Twenty-four-year-old Garda Cathy Connolly might be a fearless kick-boxing champion but when she discovers a baby’s bones concealed in the hem of a wedding dress, the case becomes personal. For artist Zoe Grant, the bones are another mysterious twist in her mother’s disappearance. Then her grandmother, head of the Grant Valentine department store empire is found dead, and a trail of secrets is uncovered that threatens to shake a dynasty. In a story that moves from London’s East End to the Las Vegas mafia, one thing is certain – for Cat, life will never be the same again.
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Little Bones is number one in the Cathy Connolly detective series, a fairly new police procedural set in Dublin, Ireland. As soon as I read that blurb, I knew I had to give this novel a chance. Baby bones concealed in an old wedding dress? Count me in!
What surprised me the most about this book was that it didn’t exactly read as a police procedural. The main character is a detective, sure, but the book is far more than that. It’s also a story about family secrets and the relationships between the characters. I think that, even if you don’t really enjoy procedurals, if you love complex mystery plots, you could definitely enjoy Little Bones. And despite that creepy blurb, the book is never graphic or too disturbing, I can assure you. Dark and gripping? Absolutely.
Keep in mind that the plot doesn’t move that fast and it takes its time to develop, which means that you need to be patient. This is not a straight-forward book, and the plot seems a bit confusing at first. I couldn’t imagine how all the storylines would connect together, as they couldn’t be more different. The wedding dress, a dead woman, a confused old woman that gets help from a kind-hearted couple and a dangerous criminal… However, it all leads to a powerful and unforgettable ending and I have no doubt that I will definitely continue with the series.
In addition, our Cathy has some personal issues that she needs to deal with as well. That particular storyline gave the character more depth and provided a nice twist at the end. I wasn’t a fan of her way of thinking but I liked her character anyway, as she’s not your typical detective either.
As much as I liked Little Bones, I didn’t really care for that cliffhanger, as I think it left too many loose ends and I needed more closure. However, what I liked the most, hands down, was the relationship between Cath and Dawson O’Rourke (I was already in love with that name, but he was amazing too!). Their chemistry was great and I loved that they deeply cared for each other. I want them together and I won’t change my mind!
Netgalley – Bonnier Zaffre, 2016
I liked their relationship too, would be nice to see it develop.
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Can’t wait to see how that goes!
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Your review is great as usual and even though we talked about this one already in terms of it having a cliffhanger so I was going to wait until the next book came out, you didn’t mention a love relationship and amazing chemistry?!! I’m a sucker for this type of story arc in addition to a mystery…reminds me of my (obsession) love for Lacey and Mark from Sharon Bolton’s series:) I might reconsider waiting…
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Haha If I tell you everything, then you won’t even need to read the reviews 😛 Yeah, here the characters are more “likable” and who knows if something might happen but I felt something 😀
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This looks interesting. And I love the name Dawson O’Rourke, too!
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Right? 🙂
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I’d fall for that blurb too :-). Sounds great, a romance isn’t always included in detective novels but I like it, I like that there’s a personal storyline too!
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I like it when it’s no the focus and I can feel the chemistry 😀
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What didn’t you like about the character’s thinking? If she a kickboxer, she’s probably got a tough personality!
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If you want, I can spoil it for you via Twitter! It was just that she was dealing with “something” and I didn’t agree with her views on that matter XD
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Great review. You have highlighted the good and the bad. I think I better give this one a miss.
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Haha Oh 😦
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I like that it’s not just another police procedural but that there is more to it. Also, not too graphic? Good point!!! Great review!
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I think you’d like this Donna!!!
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Great review. I liked that you mentioned that readers who are not big fans of cop procedural will also like this one. That is how I know that this book is for me lol. The whole idea of bones hidden in a wedding dress hem sounds spooky but intriguing.
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It is spooky! Yes, I thought about what you said before, because it didn’t feel like a procedural at all!
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