Kathryn is one of my favourite true crime authors. This book discusses cold cases which happens to be one of my favourite topics. This book had me guessing the whole way through . It was full of twists and turns and boy what an ending.

This is a great read! I have really enjoyed this series, as they all build upon the others. The mystery and suspense in this book was awesome. I can't wait until the next one in the series is released! I highly recommend.

I didn't remember the earlier books, but I had fun reading this one. Fast-paced, I got to know the main character more with reveals of her past life. I liked that the author did not shy away from tough topics. Romance was just a tinge but this was a police procedural at its core. Overall, a solid investigative story set in a different culture.

The Blessed Bones by Kathryn Casey is the third book in the Detective Clara Jefferies series and I loved it .This third book was brilliant from start to finish I was hooked within the first few pages and that were I stayed - in my comfy seat and ended up reading the Blessed Bones in one sitting with Toilet breaks! just like her other two books.

I highly recommend this book and so looking forward to her next installment in the Detective Clara Jefferies.

Big thank-you to netgalley the Bookouture and author for the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinions.

Alber, Utah is getting a ski resort. While building the ski lift, two human skeletons are found, those of a woman and her unborn child. The rush is on to learn the identity of this girl, but every clue leads to a roadblock. The people of the town refuse to speak to apostate Clara Jeffries while she investgates. Families are quiet, closed off, and do not want the police involved in private affairs.

Clara and her team will need to work harder than ever to identify this girl before more girls go missing. Former US Marshal Ash Crawford offers to help, but Clara juat doesn't feel like his intentions are true.

The Blessed Bones is the the sequel to the Fallen Girls and Her Final Prayer. The Clara Jeffries series gets better and better with every new book. I am looking forward to seeing what Kathryn Casey has for us next!

Detective Clara Jeffries remains a standout in the “strong female law enforcement agent” genre, and her background is certainly the most unique.
This third book in the series finds Clara quickly enmeshed in another investigation which is complicated by the location and proximity to Alber.
In fact, this time there are two investigations and it’s up to Clara to determine if there is any crossover. I very much like the way this author plots the stories, because everything is organic and natural. There is no forced connection or tying into each other.
Things just happen.
Clara’s background remains a major point both in her personal life and as she addresses clues and facts of the cases.
(For those who haven’t read any of these books yet, Clara grew up in a polygamous town, leaving after being forced into a horrible marriage. She returned in book one and is still struggling with acceptance – both of her past and dealing with the townspeople viewing her as an apostate).
She and Max (a lost boy of the town) have also progressed in their relationship, but not without struggle there as well. I like how the author keeps this real as well. They both have baggage that they are trying to work around, but it’s not always unsurmountable.
I was happy to see a bit of progress with her relationship with her family as well. It’s an important part of her character, and there were some touching moments. It will be interesting to see if Mother Ardeth comes around.
In spite of Clara helping several people in the town and some seeming to soften toward her, there remains a sore spot (no spoiler) that will definitely take centerstage in future books.
As with any crime thriller, I don’t want to give anything away about the particulars of the investigation. But I will continue to look forward to Clara’s cases and to see what happens next.

I am definitely a huge fan of Kathryn Casey! This book was fast-paced, yet enough to fill you with the anguish that Clara Jefferies felt upon uncovering the bones of the female and a baby! You knew from that point on that she would move heaven and earth to find out what happened to them. As you read on, it turned into this huge puzzle with certain characters and events that forced you to keep on reading.

I give this book 4 stars for sure! The book contained action and pulse pounding thrills! I finished reading it in one day because I could not sleep without finding resolution to the story!

Strap yourself in and come along for the ride! Thank you NetGalley for providing me with AC of this book! I am definitely ready for more!

Another intriguing instalment in this series. The main characters stand out, their story is progressing,slowly. The ever present religious element adds to a good story.

This was a first for me with this author and it won’t be my last as I’ve just been and purchased the two previous books in this series. A well written storyline that is based on the taboo subjects of Mormonism and teenage pregnancy with-in that community. A police procedural with some characters you take to your heart and some characters that are just plain evil and dislike immensely. I won’t write too much about the storyline and plot as that is the job of a blurb but I will say I thought this book was a really great read and look forward to reading other books by this author.

