Cherrie has a secret. Her father was a serial killer, nicknamed Mr Bones and the media called her 8 year old self Little Bones. It’s a secret she hopes no-one in her new life will ever discover, especially her boyfriend and young son, but when a boy in her town is murdered, a podcast is released, outing her to everyone. Cherrie thought that was the worst thing that could ever happen to her, but she was wrong. Now her own son is missing and everyone seems to think the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree – has Little Bones taken after Mr Bones?

Little Bones was an engaging crime thriller, with several twists. I did guess the outcome before the end of the book but I enjoyed the red herrings along the way that made me question whether I was right. There were several unlikeable characters I would have been more than happy to see go down for the crimes 😅

There were several important themes explored, such as victim blaming, the dangers of believing everything you read on the internet and the way lives can be destroyed by the ensuing mob mentality. Little Bones is a great read, perfect for the Halloween season and a fun thriller for those new tp the genre or seasoned crime lovers!

I love true crime and mystery/thrillers so when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it. Cherrie is the daughter of a serial killer and obviously does not want people to know. She has moved on and now her son has gone missing.

This is where the story really begins. This story had me on the edge of my seat. I was so invested in what happened to her son and if it was connected to her father. The ending was really good even though I saw it coming through the clues throughout the story.

I would absolutely recommend this book.

In “Little Bones” by N.V. Peacock we meet Cherrie (previously known as Leigh-Ann). She changed her name after her serial killer father was caught. As a child she was a witness to his crimes, but she has put that all behind her. She has a nice life with friends, a son and long-term boyfriend. But at a fun night at the local fair her own son goes missing. Could his disappearance have something to do with a copycat of her father’s crimes, someone out for vengeance, or is the person responsible closer than anyone realizes.

A nice read with a few twists. I received an ARC of this book for my honest review.

Little Bones aka Cherrie Featherstone aka Leigh-Ann Hendy was the daughter of a notorious serial killer nicknamed Mr Bones. Years after her father was caught and sentenced to life imprisonment, a copycat has begun taking little boys... suspicion falls onto Little Bones. Is the daughter of Mr Bones destined to follow in his footsteps?

I really enjoyed this novel. There were a few twists during the story and I hadn’t predicted the ending. There were points where I felt emotionally detached from the main character but these passed and I was back into it. 4 stars from me.

The grown daughter of a infamous serial killer has created a new identity for herself to escape the ridicule that came with being related to Mr. Bones. A podcast is released that reveals her real identity and throws her whole life into chaos. This novel was good, but I really didn’t care for Cherrie’s character. It was also a pretty slow read that was rushed at the end.

I enjoyed this very much- it was a fast, addictive read with a decent resolution and you'll certainly find it to be a page turner.

I probably would have rated it higher years ago and the writing is great but I did come away with the feeling I'd read this exact story before- I haven't but many similar ones so much so that it becomes a bit blended which maybe took something away from the whole for this reader.

Having said that it is very good with some interesting characters and as I said very addictive.

Crime fans will enjoy it muchly even if it is dead on trend so may feel strangely familiar.

There is a lot to like about this book not least that it has serious shades of Prodigal Son.

The characters are all 3 dimensional and while I didn't particularly like any of them, I did understand them and all of the choices they made were fitting.

The pacing is fast and that suits the story perfectly. There is barely time to draw breath and that really helps you empathise with the MC.

The plot is intricate, complex and well thought out.

There are a few things that didn't sit that well with me though:

The police come across as uninterested, inept and insensitive and given the circumstances of the situation I don't think that would be the case.

I worked out the main protagonist really early on and I got quite frustrated that things I thought were obvious were missed or ignored by characters.

Overall a decent thriller and I'll happily read more by the author.

I received this Advance Review Copy from Netgalley and Avon Books UK in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books UK!!

