Tall Bones
- Downloads：4379
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-02 00:16:40
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Anna Bailey
- ISBN：0857527398
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
'A wonderfully haunting debut。 Small-town intrigue， exquisitely drawn。' JANE HARPER， author of The Dry and The Lost Man
'Irresistible， a compelling and nuanced psychological thriller suffused with small town prejudice and dark family secrets。' PAULA HAWKINS， author of The Girl on the Train
'An intricate and compelling thriller， beautifully nuanced and wonderfully claustrophobic。 Brilliant。' SJ WATSON， author of Before I Go to Sleep
When seventeen-year-old Emma leaves her best friend Abi at a party in the woods， she believes， like most girls her age， that their lives are just beginning。 Many things will happen that night， but Emma will never see her friend again。
Abi's disappearance cracks open the façade of the small town of Whistling Ridge， its intimate history of long-held grudges and resentment。 Even within Abi's family， there are questions to be asked - of Noah， the older brother whom Abi betrayed， of Jude， the shining younger sibling who hides his battle scars， of Dolly， her mother and Samuel， her father - both in thrall to the fire and brimstone preacher who holds the entire town in his grasp。 Then there is Rat， the outsider， whose presence in the town both unsettles and excites those around him。
Anything could happen in Whistling Ridge， this tinder box of small-town rage， and all it will take is just one spark - the truth of what really happened that night out at the Tall Bones。。。。
'Smart and compassionate， full of poetry and rage and shy hopes and shredded dreams and missing girls and family secrets and the dark， shameful underbelly of small town life。' TAMMY COHEN， author of Stop at Nothing
'Tall Bones brilliantly conjures up the oppressive claustrophobia of the small town。。。 Extremely well written。。。 fantastic。' HARRIET TYCE， author of Blood Orange
'A clever， twisting debut， about the dark side of small town America。 It is packed with secrets like firecrackers ready to ignite。' FRANCINE TOON， author of Pine
'Tall Bones is as brutal， as bittersweet， as tender and as tense as first love itself。' EMMA FLINT， author of Little Deaths
'Tall Bones is as atmospheric as it gets - a stunning debut that delivers on every level。' RENEE KNIGHT， author of Disclaimer
'Chilling and compulsive。 Tall Bones is a dazzling debut。' KATE HAMER， author of The Girl in the Red Coat
'Brilliant！ Could not put it down。 It's utterly gripping and beautifully written' KATIE FFORDE， author of A Springtime Affair
'A terrific debut about guilt， secrets and complex family dynamics。。。 Anna Bailey is definitely one to watch。' LUCY ATKINS， author of Magpie Lane
'Gripping and so beautifully written Tall Bones is spellbinding; dark and menacing， but also so full of love and hope。 I loved it。 I cried。' CRESSIDA McLAUGHLIN， author of The Cornish Cream Tea Christmas
'Irresistible， a compelling and nuanced psychological thriller suffused with small town prejudice and dark family secrets。' PAULA HAWKINS， author of The Girl on the Train
'An intricate and compelling thriller， beautifully nuanced and wonderfully claustrophobic。 Brilliant。' SJ WATSON， author of Before I Go to Sleep
When seventeen-year-old Emma leaves her best friend Abi at a party in the woods， she believes， like most girls her age， that their lives are just beginning。 Many things will happen that night， but Emma will never see her friend again。
Abi's disappearance cracks open the façade of the small town of Whistling Ridge， its intimate history of long-held grudges and resentment。 Even within Abi's family， there are questions to be asked - of Noah， the older brother whom Abi betrayed， of Jude， the shining younger sibling who hides his battle scars， of Dolly， her mother and Samuel， her father - both in thrall to the fire and brimstone preacher who holds the entire town in his grasp。 Then there is Rat， the outsider， whose presence in the town both unsettles and excites those around him。
Anything could happen in Whistling Ridge， this tinder box of small-town rage， and all it will take is just one spark - the truth of what really happened that night out at the Tall Bones。。。。
'Smart and compassionate， full of poetry and rage and shy hopes and shredded dreams and missing girls and family secrets and the dark， shameful underbelly of small town life。' TAMMY COHEN， author of Stop at Nothing