I have really enjoyed the previous books in the series and this was no exception. Like the other books it had a gripping mystery. There was good character development and overall it was a great read.

Book 3 in the Clara Jefferies series.

A skeleton is dug up on the mountains where the new ski resort is to be built. Max asks Clara to come and assist on the investigation. The skeleton is a pregnant teen. Clara finds she has a nagging feeling that there is more to this story. She is also finds herself suspicious of a retired stste Marshall who has offered to help the investigation. Along side this Clara and her team are still making their way through the secret files and one historic child abuse case catches her attention.

I have spent the last 4 days with Clara and her team deciding I wanted to start with book one to really get a feel for the detective. I am so glad that I did because I absolutely love the concept of this crime series and cannot wait to read more. If you are looking at this book and thinking about reading I urge you to start with book one I promise you it's worth it, plus there are a few points that carty through the series!!

Clara is such an interesting lead. Her pilgrimage upbringing and becoming a fallen girl I find so intriguing The fact that it is known such religious practices still exist world wide I think Kathryn Casey has really found a niche. I love that although Clara is a very capable ex detective now chief she also has her demons. Even though the cases have links or metaphorical links to her past, this isn't as far fetched as it often is in other crime books. As Clara is policing her home town which has very strict teachings.

We all know Clara is on the haunt for skeletal remains so it's understandable why Max brings her own to this case. I must say some of the talk regarding the pregnant teens is intense but I like that we don't shy away from the realities.
The prose is well structured in this novel as not only do we hear from Clara and Max there is another narrator a teen who is pregnant. We don't know if it's present day so I loved trying to gage where she fitted into the story and also trying to guess who she was.

As usual Max is a babe. I really enjoy his chapters, unlike in the previous two books Max's chapters are a bit shorter. But still I enjoy reading his chapters along side Clara. I am hoping we get to heat more from Steph and ME in books to follow

Now this wouldn't be a Clara jefferies story if we didn't see her three mothers. I found that in this book something seems to have shifted in Clara relating to her family. I felt a pull of emotions esp with her birth mum. The outcome of this side storyline is obvious but I still liked reading it. I could honestly read a book purely about their family life and Clara's abusive husband without the crime element, although saying that I do love crime.

Clara still has a long way to go with her trust issues and this is shown throughout this novel. She is very untrusted of state Marshall Ash and in my opinion rightly so. But it's a fun read how angry she gets ha.

Would I recommend this book?

Let me think on that ofcourse I would! I would recommend the entire series. I must say this pregnant teen storyline didn't have me hooked as much as the first two cases but I still wanted to find out how it played out. There is a twist which I assumed would happen as they always do I was just looking at the wrong suspect. If you love crime/crime thriller this I'd the series for you and if you have read the first two books then you will want to read this one. It's clever and insightful as well as creepy and dramatic at times. I found the Clara's interpersonal dynamics interesting this time around and of course the budding love betwren her and Max.
The blessed bones receives 3.5/4 stars from me. I love the writing and the characters and the investigation was interesting to read play out. However the first and second novels in this series I felt were better and as her second novel recieved 4 stars I have to mark this one somewhere in between 3.5 and 4.



Thank you to netgalley, Kathryn Casey and Bookouture publishers for the advance digital copy of The Blessed Bones in exchange for my fair and honest opinions.

The body of a young woman and her unborn child are found on a construction site. Clara Jefferies is determined to discover the woman's identity but finds herself with several missing women case files. Which one could this be?
The Blessed Bones is the third crime thriller in the Clara Jefferies series from author Kathryn Casey. I have previously reviewed the other books in the series: The Fallen Girls and Her Final Prayer.
Clara continues to face resentment from the polygamous community she rejected. Her family situation worsens as her mother suffers a stroke. Clara is such a likeable character, struggling to deal with her past and in this book she confronts it head on yet again. On a happier note, her relationship with Max seems stronger than ever despite their traumatic pasts.
The case itself is nasty and emotional as it deals with vulnerable pregnant women and their unborn children. As well as Clara's first person perspective, we see chapters which show young Violet as she approaches the birth of her child. She is particularly scared as her friends at the shelter disppear after their births.
In a side plot, Clara is investigating old cases of potential physical and sexual abuse amongst the community she left. The animosity towards her is virulent and the misogyny and power play is very unpleasant to witness.
I really enjoyed the style of writing and the use of both Clara's first person and the third person other viewpoints is really effective for conveying the plot. The narrative twists and turns as she uncovers clues, and Clara is a fab character that we want to succeed in her personal and professional lives.
The Blessed Bones was thoroughly engaging and had me hooked from start to finish.

