I’m giving this book three stars in an effort to be fair. Other readers have given glowing reviews, but I found it too depressing and frustrating. This was one of those books that had me “talking” to the main character in particular because her choices or avoidances (?) were at odds with common sense. And the monstrousness of her background was too much for me, especially where brutality to children is involved. I liked Cherrie and her family initially but things went down from there. HOWEVER, this is definitely a book for readers of horror stories,

Loved this one! So easy to read and lots of twists and turns along the way. Definitely a quick read and one I recommend.

A really fast paced book that will have you hooked from the start, l will be telling my friends to go buy it as I think they’ll enjoy it too.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.
Wow, that was such a good read.
The idea was original and creative, the structure so strong , and the story was so compelling.
The author delivered the emotions of a mother who lost her kid so well, I could feel her anguish and despair, also with her secret identity, which became not so much of a secret, i loved how she navigated her way, and how she risked diving in the past to be able to rescue her child in the present.
Overall, a really strong book.

This is the first book I read from this author and I’m happy to say that it didn’t disappointed me. It’s the first book in a crime thriller series and the protagonist is a strong personality detective . The plot is complex and the characters are wrapped perfectly in it. It’s a fast paced story full of intrigue and unexpected twists. I’d definitely recommend this book.

First her name was Leigh-Ann. She lived with her parents and had an idyllic childhood. Then she was called Little Bones when her father was arrested and convicted of being Mr. Bones, a prolific serial killer. He killed little boys and used their painted bones to make colorful sculptures, using Leigh-Ann to make the rides he offered seem safe. After his conviction, her mother couldn't live with the infamy and killed herself so Leigh-Ann grew up in foster homes, always watched with suspicion and the first to be accused whenever anything went wrong.
But those days are behind her. As soon as she legally could, she changed her name to Cherry. For ten years, she has worked at a butcher's shop, her co-workers her friends. She has a long term boyfriend and the love of her life, her son Robin. All in all, it's a safe, predictable life and it's heaven on Earth to her.

But things are about to change. A young boy has gone missing. Worse, a college student with journalistic hopes has decided to create a podcast and his first case is that of Mr. Bones. He has somehow tracked Cherry down and has outed her on his podcast, giving her new name and her place of work. How can this be? No one knows about Cherry's past. She never even told Leo, her boyfriend. How can she tell him now after all this time?

When Robin goes missing while at the fair with Cherry, everything stops. She can't live without her son and the first boy never returned home. The police assure her that they are doing everything possible but Cherry is determined to pull strings they don't have access to. She reaches out to anyone she thinks can help, psychics, relatives of other missing boys and even her imprisoned father whom she hasn't seen in over a decade. Can she find Robin before he suffers the fate of her father's victims?

N V Peacock has written a chilling tale of the past finding the secrets about ourselves we hope to hide forever. Cherry has built a new life from an unimaginable past but it can be torn away by anyone determined enough to research her path after the trial. She also covers the popular world of criminal podcasts and the harm that those who cover crimes without investigative knowledge and a police background can do. That's a topic I've thought about quite a bit as the criminal podcast world exploded. Some are very well researched and provide answers that the police don't have the resources to find but some are just riding on the popular bandwagon and probably do as much harm as good. This book is recommended for thriller readers.

This is my favorite kind of book or entertainment trope. I love the stories of the child of a serial killer or a murder. The inside psyche of a child who experienced and lived through such severe trauma. When the main characters son goes missing she has to use her background and everything shes learned from her father which she has been trying to outrun her entire life. This is one of those books that you cannot put down because you just want to know what happens next. I felt like the author did an amazing job of making so many people feel guilty. There were multiple times throughout where I thought I had the guilty one figured out. Would definitely pick up another book by this author.

Little Bones follows Cherrie, mother of Robin, who goes missing. After the disappearance of her son, secrets start piling up, as people the truth is told about Cherrie, also known as Leigh-Ann, and once, Little Bones.

Little Bones is a mystery novel, following Cherrie as her secrets are spread throughout town, as her neighbours discover she is the daughter of a serial killer, and they become suspicious of her son going missing, assuming the worst of her. We see as Cherries follows her own leads and clues to what happened to her son is a series of twists and turns as she tries to prove she’s not the villain of this story, as her life turns upside down. For a mystery novel, the mystery itself starts out very promising, adding so many layers to not only Robin going missing, but to Cherrie’s life as a whole, which was a lot of fun to see it unravel.