'Tall Bones brilliantly conjures up the oppressive claustrophobia of the small town。。。 Extremely well written。。。 fantastic。' HARRIET TYCE， author of Blood Orange
'A clever， twisting debut， about the dark side of small town America。 It is packed with secrets like firecrackers ready to ignite。' FRANCINE TOON， author of Pine
'Tall Bones is as brutal， as bittersweet， as tender and as tense as first love itself。' EMMA FLINT， author of Little Deaths
'Tall Bones is as atmospheric as it gets - a stunning debut that delivers on every level。' RENEE KNIGHT， author of Disclaimer
'Chilling and compulsive。 Tall Bones is a dazzling debut。' KATE HAMER， author of The Girl in the Red Coat
'Brilliant！ Could not put it down。 It's utterly gripping and beautifully written' KATIE FFORDE， author of A Springtime Affair
'A terrific debut about guilt， secrets and complex family dynamics。。。 Anna Bailey is definitely one to watch。' LUCY ATKINS， author of Magpie Lane
'Gripping and so beautifully written Tall Bones is spellbinding; dark and menacing， but also so full of love and hope。 I loved it。 I cried。' CRESSIDA McLAUGHLIN， author of The Cornish Cream Tea Christmas
Reviews
Annette
，
This was a dark and rather disturbing book。 It’s told in several timelines that I found very hard to follow。 It jumps back and forth so much and just felt real disjointed。 The idea of the book sounded really good and interesting but for me it didn’t turn out that way。 I’m sure there are others who will really like this bookThanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy
April Taylor
，
I liked the diversity in this book， along with the ending。 It had a series of good twists and turns， although the final one was pretty obvious。 It takes a lot for a thriller to really speak to me after having read so many。 Still， at 3-1/2 stars， Anna Bailey did a good job。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC。 This review contains my honest， unbiased opinion。
Mary McBride
，
Set in a small God fearing town in Colorado ， a teenage girl has disappeared。Her father was despicable and the known town drunk。 So she obviously deserved whatever happened to her coming from her white trash family。。。As the story and search unfolds， each character has their own secrets and possible connection to her disappearance。A good debut that was both haunting and disturbing。。Due in August。
Jo Wellard
，
In a small town in America， 17yr old Abigail goes missing。Her best friend Emma didn’t want to leave her in the woods to go off with a man but Abigail insisted。That was the last time Emma saw Abigail。 She sets out to find the truth and uncovers secrets being kept by some of the locals。 Can she feel me out the truth before more people get hurt？This novel is written in both the past and present tense， leading up to the girls disappearance and after it happened。I loved how this book was written and In a small town in America， 17yr old Abigail goes missing。Her best friend Emma didn’t want to leave her in the woods to go off with a man but Abigail insisted。That was the last time Emma saw Abigail。 She sets out to find the truth and uncovers secrets being kept by some of the locals。 Can she feel me out the truth before more people get hurt？This novel is written in both the past and present tense， leading up to the girls disappearance and after it happened。I loved how this book was written and the mysteries unravelling throughout that kept me hooked。A brilliant first novel 。。。more
Kim
，
This book tells the story of the disappearance of Abigail， a 17 year old high school student。 She disappears after a party and walking away from her best friend， Emma。 The story that results is about what happened in this family and this small Colorado town。 I would not classify this as much of a mystery as a family/town drama。 This book is full of absolutely horrible people。 Every type of terrible person you can think of （abusive， racist， homophobic， religious zealot） was in this book。 There we This book tells the story of the disappearance of Abigail， a 17 year old high school student。 She disappears after a party and walking away from her best friend， Emma。 The story that results is about what happened in this family and this small Colorado town。 I would not classify this as much of a mystery as a family/town drama。 This book is full of absolutely horrible people。 Every type of terrible person you can think of （abusive， racist， homophobic， religious zealot） was in this book。 There were times when I was reading this that I just had to stop and take a break because it was so heavy。 There were maybe 2-3 people that I liked even a little bit。 Overall， though， this was a well told story。 I did want to keep reading to find out what happened。 A good debut from this author。 Thank you to Atria Books， Anna Bailey and Net Galley for the complimentary digital ARC of this novel。 。。。more
