Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read and review this book, Small Bones.

A human skeleton is found by a woman digging in her garden. When the police are called, Acting DI Asha Harvey is sent to investigate. This starts an investigation into missing persons, police corruption, and danger for the team of detectives.

This story gives a good look at how power can corrupt and cause desperate people to do things which were not considered normal. The book is well thought out, and the ‘good’ characters are likable. Hopefully, real life is not so gruesome.

When Sue Hearn finds a skull in her garden, she fears it belongs to her mother, who disappeared when Sue was a teenager. She soon learns that the remains are those of a missing child, whose murder may be connected to her mother's disappearance. As Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch investigate the case, they find that both the Hearn family and the PSNI are keeping secrets. Solving this mystery may have deadly consequences.

This is a solid 4-star book. I found it to be a bit less gripping than the first book. It took me a few days to finish because I didn't feel quite so desperate to find out what would happen next.
I liked the way the book flipped between the past and present. It made me frustrated, in a good way, to have answers that the detectives didn't have and be waiting for them to figure things out. The book ends with a little twist of dramatic irony that will likely drive me mad in the sequel - I'm excited to see what happens.
I liked that this book was mostly in Asha's POV. I think it makes more sense for this type of series, which is meant to follow the detectives, Asha and Aaron. We got to learn more about Asha and I now feel much more invested in her as a character.
I wish there had been a bit more forensic anthropology and/or archaeology. Maybe an explanation of how they determined the skeleton's age, why they couldn't estimate the sex of the skeleton, or how they verified the child's identity skeletally. Of course, maybe I'm the only person who would be interested in that, being a nerd who studied forensic anthropology.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and am excited for the next in the series.

Small Bones, Part Two of the Harvey and Birch series was set in Belfast, the Capital of Northern Ireland. Since, being set in a real place made the story more real.

Coming to the story, I have no words to describe it. It was so Great. Was it a crime book ? Yes, involves a cold case. Was it a thriller ? Definitely, Yes. There were so many places where I had to hold of my breath. That doesn't mean the book was only raw. It was Emotional and Sentimental too. It was heart wrenching sometimes, that I found myself asking out loud, WHY ? WHY DID THIS EVEN HAPPEN ?

Apart from the story and as an whole book, I think I loved how the author gave great details to the readers about the real procedures and real demonstrations that's carried out during cases like these. Also the words chosen by the author were so precise that got me hooked up with the story to keep reading.

Finally, as always I learnt a lot from this Book. Mostly new things and about what needs to be done at times of emergencies like the ones that took place in the book.

To be honest, I'm still not convinced with the end. Though the answers were provided to some extent, I'm pretty sure there's more to it. I'm hoping there's part 3 to this series. So, eagerly waiting to know what happens further.

Gruesome Find Ignites Events…
The second in the Detectives Harvey and Birch mystery series. When a gruesome find ignites a spiral of events it sparks an investigation for the duo. With an engaging, intriguing and cleverly plotted storyline and a wholly credible cast this is a compelling read and a worthy addition to the series.

I didn't realize ahead of time that this was part of a series, but it wasn't really vital to have read the first book. Sue finds a finger bone in her garden at the house that has belonged only to her family for over a century. She assumes it's her missing mother's skeleton that is later found, but it is a child's bones. Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch investigate, but their lives are in danger when it turns out that a corrupt officer may be involved. I enjoyed this and would definitely like to read more of this series. 4 stars.

What an absolute cracker of a book. Drew me straight in from the first page, fast paced, twists, a book I just had to keep reading to find out the truth.

Sue is living in her families house. She currently shares and cares for her father who is suffering with dementia. Her gran dad has past away and her mother went missing 30 years ago and it remains unclear whether she is alive or dead.

Sue is assembling a herb garden. Her grandfather's old greenhouse is beyond repair and as Sue removes the paving slabs it was built on, and starts to dig, she finds human bones. Could this possibly be the remains of her mother?

