I have been anxiously awaiting this title since last summer, when I read the cliffhanger at the end of her last book. Wonderful characters, vivid descriptions... I really enjoy this series.

This is the first book in the Bell Elkins series that I have read. Bell is fresh off a three year prison stint. She has lost her rights as a lawyer and her job as a prosecutor. Bell is still haunted by things from her past. She visits the local library and begins investigating pharmaceutical companies and the opioid epidemic. She believes that these companies are responsible for the epidemic and they should be made accountable for it. But before she gets too far into her investigation, Bell is pulled into a murder investigation by the new prosecutor, Rhonda Lovejoy, and sheriff Harrison.

Jake Oakes is now a paraplegic, confined to a wheelchair and down on his luck. Jake is a former deputy, battling his own demons past and present. He longs to be back on the force, but the deck is stacked against him. Things begin to look up when the sheriff asks him to put in some part time work in dispatch. Jake handles the call about the murder of a prominent businessman, and he also gets pulled into the investigation to work with Bell.

Brett and Ellie Topping have a pretty good life in Acker's Gap, West Virginia, except for the fact that their drug addicted son has now moved back in with them and is tearing them apart. Their son, Tyler, is young, reckless, and disrespectful. The Toppings have given up trying to control Tyler. The tension ramps up one night when a man shows up at their house claimimg that Tyler owes him money. From there the Topping's story takes a tragic turn, and it's up to the investigators to sort out the mess.

These three plotlines alternate through the first part of the book as the characters are developed and the background is established. The author does a great job of weaving these plotlines together into a masterfully crafted thriller. The author has an engaging writing style, pulling you into the story so that you relate to the characters. Plot twists will keep you guessing, right up until the shocking conclusion.

I would recommend this book to fans of mysteries and thrillers. I received this as a free ARC from St. Martin's Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another great Bel story. I hope a little romance for Bel will enter her life in the next book. A great read.

“Bone on Bone”, by Julia Keller, is a solid thriller with interesting, complex characters and a strong plotline. Handling the addiction issue from several perspectives, also considering its devastating effects in families, was topnotch for me.
I loved Jake, our very surly wounded hero, how slowly he regains the will to live feeling useful at work and doing tasks he reluctantly agreed to perform; I also liked, his romantic relationship with Molly (and her brother) and his work relation and friendship with Bell.
Bell, the Don Quixote-ish former prosecutor, is a fantastic character too.
This is my first read of the series; I hope we’ll have more stories with these people.

Keller continues her excellent work in portraying the effects of the opioid crisis on small-town America. In BONE ON BONE, Keller takes us inside the Topping family and shows us up close the heartbreak opioid addiction causes. Tyler Topping has fallen down the dark hole of addiction and it is killing his parents. Literally. Former prosecutor Bell Elkins wants to help - she wants to get to the root of the problem by going after big Pharma. She knows she might be tilting at windmills but she wants to make a difference, somehow. Their paths converge when tragedy strikes and Bell's replacement, Rhonda Lovejoy needs Bell's help. BONE ON BONE is a great continuation of Bell's story and provides excellent insights into how opioid addiction is ravaging those areas of our country that were already in desperately need of help.

This is my favorite Bell Elkins book so far. The previous one, Fast Falls the Night, seemed so dark and depressing, but in this one, Bell seems to have more hope despite what happened to her in the time between the end of the last book and the beginning of this one. (No spoilers here, though.)

As a born and bred West Virginian, proud to be from the Mountain State, but aware of its faults, I was happy to see real places that I know and love mentioned by name and to see the problems that plague our state called out while the best part, our people, portrayed mostly accurately.

The characters are fleshed out even more in this book, and we see more of old favorites. Definitely a great addition to this series!

After Julia Keller's last Bell Elkin's book, I wasn't sure what she had up her sleeve for the next installment. Bone on Bone, the next chapter in Bell's life, does not disappoint... it's wonderful read filled with twists, turns, and the favorite characters from previous novels. Keller thrusts Bell back into her hometown, but this time without her prosecutor's title or prestige. It's interesting how Bell's reinsertion is wound throughout the story and becomes increasingly vital near the conclusion. Ms. Keller also sets the stage for the next book, and personally, I can't wait to read it. Fantastic!

This nation is facing an opioid addiction of the highest order. Nowhere is that more evident then in my home state of West Virginia. This book brings that home in the most revealing, heart rendering story I have read in a while.


Bell Elkins returns to her Appalachian mountain home, no longer the county prosecutor and with a big secret of her own. Even though she is no longer a lawyer old habits die hard so she puts her abilities to use, but in a different way to help solve the murder of a prominent citizen with drugs at the heart of the matter.

This story tore at my heart. Drugs affect everyone, not just the addict caught in a never ending spiral of want, but the families who love them, the friends who adore them and the community surrounding them. Drug addiction knows no stereotype, no class distinction. No one is immune. This is a powerful book. Don't miss this one.

Bell Elkins is back in Acker’s gap after a three-year prison sentence and immediately finds herself caught up in a case involving the drug addiction of a well-known local family. No longer a prosecutor after her brush with the law, Bell still cares enough about her town to do her best to help when and where she can. Enlisting the help of former cop Jake Oakes, a man still trying to adjust to his life as a paraplegic, and the prosecutor who took over her job, Bell sets out to help where she can. Keller’s series is one of the most emotionally involving mysteries I’ve ever read and Bell Elkins is a heroine to believe in