"Small Bones" by Kerry Buchanan is an electrifying crime thriller that had me hooked from the very first page. The author weaves a gripping narrative filled with mystery, suspense, and unexpected twists that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

The story follows Sue Hearn, who stumbles upon a grisly discovery while planting a herb garden on her grandfather's old greenhouse site. The possibility that the remains could belong to her long-missing mother, Monica, adds a layer of emotional intensity to the plot. With her father in the hospital with dementia, dropping hints about a police officer's involvement in Monica's disappearance, the question of trust becomes central to the narrative.

Detectives Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch lead the investigation, and their characters are skillfully crafted. Detective Asha's strong sense of right and wrong, coupled with her determination to succeed as a woman of colour in a predominantly white, male police force, adds depth to the narrative. On the other hand, Detective Aaron Birch, with his boyish charm and a tendency to bend the rules, provides a dynamic and intriguing contrast.

The setting of Belfast serves as a character in itself, with its rich history, contrasting landscapes, and scars from a turbulent past. Buchanan masterfully captures the city's essence, creating a vivid backdrop that enhances the overall atmosphere of the story.

As the detectives delve deeper into the past, they uncover secrets that are not only shocking but also put their lives in danger. The plot unfolds with skillful pacing, keeping readers guessing and eagerly turning pages to unravel the mystery. The tension builds steadily, reaching a crescendo in the final chapters that left me breathless.

Fans of crime thrillers, especially those who enjoy the works of Lynda La Plante, Tana French, and Patricia Gibney, will find "Small Bones" a riveting addition to the genre. The narrative's complexity, well-developed characters, and the atmospheric setting make this novel a standout in the world of crime fiction. Kerry Buchanan emerges as a talent to watch in Northern Ireland's literary landscape, and I eagerly anticipate more gripping stories from this author in the future. Highly recommended!

An original plot line sure to capture and hold the interest of anyone who loves mystery/ thrillers. Revelations in the present will lead an investigation into a secret more than 30 years old.

Always enjoy finding a new British Police Procedural. This did not disappoint. Looking forward to the next

*4 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

Kerry Buchanan is a new to me author, and I'm currently clearing out my NetGalley backlog - this one took me a second to get into, but I was suddenly invested in the story and wanting to unravel the truth. There are so many things that happen in this book and during the course of the investigation that really have you wondering. There were some things I don't think were truly closed off, and I'd say they'll continue on in the series, which I'd be interested in reading. I really liked Asha and Aaron as characters, and I'd recommend this book.

This book is the second book in the series, and even though it reads nicely enough as a standalone, I will read the first book as well. I really enjoyed the book, will read the next one!

This book had such strong potential to be one of the best in this genre, but unfortunately the author made one too many mistakes.
.
First of all, I was left kind of dumbfounded at the beginning since everything was revealed, we got the whole crime, we got identities of the victims, AND the culprits' names!!
Like, seriously three chapters in and everything was out there.
.
Moving on, the book turned significantly better, turns out the author depended more on tiny revelations and suspense filled scenes full of cat and mouse acts, which honestly was fine by me, because the writing style was so so good, I was gripped by the whole thing.
.
I LOVED the characters, they were so well written, you could feel their intelligence and dedication to the job, also they were so real, not some quirky, smartass detectives, they were actually refreshing.
.
My problem with the book was the ending, it was basically anticlimactic, and kind of an open ending, I felt like there were too many loose endings, and I didn't get the closure I needed after all the drama.
And most importantly, I expected kind of dramatic reveal concerning a certain victim, but again, Na da.
* I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review *

A very impressive sophomore effort from a great crime writer. Atmospheric echoes of a Belfast resonate throughout and add a touch of realism to a very well told story. Looking forward to revisiting these characters in book 3.

I really enjoyed this and found it to be a gripping read. A great police procedural and I will be on the lookout for more from the author

I thought that the book, was such a page turner. A great read. I loved the book. The plot was very well written. I cannot wait to read another book by this Very new to me author.

The story starts about thirty years ago when a mother and wife disappears without a trace. The discovering of small bones in a garden land starts a suspenseful hunt to unravel what happened all those years ago. I liked the book and will definitely continue with the series.

I wasn't sure if I was going to get into this book at first, simply because the detective genre is done to death (no pun intended!) However, the plot took on a very different structure than is typical with thrillers in this genre. The villain is revealed very early on, which threw me a little at first. But the fast-paced plot kept me reading; there was constantly something of interest happening and very little 'indulgence'. There were also plenty of twists and turns, which helped to keep the mystery going.
Asha, the temporarily promoted detective, is a likeable main character and I liked the fact that there were multiple perspectives telling the story - including victim and villain, which is very rare!
The ending seemed rather abrupt but it wasn't dislikeable. I think it left things open for a follow-up book, so if that was the intention then that makes sense. If it's a standalone thriller however, I think the ending needed some more detail and explanation. I actually had to flick back a few pages to check I hadn't missed something! That being said, the twist at the end was good, although I did guess it quite early on.
Overall, an enjoyable read and if there's a sequel I'll definitely give it a read.

This is the second book in the series featuring Detectives Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch, I hadn’t read the first book but found that this read fine as a stand-alone. The books are set in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the story is told in two time frames, the present day and 1992. The book opens with Sue Hearn digging up her grandfather’s old greenhouse to make a herb garden. Carrot Lodge has been in the family for a number of years. Sue’s father, Michael, still lives here and Sue gave up her job as a pathologist to care for him as he has dementia. While she is digging she reveals some small bone fragments. Are they human and could they be connected to the disappearance of her mother nearly thirty years ago? Sue takes the bones to her old boss who thinks they belong to a ten to twelve year old boy who was murdered. Asha and Aaron are called in to investigate the case and to find if there is a link between the boy and Sue’s mother and discover that police corruption could be involved. This is a fast paced and gripping read with plenty of twists and turns and a totally unexpected ending and one I couldn’t put down. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Kerry Buchanan is yet one more author I found on NetGalley. Her books are so suspenseful and filled with so many twist and turns. "Small Bones" does not disappoint. It is an easy yet great read.

