BONEYARD the best book I read in a long time

I would have to say that Boneyard by Michelle Gagnon was one of the best books I read in 2012.

A mass grave site is unearthed on part of the Appalachian trail along the border of two states putting FBI Special Agent Kelly Jones at the head of the investigation. :She has to juggle the clashing personalities of two police forces while trying to steer things in the right direction. One serial killer becomes two, relationships blossom, secrets that challenge everything are kept, and rivalries spark. More bodies show up and the hunt is on – for more than one person.

I was looking through the shelves of a used bookstore and saw the title, BONEYARD, in white/grey letters, looking like they were cut from bone, on a red background. I pulled it out and flipped to the back. There were cigarette burn marks on the back that I, at first, thought they may have been there on purpose. I figured they must have been there by accident, but after reading the torture inside the pages I am not so sure. I ought it, took it home, and put it on my shelf. For a couple of months I kept looking at that title every time I walked by, Boneyard. I picked it up, flipped to the prologue, and was totally thrown into a twist right there in the first 6 pages.

The book bounces around from the point of view of agent Jones to Lt. Boyd who has his own skeletons in his closet, to the serial killer who’s been killing for over a decade, to Dwight who you aren’t sure whether he envies the killer or is out to get him, but this is done almost seamlessly. It has a smooth progression with enough clues for the reader to figure things out and a lot of surprises.

The ending for me is the final judgement. Michelle Gagnon ends her novel with enough to make you feel satisfied, but it also makes you long to come back for more.

There are a couple of typos. I just mention this because it makes and Indie Author like myself smile to see a handful of typos come in a traditionally published novel. (my favorite was “…one of his rubs punctured his right lung.”) But those in no way take away from the story.

I would gladly read Boneyard again.

5 out of 5 Stars