Kimberley Hollier
，
This was a pretty good read。 It's great doll's husband gets a well deserved present of his wife。 It would of been nice for her to find out her daughter not dead but still the book was alight This was a pretty good read。 It's great doll's husband gets a well deserved present of his wife。 It would of been nice for her to find out her daughter not dead but still the book was alight 。。。more
Tamari
，
I really loved the Twin Peaks vibe Tall Bones gave， the story was super interesting and well written， I really enjoyed reading this book！
Kimba Tichenor
，
The disappearance of a teenage girl exposes the racism， misogyny， homophobia， and abuse that informs relationship between family， friends， and acquaintances in this small town in Montana。 Given this basic plot line is hardly new， I was expecting the author to devote substantial space to creating a strong sense of place， time， and regional culture。 But this expectation is never realized， and so this small Montana town could be anywhere in America。 At least for me， the result is a predictable stor The disappearance of a teenage girl exposes the racism， misogyny， homophobia， and abuse that informs relationship between family， friends， and acquaintances in this small town in Montana。 Given this basic plot line is hardly new， I was expecting the author to devote substantial space to creating a strong sense of place， time， and regional culture。 But this expectation is never realized， and so this small Montana town could be anywhere in America。 At least for me， the result is a predictable story populated by characters that are no more than shallow， stereotypic caricatures: the Bible-thumping， hell-fire-and-brimstone preacher; the drunken， wife-beating， trailer-trash father， the sensitive and angry closeted son， and so on。 For this reason， I cannot recommend this book。I would like to thank the publisher， NetGalley and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair review。 。。。more
Dominique "Eerie" Sobieska
，
Any crime/ mystery book that keeps me hooked， reading the entire novel in less than two days is an automatic 5 stars in my opinion。 Religious zealots run amok， witch hunting those outside their beliefs and community in a town where everyone has a secret， even the missing girl。 Anne Bailey's debut blew me over the moon， depicting the human state of mind in an town outdated and set back in old ways and where religion reigns over anyone and outcasts or outsiders must be punished， cured and even wor Any crime/ mystery book that keeps me hooked， reading the entire novel in less than two days is an automatic 5 stars in my opinion。 Religious zealots run amok， witch hunting those outside their beliefs and community in a town where everyone has a secret， even the missing girl。 Anne Bailey's debut blew me over the moon， depicting the human state of mind in an town outdated and set back in old ways and where religion reigns over anyone and outcasts or outsiders must be punished， cured and even worse。 Tall Bones depicts discrimination， racism， abuse mental， physical and psychological， politics and religion as well as family relationships and one's status in a community。 Bailey's has put herself on the map for me， and I hope her future releases will be as well written allowing myself to be absorbed once more in her narratives。 。。。more
Sam Whitehouse
，
Hmmm。。。 this is a tough one to review。 I liked it。 I didn't love it。 But I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't love it。 The writing is great （if a little overwrought at times）， the characters are well drawn （if a little cliche at times）， the mystery is intriguing （if ultimately anticlimactic and unoriginal）。。。 and maybe that's why I didn't love it。 All those ifs。 Tall Bones reads like so many other crime novels that it offered too few surprises to make me love it。 That said， this is a comp Hmmm。。。 this is a tough one to review。 I liked it。 I didn't love it。 But I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't love it。 The writing is great （if a little overwrought at times）， the characters are well drawn （if a little cliche at times）， the mystery is intriguing （if ultimately anticlimactic and unoriginal）。。。 and maybe that's why I didn't love it。 All those ifs。 Tall Bones reads like so many other crime novels that it offered too few surprises to make me love it。 That said， this is a compulsively readable slow burn mystery about a small town and its many （many many many！） secrets。Recommended。 。。。more
