I really enjoyed this book it felt like a grown up version of Nancy Drew. Lots of twists and turns, sinister acts and things not being what they appear.

It was a little complex and trying to keep every single character straight was a bit much but the ending was delivered with a bow as you'd expect.

I loved this book.
I felt the darkness behind it. I appreciate when things go beyond the point of no return in societal norms.
Definitely recommending.

The Bone Jar Detective Lew Kirby by SW Kane

327 Pages
Publisher: Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas & Mercer
Release Date: July 1, 2020

Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Mystery, Thriller, Murder

Blackwater Asylum has held its secrets for decades. Ena Massey, 84 years old is found dead in a bed in one of the abandoned buildings at the asylum. She was a nurse there during the 1960s. Raymond Sweet was a former patient that continued living on the facility grounds after the asylum closed. Since he has been squatting there for more than 20 years, he is awarded ownership of the property. Connie is looking for her friend Ed Blake. He has been missing for several days. Detective Inspector Lew Kirby oversees the murder investigations. He is trying to find the links to all the people and the two deaths. All the while, he is working about his mother who is acting strangely about the snowy weather.

The story has a fast pace, the characters are very developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. There are so many points of contact, I do not know how the author was able to weave all the stories together. Bravo! This book has so much in it, twists and turns, murder, human remains in jars, adoptions, and stolen property. If you like murder mysteries, you will enjoy this book. One of the best I have read so far this year. I’m sorry I waited so long to read it.

Great book. Highly recommend and will most defiantly read more by this author and suggest to others!

This is a nice start to what I presume will be a new series. Det. Lew Kirby is well crafted but I liked Connie even more. Secrets, lies, and murder all around an asylum- what more can.a fan of the procedural ask for? Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

This is such a good book, I can't believe it's a debut novel. I look forward to reading more from this author, definitely! Ending was unexepcted and very satisfying. Thank you for my ARC.

An interesting and intriguing premise, but sadly, this book did not work for me and I ended up not finishing it. The book have been shortlisted for an award, so it may just be my mood at the current time I read it. The language is one of the main reasons why I did not continue on reading. It felt shallow and not original. And the story was just too slow for me.

Thank you Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley
A great debut thriller and I was hooked from the start. I wasn't sure this would be for me but it certainly was
I'd love another book by S W Kane so please keep writing

Enjoyed this novel. Was a slow starter for me, but once I got into it, i couldn’t put it down. Kept me intrigued and wanting to know the end!

This title had me the moment it mentioned two murders and an abandoned asylum! I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, or in this case its synopsis, but it really did live up to the expectations I set before reading.

An eccentric ex-patient who you can’t help but fall in love with, an adventurous urban explorer and a detective that’s shaping out to be a cool, calm, and collected character, makes this a cracking debut. Creepy atmospheric setting, underground bunkers, secret rooms, and unknown passageways this book really has it all.

I’m actually quite excited to find a new detective series that’s fresh and new. I am looking forward to the next instalment of Detective Lew Kirby.

Highly recommend – 4 Stars

Thank you to #NetGalley, #ThomasandMercer #AmazonPublishingUK, and #SWKane for an ARC of #TheBoneJar in exchange for an honest review.

★★★★ 4.5 stars

I love police procedurals with a difference. Ones that aren't entirely procedural but tend towards crime thriller with other voices adding scope to the story as we try to unravel the mystery in between. Add to that an atmospheric yet almost sinister setting with a creepiness that sends chills through even the most seasoned detective...and you have THE BONE JAR. A debut thriller by London-based author introducing readers to DI Lew Kirby.

The prologue begins with a witness to something not quite understood. The words "At last she now sleeps" offer nothing but maybe a killer's idea of a mercy killing or something maybe far more sinister. But what does it mean? And what did the witness see exactly? And what does it mean for them?

A security guard hears the ringing of a mobile phone in the abandoned asylum he is paid to keep secure. Following the tingling sound, he locates it in an old ward next to the now frozen lake...but what he didn't anticipate discovering was the body of an elderly woman in one of the remaining beds. DI Lew Kirby and his jovial partner DI Pete Anderson arrive on scene with SOCO to secure and investigate the area. Despite their inquiries, questions remained unanswered.