I genuinely liked the story. The plot was fascinating and the story flowed easily and made me finish me the book. The whole 'is she or isn't she' suspense was exhilarating. It will make you think and I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

"They know who I am. They’re calling me Little Bones again.
They say I’m a villain but I’m not. I’m a victim.
You believe me, don’t you?"

William 'Billy' Hendry is the notorious serial killer 'Mr Bones', Leigh-Ann Hendry is his daughter 'Little Bones'. Exposed to such horrific scenes from a young age Leigh-Ann took a lot of time to reclaim back her life.

At 17 Leigh-Ann Hendry changed her name and settled in to a quiet life as Cherrie Forrester, perfect partner, perfect son and controlling Mother in law, perfectly normal. Her life now so far from her experiences throughout her childhood.

When a young Thomas Doncaster goes missing, Cherrie's life is turned upside down when podcast The Flesh on The Bones, reveals her identity; something that not even the closest people in her life know about.

With the secret out it's not long before her Son; Robin becomes the next child to go missing.
How far would you go to protect your child?

I absolutely loved this book, from the start I was really invested in the story. I finished it in one sitting I just couldn't put it down, I had to know what happened next!

The story is written brilliantly there's so many suspects with motives that I honestly couldn't work out who'd done what, every time I thought I had it there was another curve ball thrown in and I was back to trying to work it out.

The whole story flowed seamlessly with believable characters, it was written in such a way that even the side stories of the less important character merged effortlessly in to the main plot. Such a suspenseful read with so many twists, this is a must read for 2020.

I've never heard of N V Peacock before this, but is now an author I'd actively look out for in the future, one of my favourite reads of the year so far.

This is a gripping, fast paced thriller.
It has an original storyline and the characters are strong.
Combined with a storyline relatable to every parent, this is a really good read.
A recommendation from me :)

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was a decent thriller focused on the daughter of an infamous serial killer. She has made a new life for herself, but her past continues to haunt her. This was just okay. Some characters made a lot of choices that I found too ridiculous to be believable. 3.5 stars.

I don't read a lot in the thriller/suspense genre because I don't think my blood pressure can take it. This one was heart-pounding. I couldn't rest until I knew who was behind the present day disappearance.

Cherrie's emotions really resonated with my because I too am a mother and I would be equally as distraught and desperate as she was. It was awful the things that were said about her, that almost convinced her seriel killer is a genetic traight. And the bloody freaking podcast. I wish it were easier to sue for libel in the UK - interfering in an active investigation, at a minimum.

There were a lot of characters and some I was grateful for their redemption arcs and others...I don't wish anything terrible upon them but they needed to be put in their place and we didn't get the resolution I was hoping for. Truly the most disappointing thing for me though was who was behind the present day disappearance and why. We went on this heart-stopping ride and when the truth came out it was just really flat. It wasn't quite good enough. I wanted something more...spectacular, I guess? A little more vindication for Cherrie, maybe?

This book is the perfect example of a psychological thriller that knocks you off of your feet and leaves you breathless. WOW! My first N V Peacock book and I couldn't tear myself away from it. I stayed up until 3am last night reading as I just HAD to know what happened.

I loved that it was a different narrative, a woman who has changed her identity to avoid her past as Little Bones- a notorious serial killers daughter. I suspected everyone! Was it her boyfriend? Her mother in law? The stalker? The mum in the park? Her friend? I honestly couldn't have told you. Slowly people get eliminated and you're left with the brutality of the truth. This is an absolute rollercoaster of a plot, I was holding my breath, my heart was pounding. This is a must-read.

N V Peacock, you better be writing another book now, it will be an instant buy! I can't wait to bring this to my book club!

One minor issue is that this was tagged as True Crime which it isn't, I had a look and can't see that it is based on a true story. I would just go for the mystery/thriller aspect.

