I was exited to be given an ARC of this book by NetGalley in return for an honest review. I‘ve loved Simon Kernick books from the beginning and this is no exception. You always know what you will get. Fast moving, all action, as well as some pretty nasty events, but no deep philosophy or beautiful descriptive passages. Pure entertainment, requiring no deep thought. An easy read.

The chief protagonist is Ray Mason, a CID sergeant in London, who is on about his third “life” with the police service, having been involved in questionable actions in past cases. During the course of this current investigation, he meets up with and works with Tina Boyd, a former CID officer who lost her job over a case and who now works as a free lance investigator. The story is told in the first person when featuring Ray and in the third when told from the point of view of the other numerous characters.

The book , as always hit’s the ground running with the recounting of an old unsolved disappearance / murder of a British student, Kitty Sim in Thailand in 1990. Move on twenty six years and two bodies of young women are dug up in the grounds of a private school, hence the bone field of the title. Ray is asked by Kitty Sims’s then boy friend to meet him at the home of his lawyer where he has things that he wishes to tell him. From that point on there is never a dull moment. Criminals at various levels are involved and the body count mounts. The whole pace is unstoppable. Simon Kernick is one of only a handful of writers that I’m confident of picking up and getting one hundred percent entertainment every time without overtaxing the grey matter.

Over 20 years ago Kitty Sinn went missing whilst on holiday with her boyfriend in Thailand. She literally seemed to vanish. Fast forward to 2016 and her boyfriend Henry Faust asks to meet DI Ray Mason. He tells him he knows what happened to Kitty and who was responsible. In fact he can also tell him where she is.....her bones have just been found in the grounds of a Catholic school in Buckinghamshire. In exchange for full protection from the culprits he'll tell Mason who killed her and how her body ended up thousands of miles away from where she vanished. Before Mason has a chance to even begin to set things in motion Henry has been murdered. Thus begins a chain of events that for Mason are more and more dangerous and violent with every turn of the page. Already considered a maverick he is determined to solve the mystery at any cost, whether that be his career or even his life. Throw Tina Boyd (now a private detective) and you have all the ingredients for a classic Simon Kernick thriller.

If you've never read a Simon Kernick book - well what have you been doing with your life? Simply put reading his books is almost like watching a film - it's non stop action with barely time to take a breath. He takes you on a roller coaster ride but at the same time builds likeable and sympathetic characters. You'll find yourself caring about Mason, and rooting for him in all ways. Linking him up with one of Kernick best characters Tina Boyd is a stroke of genius in that you have that slightly cosy familiarity of a favourite character but the novelty of a whole new series. My only question is why Simon Kernick hasn't had any books (to my knowledge at least) adapted for the screen. They are literally begging to be on the screen. In the meantime I'll be looking forward to the sequel - the ending of this will leave you open mouthed and wanting more.


Thank you Netgalley, author and publishers for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable tale but I'm not d=sufficiently inspired to look for others in this series.

Thank goodness there is one cop unprepared to kowtow to his superiors and the establishment when it comes to taking on a complex and dangerous case pointing to a well-connected family. Of course this kind of independence and risk-taking will mark our protagonist DI Ray Mason as unreliable and hard to control. How much pressure will it take to make him back off?
When you persist on going your own way in the face of violent opposition, you need someone to watch your back. The out-of-favour Mason finds formidable support with the troubled private investigator and former cop Tina Boyd.
‘The Bone Field’ starts with the discovery of some mysterious bones and takes in a murdered child, human trafficking for the sadistic end of the sex trade, Satanism, a criminal conspiracy and a powerful gang, … all elements of an engrossing read. Add to that an atmosphere of danger and menace, a well-crafted plot, as well as plenty of action and you get a captivating and intriguing thriller.
Simon Kernick, the English author of over 16 crime books, once again entertains us with his pacey style and cast of interesting characters. I eagerly await the next twist in DI Ray Mason’s story.

Already reviewed and given a well merited Five Stars

Fast paced, thrilling, great characters, murder, suspense, and a fantastic plot...need i say more? Lovers of thrillers will certainly enjoy this book. Many thanks to Net Galley for my copy. I would recommend this book and it would make a great film. i reviewed on Goodreads.

When the bones of a 21-year old woman who went missing without trace in Thailand in 1990, are discovered in the grounds of an old Catholic school in Buckinghamshire, an enduring mystery takes on a whole new twist. Her boyfriend at the time, and the man who reported her missing, Henry Forbes, now a middle-aged university lecturer, comes forward with his lawyer and tells DI Ray Mason of the Met’s Homicide Command that he knows what happened to Kitty, and who killed her.

So begins a hunt for the truth that will focus on a ruthless crime gang, a rich, dysfunctional family with a terrible past, and a highly ambitious man so cruel and ruthless that he must be brought down at any cost...

OMG. It does not get any better than this, oh boy - a rollercoaster of a read-bloody brilliant book.

The bones of a 21 year old woman who went missing in Thailand in the 1990's have been discovered in the grounds of an old Catholic school.

Henry Faust, her boyfriend, who reported her missing comes forward with his lawyer and and tells DI Ray Mason of the Met's Homicide Command that he knows what happened to Kitty and who the killer was. So the hunt for the truth begins.

Another well written, page turning crime thriller from Simon Kernick.

I would like to thank NetGalley, RandomHouse UK, Cornerstone and the author Simon Kernick for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Classic Kernick: Breath-taking Thriller:
Based on an excellent plot, "The Bone Field" sees the return of D.I. Ray Mason who teams up with Tina Boyd, now a private investigator, as they strive to resolve the mystery of a girl who went missing in Thailand in 1990 and whose remains are uncovered during a building development in England some twenty-five years later. It soon appears that those involved in the crime represent powerful and dangerous foes.
"The Bone Field" is Simon Kernick writing at his best. Short snappy chapters: each packed with action, thrill and twists. This is what you expect from Simon Kernick and in "The Bone Field" he uses this technique to increase pace in the plot. I do not believe there is another author writing today who can come close to his skill at heightening tension, in this manner, with each passing chapter.
Every chapter seems to end with an unforeseen twist and the author is never afraid to terminate characters lives so this factor adds tremendous tension as you sense tangible fear for the lives of Mason and Boyd not to mention several other lead characters. Ray Mason is never afraid to go that extra, unauthorised, step to resolve a crime and that invariably gets himself into trouble with his bosses. But we expect that of Ray Mason and he doesn't disappoint in "The Bone Field". Ray Mason's unpredictability is deployed deftly by the author to ratchet up the tension from chapter to chapter.
An excellent thriller bound to keep the reader turning the pages until the end. And there is an unexpected surprise at the end!

Decent thriller with a good range of characters but the plot felt a bit far-fetched and took in some elements that didn't really work within the entire plot.

A real roller-coaster of a ride ,reading this book. Fast paced moves along at great speed. Great read,enjoyed it.
The story is based on a missing 21 year old girl ,Kitty. That happened on holiday with her boyfriend Henry Forbes in 1990 in Thailand .After exhaustive investigations with nothing to show for all the efforts of tracing her ,it became a cold case.
Ex demoted DI now a DS Ray Mason was contacted by Henry with information that he withheld from the investigation team which he now wished to give to DS Ray Mason. On meeting, a hit team murdered Henry before he said anything.
The story then takes us to France and back again.Wonderful inventive writing takes the reader on a journey which tries to piece together the events of 25 years ago.