Detectives discover that if anyone knows anything that goes on in the old asylum it's Raymond Sweet, a former patient who now lives in the Old Lodge on the grounds and after twenty four years of residence has won squatter's rights to call the it home. But is anything Raymond says to be believed? After all, he was a patient at the asylum for nearly thirty years until it's closure in 1993.

Urban explorer Connie Darke was supposed to meet fellow "urbex" Ed Blake at Blackwater on the night of the anniversary of what would have been her sister's death. But she had been sent to Oxford and had been unable to meet Ed so he went to the asylum alone. Only thing is, he hasn't been seen or heard from since...and police soon learn that mobile phone found ringing in the derelict building was Ed's. So where was he? Had he seen something he shouldn't have? Or was he mixed up in something from which he couldn't escape? Either way, Connie is worried for her friend and sets about trying to uncover the mystery behind his disappearance.

As the investigation continues, Kirby uncovers the elderly woman's identity and apparently she was not all that she seemed to be. When he learns that she was once a nurse at the former asylum, Kirby knows that the answer lies within the past and the walls of Blackwater. But will the asylum give up its secrets of the past to solve the crimes of the present?

Connie teams up with Kirby to help uncover the secrets of the past and discover the truth about what happened all those years ago to help them solve the murder of the elderly woman. But are they prepared for the secrets that they will uncover? At the same time Kirby makes a disturbing discovery about his mother and her disconcerting behaviour which has him both worried and fearful.

The story centres around the now abandoned and decrepit Blackwater Asylum sitting on the banks of the Thames, the site now prime real estate and the site of a future redevelopment into luxury apartments. High powered developer Patrick Calder, CEO of Patricey Developments, has plans for the site and will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. But does that include murder? And what about former patient Raymond Sweet? Or the dis-quietening developments taking place next door at Marsh House? What does all this mean for Blackwater and how does it link the past and the present?

I thoroughly enjoyed THE BONE JAR. The setting of Blackwater asylum provided an atmospheric yet creepy undertone I just knew I would relish the journey it took me on...and I did. It is well written and very easy to read with no confusing undercurrent. Each of the subplots were woven together with expertise whilst giving the reader the thrill of all the twists throughout. By the end, whilst the main mystery was wrapped up, there were a few loose ends that were left dangling that I hope to see surface in a follow-up.

Overall, THE BONE JAR is a thrilling start to a promising new series I look forward to catching up with again soon. Recommended for fans of crime thrillers with a dark and twisted edge.

I would like to thank #SWKane, #NetGalley and #AmazonPub for an ARC of #TheBoneJar in exchange for an honest review.

The Bone Jar digs into antiquated mental health techniques, urban explorers, architectural follies and family histories everyone would like to forget.

Lew Kirby is a cop with a houseboat on the Thames; something I dream about! Though I can’t imagine his mooring fees (OMG!), just the idea of a houseboat promotes a fantastically romantic ideal which, despite practical issues of heating, maintenance and storage space, I’d love the opportunity to have one day. Ah well, I can dream …

The investigation revolves around the body of an elderly woman found in the derelict Blackwater Asylum, a former mental hospital. Blackwater participated in dubious treatments and shady practices – everything you expect from a mental hospital. I picture the archetypal ‘dark satanic mills’ when I think of Blackwater – it’s a place you don’t want to spend a lot of time, that’s for sure. (Though the Bone Jar itself sounds fascinating.)

Character development is fine for Connie, she’s fairly well outlined, but I found Kirby’s backstory lacking. Kirby’s story is so limited, I almost felt like this was book 2 or 3 of a series, like we already know all about him. Kirby is a likeable and relatable character. Moreover, as the focus of the story, he should be fully fleshed. Besides, I want to know where the 3-legged fox came from!

The story flows well, the characters are (mostly) believable, and it’s a fairly easy read. My main reservation is that there are a lot of story arcs and not all of them get resolved. I was left wondering about a few things, and found myself watching the remaining pages count down, waiting for closures that didn’t come.

All in all, I enjoyed The Bone Jar, but I’d be aware that your specific question may not be answered.

The Bone Jar is an excellent effort from a new author, and I’ll be watching for Ms Kane’s future releases.

A murder in an abandoned asylum where the lady used to help. For a debut book i believe the author did a great job of creating suspense and mystery. The reader was kept guessing to what happened. I really enjoyed.