Investigations identify the remains to belong to Will, a 10 year old boy. However what unfolds is hidden family secrets, police corruption, with many lives being placed in danger.

Great twist at the end, absolute must rea

‘Small Bones’ is the second book to feature the detective pairing that is Harvey and Birch. The first book in the series was called ‘Knife Edge’ and it was released on 15th April 2021. I though ‘Knife Edge’ was good but ‘Small Bones’ was even better. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Small Bones’ but more about that in a bit.
I love the detective pairing of Harvey and Birch. Harvey is now an Acting Detective Inspector and Birch is a Detective Constable. Both work for the Police Service of Northern Ireland. It didn’t take me long to feel as though I had reunited with old friends in Harvey and Birch. I love the way in which they are friends as well as colleagues and I got the impression that both think the world of the other. You can certainly say that they have each other’s backs.
By the time I got to the end of the first page, I realised that I wasn’t going to be able to put this book down for any length of time. I was intrigued by the crime and I needed to know how the story panned out. To say that reading ‘Small Bones’ became addictive is a huge understatement. I would pick up the book only intending to read a chapter but I would become so wrapped up in the story that I would sit be sat there reading half a dozen or more chapters later. My Kindle was certainly well travelled as it accompanied me wherever I went. I just couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. I found ‘Small Bones’ to be a gripping read, which certainly kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat.
‘Small Bones’ is extremely well written. Kerry certainly knows how to grab your attention and draw you into what proves to be a compelling story. I loved the fact that the story is set in Northern Ireland as I have relatives from there. The story is written using different timelines. One describes events as they happen in the present day and the other timeline is written using flashbacks to events as they happened in the past, which help to explain why the main characters are the way they are in the present day. I was a bit concerned to start with that this might prove to be confusing but I needn’t have worried because the chapters interlinked well and the story flowed seamlessly. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace throughout. As I mentioned above, I thought ‘Knife Edge’ was good but ‘Small Bones’ is even better. This is a series that is destined to go from strength to strength.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of ‘Small Bones’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Kerry’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

When Sue Hearn is busy planting her herb garden, she doesn't realise that all the digging will reveal secrets that are long buried in the garden.
The discovery of a skeleton in the garden makes Sue wonder if it belongs to her mother, who has been missing for many years now.
Living with her father, Michael, who is suffering from dementia, Sue is certain that there is something her grandfather was hiding all the while.
As Micheal has periods of lucidity, he reveals somethings that involves the police as well.

This is a 2nd book in a series. While I have missed reading the first one, the story is intriguing. The characters of Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch are interesting and looking forward to more adventures with them.

Thank you Netgalley and Joffe books for the ARC

I always enjoy a good “who done it” story. After a friend recommended Small Bones, it sounded like it would deliver.

And it did.

Set in Belfast, this is the second book of Kerry Buchanan’s Harvey & Birch Mysteries. While I haven’t read the first one, this could easily be a stand-alone novel.

When Sue Hearn discovers a skeleton in the site where her grandfather’s greenhouse once stood, she fears someone in her family might have been responsible. It also brings back painful memories of her own mother’s disappearance thirty years earlier.

Detectives Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch are sent to investigate, but someone on the police force doesn’t want them to learn the truth. Whoever it is will stop at nothing to silence them.

Buchanan threw in plenty of breadcrumbs to keep readers guessing, and although the culprit’s identities are soon made known, it’s unclear who Asha and Aaron can trust. What’s more, the author left us with a twist at the end, the answer I hope will be explored in future books. I also enjoyed the relationship between Asha and Aaron—they make a great team. Four solid stars for this one.

A special thanks to Joffe Books at Net Galley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Small Bones by Kerry Buchanan—For die-hard fans of nail-biting crime thrillers, Kerry Buchanan is the real deal.

Crime thriller by one of Northern Ireland’s newest talents.

“Human finger bones can easily be mistaken for bits of clay pipe when you gig them out of the soil. It couldn’t be human she told herself.”

