The last Emma Alvarez saw of her best friend Abigail Blake she was heading into the woods with ‘the vague shape of a boy.’ There is the trailer park, which throws the most raging parties and which the local right wingers look down on. There is the Romanian boy, new to town and therefore not trusted. Bailey delivers up lots of different characters, all with their own secrets and issues. You’ve got homophobia, PTSD, misogyny, spousal and child abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, and prejudices. It’s a bit of a too worn trope that Abi’s parents are fanatical evangelical Christians that punish their children for the slightest infraction and that the punishment for larger transgressions is actual torture. Also that the minister always sides with the abusing parent/spouse. Are these folks reading the same Bible I do? Chilling and compulsive. Tall Bones is a dazzling debut.' KATE HAMER, author of The Girl in the Red Coat Thank you to Edelweiss and Atria Books for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who is looking for a twisty thriller as much as I would recommend it to the contemporary crowd. I loved the book and I felt the disappearance of Abigail, while the focal point of the book, served to emphasise the bigoted, racially prejudiced and misogynistic ways of this small town. Particularly relevant at this terrible time in the UK was the violence depicted towards women. This was a novel centred around the relationships between the torn members, yet still a thriller that kept us guessing to the end. A definite recommendation from me!’ Sara_._ Smart and compassionate, full of poetry and rage and shy hopes and shredded dreams and missing girls and family secrets. TAMMY COHEN, author of Stop At Nothing That night Abi fails to return home and Emma is forced to endure people at school whispering that it was her fault for leaving her in the first place. I didn’t for one minute feel bored reading this book or wish it to end, and I loved learning about all the different characters. I even enjoyed learning about Pastor Lewis even if I did want to punch him.

Retailers:

There are many players here and may things that will be unsettling for some. This small town is full of gossip, racists, of bullies, rage, bigotry, hate, the haves and the have nots. The church with its Pastor should be a place of prayer, of rest, of welcoming of safety. But it is place of judgement, homophobia, blame, and so many other horrible things. Abigail’s family is definitely the worst, namely her father, a violent disgrace of a man. But even between her and her siblings there was little love lost.

This small village was created around old mines that the Congregation began to exploit under the tutelage of Madame de Morange. Its inhabitants are mainly miners. Village of Vígnámrí This mystery was well-written and had a haunting type feel to it. It's a dark and depressing read as you try to figure out what happened to the teenage girl in the story who went missing. The author did a good job creating a setting of this dead end type town with misery and heartache surrounding it. The only thing I would consider the weak spot in the story is when you finally get some answers to the mystery.Bailey does a great job writing so that you picture the scenes taking place. The POV changes between the various characters which helps to move the plot along. It’s not a fast paced story until the climax, when it really flies at you. Every town has its share of secrets and Whistling Ridge is no different. Seventeen year old Abigail is last seen at a party in the woods and then goes missing. Her best friend, Emma, is devastated because she left Abigail at the party. The story alternates between events before the disappearance as well as the present day and follows a cast of characters including Abigail's family members. The book is more of a deep character study of a number of folks in a small town than a fast-paced thriller, so ultimately I found it a bit slow. Part of the problem is that most of the characters are pretty unlikeable. I actually love unlikeable characters, but in this case none of them drew me in enough to be interested in them as much as I would have liked. The moving timelines of the book also got a little hard for me to follow, because once I got somewhat invested in a character or situation, the scene would switch. Irresistible, a compelling and nuanced psychological thriller suffused with small town prejudice and dark family secrets.' PAULA HAWKINS, author of The Girl on the Train

The ending wasn’t all that surprising and to be quite frank was rather obvious from the start, but I really enjoyed the ending nonetheless. There was a particular scene that drove me crazy about how little sense it made, but I can’t say without spoiling. This would have been a 5⭐️ for me had it not been for these two instances.An elegant, mesmerizing debut-Anna Bailey explores festering secrets with a with a sharp, yet tender gaze. This book reads like a whisper in the dark. DANYA KUKAFKA, author of Girl in Snow A small-town girl goes missing in the woods – that’s the starting point of Anna Bailey’s haunting debut novel, Tall Bones. The reality of Whistling Ridge is far worse and its residents beyond reproach; many of whom are racist bigots, homophobes, fascists, religious freaks and easily-influenced pee-brained adults. Anything could happen in a tinder-box like Whistling Ridge. All it will take is just one spark ...the truth of what happened that night at the Tall Bones. Beautifully written, arresting, and constantly surprising, TALL BONES is a gripping read from a stunning new voice.