It can't be an easy road when you are the daughter of a notorious serial killer. Leigh-Ann was only eight years old when her father was arrested for the murders of numerous boys. Dubbed Mr. Bones by the press, he used his daughter to lure his victims. A childhood spent with people calling Leigh-Ann, Little Bones, leads her to legally change her name. Cherrie Forrestor has finally escaped her tragic past and built a new life with her boyfriend, Leo, and their son, Robin. No one, not even those closest to Cherrie know anything about her past and she has no reason to believe they ever will. What could go wrong?
But life can be cruel, and when a boy goes missing, a podcast about Mr. Bones and Little Bones soon exposes the truth. Cherrie's identity is made public and not only do the police think she may be guilty, but her son goes missing and the public blames, Little Bones. Cherrie knows the truth though, and she must find her son before it is too late.
There were a lot of twists, turns, and red herrings in Little Bones. I liked the premise of the story more than the way it worked out. My whodunnit and why brain pictured this story going in a much different way, and I could never quite get my head around some of the author's choices. It definitely started strong and intrigued me, but I was a little let down by the ending.

Thank you so much to Avon Books UK And NV Peacock for this ARC of Little Bones. I love a good book about a serial killer and this premise caught my attention right away. The premise was amazing and terrifying- a girl who helped her father with murder. Cherrie was a great character and I found her story interesting. It was confusing because her inner thoughts are jumbled and rambling. I think this story had too much going on and they tried too hard to fool the reader into believing in things that were not true. I always love a good podcast element, and this book was no exception. This story had all the makings of a great thriller, but fell short for me as it wasn't planned out clearly. The story started to ramble and repeat itself which made it seem long and drawn-out. In the end, it was just okay and I give it 3 stars.

Cherrie changed her name at 17 to get rid of the association with her serial killer father (Mr. Bones). When she was 8, he was found guilty for the murder of 11 young boys to create art projects with their bones, an activity his daughter assisted with. 25 years later, a local boy goes missing and Cherrie's past comes out via a podcast, which leads to her own son also going missing.

The setting and premise of the book are both great. I guessed some of what happened and whodunit quite early, despite the amount of red herrings stuffed into the plot. However, there were other parts of the plot that mostly kept me guessing until the reveal (which I wasn't fully convinced by). The amount of red herrings, potential suspects and secrecy was a bit lazy and overdone in my opinion. I felt like the truth was hidden like a big game of pass the parcel. You could tell x, y, and z didn't do it but still knew you needed to go through them before getting to the final suspect. The podcast element and true crime reporting was under utilised, compared to what I know it could have been. I think having newspaper articles or reporting about the original Mr. Bones case would have added something to the story. When it was clear that wasn't going to happen, I hoped that Cherrie's dad would be used more in the same vein of Michael Sheen's Martin Whitly in Prodigal Son.

I really liked Cherrie as a narrator, due to a lack of sleep and worry about her missing child she starts to question herself and becomes and unreliable narrator to herself, questioning everything she has done or thinks she has done. She is cunning and relentless in trying to find her son. She becomes more unstable as the book moves forward, which is completely understandable as she has lost her son - yet the portrays this in a manner than along with her past makes her very suspicious (in the world of the book, not to the reader).

3.5 stars, I just felt it could have been better and a bit shorter - but I did really enjoy it and it was hard to put down.

Eight-year-old Leigh-Anne has had a troubled childhood. Her mother took her own life and her father is Mr Bones a serial killer who abducted and kill young boys and used their bones for sculptures. Her father was convicted for the crimes. Leigh-Anne hasn’t seen him since. She was nicknamed Little Bones.
When Leigh-Anne turned 17 after living in foster care she changed her name to Cherrie and started a new life. Present day Cherrie now has a boyfriend and a son called Robin. When a child goes missing, somewhere someone finds out about her past because of a podcast, accusing her as the number 1 suspect and when her own child Robin goes missing the rumours spread that she has abducted and killed both boys. Like father Like daughter.
I have read a lot of books in this genre, but Little Bones has a unique, dark storyline that I enjoyed very much. There is a lot of twists and turns that kept me captivated throughout. I thought that this was an exceptionally good start for a debut novel. I can’t wait to see what the author has in store in the future.