Kristina
，
One of the best books I have ever read！edit: Where the Truth Lies （or Tall Bones in the UK） is one of those books that I probably wouldn’t have picked up usually。 I was actually sent the UK book edition from Goldsboro monthly book club。 This book was probably one of the best books I have ever read。 The setting， the writing， the story and the characters were EVERYTHING。 I honestly loved everything about this book。 I read it slowly so I could savor every single word。 I didn’t want it to end， but y One of the best books I have ever read！edit: Where the Truth Lies （or Tall Bones in the UK） is one of those books that I probably wouldn’t have picked up usually。 I was actually sent the UK book edition from Goldsboro monthly book club。 This book was probably one of the best books I have ever read。 The setting， the writing， the story and the characters were EVERYTHING。 I honestly loved everything about this book。 I read it slowly so I could savor every single word。 I didn’t want it to end， but yet I did because I needed to know what was going to happen to these characters that I had fallen in love with。 This book was everything I didn’t know I needed。 I highly recommend this one。 。。。more
Donna
，
A haunting dark novel that guts you emotionally。 A novel set in small town American， a missing girl， an outsider， and age old prejudices all come together to keep you guessing until the very end。 Definitely pulled me in。
Jillian
，
Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for the egalley in exchange for an honest review。 Also thanks to Atria and Goodreads for the ARC copy giveaway prize。 Unfortunately this was a DNF for me at around 15%。 I couldn’t get into the story and there were too many slurs， stereotypes and racist remarks to try to stick around。
un_libro_de_viaggio
，
3。75🌟🌟🌟🌠When I started to read this book I wasn't sure what to think about it but after 80 pages the story captivated me making me curious of what would happen next。 However， I think the book should have come with wornings about triggers。 In the story you will find brutal child abuse， domestic violence， racism， sexual assault， rape， incest and homophobic attitude。 Also， the story is quite dark。 I can't say I enjoyed every single page。 It is well written but it is disturbing。 3。75🌟🌟🌟🌠When I started to read this book I wasn't sure what to think about it but after 80 pages the story captivated me making me curious of what would happen next。 However， I think the book should have come with wornings about triggers。 In the story you will find brutal child abuse， domestic violence， racism， sexual assault， rape， incest and homophobic attitude。 Also， the story is quite dark。 I can't say I enjoyed every single page。 It is well written but it is disturbing。 。。。more
Kirstie Cooper
，
I have been struggling to read over the last couple of weeks- everyone I try to read I end up checking my phone， or falling asleep。As much as I enjoyed this book， it wasn't what I would call fast paced so I struggled with picking this up to continue it。BUT I did actually enjoy this book， and it follows the story of life in a small town， and in particular focus's on one main family， after their daughter Abigail goes missing。 It also has an underlying storyline which focuses on homophobia and raci I have been struggling to read over the last couple of weeks- everyone I try to read I end up checking my phone， or falling asleep。As much as I enjoyed this book， it wasn't what I would call fast paced so I struggled with picking this up to continue it。BUT I did actually enjoy this book， and it follows the story of life in a small town， and in particular focus's on one main family， after their daughter Abigail goes missing。 It also has an underlying storyline which focuses on homophobia and racism， which is something I am very passionate about， so reading how people were treated was awful！Good solid book， just took a bit of perseverance with it。 。。。more
Andrea
，