The biggest problem I had with this novel though was how unlikable Cherrie was. Her character becomes repetitive as the story continues, and it becomes tedious to be in her head for the duration of the book. The lack of rationality in her character makes sense, a mother losing a child won’t be thinking clearly, but there is no balance to her actions, instead the book plots through many bad ideas that Cherrie has never fully resolving them, or allowing her to grow as a character.

The ending did feel a bit lacklustre unfortunately too, it felt anticlimactic as we discover what happened through Cherrie’s childhood and what happened to Robin. While not a bad ending, it felt disappointing after so many different theories were given, and it did feel predictable. It does tie together nicely, but it doesn’t feel fully satisfying.

All in all, a fun mystery thriller, but nothing groundbreaking or new. For a debut novel though, it shows a lot of potential, and the author is worth checking out further.

Told from the fictional point of view of the daughter of an infamous serial killer, this book navigates the present and the past, blocked memories of Cherrie. Can she work through her own psyche to figure out who has taken her son? This is a crime thriller, interesting premise and fast-pacing. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys quick crime thrillers.
***I received an ARC from NetGalley in return for a review of this book***

I thoroughly enjoyed this gripping, addictive thriller. Yes, some of the characters were quite unlikable but I felt that it added to the story. A protagonist that you can fully support and root for is boring as no one is perfect. Considering the pressure that Cherrie is under, it is no surprise that she acts irrationally and loses her temper.

The thing about this book which really made it stand out to me was the exploration of victim-blaming and judging someone for their past, raising questions about how responsible a child is and whether ‘evil’ can be inherited. It was different and interesting to have Cherrie blamed, not because of secrets she kept, but because of who her father is, something that she has no control over. The conflict between Cherrie wanting to reject the label of ‘Little Bones’ from her past and considering embracing her dark upbringing as the story progresses was exciting and the suspicion placed upon her made you question whether she was a reliable narrator and could be trusted.

Great novel. Kept me hooked throughout. Had a couple of theories re Robin and I’m glad that one of them was correct. Great premise for the book

This book was thrilling and engaging from the start.
I thought the characters were detailed and realistic. I did however find ths storyline to be somewhat predictable, but all in all it was a great read.

I found this book quite gripping though in places slightly predictable, with a lot of coincidences, I would definitely read more by this author.

This was N. V. Peacock's debut novel & boy was it good! Kept you gripped right from page one, fast paced, edge of your seat stuff.

'Little bones' is the daughter of child serial killer 'Mr Bones', she thought she'd escaped anything linked to her father when she changed her name 18 years ago to Cherrie, met her partner Leo, then had their son Robin.

A young boy has recently gone missing & speculation is rife that the daughter of Mr Bones is following in her father's footsteps! When her own son Robin then goes missing from the funfair, Cherrie realises she must face up to her past as a serial killers daughter when her name is outed on the podcast 'The flesh on the bones' alongside her fathers.

𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 5 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A very dark and twisty read on the unusual take of a serial killers family. A strange idea to be sure but it definitely made for a good thriller. There were plenty of twists and turns with action lurking.
An OK read..

When I read the premise of Little Bones, I knew I had to get a copy. This is one of those books that you can't say too much about as you don't want to spoil the story for potential readers. I've read a lot of books in this genre, but Little Bones is a unique, dark storyline that I enjoyed very much. There's a lot of twists and turns that kept me captivated throughout. As for the content of the story itself, I found it really fascinating as I've never given much thought to the families whom sadistic killers leave behind. Overall I thought this was an exceptionally good start for a debut novel and I can't wait to see what the author has in store in the future.

Little Bones is the daughter of serial killer Mr Bones. When two boys go missing, could it be Little Bones following in the footsteps of her father?

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would! Normally I avoid creepy thrillers like this but the unique premise interested me. There were plenty of twists and turns in this dark storyline which hooked me in.

If you are looking for a creepy thriller, look no further!

Absolutely loved this book! Physically could not put this down! Had me up all night racing to the end so eager to get to the end of the book! I read this book in 2 days!! Will definitely be eagerly awaiting the next book by this author!

This was a little on the disappointing side. While the idea was really well thought out, some of the dialog was convoluted. That being said, I still thought it was decent crime thriller and the villain was well placed within the story.

This book had me hooked. I couldn’t wait to see how it developed. Great story telling! My thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my review. I’d definitely recommend a read if you like thrilling stories with interesting characters and a satisfying ending.