I started reading this really not expecting to enjoy it...and I did. There are several themes that draw closer together throughout the course of the book and do so in a way that leads you to see the end, but not be totally sure that's where it is headed.Will look for more of her work.Only the flame from a curious candle holder illuminated the murdered corpse of Karl Knock on a bitterly cold Massachusetts night twenty years in the past. When the efforts of local, state and federal investigators failed to cast more light on the crime than the little candle did, the case gathered dust, unsolved and forgotten. But when horror novelist Finn Ryan gets an invitation to dinner from a beautiful but eccentric and reclusive colleague, Tally Serzak, a web of danger sends its first, tentative filaments from that candlelit room. And nothing will ever be the same. Because Finn has secrets. So does Tally. And so does Newton, MA, Police Detective Warren Yost, who found Knock’s body on that cold morning so long ago. Now, on the eve of retirement, Yost decides to solve the old murder and go out with a last hurrah. As Finn’s involvement with the strange Tally reaches an intensity that has him running into walls, he begins to see similarities between himself and his own characters. He’s in a horror novel, except this one is real. There are no ghosts, no zombies or vampires. There is only Tally and an unfolding story Finn doesn’t want to see, but can’t ignore. As she knew he wouldn’t. Warren Yost sees the story as well, but can’t assemble its puzzle until Finn provides a last piece that will lead to a final, and deadly, resolution Richly layered, suspenseful mysteryI have read all of Padgett’s books, her Bo Bradley series, starting with Child of Silence, and her two Bo McCarron books, and loved them all. So I was excited to read this new, stand-alone mystery that just came out. I was completely enthralled. In Bone Blind, Padgett does a masterful job of telling the story of two men, Ryan Finn and Warren Yost, as they slowly, suspensefully, and at first separately, unwind the mysteries behind a twenty-year old murder. Ryan Finn is a writer of gothic horror literature, who is wrestling with the implications of no longer needing to devote every waking moment to his teenage daughter; while Warren Yost is coming to terms with his coming retirement from the police force. The mystery they solve becomes, to a degree, their salvation. I particularly enjoyed the fact that with Bone Blind you really got two books in one, because throughout the story, Finn writes a wonderful gothic Victorian horror story, which provided a fascinating look into the craft of writing, as well as a fun and creepy tale. I highly recommend Bone Blind as a satisfying combination of excellent plotting, intriguing character development, strong regional (New England) and historical (Victorian) detail, and just a terrifically good read!
What do You think about Bone Blind (2000)?
I could not put this book down. The story twisted in many directions I did not expect.
—Cheyfowler
Admittedly, I quit this one someplace in the first half. Just not my cup of tea-at all.
—ana
Another good mystery with twists and turns sigh a surprise ending.
—cutie607
Mystery/suspense; a little clunky but some nice scenes.
—helloamy
