Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Her Silent Bones by Pamela Fagan Hutchins Series: Detective Delaney Pace #1
Published by Bookouture on January 16, 2024
Genres: Thriller
Pages: 412
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible
Fifteen years ago I watched my father’s murder.Now, having never truly recovered from losing her father all those years ago, Detective Delaney Pace is devastated when her brother and sister-in-law are killed in a car crash. Packing up her life she heads back to the rugged cowboy town of Kearney, Wyoming. Her niece Kateena is just eleven years old and Delaney will do anything to keep her safe…Now there’s another killer on the loose, and he’s already taken his first victim.
New to the local police force, when a body is found on a secluded mountain trail Delaney is called to the scene. Surrounded by imposing pine trees, a young woman lies still in the moonlight. Gazing into her dark, unblinking eyes Delaney’s heart pounds wildly in her chest as she recognizes the victim. It’s her beloved Kateena’s mother, Lila. But she died weeks before. Didn’t she? There’s evil lurking in this town and I’ll stop at nothing to hunt down the truth and deliver justice. With Kateena traumatised all over again, when Delaney links Lila’s murder back to the place where her own father was killed she realizes she must face her own dark past to catch the man responsible. But little does she know that the killer has already made their next deadly move. Back at home, Kateena should be in bed sleeping soundly, but her room is empty. Kateena is missing…Can Delaney uncover the truth behind the killings and save Kateena before it’s too late?
A first in series gripping thriller set in Wyoming from a new to me author motivated me to snatch up Her Silent Bones and anticipate the reading experience. I’ve been meaning to try Pamela Fagan Hutchins’ books for a while and when I saw this was first in the series, I figured now was the time.
Her Silent Bones starts out when Delaney gets the call that her brother and sister-in-law have passed away and her orphaned niece needs her. Going back means facing a long history of past family drama. Delaney left town and her job in law enforcement years before. She saw her dad get murdered and his case was never solved. Currently, she’s working her own brother and sister-in-law’s case. Now, she has to face all that while picking up her old job and trying to raise her spitfire of a niece.
Delaney is given a partner who is new to the area and rural detective work and their first case is a murder victim who, shocking first twist (and not a spoiler since it’s in the blurb), is her thought to be deceased sister-in-law who has been tortured. And, the case gets complicated when the killer escalates and her niece, Kateena, goes missing. The clock is ticking to find her and get to the killer in time.
Her Silent Bones is a solid rural- small town setting police procedural and I liked Delaney as the principal character though her ‘chip on the shoulder’ attitude did wear thin with me at times. She’s tough, abrasive, even, and takes quite a licking. Her past was dramatic and her present is shaping up much the same. The setting near the Big Horns of Wyoming was well painted and there were some good shadowy twists and turns in the plot along the way. I confess I got squeamish near the beginning when the evil done is detailed out, but the rest of the book settled into casework and less gruesome scenes.
Turns out this was a two-pronged mystery with the current case and some shocking leads toward Delaney’s dad’s death. Her past and family drama is coming out now and that mystery will carry over into the series. Her partner, Leo, had secrets like he was not in Wyoming willingly and there was attraction there that was low key because of the case and Leo’s storyline was rather under-developed at this point. The final reveal was a surprise for me and I’m still processing how I feel about bits of the reveal.
I’ve read similar crime thrillers with similar characters even, but that didn’t stop me from appreciating Her Silent Bones and looking forward to seeing where things are going for Delaney and the rest. This was grittier than I expected at first, but I settled in and recommend this one to those who like a bit of dark and a tough woman detective with their crime thrillers.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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This sounds really good, and I love the Wyoming setting. Awesome review!
Yes, the setting is what hooked me in, too, Tammy. 🙂
Oh my goodness, this sounds sad. I feel for her having so much loss in her life.
She really did, Mary. Life really put her through the wringer.
I enjoyed this one too. I am looking forward to continuing the series.
Yeah, she’s one tough gal and I want to see what comes of those clues to her dad’s case.
Glad to hear you enjoyed this despite a challenging heroine and some gritty parts. It does sound like an intriguing mystery!
Yes, it was a good start and I now look forward to more of her stuff. 🙂
Oh this looks good and intense! I love the Wyoming setting.
It sure was, Katherine. And, the setting was a big appeal for me, too.
This looks good Sophia!
It sure hooked me in with the rugged landscape and rural characters and policing. 🙂
Sounds like a good series my mom would like since she reads this type of story. Glad you enjoyed it so much, great review!
Oh good! Pass the word, Lisa. 🙂