I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Twisted Bones by Helen Phifer Also by this author: Last Light, One Left Alive, The Killer's Girl , The Hiding Place
Series: Detective Morgan Brookes #15
Also in this series: One Left Alive, The Killer's Girl , The Hiding Place , First Girl to Die
Published by Bookouture on 21st May 2025
Genres: Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Pages: 313
Format: eARC
Source: from Netgalley
Goodreads
Amazon Kindle
Moonlight shines over the cottage by the river, casting a shadow over the frozen water. Silk fabric rustles in the reeds, moving ever so slightly to reveal five thin bones…
When Detective Morgan Brookes is urgently called to her Aunt Ettie’s cottage, hidden in Covel Woods, she rushes to the scene. Panicked Ettie is shaken having discovered the chilling remains of a woman in the river, one skeletal hand reaching out from the deep water.
The unknown woman was dressed to walk the rugged trails of the Lake District, so Morgan’s team assume she fell in the water and was taken by the current. But thin diagonal bruises on her neck suggest something far more sinister. A faded red rose tattoo helps Morgan identify her as a homeless woman named Martha who went missing seven years ago, and Morgan is horrified to discover Martha stole nappies and baby formula just before she disappeared. Did she have a child? Where is the poor baby now?
Desperately searching through cold case files, Morgan discovers that schoolteacher Aria Burns went missing from the same busy area. But her horror quickly turns to hope when she sees the autopsy results from Martha’s frozen remains. She was killed recently; if Aria was taken by the same killer, she could still be alive.
Morgan is certain a twisted individual is stalking Rydal Falls, and Martha’s body was dumped to signal the beginning of his cruel game. But just as she finds a clear suspect in a visitor with links to the area where Martha and Aria went missing, another body surfaces. Can she uncover the truth about Martha, and find Aria alive? Or is she already too late?
Fans of Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh and Rachel McLean will hold their breath as they read this addictive and utterly unputdownable crime thriller.
Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley and for letting me take part in this tour. This is the fifteenth book in the Morgan Brookes series. This book picks up not long after the previous one but could be read as a standalone.
Morgan Brookes never gets a break. The poor girl picks up case after case. She begins this book at a spa day that soon gets disturbed. This latest case is just as gruesome and gritty as the rest of the series. Morgan as usual is determined and will not rest until the killer is found.
This story was gripping, from the beginning to the end. I was on the edge of my seat in suspense. Helen kept me engaged and desperate to get to the end. Another great addition to this series.
About Helen Phifer
Helen Phifer lives in a small town called Barrow-in-Furness with her husband and five children.
Helen has always loved writing and reading. Her love of horror films and novels is legendary. Helen adores reading books which make the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Unable to find enough scary stories to read she decided to write her own.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2025 Netgalley Challenge
- 2025 Reading Challenge
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