauthorized biography by an unknown author. Edie is a recovering alcoholic who keeps to herself, has a co-dependent relationship show more with her brother, and an unhealthy obsession with the surviving family members of Lilith's victims. She keeps notebooks on their personal information, stalks them online (and in person if possible).

Edie's current obsession is Peter Lipsky, whose wife was fatally stabbed by Lilith. She's stalking him online, through a survivor's message board, and collecting information about him and his late wife, Colleen. Colleen's murder is the one that doesn't fit the profile of Lilith's other victims. When Edie meets Peter during one of her reconnaissance missions, she ends up drinking too much and and goes home with him. She leaves before he wakes up, but is later found murdered that morning. She doesn't remember much of the night and now she is the prime suspect for his murder. Edie goes on the run while trying to uncover what really happened and who killed Peter.

Edie is a sympathetic, fleshed-out character and the main narrator in the book, although there are also excerpts from the biography of Lilith included and a few from Gil Brandt, the detective who caught Lilith, but also helped Edie. As the novel unfolds, Edie reminisces about her troubled childhood with Lilith while dealing with her current situation. Edie is also clearly a damaged character, and much of this began in her childhood with Lilith.

While on the run rather than talking to detectives, she does make some questionable/interesting choices along the way and has a few stumbles. In her own way, she is a resourceful, smart, and street savvy character. She is clever enough to evade being caught while trying to ferret out the truth about Peter's murder, which also requires her to look back at his wife's murder. Was Lilith responsible for it or is there another killer running loose out there and could Edie now be a target?

I found this to be a well-written, compelling mystery (rather than thriller). The pace is even, rather than fast, until the end, but the steps Edie takes and her reasoning is interesting enough to keep your attention. In Her Bones held my attention throughout. Although I had all manner of guesses and suspects, I didn't have a clue about the ending until just before it happened. Nicely played Moretti!

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Atria Books via Netgalley.
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The description of this book is what caught my attention. A teacher accused of having sex with his high school student, a thousand starling's falling from the sky and a missing girl...
The story is told from alternating views of Nate, the teacher accused of having an affair with Lucia, his student. Lucia is living with an abusive brother and is barely able to cope with life in small town Pennsylvania. Alecia is married to Nate and is now consumed by her autistic son who demands most of her show more time and attention. Finally Bridget, is the best friend and fellow teacher who is the only one that truly believes Nate is innocent. She has her own demons and struggles to connect to Alecia who questions why her husband would be so involved in his students lives.
I was riveted to this book. The suspense built up slowly, but the writing was so enjoyable. I was disappointed in the books abrupt ending. Wish their had been an epilogue to tie up loose ends. However, the book was a thrilling mystery. I received a complimentary ebook from Netgalley.com in exchange for a review show less

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Woah. What the eff did I just read.

This book starts out as a slow burn but once it starts building, it doesn't stop. The thin line between what's supernatural and what's real will keep you second guessing both the characters and yourself throughout. I was pulled into this book up to the very last page and even now, can't stop thinking about it.

I loved the unreliable narrator, that she didn't remember show more every single fact she'd learnt along the way, things came and went from her mind until memories were triggered. She was morally grey, no better of a person than anyone else.

From the isolated setting to the small town secrets, this is a five star read. show less

Ingenious! The cunning and well laid out plot sucked me into a web of intense suspicion and edgy suspense.

For Zoe, a woman with a deeply troubling past, falling in love with Henry, a very wealthy man, who practically sweeps her off her feet, it’s a dream come true, almost like a fairy tale. Even after a year of wedded bliss, she still keeps pinching herself, unable to believe how fortunate she is.

But, Henry is not fully aware of Zoe’s past, so when she becomes the victim of a few show more break-ins and several other unsettling incidents, she begins to worry that her past has caught up to her, and becomes desperate to keep to preserve her secrets and possibly her life.

This story falls into the domestic thriller genre, which has suddenly risen in popularity, which is fine by me because for some reason it make the stakes seem higher, and the underlying uneasiness feels more sinister.

This book is well written, with impeccable timing and pacing, and has everything a good psychological thriller should, plus it totally screwed with my head! Good stuff! I loved it!
4.5 stars show less