Everyone has secrets but some families have secrets so disturbing and in such quantities that the members of the family don’t even know each other。 Sometimes a small town is so dysfunctional， the residents just look the other way when faced with the evidence of hate。 That is the town in which Emma and Abigail live。 Abigail’s family exist in their relationship which is controlled by her father and endured by their mother。 The community sees things are very wrong and pass judgment at a distance。 E Everyone has secrets but some families have secrets so disturbing and in such quantities that the members of the family don’t even know each other。 Sometimes a small town is so dysfunctional， the residents just look the other way when faced with the evidence of hate。 That is the town in which Emma and Abigail live。 Abigail’s family exist in their relationship which is controlled by her father and endured by their mother。 The community sees things are very wrong and pass judgment at a distance。 Emma will always be an outsider because she isn’t 100% white。 But other families have secrets too。 Who can be trusted？ Who is a friend？ And what happened to Abigail that night in the woods？ This is a good， fairly fast read but heavy and harsh。 The author does a great job of keeping you guessing about what is really going on with the people in this town。 There are topics covered that will not appeal to everyone （I。e。， certain acts in the name of Christianity and some mocking Christian rituals; acts of racism， abuse， rape and homophobia） but the story cast a light on how people treat each other horribly and justify themselves in doing so。 It also shows people can be truly kind though there is not an abundance of kindness in this town。 。。。more
Carolyn Drake
，
A cracking， pacy mystery set in a small Texas town， where every character has a secret。 A teenage girl goes missing， and her best friend blames herself for leaving her。 Author Bailey teases out the story expertly， with a real sense of place， and some dark and dangerous small town undercurrents that burst out and wreak real havoc。 After a few days of being unable to read， I devoured this in a couple of sittings。
Demelda Penkitty
，
When seventeen-year-old Emma leaves her best friend Abi at a party in the woods， she believes， like most girls her age， that their lives are just beginning。 Many things will happen that night， but Emma will never see her friend again。Abi's disappearance cracks open the façade of the small town of Whistling Ridge， its intimate history of long-held grudges and resentment。 Even within Abi's family， there are questions to be asked - of Noah， the older brother whom Abi betrayed， of Jude， the shining When seventeen-year-old Emma leaves her best friend Abi at a party in the woods， she believes， like most girls her age， that their lives are just beginning。 Many things will happen that night， but Emma will never see her friend again。Abi's disappearance cracks open the façade of the small town of Whistling Ridge， its intimate history of long-held grudges and resentment。 Even within Abi's family， there are questions to be asked - of Noah， the older brother whom Abi betrayed， of Jude， the shining younger sibling who hides his battle scars， of Dolly， her mother and Samuel， her father - both in thrall to the fire and brimstone preacher who holds the entire town in his grasp。 Then there is Rat， the outsider， whose presence in the town both unsettles and excites those around him。Anything could happen in Whistling Ridge， this tinder box of small-town rage， and all it will take is just one spark - the truth of what really happened that night out at the Tall Bones。。。。Tall Bones or Where The Truth Lies in the USA portrays the complexities of small-town politics， racism， family relationships， and religion through the story of a missing seventeen-year-old girl， Abi。 On top of the beautiful writing is an excellently plotted story with characters that are so well drawn it almost feels like watching a film。Anna Bailey creates a cast of fully realised characters and enmeshes them in a mesmerising story。 A dark and compulsive literary crime-drama about love， guilt， trauma， intolerance。 The bigotry of the small town of Whistling Ridge - the rampant racism， misogyny and homophobia， with Old Testament-style religion used as a justification for hatred and violence - is forensically laid out here by the author， and it’s compellingly horrible to see， with some truly shocking moments。 All of the characters are complex， you cannot separate your hatred into any one person， you empathise and hurt and feel alongside them。 With themes that are unsettling and upsetting at times， it’s also a book about being able to make a stand even if you think it’s too late to do that and that sometimes all it takes is one word or even one action to fight back。 This is a good read， not fast paced but hypnotic in its pace。 The book moves just like a reflection of the pace of the small town。 It is an atmospheric and claustrophobic read， a great debut novel。 I am sure we will be seeing a lot more of Anna Bailey in the future。 。。。more
Amy Imogene Reads
，
This sounds incredibly atmospheric and compelling。。。Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review。
vicki honeyman
，
Sad， unbelievably sad， who-dun-it， but a page-turner that I was so drawn in to， I read it straight through in one sitting （it helps that I have a hard time sleeping。） We learn at the very start about the beautiful red-head teenage Abigail going missing and we assume she's not coming back — from the dead or wherever she ran off to。 Our reading time is spent suffering the racist， homophobic， misogynist， abusive， and out-right despicable bible-thumping residents， who go back generations， of Whistli Sad， unbelievably sad， who-dun-it， but a page-turner that I was so drawn in to， I read it straight through in one sitting （it helps that I have a hard time sleeping。） We learn at the very start about the beautiful red-head teenage Abigail going missing and we assume she's not coming back — from the dead or wherever she ran off to。 Our reading time is spent suffering the racist， homophobic， misogynist， abusive， and out-right despicable bible-thumping residents， who go back generations， of Whistling Ridge， a small town near Estes Park， Colorado。 The kids party， the poverty is deep， and the line between good and evil is strong， especially when all the town's secrets are revealed。 I won't give the ending away， but justice does prevail， after lots of spilt blood and spewed wicked anger。 。。。more
Jessica
，
TWs for mental/physical abuse and rape。2。5 stars rounded up。 Told almost in the vein of Twin Peaks-small town girl Abigail Blake goes mysteriously missing as secrets about her， her life， her family， and the town they live in come to light， all while trying to unveil what happened to her。 The writing was compelling but the idea that a Samuel Blake could ravage a small town for decades like that with little to no consequences is difficult to believe。 I understand the idea of towns where men with p TWs for mental/physical abuse and rape。2。5 stars rounded up。 Told almost in the vein of Twin Peaks-small town girl Abigail Blake goes mysteriously missing as secrets about her， her life， her family， and the town they live in come to light， all while trying to unveil what happened to her。 The writing was compelling but the idea that a Samuel Blake could ravage a small town for decades like that with little to no consequences is difficult to believe。 I understand the idea of towns where men with power （Jerry Maddox） or of high esteem （Pastor Lewis） get the benefit to live unchecked by law enforcement。 But an abusive alcoholic mill worker that wasn't even born and brought up in said small town？ I guess I just had a hard time believing that this could ever happen。 （view spoiler）[I also found myself disappointed in Melissa。 You're going to let a tiny town of racists chase away your husband？ That's why you let him leave you？ Not because he was horrible or because you didn't love him。 But because you had a job。 So， ya know， just let him run off to save his life but you'll stay behind at a tiny clinic in a rinky-dink town。。。also not believable！ （hide spoiler）]I also was somewhat disappointed by the book's conclusion。 Decent premise overall， but not my favorite mystery/thriller out there。 。。。more
Carol Dass
，
Emma is filled with guilt at the disappearance of her friend Abigail。 Emma left Abigail at the edge of the woods where it seemed Abigail was to meet a boy。 Emma is determined to investigate the disappearance which dredges up many secrets。I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。
Sarah Faichney
，
"Tall Bones" is a dark， atmospheric book set in the eerie fictional town of Whistling Ridge in Colorado。 The residents are God-fearing and Preacher Lewis is only too happy to keep them all in line。 Anna Bailey's characters are extremely well-drawn。 I particularly enjoyed the descriptive "drawstring lips"。 "Tall Bones" is a melting pot of small-town fury， secrets behind closed doors， religious fervour， homophobia and racism。 Bailey also shows us the devastating combination of poor nurturing in ch "Tall Bones" is a dark， atmospheric book set in the eerie fictional town of Whistling Ridge in Colorado。 The residents are God-fearing and Preacher Lewis is only too happy to keep them all in line。 Anna Bailey's characters are extremely well-drawn。 I particularly enjoyed the descriptive "drawstring lips"。 "Tall Bones" is a melting pot of small-town fury， secrets behind closed doors， religious fervour， homophobia and racism。 Bailey also shows us the devastating combination of poor nurturing in childhood and PTSD。 I was enveloped by the story from the outset and struggled to put it down。 A great read！ 。。。more