This is the third book in the series and I was just as engaging as the first. I think this might be my favorite in the series! This book had layers of story lines but in a way where it wasn't too much information to make it confusing. The story lines overlapped but in an unpredictable way. Through the whole book I either had no idea what to guess or I was guessing all over the place. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes an unpredictable mystery. I can't wait to see when the next book in the series will be released!

This book was excellent. I could not put it down. The story line was so easy to follow and I loved all of the characters.

This is the third book in a series featuring Detective Clara Jefferies. Set in Alber, Utah, this crime thriller set is unique in that Clara is a former member of the polygamous community that resides there. Elijah's People is a fundamentalist Mormon sect that rules its members and one that had ousted Clara when she ran away from her ancient husband when she was 24. She returned about 9 months earlier and is now Chief of Police. Her former family -- several sister wives, her Mothers, and many of her siblings remain ensconced in the town and have severed ties with Clara. So, in addition to her duties with the police, Clara is trying to find a way to be accepted back into her family, and also juggling a new romance.

In this story, bones have been found on a nearby mountain and are the remains of a young girl and a baby. As Clara examines old cold case records, she finds that pregnant girls have gone missing from town for years. But, the members of Elijah's People keep their secrets and no one seems to care about their missing daughters. NO SPOILERS.

I've read the previous installments and wanted to see if things were changing for Clara and they are, but at a snail's pace. As an outsider, Clara has found it difficult to do her job and has yet to fully commit to staying in Alber. She's the typical female detective protagonist and, as such, her character is stereotypical of all in this genre. The romance aspect is convenient and Clara is struggling with the developing relationship due to her past. She has a lot to work through and sometimes that is tedious. Of course she puts herself in harm's way. I haven't really bonded with her nor have I decided whether to continue the series. The details about the religion and lifestyle practiced by this sect - the polygamy, etc. - are interesting. Even so, the actual plot was quite predictable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review.

Kathryn Casey’s latest Clara Jeffries thriller, The Blessed Bones is a heart-pounding page-turner that is not to be missed.

Going back home to Alber, Utah has not exactly been easy for Clara. Convincing the closed community to trust her and believe in her is an uphill road full of struggle and despair that will take a lot hard work, so Clara is floored when she is called to private land high up in the mountains where she is informed that the bones of a young girl have been found. But that’s not all. Hidden in the dark depths of this grave are other remains. Those of an infant. Clara is immediately intrigued and begins to dig into the town’s missing persons files and makes another shocking discovery: pregnant girls have been going missing for years and years. Just what is going on here? And can Clara get to the bottom of her scariest case yet?

Spotting Ash Crawford, the first cop on the scene, praying over the bodies convinces Clara that he knows more about the victim than he is letting on. But why is Ash keeping mum about this? His first duty is to uphold the law yet Ash seems more concerned with obstructing justice. Clara, however, will not be so easily deterred. As she visits every family living on the mountaintop she discovers a community with their own secrets which they are very keen to keep hidden. However, Clara is ill prepared for a face from her past and a part of her life which she has never quite managed to put behind her.

When another girl goes missing, it becomes clear to Clara that she has no more time to lose. Will Clara get to the truth before it’s too late? Or will the town closing ranks and keeping her out in the dark end up costing the lives of more innocent girls and their babies?

A fantastic crime thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, The Blessed Bones is a chilling tale of old secrets and present dangers that will leave readers breathless. Kathryn Casey deftly explores the darker side of life and will make every single hair on the back of your neck stand on end with The Blessed Bones, a dark, tense and brilliantly paced thriller that will have you checking under the bed for monsters.

