A slow start to this physiological thriller but worth persevering. Set in a small town called Whistling Ridge teenager Abigail disappears from a party in the woods, her friend Emma who left her there needs to solve the mystery, but in a town full of secrets and prejudices it is not easy, throw in the influences of the church and the tale becomes nail biting.

Gritty thriller set in a small town filled with prejudice and hate. Lots of diverse interesting characters ,suspects and a twisty plot

This debut by Anna Bailey is a slow burner
Which you won't beable to.put down
Emma wants to.know what happened to her friend Abigail who disappeared at a late night party in a wood
There are so many characters and with a community filled with secrets and lies
It could be anyone

Brilliant story telling

Thank you netgalley, Anna Bailey and Random House for allowing me to read and review this book

I'm having a great start to my 2021 reading year.

Tall Bones by Anna Bailey is exactly the sort of book you want on cold grey January days. It hooks you in, and you'd like nothing more than to sit down and just keep reading. Sadly, this wasn't an option for me, but I did gallop through, carving out chunks of time so I could unfurl the mystery of what had happened to Abi when she disappeared into the woods never to be seen again.

It's a book of secrets. Everyone has a secret and could have been involved in Abi's disappearance for one reason, or another plus Abi has her own secrets too, ones that she kept even from her best friend Emma who is determined to find out what really happened.

The story is set in a small town with small-town views and prejudices. If for some reason you don't fit in with what the church and town expect, life is going to be tough. Very tough indeed.

This is a challenging read at times, due to the level of prejudice, but it does bring you closer to those characters on the receiving end of such narrow-minded judgement. I wanted those characters to come out on top. I was really rooting for them.

As well as a strong plot and story, there is some wonderful writing in this book. I found myself stopping on many occasions to reread a sentence or paragraph when a character, place or emotion had been described in a way I'd not seen before. It's a definite five stars from me.

Many thanks to the author, Random House UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read an advance copy of this book which is out on the 1st of April.

Anna Bailey is certainly an author to keep your eye on because Tall Bones is her debut novel and outstanding!
Whistling Ridge is a small American town that seems to have a foot planted in the past and where its people follow the word of the preacher more than that of the law. Abi, a teenager, was missing and her best friend had no intention of giving up finding out what had happened to her the night she watched her walk into the woods.
There is a lot of characters, but amongst them were the core performers that stayed individual for me in the story. All had the role that life had dealt them within their families. Abi’s home was not one to be envied, with a father that excused his unrelenting cruelty with quotes from the bible. All sanctioned and encouraged by the priest of the town.
I loved the cover of this book which summed this place up as anything but Godly. The story meanders from the present day and the hunt for Abi as the weeks begin to increase since she disappeared without a trace, and back to the events leading up to her disappearance. The toll is heavy on her family not knowing where she could be. It is a heart-breaking story of prejudice, abuse of leadership power and manipulation.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I would like to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

What a debut!

Well written crime novel with plenty of intrigue and mystery. The small town setting sets it apart and you really feel the oppression and claustrophobia of this situation.

A compelling read.

Once you get over what for me seemed like quite a slow start, ( but I decided to persevere ) & I'm glad I did . Once Abigail Blake goes missing from a party out by the Tall Bones an unusual Rock formation & a favourite hang out with the youngsters from Whistling Ridge in Colorado a community of so called very God Fearing , Racist, Bigoted, Homophobic & anti Feminist, Male dominating community where Women are there to run the home & do everything the Man of the House says & likewise the Children all in the name of G O D ! There are so many twists & turns & you could get dizzy but it all makes for a terrific read in the end. #FB, #GoodReads,# Amazon.co.uk,#Instagram, #NetGalley, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/c566f42be23a0e25d120e78a3454e2d427c4beee" width="80" height="80" alt="50 Book Reviews" title="50 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>.

A haunting psychological thriller that will have you fully immersed. After reading the synopsis I must admit it reminded me of Pretty Little Liars which was the main reason it intrigued me but it felt different. There wasn't so many twists and turns although the way it was all wrapped up at the end did leave me shocked.

But this book was so much more than that, it was atmospheric. Set in a small town riddled with secrets and prejudices and where everyone knew everyone and the church seemed to dominate all. Bailey perfectly captured the feeling of being in an oppressive town where many are stuck in their views and there's some who just want to escape. None of the characters were really likeable and some had me internally screaming at my kindle but I think that's what I liked most, they were all so well developed and the dynamics between them all. It felt real.

A brilliant debut book, I'd definitely reccomend for fans of Girl on the Train and if you're looking for a well written atmospheric psychological thriller.