Amy
，
Meet the people of Whistling Ridge， Colorado。。。 you have everything here and I am talking about bigots， homophobes， racists， religious fanatics， and possibly a murderer？Abigail Blake goes missing， was it foul play or did she "escape" before she was stuck。 No one would blame Abigail for running away， especially with a father like hers。 Samuel Blake seems to be mad at everyone and his wife， Dolly walks on egg shells， as do their other children Noah & Jude。 Abigail's best friend Emma wants to know Meet the people of Whistling Ridge， Colorado。。。 you have everything here and I am talking about bigots， homophobes， racists， religious fanatics， and possibly a murderer？Abigail Blake goes missing， was it foul play or did she "escape" before she was stuck。 No one would blame Abigail for running away， especially with a father like hers。 Samuel Blake seems to be mad at everyone and his wife， Dolly walks on egg shells， as do their other children Noah & Jude。 Abigail's best friend Emma wants to know the truth about Abigail， but her own mother hasn't been honest with her either。 Abigail's disappearance ignites a fuse in this small town that has people on edge and when police begin to uncover evidence that makes people believe she was the victim of a crime， things go from bad to worse。 I enjoyed this book， it was a real page turner that pulled me right in to the very end。 It is a timely story of how hatred can spread like the light of a match and how things can be easily misconstrued。 。。。more
PamG
，
Anna Bailey’s debut novel Where the Truth Lies brings readers a dark， disturbing， emotional， and atmospheric crime novel set in small town Whistling Ridge， Colorado。 A teenaged girl， Abigail Blake， disappears after leaving a party and going into the woods。 She had come to the party with her friend Emma Alvarez who feels guilty for not waiting on her friend and commits to finding out what really happened to Emma。 Did she meet someone; and if so， who？ Most， including the police， believe she ra Anna Bailey’s debut novel Where the Truth Lies brings readers a dark， disturbing， emotional， and atmospheric crime novel set in small town Whistling Ridge， Colorado。 A teenaged girl， Abigail Blake， disappears after leaving a party and going into the woods。 She had come to the party with her friend Emma Alvarez who feels guilty for not waiting on her friend and commits to finding out what really happened to Emma。 Did she meet someone; and if so， who？ Most， including the police， believe she ran away from home。 But is that what really happened？Many characters in this novel are nasty， spiteful， obnoxious， malicious， and mean-spirited， and that is describing them mildly。 They seemed very real and it is daunting to imagine a town that contains this many vile characters。 However， there are a few characters that stand out positively from the rest。 One is Abigail’s younger brother， Jude。 Another is Emma。 Despite her problems， she is trying to do the right thing。 The third was Rat， a Romanian living in an RV。 While he had some problems， he basically wants to help Emma。The plot is quite dark and contains several twists that are interwoven well。 The author does a great job of world-building。 I was able to easily visualize the setting。 The small town atmosphere came through， but not the positive atmosphere often seen in novels。 This one is full of secrets， alcoholism， racism， and a charismatic pastor that advocates violence and intolerance。 Add to this drugs， rage， domestic violence， child abuse， self-blame， cruelty， narrow-mindedness， inexcusably bad parenting， gossip， lies， maliciousness， bullying， and much more。 What do you get？ A suspenseful and emotional novel that pulls a reader in and keeps one looking for something hopeful in Whistling Ridge。 My one quibble was with the frequent shift of perspective from character to character and back and forth in time which broke up the natural flow of the novel。Overall， this book was a study of many characters and group dynamics that was intense， compelling， thought-provoking， and impactful。 