This story is told from Cherrie aka Leigh-Ann’s perspective as she goes about her normal life, as girlfriend, mother and employee. Then, a local boy goes missing, and she instantly thinks of her father’s past, and the role she played in helping him to adult young boys. Her father is in prison, never likely to see the light of day again, and no one knows who she is. Until, of course, one day her secret past is revealed, and everything starts to go wrong.

I don’t want to say much more about the plot for fear of including spoilers; however, I have to say this just didn’t work for me. The idea if brilliant – the child of a serial killer, what isn’t to love? There’s a chance to do so much with nurture/nature etc that I thought this would blow me away. Sadly, it left me feeling really cold.

Cherrie is an interesting character as she swings from being “normal” to quite frankly, unhinged. Personally, I actually quite liked the fact she wasn’t portrayed as some demure, scared, quivering mother desperately hoping her child would be returned. It’s refreshing to read about a woman with a bit about her, and who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.

That said, this quickly became a bit of a jumbled mess for me, with Cherrie’s internal monologue’s rambling in so many different directions it was difficult to keep track of her thoughts. On many occasions I found myself feeling bored, and tempted to skip ahead.

I also found the amount of red herrings/potential suspects overkill (pardon the pun). Filling a book with a lot of could he be suspect A/B/C/D/E or F is lazy plotting as far as I’m concerned; hiding the truth behind multiple doors is not a skill, it’s bombarding the reader and I was very disappointed. Sadly, it didn’t even work as to me, at least, the villain was obvious from early on, and the games and false leads were just frustrating.

The Stars
Just 2 stars from me, as this was a very bland and uninspiring read. This felt like it was written for a younger audience, rather than an adult thriller.

Cherrie Forrester seems to be living a lovely life with her charming young son and a boyfriend who adores her. What others didn't know is that she's also the daughter of a notorious serial killer (famously known as Mr Bones) who had been sentenced to jail 25 years ago. Cherrie has reasons not to think about the past not only she's Mr Bones' daughter but also, she feels guilty in helping him in a way by luring the boys into his car. She was eight then.

Cherrie thinks her past and secrets would be hidden safe forever, until the disappearance of a boy and a podcast link them to her father's crimes. Despite Mr Bones is convicted, many people are still intrigued by him and his young daughter, Leigh-Ann. Cherrie tries to remain low profile, but the podcast has doxed her as Little Bones, leaving her both enraged and helpless. To complicate matters, Cherrie's son goes missing during their trip to an amusement park. Cherrie fears someone may seek revenge over the past crimes as she searches frantically for her son while dodging from people's curiosity and allegations that she might be involved in her son's disappearance.

Little Bones started out with a bang and I found the concept and the identity surrounding a serial killer's daughter's was quite enticing from the thrillers aspect but while it has an interesting premise, Cherrie came off as more annoying (in her behaviours) than intriguing for a character and it was a disappointment given that there's so much potential in this story. To be fair, there are a few gripping moments but there are also others that went on a bit too long and repetitive. The ending may not be a surprise to some readers and while this isn't a bad thing, I find it lacks some elements which constitute a great thriller. That said, it was considerably promising for a debut thriller and I'll be curious of the author's next book.

I was very kindly offered the chance to review this book by @avon_books and @netgalley out on 31st October this book is perfect for the coming season!

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The story is based upon Cherrie, a daughter of a convicted serial killer who despite changing her identity finds the past is never fully hidden and threatens to upturn the new life she has build when a recent disappearance is linked back to her father’s crimes.

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I enjoyed this book and read it really quickly as I was desperate to discover what was going to happen. Peacock did an excellent job of setting traps for the reader, I would get a hunch I had figured it out only to realise I been lead down another false path!! Cherrie does begin to unravel as the story develops and you are left questioning if it is a case of like father like daughter? Or just the actions of a desperate mother?