Kerry Buchanan is an author I just discovered recently through Netgalley. Because I got the ARC for the book, Small Bones, which is the 2nd in the Harvey and Birch series, I read the first book, Knife Edge, too. She has now become another favorite author of mine. I can't say I completely enjoyed Knife Edge, but Small Bones is one of the favorite books I have read recently.

It's a very good example for a crime- thriller, so good that it can be made into a movie or a series as such. The book starts with the discovery of a human bone by a former pathologist. And enter Harvey and Birch to investigate the whole matter. What they don't understand is they are entering into a situation which appears to be completely over their head. They are forced to face too many hurdles on their way to find the truth.

I absolutely loved the way the relationship of Harvey and Birch has evolved. More than that, the mystery behind the bones and who was involved was very intriguing and it has been told in a very suspenseful manner. Most of the time, no one is sure what is true and what is false. And there are some very good twists thrown in too. All in all, it's the book to read if you are into police procedurals with intriguing elements and fairly good twists.

Thanks to Netgalley, author Kerry and the publisher for this ARC. All the opinions expressed in the review are my own and honest reviews given in exchange for the ARC.

This is the second book in the series, a great story line with credible characters. Once I started reading I didn't want to stop. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review

Wow! Blown away. Absolutely loved the plot, characters, twists and the in depth nature of this second book in the Harvey & Birch series. I hadn’t read the first so I was worried I wouldn’t understand but that absolutely doesn’t matter in the slightest and this is a standout standalone title in its own right. (Having said this, because this story was SO good, I’ll be searching out all I can from Kerry Buchanan and will read #1 ASAP!
Without giving away any plot or repeating the blurb you can view already, the story is set in present-day Northern Ireland and centres around a woman in her early 40’s, or more precisely the house that’s been in her family for generations. It has numerous flash back chapters to 30 years ago, and this is where I found the author excelled; sometimes flashback chapters and a story spanning many years can confuse me but this was just perfectly done. An unidentified body, missing people, corruption and never knowing who you can trust make this an excellent police procedural / crime thriller that fans of Line of Duty will certainly appreciate too. Best book I have read in a very long time! 5 stars

Second book in this series
Another brilliant read
Will have you hooked
Can’t wait for next in this series
Thanks NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

I thought this book sounded good so I jumped at the opportunity to read this book. The first few chapters weren’t really catching my interest and I was thinking oh well, everyone has a less than amazing book now and then. I then read the next chapter and wow, did the story ever kick into high gear and it didn’t stop until the end. So many twisty turns, I was on the edge of my seat. I devoured the last three quarters of the book in one sitting.

When Sue is digging an herb garden on her family property, she unearths what appears to be human remains, she is hesitant to go to police because the property had been in her family for many years and the thought the her grandfather or father had something to do with it scared her. She entrusts a friend of hers but ultimately the police become involved. Detective Asha Harvey is called in and right away I liked her. We find out that Sue’s mother disappeared when she was a young teen and Sue was worried that the body was hers. When Sue’s dementia ridden father has a stroke and quietly tells Sue that one of the police were involved she is scared but confesses the same to Asha who takes her seriously and keeps it between her and her partner. Her partner Aaron Birch and her have a great working relationship and as he and Asha got closer to the answers, both their lives and Sue’s life is in danger, but can they solve the crime and find out if one of their own is involved before the killer stops them.

Great book, definitely going to read the first book in this series and watch for more.

This is the first book that I have read of this series, however I was able to pick up the storyline and get used to the characters very quickly. Asha Harvey is the female detective, she is very driven and certainly a positive role model. Harvey works well with the male detective Aaron Birch who is the typical young laddish detective who seems to get into trouble (and get frequently injured). The plot is different to your usual detective novel, and is not predictable, Buchanan works hard to give the plot depth and to keep the attention of the reader without making it difficult to follow. I would certainly read more of the series, only negative the end but I won't give the game away.

Small Bones by Kerry Buchanan is the second in the new detective series starring Detectives Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch. and I loved it. I was hooked like I was the first book. This was a quick read with great characters that fitted in well with this latest book.
This book is based on Northern Ireland and its around Belfast. Sue Hearn the main character is excavating her grandfather William Hearn's defunct greenhouse to make a herb garden. Carrow Lodge has been in her family for decades, her father Michael still lives in this big old house and Sue is his carer. Sue gave up her job in a pathology lab to look after him. Her father has dementia, which is complicated by minor stokes.; Sue's mother Monica, had disappeared without trace almost 30 years previously whilst Sue was a teenager. This big house is becoming
dilapidated, but she's doing the best she can to maintain it on her own.

The book is told between the present day and 1992, when Sue's mother disappeared.

Whilst Sue is digging that earth for her new herb garden she unearths some small bone fragments and takes these small bones to her good friend at the pathology lab to double-check for her whether they are human bones?

OMG A theyher mother's bones?

Something bad has happened to her - who is involved? was her grandfather, or father, involved?

Or did Sue's mother just pack her bags and walk out on her husband and her daughter? But Why?

Sue really want to know the truth about where her mother has gone but is afraid of the truth..........What a Book!!!


Kerry has now become one of my favourite authors.......and I highly recommend this series of Books they are a fantastic read that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat!.

BIg thank you to Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Small Bones,