A top-notch thriller with a nuanced, fascinating and first class detective, Kathryn Casey hits another home run with her latest Clara Jeffries crime novel, The Blessed Bones.

This is the 3rd book of the Clara Jefferies series. I have read the other 2 and will continue on with the series.
They take place in Utah and full of what I call a cult. With Polygamists and men who treat women as their property and they are to obey the men. Clara grew up as a kid in that community and then she moved away and was banished from her family. Clara is now detective and not welcomed back. Her mom shuns her but a few of her sisters want to be a part of her life.
During development in some land bones are dug up. Clara needs to find out who the skeleton belongs to. A ex US Marshal gets involved, He is retired and is really forcing his way into the investigation and Clara doesn't trust him. He seems to be secretive on why he is involving himself.
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC,

Blessed Bones by Kathryn Casey is the third chapter in the life and times of Detective Clara Jefferies. It is set in Alber, Utah. Clara has returned to Alber after leaving ten years previously and is now the Chief of Police. Alber's residents are Mormon fundamentalists and practice polygomy and she left under duress as the town's people treated her as an apostate and outsider. She has returned and is determined no matter what happens she is staying. Even though she has been sent hate mail and her family aren't her biggest fans either. Clara is called out to some private land up in the mountains, the place a new ski resort is in the process of being built. The bones of a young girl have been discovered and further into her grave the remains of a baby also. Clara begins to search the missing persons files to see if she can learn anything. As she ploughs through them, she begins to realise pregnant girls have been disappearing for years. As the report of another pregnant girl comes in Clara knows she needs to get to the bottom of this before they are discovering another dead body.
Since the beginning of this series I have read and enjoyed all of the books. The religion of Alber is one I learn about every time I pick up a new one from the series. I think Clara is a strong and resilient character to return to Alber in the first place and her partnership with Max is great. Together they create an unbeatable force. He is the one who can calm her and he does balance her out too.
As always with a Kathryn Casey book I was happy to revisit Clara and see how things where going. An engrossing read that flowed well and kept me guessing as always. I am now looking forward to Clara's return.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the copy of the book for my review today.

3.5 rounded up. Clara is growing some emotionally in this book which I appreciate. However, it feels like the author has the same formula for each book. Clara is investigating both a past abuse case and a young female skeleton that was found. Of course the conflict with her family and the community comes in a lot. So solid book but predictable.

I was given a copy by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Blessed Bones by Kathryn Casey
Detective Clara Jeffries #3

Clara Jeffries is settling into her job as Chief of Police in Alber, Utah when this book begins. She has been working her way through police files that were shuffled under the rug and filed away in hopes of finding a few cases that are still within the statute of limitations that might allow prosecution so that justice can be found for some who may not have found it under a different administration. She is reading the file of a young boy beaten by his father when she is notified that bones have been found on a construction site and heads out to begin investigating.

What I liked:
* The complexity of the story:
- The bones investigation
- The young pregnant girl we meet early on and how her story progresses
- Clara’s life
- The case of the battered boy
- The romance and how it is progressing between Clara & Max
- The US Marshall that stuck his oar into the investigation
* Clara: strong, independent, aware, capable, loved her family, apostate-outcast, loving, has an intriguing but difficult backstory, someone I admire and want to know more about.
* Max: Chief Deputy, father, widow, “lost boy”, loves Clara, capable, tenacious, interesting and a good match for Clara.
* Hannah: runs a shelter for women, a good friend, provides a service that is needed in the community.
* The setting that includes the polygamous patriarchal prophet oriented background that seems so foreign and fraught with issues that will provide fodder for future books.
* That Clara is still on her quest to find Christina Bradshaw
* Wondering about the ominous messages/notes Clara is receiving
* That progress has been made in the romance between Clara and Max
* The interest I have in finding out what will happen between Clara and her family
* That there was a happy ending for a few – though not all
* It seemed realistic and I felt part of the story.
* Knowing that this type of community does exist today.
* Looking forward to the next book in the series.

What I didn’t like:
* The people and situations I was meant not to like
* What was happening to the young pregnant women in this book
* Knowing that Alber leaders were able to get away with all that they did.
* Having to wait for the next book in the series.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars