The Bone Elixir

Benjamin Oris #3

by Carrie Rubin

Come. Stay. The Abigael Inn has plans for you…

“A chilling supernatural tale with indelible characters.”—Kirkus Reviews

Ben Oris, an orthopedic surgery resident in Philadelphia, is looking forward to his December vacation. After the year he’s had, he could use a little R&R. But when a lawyer delivers some bizarre news, a week of rest and relaxation is the last thing he gets. A great aunt he never knew existed has willed a hotel to him.

Bewildered, Ben now heads to Western Massachusetts where the three-century-year-old Abigael Inn awaits, up on a secluded hill overlooking the Berkshires. At least Laurette will join him in a few days. He and his girlfriend will have some fun, meet with a realtor, and then put the place up for sale and get back to their lives. In, out, done.

Unfortunately for them, The Abigael Inn has other plans…

*Although a standalone novel, The Bone Elixir is the third book in the Benjamin Oris series about a man of science who faces otherworldly situations.

Genres: Paranormal

310 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 5, 2021

About the author

Carrie Rubin is a physician-turned-novelist who writes thrillers. She enjoys exploring other genres as well, and has a cozy mystery published under the pen name Morgan Mayer and a novel of magical realism under the pen name Dannie Boyd.

To learn about new releases or promotions, follow Carrie on BookBub. Or, to receive a free ebook copy of Fatal Rounds or Fractured Oak, you're invited to sign up for the author's new-release alerts.

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost four years ago, I stumbled upon the first book in Carrie Rubin's Benjamin Oris series, and I was fully impressed by the author's writing style, plot development, and ability to lure in a reader who wasn't typically a fan of the supernatural genre. I immediately grabbed the second book last year, and just this week, her third, The Bone Elixir, was released. Once again, within the first twenty pages, the story grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go for hours. By the time the ghost made his or her presence known, I was hooked and devoured the book in two days.

Benjamin Oris is a ~35ish medical resident who has a four-year-old son he co-raises with an ex-girlfriend. He's dating someone new, a woman from Haiti with an ability to occasionally understand what's happening with the dead -- not in a frequent way, but her family comprehends the boundaries and can often help Benjamin figure out what strange things are happening around him. In this book, he's inherited an old hotel in Massachusetts; his great-aunt skipped bequeathing it to Benjamin's mother because she had an accident a few years ago that left her in a coma. When Benjamin takes his vacation in Massachusetts to decide whether to keep or sell the hotel, he discovers his grandparents are still alive. But that's not all he finds when he explores the family home that was once an insane asylum.

I'm not quite sure where to start... yes, it's a typical ghost story in the beginning. Things move around on their own. Voices appear from nowhere. Shadows lurk in hidden rooms and passages. But as Benjamin meets the hotel caretaker and her son, random guests, and eerie townsfolk, things become much graver. People died there neve to be found again. His own family was responsible for the macabre of the past. And the relatives he thought he knew were not actually the people he thought they were. This is a true ghost lover's delight, ripe with genealogical puzzles and a fine line between reality and the supernatural. I need to visit this hotel! It's scary and beautiful and has such a tragic yet curious history, I couldn't stop myself from reading 'just one more chapter' before I finally had to take a break to deal with normal life stuff.

Rubin excels at taking you right up to that line where you don't know what's real or fantasy, but you love trying to find the answers. Clues from previous books reappear. We learn why Benjamin's mother suffered from psychosis all her life. And that's why this leaps from your typical ghost story to an elaborately crafted series of books that show us how Benjamin became the man he is today. He feels like one of the most 'real' characters I've ever met... and someone I'd truly want to hang out with. I'd also like to go on some of these adventures with him; although, someone always gets hurt, so maybe I shouldn't? A literary adventure is the perfect pathway though, and if you enjoy Ouija boards, determining how people are related, discovering the truth about a hotel's purposes, and a bit of romance, this series will captivate you.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing like a good demon raising party to get the dreams flowing! This titillating read had me long past my bedtime as Ortho surgeon, Ben Oris, epidemiologist girlfriend, Laurette, and mother of his son, Sophia, joined forces to try to keep a 300 year old prophecy from becoming a modern day Pandora’s box!

Ghosts send messages and try to warn, guide and leave our cast of characters who come together at the inheritance of the Abigael Inn by Ben, brought forth by the death of his aunt Clara, whom he had no prior knowledge of. Why it fell upon him becomes deviously obvious as his grandparents (greats) manipulate him into family loyalty and the greater good. Promises of eternal life, unending riches and healing powers always entice, don’t they? But at what cost? (If it sounds too good to be true….)

