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The Bone House

by Brian Freeman (Goodreads Author)

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 1,217 ratings · 179 reviews

Hilary and Mark Bradley are trapped in a web of suspicion. Last year, accusations of a torrid affair with a student cost Mark his teaching job and made the young couple into outcasts in their remote island town off the Lake Michigan coast. Now another teenage girl is found dead on a deserted beach. . . and once again, Mark faces a hostile town convinced of his guilt.

Hilary...more

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published March 29th 2011 by Minotaur Books (first published March 1st 2011)

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Mar 14, 2013 Fmilt rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book has so many people doing so many things that no one with a lick of common sense would do that it ruins the book for me. If you can suspend disbelief, the book is well written and could be enjoyed. However there are so many instances in the book where supposedly very bright and able people exhibit no common sense that it insults the reader's intelligence if they take the time to think about it. Big spoiler alert, but this major plot turn just blew my mind and spoiled the book.

This is o...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Matt Schiariti rated it 5 of 5 stars

Life in a small town...

....and as can be expected in a Brian Freeman novel, this small town isn't without its twisted and dark secrets.

The novel starts off in Naples Florida where Mark and Hilary Bradley are at a hotel for a dance tournament, Hilary teaching dance as well as Math at their local school. Mark was also a teacher for some time after being a professional golfer, but his story doesn't start in Naples...it just happens to follow him there.

A year prior to the opening of the book Mark wa...more Life in a small town...

....and as can be expected in a Brian Freeman novel, this small town isn't without its twisted and dark secrets.

The novel starts off in Naples Florida where Mark and Hilary Bradley are at a hotel for a dance tournament, Hilary teaching dance as well as Math at their local school. Mark was also a teacher for some time after being a professional golfer, but his story doesn't start in Naples...it just happens to follow him there.

A year prior to the opening of the book Mark was accused of having an affair with one of his students, Tresa Fischer. Mark Vehemently denied as did Tresa but it didn't matter. Mark and Hilary weren't originally from Door County Wisconsin where they currently reside, they're implants from Chicago. Not 'native'. Strangers. Outcasts. Never truly accepted by the quiet little lake front down. As a result it didn't matter if Tresa brought charges against Mark. The Bradley's status as 'not native' made him guilty on the spot. Tresa's mother wanted his head and as a result Mark lost his teaching career which he was in love with.

Fast forward to the present where something untoward happens to Glory Fischer, Tresa's younger sister. Misfortune befalls Glory. Mark happens to be there. Stranger. Predator. News travels to the small town and the locals find Mark guilty as quickly as one would bat an eyelash. The Bradleys are hated now more than ever. Little do all the players know how tragic the Fisher family story truly is and just how many lives it has touched...and will touch as the story progresses. A small town. Dark secrets.

Enter Cab Bolton. Naples resident and detective on the case. He's also an outcast. A fortunate son from California, he doesn't have to do police work. He doesn't have to do anything, but he does it for the challenge. He's also a stranger to people but it's by a distance he puts in place of his own desire not to get close. His story is also dark and follows him wherever he goes, even to the remoteness of Door County Wisconsin when the case ultimately leads him into the Bradleys back yards.

This book is fantastic. I'm a really big fan of Freeman's Stride series and I was hoping when I read this that he could bring the same style and magic to this new set of characters as to those we've been accustomed to reading for a number of years now. Mission accomplished. Fantastic story with twists and revelations that keep coming at a great pace, spot on dialogue and a setting that's almost a character in and of itself.

Freeman is one of my favorites and one of the best thriller writers I've read to date. If you're not reading Freeman, you should be. (less)

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Sep 01, 2012 Chris Hamilton rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love Brian Freeman's Stride series and when I listened to Spilled Blood on CD, I liked that, as well. I read the Bone House because when I find an author I like, I tend to finish everything by that author. But I wasn't really excited to start it. When I finished, I was glad I'd picked it.

The story builds a pretty solid case against the protagonist, Mark Bradley. He's already been convicted of having sex with Tresa Fischer--at least in the eyes of his employers, the school board, if not in a co...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Lucy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 20, 2012 Fran rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Bone House
Author: Brian Freeman

Acts of kindness are meant to help others. But, when Glory Fischer enters the garage with her special package in hand, finding her friend and hoping to provide protection not only for the kitten she so wants to protect but hope to keep him safe from harm. Mr. Bone keeps the key under the window ledge of the garage. The night is hot, the heat is unbearable and the garage not a place anyone should be. A pickup truck with a filthy covering and a wooden ladder are...more

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Jan 29, 2012 Barbi rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm a big fan of Brian Freeman's novels featuring Lieutenant Jonathan Stride (and Serena Dial). I enjoy Brian's writing style and appreciate that he works hard to give his readers imaginative plots, terrific pacing, and pitch-perfect dialogue. I was hoping that "The Bone House," Brian's new stand-alone novel, would match the brilliance of his Jonathan Stride series. Unfortunately, this book misses the mark somewhat.

Feeling no immediate connection with the cast of characters (or the plot for tha...more I'm a big fan of Brian Freeman's novels featuring Lieutenant Jonathan Stride (and Serena Dial). I enjoy Brian's writing style and appreciate that he works hard to give his readers imaginative plots, terrific pacing, and pitch-perfect dialogue. I was hoping that "The Bone House," Brian's new stand-alone novel, would match the brilliance of his Jonathan Stride series. Unfortunately, this book misses the mark somewhat.

Feeling no immediate connection with the cast of characters (or the plot for that matter), I found it was difficult to sink into "The Bone House." The protagonists, Hilary and Mark Bradley, were particularly (and peculiarly) unsympathetic. By the end of the book, I liked them only marginally better than I did in the beginning. Unlike intense, charismatic, driven Lieutenant Stride, Florida Detective Cab Bolton was interesting, but one-dimensional. Brian painted Cab without nuance. The broad strokes used to describe Cab (son of a famous actress, FBI agent betrayed by his lover, Hollywood good looks) only gave us a small glimpse of what is potentially a good character. I do hope that if Cab returns, Brian will introduce him to us more fully. The residents of Door County, Wisconsin were depicted as small-minded, small town hicks - although I haven't met anyone from Door County, that seems a bit harsh. (Maybe Brian knows something that I don't.) The assorted teenagers were too precocious for my taste, and no one in the book seems to have a lick of commonsense.

But, knowing that Brian can be relied upon to tell a good story, I kept reading. The characters never developed to an extent that I truly cared about them. Although I enjoyed the many twists, turns and red herrings of the novel, I was always fully aware that I was being led by the author. Rather than feeling that wonderful (and satisfying) jolt when the identity of the bad guy is finally revealed, instead I felt manipulated by the final implausible turn.

My impression was that the objective of this book was to convince readers just how great strong women are (specifically Hilary and, to an extent, Lala). At this point in history, I am shocked that anyone still needs to be convinced of this self-evident truth. In fact, all that protesting on behalf of strong women was slightly insulting. (But that might just be the strong woman inside me talking.)

In my opinion, the author's Jonathan Stride series gets a well-deserved A+ rating. I'm afraid I can't give "The Bone House" more than a B- rating. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, but it could have been so much better.
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Jul 05, 2011 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars

For me, this book read more like a travelogue then a suspenseful murder mystery. The way Brian Freeman describes the nuance of Door County, Wisconsin, I found myself Googling the area instead of paying close attention to the story at hand. I do not know if this was his intention, but I think I can describe the area better than I can the plot and outcome of this book. Which might be a better thing since the atmosphere is much better than the storyline.

There are many characters introduced in this...more For me, this book read more like a travelogue then a suspenseful murder mystery. The way Brian Freeman describes the nuance of Door County, Wisconsin, I found myself Googling the area instead of paying close attention to the story at hand. I do not know if this was his intention, but I think I can describe the area better than I can the plot and outcome of this book. Which might be a better thing since the atmosphere is much better than the storyline.

There are many characters introduced in this story and you might have to go back and reread parts to keep everyone straight. As a quick outline, you will have to know that Glory Fisher witnessed a crime several years before, her sister Tressa inadvertently caused Mark Bradley to lose his teaching job, Mark's wife Hilary believes her husband can do no evil and Glory is found dead on a beach, which of course makes Mark the number one suspect.

I know, Cliff Notes would be helpful about now.

Cab Bolton of the Criminal Investigative Division of the Naples Police Bureau is called into investigate the whole confused mess - not sure if this character is completely convincing, but there is enough side story thrown in to make him an interestingly flawed character.

Well, back to the story. Apparently, a horrendous crime that Glory witnessed years before is coming back to haunt her and Mr. Freeman has managed to throw the whole mess at the wall in hopes that something will stick and the reader will follow him down yet another rabbit hole.

Overall, the story is a muddled confusion and the reader is left with a bit of whiplash as to which storyline to follow; how it will all tie together - and is it really that important that Cab's mother is a famous actress and once, a while back, Cab was involved with a woman that messed with his head so badly that there was only one way to end their relationship.

Maybe Brian Freeman is trying to get a new series started by trying to throw multiple angles at the reader, but for an experienced writer, he should know better. Do not put it all out there in the first book; let the reader work for it over a couple of volumes.

Of course, I will continue with the Brian Freeman books, I love Jonathan Stride and Serena; I just will have to be convinced to revisit Cab Bolton.
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Jun 30, 2011 Suspense Magazine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Here's a psychological thriller done by someone who knows how to write one. While basically a story of a man and wife, the plot bleeds out to include a detective and and CSI analyst, some troubled teenagers, and a terrible tragedy from the past. The tragedy, portrayed in the breathtaking prologue, reaches lethal tentacles into the future and threatens almost everyone involved.
Mark Bradley is having a tough time. He and his wife, Hillary, moved to an idyllic island in rural Door County, northern...more

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May 01, 2011 Kathleen Hagen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-audio-books, 2011-mysteries

The Bone House, by Brian Freeman, A. Narrated by Joe Barrett, Produced by Blackstone Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

This book, a stand-alone, is in my opinion, Freeman’s best to date. Mark and Hilary Bradley moved from Chicago to Door County, Wisconsin, to realize their dreams of living in one of the last pristine places in the United States. Hilary coaches dance competitions and Mark teaches highschool English. They are both extremely popular teachers until a highschool girl, obsessed by Ma...more

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May 28, 2011 Mary Gilligan-Nolan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Have read all his previous books, which are the Jonathan Stride series and great books which I would highly recommend, so this one was a first for me, as it had a new lead character, Cab Bolton, as the lead investigator here, but got to know him pretty quickly and he's a keeper. The story starts with a fire in a house six years previously, where a young girl had crept in to feed a kitten and almost burnt to death in what was the murder of a mother and her two boys by arson. Fast forward six year...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Paul Pessolano rated it 4 of 5 stars

"The Bone House" is the best mystery that Brian Freema has put together since his debut novel, "Immoral". Both stories have every element of a mystery/thriller that one could possiby imagine, and both will keep the reader guessin as to the outcome until the very end.

Mark Brady is a high school teacher in a small communty around Lake Michigan. He is accused having an affair with one of his students. Although nothing can be proven and the girl insists that nothing happened between them, he is rele...more

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May 24, 2011 Gina rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Mystery, crime, and police procedural readers.

Recommended to Gina by: Book Club

Shelves: book-club, mystery

I always love a good mystery read and this is the first time I have read this author. The book started out a little slow butafter the first few chapters it really sped up. I love the cliff hangers at the end of the chapters. The characters were well rounded and I felt like I knew them all. I loved the setting in the story when it moved to Wisconsin. I actually looked on a map to see where this beautiful setting is and it actually looks like a wonderful place to live. The lonliness and sparse pop...more I always love a good mystery read and this is the first time I have read this author. The book started out a little slow butafter the first few chapters it really sped up. I love the cliff hangers at the end of the chapters. The characters were well rounded and I felt like I knew them all. I loved the setting in the story when it moved to Wisconsin. I actually looked on a map to see where this beautiful setting is and it actually looks like a wonderful place to live. The lonliness and sparse population added a bit of a feeling of everyone having to move fast because there were time restraints crossing the ferry and back. Cab Bolton, the lead detective from Naples, was an interesting character and I hope we see more of him. Mark and Hillary had a trust in each other that I didn't expect for them to have. I was sure that eventually Hillary would start to really doubt Mark. When the backstory of Glory, Tresa, Delia, the Bones, and Pete Hoffman was reveiled, it made the book much more understandable. I didn't like how Sheriff Reich was out to get Mark from the get go and that he wasn't willing to look at any other suspect, but that was explained later in the book.

Basically the plot is Mark and Hillary have moved from Chicago to a rural part of Wisconsin to get away from city life. Mark is quickly accused of having a sexual relationship with a student. However, Tresa, the student, denies any relationship and explains that her diary was just a fantasy. Mark was not charged due to Tresa not cooperating with the police, but he was fired from his teaching job. The Bradley's take a vacation to Naples, Florida to see a dance competition that many of Hillary's former dance students were competing. Tresa is one of the dancers and her sister Glory and Glory's boyfriend, Troy, come along to cheer her on. Mark takes a walk on the beach on the last night of his vacation only to run into a drunk Glory on the beach. Glory comes on to Mark and he avoids her advances. He tries to get her to come back to the hotel because he thought it was unsafe for her to be out so late and drunk. Glory refuses and Mark goes back to his room. The next day, Glory is found dead on the beach and Mark becomes the prime suspect due to his relationship with Tresa. He speaks to the police and then he leaves to go back to Wisconsin.

When he arrives home, the people of his town are even more angry at him and fingers are pointed. Cab Bolton, the Naples Detective, follows them to Wisconsin to continue his investigation. There he finds Sheriff Reich to be unwilling to look at other suspects. Bolton then finds out details of a fire that Glory was a victim of 6 years before and he begins to suspect that something else is going on. A former student of Hillary has information on the murder and contacts Amy and more events happen that add to the questions of who killed Glory. I don't want to give any more detail to the story as to not give anything away.

I loved how the author was able to weave everyone's story together to resolve the story. The only complaints I have are that I wish that more detail was given on Pete Hoffman and his relationship to Glory's family. I also wish there was more information on the Bone girl who survived the fire.

I hope that the author writes a sequel to this book so the reader can learn more about Bolton and his past. I will definitely be reading more of this author's works.(less)

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Aug 04, 2011 Julie H. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, suspense

While I'm not a particular fan of suspense fiction a la James Patterson, the two things I enjoyed most about The Bone House were the setting and the author's ability to have so many different characters in play that you never saw the old "switcheroo" coming with which the plot and many (but not all) of your questions are resolved. This is first and foremost the story of what happens in small rural communities where the life-long locals band together against what they perceive to be outsiders. It...more

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May 28, 2012 Ann Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed the book although the characters drove me up the wall. Mark Bradbury, a teacher has lost his job because of rumours that he was having an affair with one of his pupils. His wife Hilary is also a teacher specialising in dance. On a trip to Florida to watch a dance competition, the sister of the girl he's accused of inappropriate behaviour with, is murdered making Mark the prime suspect. The story revolves around the people who live on the small island where Mark and Hilary live. The isl...more

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Feb 28, 2011 Janny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: english-reading, read-2011

The cover: A year ago, accusations of an affair with a student cost Mark his teaching job and made the couple into outcasts on their island home. Now another girl has been found dead, and Mark faces a hostile town convinced of his guilt.
Hilary Bradley is determined to protect her husband, but digging into the murdered girl’s secrets proves lonely and dangerous. Her only ally is a quirky Florida detective named Cab Bolton.
Hilary and Cab are both outsiders in a place that doesn’t trust strangers,...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Kata S. rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've been digging my nose in some trash lately. Can you tell? The last couple of books haven't been my typical literary chow. I've been expanding my tastes, or trying...

I read Immoral by Brian Freeman a few years ago and thought it wasn't horrendously bad, was it? I think I enjoyed it, didn't I? I still have the book on my bookshelf. I must have liked it! Okay, I'll try another. I'm expanding. Expanding. Sometimes you cannot remember if you like or dislike an author. If this has happened to you...more I've been digging my nose in some trash lately. Can you tell? The last couple of books haven't been my typical literary chow. I've been expanding my tastes, or trying...

I read Immoral by Brian Freeman a few years ago and thought it wasn't horrendously bad, was it? I think I enjoyed it, didn't I? I still have the book on my bookshelf. I must have liked it! Okay, I'll try another. I'm expanding. Expanding. Sometimes you cannot remember if you like or dislike an author. If this has happened to you, you read WAY too much, just like me.

This book is the epitome of small town equals small mindedness. I can say this. Don't get your panties in a bundle because I grew up in this particular small town. Yes, I grew up where the plot takes place. It was an unexpected discovery on my part when I read this book. As Freeman describes the people, I thought to myself, "Oh my God that's my parents. That's why I left." When Freeman describes the waters of Lake Michigan along the finger of Wisconsin, an area named "Porte des Morts," or Death's Door I nod my head in agreement. When he calls inhabitants of Illinois who vacation in Wisconsin "F.I.B.s" I laughed simply because that is what we call people from Illinois who vacation here. It's stupid locale humor and nothing more.

I have a hard time writing reviews for crime fiction. It doesn't thrill me to lay out the characters and the plot. When I try, it seems like I'm a spider with an impediment. I'm unable to spin a symmetrically perfect web. Actually, that's probably a good analogy for crime fiction in general. Authors who are spiders with an impediment. How about I provide you with the link to the write-up in the paper. They do a much better job at casting a pretty literary web.

http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment...

This book was okay. I gave it three stars (barely) because it was sort of weird walk down memory lane in Door County for me. I need to remember Brian Freeman books are for when I want to put my nose in some crime chow. But really there is much better tasting crime chow than his... Note to self: eat better crime chow if you're going to eat that stuff at all!(less)

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May 14, 2011 Evelyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-fiction, highly-recommended, psychological-suspense, thriller

When teachers Mark and Hilary Bradley escape Chicago for a small island in Door Co., Wisconsin, they expect to live the good life. Instead, soon after their arrival, Mark is accused of an inappropriate student relationship after a mother finds details of an affair in her daughter Tresa's diary. Despite Tresa's protests that the diary is fiction, Mark loses his job, and the couple become outcasts in the community. In Florida with his wife and her student dance team, Mark takes a night walk on the...more

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Oct 26, 2011 Darcy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, audio-book, mystery

This one started out slow for me. I found myself feeling like how the community did towards Mark. I thought he was probably guilty, that the girl was just covering for him. But as things went on you realize that nothing is what you thought. The good guys weren't quite so good, the supposed bad guys weren't that bad, and the throw away characters not so benign.

Once the story started to roll you really think you know what is going on and things seem cut and dry. It is not until the end when thing...more

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Jun 22, 2011 Robert rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense

This is a good suspense book with a few twists thrown at the reader at the very end of the book. The engine gets started at the very beginning but you will have to wait until about two thirds of the way into the book for the transmission to shift into drive. The first part of the book is mostly the history behind the whole enchilada and character building. Then the reader can start getting into the good stuff. Some of the twists that seemed as if they were supposed to be a real surprise were a b...more

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Oct 12, 2011 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was in Door County, Wisc., in September and picked up The Bone House at Novel Ideas in Baileys Harbor. My mother and I were intrigued with Washington Island after visiting it the previous day, and I couldn't pass up the chance to read a mystery set on the island.

I have never read any of Brian Freeman's work before, but plan to go back and read Immoral. The Bone House kept me guessing until the very end, and even then I was surprised by the twist! I really enjoyed the different story threads an...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Mystery, Thriller, Northern WI locale, excellent writing

“The Bone House” was my introduction to the novels of Brian Freeman, and my conviction to read all I could find by this excellent author. Mystery, thriller, relationship-oriented, deep-characterizations, layer upon layer of convoluted plot-what more could a reader ask? Actually I sped through it, simply because it hooked me immediately and I found I didn’t want to stop even to sleep. Mr. Freeman “knows his stuff,” for sure. Not only did I enjoy a superbly plotted mystery (plural, mysteries), wit...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Sharon rated it 5 of 5 stars

A married couple moves to a small island town to get away after the husband, a teacher, had been accused of "inappropriate behavior" with a student. In a parallel story, a young girl witnessed and experienced a barn fire. Years later, these to characters meet up in Florida on a beach in the early morning. The girl is found murdered the next morning, and the husband is accused of the crime. His wife is really the main character of the book as it is from her point of view, mostly. Many twists and...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Greg rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm just going to say it - - - - I love Door County. This was also a great mystery book set in Door County. The book was an easy read, the characters were well defined and there were enough suspects to keep you guessing. Whoever thought that the native locals had such hard feelings for the visitors and land-grabbers from Illinois.

I really liked Freeman's writing style and will now search out some of his other books. I hope that he will write others set in Door County, but how many murder myster...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Sean Buckridge rated it 5 of 5 stars

Having read all of Freeman's novel so far, I have to say that this is my favorite. Don't get me wrong, I love the Jonathan Stride series, but this book is something special.

A girl is found strangled on a beach. There is one main suspect, but everyone involved in the case has a secret. That is the magic of this book. Every secret is hinted at or alluded to, but you have to wait for the story to play out to find out what everyone is hiding. This story operates on MANY different levels and the ant...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: brian-freeman

Story about a pair of married teachers Mark & Hilary Bradley who leave Chicago for a slower pace in a tight knit community of Door County Wisconsin. Mark is accused of having an affair with a student (who denies it ever happened) and he is fired. Three years later the students younger sister is found dead in Florida at a dance competition where Hilary was a former coach. Mark & Hilary were there on vacation to watch the competition so of course Mark becomes the prime suspect. When lead...more Story about a pair of married teachers Mark & Hilary Bradley who leave Chicago for a slower pace in a tight knit community of Door County Wisconsin. Mark is accused of having an affair with a student (who denies it ever happened) and he is fired. Three years later the students younger sister is found dead in Florida at a dance competition where Hilary was a former coach. Mark & Hilary were there on vacation to watch the competition so of course Mark becomes the prime suspect. When lead detective Cab Bolton travels to their town he digs around and finds others to look at. The closed community only have their eyes on Mark, and consider his attractive intelligent wife a fool for standing by him.

The characters were decent. Hilary I liked but felt she was so trusting of her husband despite everything pointing in his direction. They had only been together five years. She was right to trust him though, in the end he was innocent, but still.. I'd have questioned him a bit more, lol.

Mark was a bit of a fool for placing himself in situations that could be misconstrued.

Cab was the stereotypical damaged by a woman in his past super intelligent good detective.

****
The novel starts off in Naples Florida where Mark and Hilary Bradley are at a hotel for a dance tournament, Hilary teaching dance as well as Math at their local school. Mark was also a teacher for some time after being a professional golfer, but his story doesn't start in Naples...it just happens to follow him there.

A year prior to the opening of the book Mark was accused of having an affair with one of his students, Tresa Fischer. Mark Vehemently denied as did Tresa but it didn't matter. Mark and Hilary weren't originally from Door County Wisconsin where they currently reside, they're implants from Chicago. Not 'native'. Strangers. Outcasts. Never truly accepted by the quiet little lake front down. As a result it didn't matter if Tresa brought charges against Mark. The Bradley's status as 'not native' made him guilty on the spot. Tresa's mother wanted his head and as a result Mark lost his teaching career which he was in love with.

Fast forward to the present where something untoward happens to Glory Fischer, Tresa's younger sister. Misfortune befalls Glory. Mark happens to be there. Stranger. Predator. News travels to the small town and the locals find Mark guilty as quickly as one would bat an eyelash. The Bradleys are hated now more than ever. Little do all the players know how tragic the Fisher family story truly is and just how many lives it has touched...and will touch as the story progresses. A small town. Dark secrets.

Enter Cab Bolton. Naples resident and detective on the case. He's also an outcast. A fortunate son from California, he doesn't have to do police work. He doesn't have to do anything, but he does it for the challenge. He's also a stranger to people but it's by a distance he puts in place of his own desire not to get close. His story is also dark and follows him wherever he goes, even to the remoteness of Door County Wisconsin when the case ultimately leads him into the Bradleys back yards.

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Feb 11, 2012 Wynn rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: narrator-joe-barrett, police-detective-male, mystery-suspense

Did he or didn't he?, April 24, 2011

I am a huge fan of Freeman's Jonathan Stride novels and this stand alone was also a very good murder mystery. The majority of the book takes place in Washington Island, Wisconsin, an isolated rural community very protective of its natives. The two outsiders, Mark and Hilary, become villains after Mark is accused of having sex with a local student. When that local student's sister is murdered in Florida where Mark and Hilary are vacationing, Mark becomes the p...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Scott Rhee rated it 3 of 5 stars

We may live in a society that prides itself on a justice system that believes in the ideal of "innocent until proven guilty", but real life doesn't always work that way. For most people, the truth is "guilty until proven guilty, again". Such is the case of Mark Bradley, the character in Brian Freeman's latest thriller "The Bone House". It was only a year ago that Bradley lost his teaching job and good reputation in the community after allegations of sexual misconduct with one of his students, Tr...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Kristin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

I wanted to like this book ('read' it on audio). I really did. It started out strong; the plot pulls a person in...and then I completely lost interest in 2/3 of the characters. I couldn't empathize/care/give a shit about any of them. I got tired of the flashbacks. I grew annoyed with the chronic stupidity - it was a lot like watching the proverbial horror flick and shouting at the screen "NO! Don't open THAT door!".

So, on one hand, Freeman does a very good job of hooking your emotions and pulli...more I wanted to like this book ('read' it on audio). I really did. It started out strong; the plot pulls a person in...and then I completely lost interest in 2/3 of the characters. I couldn't empathize/care/give a shit about any of them. I got tired of the flashbacks. I grew annoyed with the chronic stupidity - it was a lot like watching the proverbial horror flick and shouting at the screen "NO! Don't open THAT door!".

So, on one hand, Freeman does a very good job of hooking your emotions and pulling you into a very tumultuous story line. We have a dashing high school teacher who has been accused of taking advantage of an underage girl who had befriended him and his wife. We have an insular community hiding dark secrets and feeling that The Outsider is to blame for all of their woes. The community's Little Darling - who can do no wrong - is murdered on an empty nighttime beach in Florida. It's good. Seriously good.

On the other hand, I kept getting yanked out of the plot by little things, little implausibilies, in my humble opinion. A community who doesn't seem to believe the girl with no mention ever of a medical exam. Uh huh. After all, a young person simply cannot write anything that realistic. Bullshit. We have a dead girl floating in the water; the sea has seemingly destroyed any evidence of sexual activity, but not the skin under the fingers? The action of the hand in the sand in the water didn't act as a nail cleaner? Riiigght. What was this 16 year old doing in Florida without a parent anyway? Who in the hell lets their 16 year old drive to Florida from Wisconsin with their boyfriend? We have a community who has judged, tried and condemned to death an individual and his wife all because they - the community - deemed themselves judge, jury and executioner. A sheriff who's duty is to protect the innocent - until proven guilty - who's as bad as the rest of them. Trite and annoying. An out of town inspector who is trying to get to the bottom and never questions why an entire community keeps pointing him at one individual. I'm no detective, but if I were, I'd be digging into that towns past because it screams "cover-up".

I have no idea where Disk 6 compares to in the physical book. But that's where I said to hell with it. I'll try and find some spoilers or check out the book from the library, read the last couple of chapters and call it finished. Maybe. Might still say to hell with it.
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Jun 18, 2013 Lori Schiele rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, psychological-thrillers, mystery-suspense

Bone House was a well-written book with a lot of twists and turns that kept you guessing all the way to the surprise ending.
The only problem I had with it--and it could be my own issue--was that I had a difficult time remembering which character was which. It could be that many of the names were so similar. After reading a few sentences (sometimes paragraphs) I would recognize who the author was referring to and could continue the story, however, it continually "knocked me" out of the world cre...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Lindsay rated it 2 of 5 stars

I am always astonished when authors have their characters do things that are just plain stupid (Spoiler alert) for instance, someone tries to kill you so the next thing you do is go off to a totally deserted area by yourself. Or you think something bad/tragic is going to happen to someone so you HOP IN THE CAR and go off to stop it. Use a phone people!!! Phone the police!!!
Also, the damaged by life and unable to have healthy relationship cop is such an old saw. And yet this book is quite decentl...more

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About Brian Freeman

Brian Freeman is an international bestselling author of psychological suspense novels. His books have been sold in 46 countries and 20 languages. He has twice been named a finalist for Best Hardcover Novel (for THE BURYING PLACE and SPILLED BLOOD) in the International Thriller Writers Thriller Awards. His debut novel, IMMORAL, won the Macavity Award and was a finalist for the Edgar®, Dagger, Antho...more

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