This was extremely fun! I think the Bronte sisters would have made wonderful detectives.

My memories of Haworth aren't the clearest - I visited when I was nine - but I distinctly remember the graveyard, so it was extra fun to have several scenes set in a location where I've been.

Diabolical Bones is the second book in the Bronte Sisters Mystery Series in which the bones of a child are found within the wall of a chimney and the Brontes take it upon themselves to discover the how, why and how of what has happened to this child. Overall the book is good, albeit slow moving, Ms. Ellis does a wonderful job of describing the moors and other wild beauty the Bronte sisters so loved about their home. She also does a fine job of weaving in elements from the novels they wrote, she gives very clear glimpses into the close relationships of the Bronte family while also showing the reader the rather depressing and dire state they lived in during a time of prejudice and bigotry towards Irish people. All of these elements weave themselves into a good novel with a variety of twists and turns ending in a classic O'Henry twist. Ms. Ellis does a beautiful job of describing the way the old traditions and Christianity wove themselves together while exploring how those with means are often able to get away with horrific crimes. My only complaint would be the slow movement of the story, although the pace fits perfectly with the sisters and their writing styles it felt slow for a who-done-it type crime novel.
If you are a fan of the Brontes I believe you will enjoy this book bc of the well done research and obvious love Ms. Ellis has for the sisters, their loves and their home. If you aren't well versed in the Brontes but enjoy a good gothic read with an interesting crime story attached I believe you will also enjoy this book.

The second entry in the Brontë Sisters Mystery series was a wonderful surprise. While I enjoyed the the first book (The Vanished Bride) very much, somehow this book exceeded my expectations. I think because the author dived even more deeply into the personalities and dynamics between Charlotte, Emily, and Anne. Reading this novel felt like being with friends - some who don’t always get along, but who love each other deeply. I felt like the author captured their personalities so precisely - in a way that reflected perfectly what we know about their characters.

The story moves quickly too, with the mystery unfolding rapidly, and red herrings thrown on the path. I felt like “The Diabolical Bones” was a stronger mystery than the first book - more unsettling, suspenseful, and baffling. And one that readily invites the Bronte sisters into investigating so that it was very natural for them to decide to find the origins of the bones.

I also love that the three sisters (and sometimes Branwell) all work together for most of the story. The first book sometimes found the sisters split up and following different leads, but having the three interacting while detecting in this book was a treat. Their personalities really do complement each other. The story also introduces potential romantic interests (some based on the real lives of the Brontës and some invented) and I loved seeing that side of their lives fleshed out. They are isolated and alone as a family, and only one sister eventually married, but they all have something to say on the nature of love, and it is illustrated by the way they approach romantic entanglements.

This is another fantastic installment in the series, and one that felt even more intimate and welcoming into the lives of the Brontës than the first book. It’s also fun to see the little nods to the different characters and plot devices that come up in the Brontës’ novels - the author shows off her knowledge of the Brontë’s works expertly. The premise of the sisters as detectives fits in so perfectly with their experiences, that I can not wait until their next adventure.

Many thanks to the publisher for a free review copy.

This is a tale of the Bronte sisters. Each of the sisters has a very different personality but they work well together. They are writing poetry and hope to be published. But they hear about some bones found not far from their residence so they want to find out who it is.

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published on February 16th.

The bones appear to be a child's but the doctor tells them the child was probably between the ages of ten - twelve. The child had lots of physical ailments from not enough to eat. Nobody has any idea who it is.

They begin asking questions. There are a lot of superstitions that get in the way of facts. They longer they work on it, the more people get involved.

The killer is not unusual but the child's mother is almost a killer herself. She's the last one I would have suspected.

The pace of the story is a bit slow and there is a lot of interesting conversations but it's a good mystery.