With an apt nod to King’s “The Shining” this hotel has a cast of ghosts that battle their way to an explosive end. Bravo Ms Rubin for again entertaining me with insight, excitement and a good dose of metaphysical.

[BG of RC · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Bone Elixir" begins when Ben Oris learns he has inherited a hotel from his great aunt Clara. Ben, who has his hands full with raising his son and working as an orthopedic surgeon, hardly needs this; but over his holiday break, he decides to go check the place out.

The Abigael Inn is a venerable old building in Western Massachusetts. As it's closed for the season, initially the only people there are Ben, the hotel housekeeper Mandy, and her young son, Jake. Soon, they are joined by Ben's grandparents, Frederick and Elizabeth. They are a charming couple, and delighted to meet their grandson, from whom they had been long separated due to their estrangement with Ben's mother, Harmony. Despite Ben's reluctance, they encourage him to keep the hotel in the family.

That's the setup. From there, let me just say it's a good old fashioned Gothic horror story, full of ancient secrets, ghosts, long-concealed crimes, and nightmarish horrors from realms unknown and unknowable. In the tradition of any good haunted house story, it's slower paced than the first two books, which moved at breakneck speed. This one is more of a gnawing dread that gradually builds to a crescendo.

It's probably because of my love for Gothic horror, but this is definitely my favorite book in the series. It's creepy and atmospheric and full of good lines and memorable scares.

I recommend the entire Ben Oris series, and this book is a perfect capstone to it.

[Note: this review is based on an ARC of this book.]

[Geoffrey Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third book in Carrie Rubin’s Benjamin Oris series opens with Ben receiving a surprise inheritance of a hotel in the Berkshires. Fortunately, Ben has a break between rotations of his medical residency and can pay his new hotel a visit to check it out and arrange its sale. But once he gets there the Abigael Inn…shall we say…takes on a life of its own. A life that grabs Ben and won’t let go!

Like the Abigael Inn itself, The Bone Elixir grabs the reader from page one and won’t let go until the end. Treat yourself to an exciting and imaginative ride!

[Charissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This supernatural thriller had me cringing and cowering a lot. The setting is a haunted hotel that Ben Oris, the hero of this series, inherits from his great-aunt. He heads to Massachusetts to sell it, since he is a busy medial resident and doesn't have time to run a hotel, but as weird things keep happening, he begins to believe in that which he can't see more than ever. Each book in this series has helped him grow to believe in not only logic, but other things felt. This one cements his arc as he must deal with ancestors who speak to him from beyond the grave and ones who are standing right next to him. It's a scary ride with all the shenanigans happening in the hotel as he and Laurette and eventually Sophia help him stay one step ahead of a family demon that controls the hotel and his dead ancestors. Sounds crazy, but it's a pretty fun ride. Rubin writes well and always pulls me into her characters' worlds with ease and it's hard to get out. Anyway, this was a fantastic conclusion to this series. I absolutely loved it!

[Richard Pastore · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read, filled with all of the elements you look forward to in a tale of things that go bump in the night. For her third entry in the Benjamin Oris series, Carrie Rubin decidedly moves her character into the realm of the supernatural, completing a personal journey between the scientific and the mystical that began in The Bone Curse. This higher arcing plot of a transitional journey was deftly done in a way that gives the trilogy a sense of unity.

As with other tales of hauntings, I found myself being pulled in more strongly as the story progressed. Some of the elements leveraged excellently provided a feel found in classic tales of the supernatural. In this respect there is more of an emphasis on suspense and mystery, than gore and shock. And that's what I was looking forward to and happily received as I finished the story on a rainy Halloween's evening (well-time).

Lastly, as with many authors whose writing I enjoyed, Rubin provides us with a light touch on larger issues, serving as departure points for discussion. I found myself contemplating the common human condition of justifying and shielding oneself from a station of privilege at others' expense.

All in all, a well-rounded tale.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

Effective haunted house horror, even though this is part of a series, it still works as a standalone.

Benjamin Oris is a doctor who inherits a hotel from a relative he's never heard of. He drives out there, and finds a hotel that would be perfectly at home in an Italian giallo movie. Strange things start to happen. He meets his grandparents, who seem nothing like the monsters his mother described. Then his girlfriend comes out there, and they use a ouija board, and things really start to happen.