What will Emma find out as she digs into Abigail’s disappearance and learns that Abi had her own secrets？ Will she solve the puzzle of her friend’s disappearance？ I will not forget this book or its characters for a long time， if ever。 It is not an easy book to read， but it is important to understand that attitudes and behaviors such as those shown in this story line exist。Atria Books and Anna Bailey provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley。 This is my honest review。 Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way。 Publication date is currently set for August 3， 2021。 This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine。 。。。more
Kirsten Mackie
，
3。5 rounded to 4*
Adibah Hakim
，
<>Trigger ⚠️: Abuse， Racism， and PTSD。Tall Bones is beautifully written as a psychological drama in a small town where everyone's secret starts to float to the surfaces during a tragedy of a missing girl。 Abigail Blake goes into the woods one night and never comes out。 For this book， I think the setting is already good。 A small town。 Who could know what are lies beneath the town？ Every character that pops up carries a secret and lies been told。 Some of them are very likable and some of them are <>Trigger ⚠️: Abuse， Racism， and PTSD。Tall Bones is beautifully written as a psychological drama in a small town where everyone's secret starts to float to the surfaces during a tragedy of a missing girl。 Abigail Blake goes into the woods one night and never comes out。 For this book， I think the setting is already good。 A small town。 Who could know what are lies beneath the town？ Every character that pops up carries a secret and lies been told。 Some of them are very likable and some of them are not。 The family relationships in this book are so messed up， and I feel bad for Jude。 He has witnessed terrible horrors that he shouldn't。 Is it so hard to care about others？ They are so selfish and racist。 Tall Bones is not a light read。 This book is a heavy read。 Some of the stories are difficult and may cause an uncomfortable feeling for some people。 I took a long time to finish this because it's too depressing。 Despite that， I feel very awkward with the POV changes in every chapter。 Tall Bones is told in "Then" and "Now" and sometimes it's switching in the middle of a chapter which confuses me sometimes。Tall Bones may be about a missing girl， and you shouldn't judge by that because this book portrayed abuse， difficult relationships within the family， religion， and violence。 If you like to lend yourself to a darker side， you might wanna read this book。 Thank you @putrifariza and @times。reads for this copy🥰Personal rating : 3/5🌟 。。。more
Kathryn Kole
，
It is a good read and well worth it。 I love the plot line and how deep it goes。 I love the introduction to love in a mystery book。
Creative
，
Stupid failure of a novel。 I hate it when a book get hyped up by the media and it turned out to be a waste of the paper， time and money spent on it。
Kerry Beth
，
I won an ARC of this novel in a Goodreads Giveaway。 Thank you！ Set in the small town of Whistling Ridge， Colorado， this novel tells the story of how the residents react when their safe status quo is threatened， largely at the instigation of the local church leader and a local business mogul who employs much of the town。 Anna Bailey has a unique voice， sprinkling in enough foreshadowing to keep reminding you how much you don’t know and weaving in more threads of possibility。 While the ending isn’ I won an ARC of this novel in a Goodreads Giveaway。 Thank you！ Set in the small town of Whistling Ridge， Colorado， this novel tells the story of how the residents react when their safe status quo is threatened， largely at the instigation of the local church leader and a local business mogul who employs much of the town。 Anna Bailey has a unique voice， sprinkling in enough foreshadowing to keep reminding you how much you don’t know and weaving in more threads of possibility。 While the ending isn’t tied neatly up in a bow， I also appreciate the glimpses of the future shared， almost like a movie montage might be。 So， where do the lies， the closed eyes， end， and the truth begin？Well written， and certainly a page turner - it kept me guessing til the end。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Tall Bones
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Tall Bones&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Tall Bones&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0