A special book. During the year 1846, the Brontë sisters, Anne, Emily, and Charlotte are busy with their respective literary careers. In addition to writing, the Brontës must seek publicists so that they can publish their works. Their luck is about to change, as one day, Tabby, her housekeeper, breaks the news of a terrible discovery. The appalling event occurs in the Scar Top House, a property that belongs to the Bradshaw family. In this place, bones were found, embedded in the chimney of the old house. The Brontë sisters are intrigued by what happened and want to investigate this mystery that seems impossible to solve. I was pleased that the book included the perspectives of each of the sisters. I felt as if the sisters in this book were professional detectives, Sherlock Holmes type. The case of the Bradshaw family is intriguing. I find the story so engaging that I didn't stop reading until I finished the story. I thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

The discovery of a child’s skeleton in a chimney breast leads the Bronte sisters down a dark path and places them in danger. After hearing about the discovery, the sisters travel to Top Withens to confront the manor’s owner. They demand that Clifton Bradshaw turn over the bones for a proper burial. When they retrieve the bones they also discover symbols carved into the chimney’s stones. Hoping that they will offer a clue to the child’s identity they also take the stones, which they arrange into a pattern. What emerges is a spell that their housekeeper fears is the devil’s influence. A consultation with a visionary also brings warnings that more deaths are imminent.

The child’s bones were hidden only thirteen years earlier, at a time when Bradshaw used child labor on his farm. A medallion found with the skeleton confirmed the year. Children were supplied by a nearby orphanage. The Bronte’s visit Crossed Key Orphanage, where they speak with several of the children, reveals tales of a monster responsible for the disappearance of several of the boys. When a boy from their village who they personally know disappears, they know that they must quickly find this monster if they are to save him.

Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte are all familiar names today, but Bella Ellis takes you back to 1846 to bring these women to life. They have finally found someone to publish their poetry and look to their investigations for inspiration for their stories. In the quest to find the child’s identity they display determination and personality traits that compliment each other. As women, they present themselves as employees of Bell Brothers and Company Solicitors in order to gain co-operation with their enquiries and when mail is received for the company:s assistance it suggests that Bella Ellis will have them returning for future investigations. While sometimes dark, the Bronte sisters relationships also bring a feeling of comfort that makes this entry very enjoyable. I would like to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing this book for my review.

An atmospheric historical fiction novel with ominous whodunit mystery appeal. This is the second book in the Bronte Sisters series that reads well as a standalone but also offers veteran fans the interest of previous characters. Bella Ellis offers a complex narrative with meticulous characterization and a moderately paced plot that slowly reveals itself. Perfect for those who love a slow build up as the corners are incrementally pulled back. Great read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #DiabolicalBones which was read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#berklypublishing #bellaellis #suspensenovels #mysteries #whodunit #readreviewrepeat #bookish #bookstagram #bookblog #booktweets #readmorebooks #goodreads #tbralert

This is a series that could have gone so wrong or so right depending on the execution. The Bronte sisters as detectives? I just wasn’t sure when I first heard about it. But I am also a huge fan of all things Bronte so I decided to read the first book anyway.

I am so glad I did, because I loved it! I worried that it would be hokey because the Bronte’s wrote romance rather than mystery so I just worried it wouldn’t translate well in this modern mashup of Brontes and murder. But it was great the first book was so fun and interesting that when the next book came up for review, it was an immediate yes for me.

I loved this one just as much as I loved the first book and I love seeing how the author has evolved and grown into her writing style and the characters have evolved right along with her! This was a fun quick read that I finished in a weekend!

Summary
“Move over, Jane Austen, for the latest literary ladies who snoop in this… lively series debut.”–Kirkus Reviews on The Vanished Bride

Haworth Parsonage, February 1846: The Bront� sisters– Anne, Emily, and Charlotte–are busy with their literary pursuits. As they query publishers for their poetry, each sister hopes to write a full-length novel that will thrill the reading public. They’re also hoping for a new case for their fledgling detecting enterprise, Bell Brothers and Company solicitors. On a bitterly cold February evening, their housekeeper Tabby tells them of a grim discovery at Scar Top House, an old farmhouse belonging to the Bradshaw family. A set of bones has been found bricked up in a chimney breast inside the ancient home.