Very effective, but the protagonist is a boring scold.

[Pamela Beckford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ready to jump at every sound at night? Ready to constantly look over your shoulder with every movement of air? This is the book to do all of that. Frightening and suspenseful, The Bone Elixir will keep you guessing…and reading. Don’t start this one unless you’ve got time to keep reading. You won’t be able to put it down.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this 3rd Benjamin Oris thriller! All of the characters I like are back, dealing with another supernatural crisis. I do not often read ghost stories, but this was a fun and exciting read. I couldn't put it down. Looking forward to the next one!

[Carol Balawyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you looking to get in the mood for a really scary, macabre novel to read this Halloween season? A novel that, although it will frighten you, you won’t be able to stop reading it.
Carrie Rubin’s rational minded orthopedic surgery resident Benjamin Oris (and the protagonist of her last two novels) has just inherited an inn in Massachusetts. Trouble is that the inn is haunted and Benjamin doesn’t believe all that hocus-pocus stuff. Until he visits the inn and stays in it alone for a week as he waits for his girlfriend Laurette along with her sixth sense to join him.
In the meantime, Ben is confronted with secret passages, doors that creek open in the middle of the night, lights that turn on and off and a basement pit that raises the hair on his neck.
Benjamin is designated to become the heir of the inn by taking part in one of the spookiest ceremonies I’ve ever read. He must drive away the evil spirits inhabiting the house along with its promise of immortality and free from sickness – which, by the way, is pretty enticing for a medical doctor.
Once Laurette arrives, there are Ouija boards, crystals, levitations, a manuscript describing people disappearing after visiting the inn, remnants of an insane asylum, people murdered and lingering spirits.
This is not the genre of book that I usually read but Carrie’s usage of suspense kept me turning the pages wanting to know the next thing that Ben would be confronted with and how he would handle it.
Besides the spooky part of the novel there is lots of very interesting writing. For example. “Come morning, he (Benjamin) felt about as rested as a squirrel on crack.”
If you’re thinking of getting into the Halloween mood of haunted houses, gravestones, ghosts and divinations this is certainly the book for you.
Well done, Carrie!

[Kate Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bone Elixir, the third book in the Benjamin Oris series, is fast-paced with lots of spooky action and an eerie, fascinating plot. The storyline definitely tramples on Ben Oris’s pragmatism, stomping it into the creaky floorboards of an old Massachusetts inn, and destroying just about everything he believes in. In fact, his personal journey takes a sharp turn in this book, and he sure isn’t the same guy by the end.

The author, Carrie Rubin, does a great job weaving in some dangling threads from previous books to help fill in some missing pieces of the puzzle, as well as drawing Oris further and further into the supernatural world.

In addition to series regulars Ben Oris and his girlfriend, Laurette, we meet a new cast of characters—family members Ben never knew he had, the innkeeper and her young son, and some interesting townspeople—all of whom add to the macabre mood of the book. At several points, I found myself asking who and what is actually real…?

As usual, Rubin’s writing is tight, focused, dramatic, and her ability to spin a spooky tale impressive. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and while it is a stand alone, it also teases you with mentions from the previous two books, urging you to read the whole series anyway!

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

** I received a free kindle copy of this book as a giveaway winner **

I am truly struggling to determine what to rate this book. In the beginning, it piqued my interest with the classic paranormal horror elements: doors slamming shut, unexplained noises in an old building, seeing things out of the corner of your eye, etc. It started to slow down a bit about a third of the way in.

The story itself is pretty basic, but simple enough to follow. It is no more far-fetched than similar books of this genre, but I felt it was lacking something. I can't quite place it, though. I felt as though this book gave Haunting of Hill House vibes, but could not stand up to the novel.

I supposed this book was simply average to me. Nothing special, but not bad either. Will I read it again? Probably not. Would I recommend it? Perhaps to someone who is into supernatural stories.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the spookiest book Carrie Rubin has written — I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up more than once!

Once again, Dr. Rubin has been able to position her main character, Ben Oris, on the scalpel’s edge between science and the supernatural. It’s getting harder for poor Ben to remain committed to a scientific explanation for everything when he’s confronted again and again with paranormal events.

Without spoiling anything, this novel looks to be a pivotal point in the series - Ben’s character takes a turn in a direction from which it’s going to be difficult to return. Should Dr. Rubin continue the series, it will be interesting to see where she next takes Ben. I’m looking forward to finding out!