Thankyou so much @netgalley for the arc #TallBones #NetGalley

This was a slow burner for me but once I eventually got into it, I was hooked. A classic, twisty, whodunnit and why. I felt the characters were very realistic and it was a brilliant, if slightly grim, portrayal of small town life, where everyone knows your past and your future. I think this would make a great film too.

I am so impressed with the narrative, setting descriptions and the characters of this book that I had to start this review by praising it!

The characters are so well described and relatable. The setting is so detailed and perfect. I felt I was in the story and that I knew the characters myself.

With secrets galore this book was really entertaining and although it is a bit different than my normal crime books, it was a really great read. It did have mystery and it was thrilling but I was more absorbed by the great narrative and the fantastic descriptions.

I look forward to reading more books by Anna Bailey and can’t wait to see what she has prepared for us next.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Doubleday for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Couldn’t put this book down, brilliantly written utterly gripping and will be recommending to many friends!

Absolutely brilliant. I loved every second of this book and couldn't put it down.

A teenage girl is missing and everyone she knows seems to be hiding something, especially her own family. Split between the present and the years leading up to Abigail's disappearance into the woods, secrets and lies are revealed like a drip-feed to the reader.

Every night as the clocked ticked past my bedtime, I said "just one more chapter" to myself. It's not just the web-like plot of secrets and intrigue, but the rendering of a small Colorado town, whipped up into a religious frenzy that had me hooked. The descriptions of the setting are beautifully written.

Characters, unlikable, disgusting and sympathetic alike are more than one-dimensional. We see the perspective of many different characters throughout the book and that's something that works really well.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who will listen.

An original and atmospheric thriller set in a small town in America. Brilliantly observed characters and a real sense of claustrophobia and no means of escape for the town’s teenagers. But when one of them goes missing in mysterious circumstances, the secrets of the small town residents come into real focus.

From a father damaged from military service in Vietnam to the ultra religious pastor who rules the town, to the police who don’t seem to be investigating Abigails disappearance in any real depth, there is a good deal of suspense and in depth character stories to keep us all engaged.

Overall though this is a really original coming of age / crime thriller so really brings something new to the genre. And that alone is refreshing and deserving if all the praise.

Gritty and dark and full of suspense. This is a good debut novel. A lot of people in this small town lead troubled lives that are hard to read about in places. There are a lot of secrets and lies and a good well written plot.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

A remarkable debut novel from Anna Bailey. The descriptive writing, brilliant observations and the incredible understanding of human nature, good and unspeakably bad amounted to an excellent book that explored the small minded, racist and god fearing folk of small town America. The girl at the centre of the story, Abigail disappears one night and there follows the lengthy explanation of what happened to her. My only criticism is that the reader doesn’t get to know her before her disappearance and therefore it is a struggle to find empathy with her for the majority of the book.

Stayed up until the early hours of the morning finishing the incredible #TallBones by
Anna Bailey. An absolute scorcher of a debut - atmospheric, haunting and characters that will stay with you. Be sure to pre-order. Out in April.

Initially, I was very excited for this book; the blurb, the cover, the hype!
Unfortunately, this book just did not deliver for me. I can appreciate what the author was trying to achieve, but this book just felt long and was lacking tension and plot. It just sort of meandered around until the last quarter where things finally (FINALLY!!) started to happen.
Sometimes I appreciated a turn of phrase and the last bit was good, but the hard work to get there left me disappointed.

Anna Bailey is a new author for me and I found this book to be pleasant but a little long winded.
Emma and Abbie are 17 years old with their whole lives in front of them. They live in the backwaters where the townsfolk are set in their ways and guided by their local church.
One night at a party in the woods Abbie is reluctant to leave and encourages Emma to go on home without her - that was the last time Emma ever saw her. Emma is being raised by her single mother, her father was Hispanic, which gives some of the folks think they have the right to shun her.
There are many different characters involved and each have a part to play in this mystery so no spoilers.
I did enjoy the book but it was just a little slow paced for my liking.

Emma leaves her best friend Abigail in the woods. When Abigail is declared missing Emma feels she is to blame for leaving her and tries to investigate what happened that night.

Set in a small town where everybody knows everyone’s business, it soon becomes apparent that secrets are being held back and everyone has their own opinions of what has happened to Abigail.

I was completely gripped by this mystery, having read several missing children stories lately, I was surprised that this book kept me so enthralled. I loved the setting of a small town where the characters are very life like, making this a very addictive read!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

WOW!

This debut novel by Anna Bailey is completely captivating. It´s beautifully written, it has a deep, dark, complex plot which carries you along in waves of emotion, which often leaves you breathless with the intensity.

Outstanding!

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for allowing me the opportunity to read and review an advanced digital copy honestly.