Tabby says it’s bad doings, and dark omens for all of them. The rattled housekeeper gives them a warning, telling the sisters of a chilling rumor attached to the family. The villagers believe that, on the verge of bankruptcy, Clifton Bradshaw sold his soul to the devil in return for great riches. Does this have anything to do with the bones found in the Bradshaw house? The sisters are intrigued by the story and feel compelled to investigate. But Anne, Emily, and Charlotte soon learn that true evil has set a murderous trap and they’ve been lured right into it (summary from Goodreads)

Review
One of the things I have loved about this series so far is that each sister is unique and has their own ‘voice’ in the story. I have read both Charlotte and Emily Bronte but never Anne and I loved getting to know each sister and their personalities in a unique way. Even if it’s fictional, I felt that each sister was independent from the ‘Bronte Team’ if that makes sense. Taking on such classic writers as the Bronte’s can’t have been easy but the author does a fantastic job giving the characters life and interesting quirks that readers will enjoy whether they have read some, all, or none of the Bronte books.

This mystery was much more chilling that I was expecting. I mean the first book has a great mystery and it kept me guessing, but this one was much darker and more macabre than I was expecting but I loved it all the same. It kept me guessing throughout much of the story and I loved watching the sisters (and sometimes their brother) solve the mystery and decipher the clues.

For me it was a quick and suspenseful read with lots of red herrings to keep reader on their toes. There were also little Bronte Easter Eggs so fans of the Brontes will appreciate those little hints or nods to their classic literary works! I should also point out that I think this one could easily be read as a standalone. The author does a great job giving the reader all the necessary background for the character and context to keep new readers orientated and she doesn’t give anything away if readers want to go back and read the first book. I don’t know if she will continue that method as the series grows etc but I thought this would be fine as a standalone so if you are debating about reading this one, then don’t worry about diving in!

Book Info and Rating
Paperback, 336 pages

Expected publication: February 16th 2021 by Berkley Books

ISBN059309915X (ISBN13: 9780593099155)

Free review copy provided by publisher, Berkley Books, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: detective novel, mystery, historical fiction

I fell under the spell of the first Brontë Sisters mystery, The Vanished Bride, and it didn't take long for a repeat performance with this second book, The Diabolical Bones. I am very well acquainted with the Brontës, their writings, and the Haworth area, and author Bella Ellis does a phenomenal job of bringing both the times, the physical setting, and the characters to life. If you love being immersed in an historical mystery, this is the one for you-- and you don't even have to be a Brontë fan to enjoy yourself.

The book begins with one of Emily's poems, a perfect choice for the weather in The Diabolical Bones, then moves swiftly to sole survivor Charlotte thinking back on this particular investigation, which gives it a bittersweet start. You might want to wrap up for an Arctic expedition when you read this book, because the sisters walk for miles and miles and miles in the bitter cold, biting winds, and deep snows. You're also going to be picking up interesting little nuggets of information about why yew trees are usually found in English graveyards, the Pendle witches, and villagers' attitudes towards Christianity and the "old stories" and superstitions.

Do you know why so many people in the small towns and villages were both so religious and so superstitious? Seems like a contradiction, doesn't it? Well, they thought of it as wearing your "belts and braces (suspenders)": Christianity was your belt, and the old stories and superstitions were your braces. You needed both to survive a world that often seemed to be dead set against you.

One oddly worded sentence in The Diabolical Bones told me who the villain was, but that did not take away any of my enjoyment of this book, and it's not all serious business. The loving relationship the sisters have. Their camaraderie. Their stealing lines from each other for their writing. It's all pitch-perfect enjoyment that I highly recommend.

This second in the Brontë Sisters Mysteries is for readers eager to be drenched in all things gothic. Bella Ellis (pseudonym for Rowan Coleman) has carefully adhered to the known demeanors of the sisters and their brother Branwell while adding a crime subplot. It’s December 1845, and frigid winds are whipping around the snow-covered Yorkshire moors. The mood is anxious within Haworth Parsonage: Charlotte, Emily, and Anne have sent their poems to a publisher and nervously await a response, while Branwell longs for letters from his former mistress Mrs. Robinson and drowns his sorrows at the pub.