[Kimber Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I enjoyed every moment of this book. It is a thrilling ghost story with a ton of heart. The characters drew me in from the start and I look forward to more!

[Jennifer R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, fun, weekend read

The storyline was slow at first, but once it picked it, I couldn’t put the book down. Good book with which to wile away a cold, dreary weekend.

[Rori.c · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Strongest Entry in the Series

Out of all three books in Carrie Rubin’s Ben Oris medical thriller series, The Bone Elixir has the weakest premise after what was presented prior, but the strongest execution. By far, it’s the most consistent in tone and flow, with fewer plot holes and a storyline that carries the reader fully from start to finish. The pacing works well, especially when the narrative pauses to dive into family secrets, generational trauma, and the destruction left in their wake.

One of the things I appreciated most was how the women in this book came into their own. Laurette and Sophia are strong, brilliant, and independent, and really take charge of the story’s trajectory unlike previous books where it felt they were left out of the loop and hurt in the process. Sophia, in particular, is the one who devises the final plan and saves Ben when he has no strategy of his own *insert eye roll for the Caucasian man privilege*. This felt like a refreshing shift compared to the earlier books where women were often treated more as emotional stabilizers or props for plot in character development for Ben rather than fully realized stand alone characters.

Even so, some problematic elements remain. I still hold the position that I dislike Ben as the love for Laurette it is hugely problematic and that interest is a dynamic that, as a woman of color, I found troubling and unsafe given the history and circumstances surrounding what they have faced during the series. While Sophia and Laurette finally got a chance to shine, Ana put Ben in their place, and Ben met an imperfect woman in Mandy, it still irked me El was the one to fall and lose her autonomy at the end rather than Freddy, she was used as the female plot point to push the story forward. That repeated use of women as sacrificial plot devices undercuts the engagement for female readers, in my opinion.

Despite that, The Bone Elixir still stands as the best of the trilogy. I’d rate it between 3.5 and 4 stars, especially because it did have me reading it only during daylight hours and the ending with Harmony and her brother is touching, heartwarming and provided a sense of closure.

Final point Ben’s continued skepticism after everything, 3 books of everything mind you, that he has witnessed strains believability, his reluctant acceptance of the spiritual world close the door for me to like him as a person let alone the protagonist in the book, I know the author is look for an open door for further growth, but it truly is frustrating to read.

If Rubin continues the series, I’d love to see her shift focus to Laurette, Sophia, and Harmony the three women whose voices and perspectives could easily carry their own trilogy and truly would be a breath of fresh compared to Ben.

[Roy McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crikey. I like a bit of paranormal. But, reading or writing, I prefer the supernatural to play around the edges of the story, at least at first. I've just read some classic, Victorian ghost stories which tease the reader, gradually drawing one in. None of that for Ms Rubin. Straight into the action at the haunted hotel. Like you've paid your dollar and jumped onto the ghost train our characters are immediately assailed on all sides by all manner of apparitions, objects misbehaving, secret passages, ancient writings as well as communication from a lost child and another modern child lost somewhere in the growing and evil chaos. And this is only the beginning and all we are missing are the dancing skeletons. But then, with great imagination, Ms Rubin has built a back story which leads to some alarming demon rituals which our modern-day cast are compelled to go along with in order to save the missing child. I admit to some degree of horror as the demons claim their human harvest in ghastly manner. However and thankfully for the series, the main characters survive. Relentless stuff, well worked through. A star off for a rather predictable outcome and the three MCs a bit too much like TV ghostbusters for my liking.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there anything better than a haunted hotel? How about inheriting a haunted hotel? And meeting odd relatives that are well past 100 years old but look like spring chickens?

Carrie Rubin has done it again with her entertaining and well crafted book "The Bone Elixir". There are no recipes here, but there are a lot of ingredients for suspense, unsettling creepiness and good old scary bits.

I like the way Rubin builds her characters - they seem real - some with wacky quirks, some who seem quite normal, some who don't say anything aloud because they're in a coma - but are they really silent? Hmm...

This is the third book in the Benjamin Oris series - and I look forward to see what happens to Ben in the future.

[Diana Lester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and hard to put down

I really enjoyed this story with its mix of ghosts and other supernatural occurrences. Could not imagine how it could resolve. Loved that all the loose ends were tied up.

[Sheri · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series really jumped the shark.