Book Synopsis:
It’s Christmas 1845 and Haworth is in the grip of a freezing winter.
Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë are rather losing interest in detecting until they hear of a shocking discovery: the bones of a child have been found interred within the walls of a local house, Top Withens Hall, home to the scandalous and brutish Bradshaw family.
When the sisters set off to find out more, they are confronted with an increasingly complex and sinister case, which leads them into the dark world of orphanages, and onto the trail of other lost, and likely murdered children. After another local boy goes missing, Charlotte, Emily and Anne vow to find him before it’s too late.
But in order to do so, they must face their most despicable and wicked adversary yet – one that would not hesitate to cause them the gravest of harm. . .
The Diabolical Bones is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below or by ordering your local indie bookstore.
My Review:
I was a huge fan of the first book in this series so I was incredibly excited to read the next installment. Once again the author has written an intriguing and absorbing read which will be great to curl up with on a cold night.
Firstly I know from social media that this author is a huge fan of the Brontë Sisters and this is very much in evidence throughout this book. I love that each sister has been given their own personality which makes them seem very realistic. They are all so different to each other and they all bringing different skills to the investigation which I thought was very clever.
The actual investigation was very interesting and I enjoyed trying to solve the case alongside the sisters. I’m a huge fan of big old houses hiding lots of secrets so this book instantly appears to me. The plot unfolds at a great pace and I liked that all the discoveries seemed natural rather than forced.
The author manages to set the scene in this novel perfectly and I loved all the bleak descriptions of the famous moors. Some of the Victorian attitudes about class, sex, religion and politics were also included into the plot too making me feel transported to Victorian Britain. It was quite sad to see these attitudes at times and I often felt quite emotional whilst reading.
Overall I really enjoyed this well written, fun and intriguing book. It was fantastic to follow the Brontë Sisters on their investigation and I now can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Huge thanks to Steven from Hodder books for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour. More Brontë Mysteries please!
About The Author:
Bella Ellis is the Brontë-inspired pen name for the award winning, Sunday Times bestselling author Rowan Coleman. A Brontë devotee for most of her life, Rowan is the author of fourteen novels including The Memory Book, The Summer of Impossible Things and The Girl at the Window.
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