What they need is a distraction. It arrives when their housekeeper, Tabby Aykroyd, reveals that a body has been found at Top Withens Hall, an ancient structure sitting atop the moorland, and that Clifton Bradshaw, the hall’s owner, refuses to inter the bones until spring. When the siblings trudge there to convince Bradshaw to allow a Christian burial in the parsonage cemetery, they encounter a household haunted by ghosts from thirteen years earlier, when Bradshaw’s wife died. The bones found within his chimney are a child’s, and the sisters want to find out whodunit. Bradshaw, a man rumored to have sold his soul to the devil, is a likely suspect.

Many classic Gothic elements – ghosts, a forbidding house, family secrets, and obsessive love – swirl together in a complex brew, and the supernaturally tinged atmosphere is drawn from the Brontë oeuvre, particularly Wuthering Heights and Emily Brontë’s evocative poetry. The overall effect is creepy without being outright frightening. Befittingly, Emily is an irresistible character, with her love for the moors and amusing penchant for bluntness. Ellis also works in issues of the day such as women’s independence and anti-Irish prejudice. The novel should satisfy anyone seeking to traverse the landscapes where these famous sisters lived and took inspiration.

(From the Historical Novels Review, November 2020)

Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, collectively known as the Bronte Sisters, are renown for their works of fiction and poetry. But then, what, are they *not* known for? What adventures could three parson's daughters have had that the biographers don't talk about? Bella Ellis encourages you to take a turn about the snowy moors and solve mysteries alongside these famous novelists.

December, 1845: Having successfully solved their first mystery, sent off works of poetry to a publisher under men's names, and established a detecting firm under those same men's names, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte find the wait for news of any sort to be nearly unbearable. That is, until news finally does come: a set of bones belonging to a child have been found in chimney of a local farmhouse--in a room that has not been used for thirteen years, the bones found during the owner's late-night rage against the ghosts that haunt him. What starts out as the sisters wanting to see the poor little soul laid to rest quickly turns into an investigation when they realize that the bones are more recent than they were initially led to believe. Was the child murdered? Who put the child in the chimney? Has something ancient and evil been invoked? Or have the sisters disturbed something far darker--something living, something that will kill again?

The second in the phenomenal Bronte Sisters Mystery series, "The Diabolical Bones" blends elements of the gothic--which the Sisters were known for--with a fantastic, dark mystery plot, real historical events, and a great deal of humor with perfect comedic timing and phrasing. Readers of the Brontes will see some subtle references to the books the sisters would write, which makes for a delight. "The Diabolical Bones" makes for quite a chilling mystery, both with the mercilessly cold winter in the moors and with the evil forces at play--which makes this the perfect book to read beside a fire and with a cup of tea! Get comfortable, for this mystery is very addictive...

What if the three Bronte sisters decided to become detectives, solving unusual and fascinating mysteries in their quaint English village? Well, readers would end up with a fun and fascinating mystery series! The author draws on the Bronte sisters' biographical and historical information and adds the fictional mystery-solving element. Absolutely wonderful, and I can't wait for the next one. Looking forward to recommending this to readers.

I really enjoyed this book. This was a first for me from this author, and I found the authors writing style to be very descriptive and refreshing. It is extremely well written woven with lots of historical dialogue and witty and interesting dialogue. I will definitely seek out more from this author and this series, highly recommend!

The Diabolical Bones is terrific fun to read. Page turning chapters filled with everything Bronte lovers could imagine. For instance, the entire Bronte family sat around the dinner table even brother Branwell and papa Rev. Bronte himself. Wonderful humorous conversations between sisters and brother as well as devotion and protection over their beloved papa Bronte.

The Diabolical Bones is an enthralling mystery where the moors hold secrets carried upon the wind for the Bronte sisters to solve. Old wives tales, folklore, religion and witchcraft hold clues to help solve this mystery of the bones of a dead child found up a chimney and so much more.

I can’t wait for the next adventure!