This is the first book I have read by this author and it certainly won’t be the last. DI Lew Kirby is assigned to the case of an elderly woman found murdered on the grounds of the long shuttered Blackwater Asylum on the Thames in the heart of London. Who would murder a woman who appears to be in her 80s, whose cell phone is lying beside her body and why would she be murdered at the asylum just as development of the site is to take place?

Taylor presents a storyline carved out so intricately with a stream of twists and turns. They just keep coming. The eyes tend to deceive in this one. I mean, really deceive. Yes, it really is that good. I’ve read so many crime fiction or mystery-suspense novels that my senses subconsciously pick up even the slightest of clues, I can normally tell how the book will end before the author does, but The Bone Jar messed with my head so badly I was all over the place with this one.

The writing is solid and I sunk easily into the flow that moved along at a moderate pace. The characters were all well-developed and multi-layered, in fact they had so many layers they were like an onion, it took a lot of peeling to get to the mysterious heart of them. Short punchy chapters held my attention and made the storyline engrossing and addictive. The Bone Jar was one of those books that once I started I refused to put down, and managed to read in one sitting.

Intense and suspenseful, with an intricately woven web of lies and deceit, Kane skilfully has several threads of sub-plot running simultaneously throughout the main story before being neatly tied up at the end. The large group of surrounding cast were great characters, multi-dimensional and full of depth. The character development of the antagonist was absolutely superb and you get the see the “why” behind the things they did and how their smart thinking allowed them to go undetected for so long.

The Bone Jar is a taut, tightly wound, tension filled thriller that you will not be able to put down, and leave you yearning for more in the series.

When the body of an old lady is found murdered in an derelict asylum Kirby is tasked with leading the police investigation into the woman’s death. He is under pressure to solve the case at the same time as coming to terms with a devastating heredity issue revealed by his mother.
Raymond visits The Bone Room to lovingly tend to his friends. He has never been the same since doctors used him as a guinea pig during his childhood. The trauma he experienced at the asylum caused his mind to block out the worst memories yet he feels a strange compulsion to stay connected to the now abandoned asylum. He sees something which may be helpful to police but can’t speak up.
An old asylum was the perfect location for murder conjuring up a fantastic atmosphere and the author’s skill made it almost impossible to work out the murderer.
I also found the idea of Deep Sleep Therapy fascinating and was very interested to learn it was actually practised and a Royal Commission formed to look into patient deaths.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the book.

Two murders. An abandoned asylum. Will a mysterious former patient help untangle the dark truth?

If creepy, psychological thrillers are your thing you will love this.

The Bone Jar is an atmospheric, well written book centred around a murder at a derelict asylum. The asylum is written about so vividly that this book gave me the creeps at times.

I really liked the characters, especially the police detective. It is so refreshing to have an unproblematic police detective who isn't a cheating, alcoholic dirtbag! Finally!

All in all, an impressive debut by Kane. I'll be keeping an eye out for any more books.

I am so glad "The Bone Jar" is not a standalone book, but a series. The asylum, the book's setting, all the mysteries, provided the reader with a visual mystery thriller that will chill you to the bone. Some may not care for explicit language the book has scattered throughout the book. I look forward Detective Lew Kirby book 2.

Thank for Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book. I wanted this to be a great book mystery and suspense. It was not bad but I didn't get the feeling I was hoping for from this book. I wanted more suspense and I wanted this book to be different from other like it I've read. It was similar to many mysteries I have read before. I think the author had some great ideas but I don't think they came together for me in this book. This book was also a bit long for me. *This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*

An interesting backdrop where the body of can elderly woman was found dead. Lew Kirby must solve the mysterious death of Ena Massey to reveal the dark history of Blackwater Asylum. Kirby seems to find more questions than answers when the body of a missing person has been discovered in the Thames. It seems unlikely that there's a connection between the two mysterious deaths until Lew discovers that Ed was collecting information on Blackwater Asylum and enjoyed urban exploring. The scene is interesting and I enjoyed the story.

I was initially frustrated with this book as I tried to keep up with the characters and felt a lack of connection to the story. I put it down a few times but in the end I’m glad I stuck around. A few loose ends with characters that were introduced but not fully developed. Hoping that the next in the series is more captivating from the beginning.