I apologize in advance for the superlatives but it seems the only way to convey adequately how much I enjoyed this book. I requested it as soon as I learned the digital advance review copy was available on NetGalley. This second book in the Detectives Harvey & Birch series sounded appealing, and I was already aware of the brilliance of Kerry Buchanan’s writing having previously read Knife Edge, the first novel in the series. I devoured this one the moment I downloaded it.

After the set up prologue, the book begins from the point of view Sue Hearn, a woman in her forties who has given up working to become the full-time caregiver for her father, a dementia sufferer. While tilling up the back garden Hearn uncovers skeletal remains which brings in the central characters Acting Detective Inspector Asha Harvey and DC Aaron Birch. They take up the investigation once they exhumed the full remains of a child from Hearn’s backyard and the evidence points to homicide.

Buchanan masterfully moves the story back and forward from 1992 when the crimes detailed in the book happened, and the present day as the detectives sift the evidence and clues hoping to identify the child victim and the killer. The novel continues to unfold from a few other points of view, notably that of Alistair King, a retired former high-ranking corrupt police office, and dips into the past – via memories, interviews, and testimonies at the time.

I really loved the growth of the Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch characters since the first novel in the series, Knife Edge, in which they were introduced. Here we get to know them even better. Alistair King, who turns out the chief villain in the book, is also a magnificently villainous character who we quickly develop an intense dislike for, yet respect as a worthy adversary for Harvey and Birch.

There are some truly mind-bending twists and turns that make Buchanan’s latest offering a deliciously nail-biting read. She also does a fabulous job in keeping us guessing throughout. Without apology, I proclaim Kerry Buchanan my favorite contemporary crime thriller novelist and can’t wait for the next book. I highly recommend Small Bones by Kerry Buchanan for die-hard fans of nail-biting crime thrillers. Kerry Buchanan is the real deal.

I received an advance review copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley used for this review but purchased a copy for my personal library.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Not sure what to review about this book as it was just an okay read really, nothing exceptional at all.

An entertaining read! This story covers a couple of generations and 30 year span. Interesting lead character confronting at least two major difficulties, especially from within. (Race & gender). Good open-ended thriller leaving room for future stories with the trusted supporting cast.

Book 2 in the series.
I enjoyed this story, it was well written, had good narrative and good pacing and the characters were well developed and relatable. I read this quickly and would definitely recommend it

Sue Ahearne makes a disturbing discovery while planting a herb garden on the site of her grandfather's greenhouse. Thanks to a major storm that went through the are, she's spent the morning picking up bits and bobs of varied items.

Unfortunately her father has dementia and often mistakes his daughter for his wife. Monica, who disappeared 3o years ago. In his rantings, he has said that the police were somehow involved .. and that it should have been him, not her, who had to pay.

Turning to Detectives Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch for help, she finds herself mired in a decades-old secret and cover-up. The more the detectives and Sue investigate, the more danger they face. Someone will do anything ..anything at all .. to keep these secrets buried forever.

From start to finish, this is an action-packed, page-turner with twists and turns involving multi-layered characters. The plot is well-crafted with chapters alternating between today and the past. The suspense maintains a high level carrying through the final unexpected conclusion.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All Book Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of crime fiction / thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Small Bones is the second instalment in the (Acting) Detective Inspector Asha Harvey and Detective Constable Aaron Birch (of the PSNI) Mysteries series set in Belfast, Northern Ireland in the midst of The Troubles. The prologue begins in 1992 with an unknown male out under the cover of darkness to bury a body in a secluded garden. The gardens of the Victorian mansion were surrounded on all sides by either tall hedges or walls so he buries the small child under slabs of concrete where the ground had just been levelled ready for the installation of a greenhouse. Back in the present-day Sue Hearn is digging around the same area under her ailing grandfather's defunct and dilapidated greenhouse hoping to plant and cultivate a herb garden when she discovers a small skull and part of a finger bone. Harvey and Birch are called in to investigate and after inspection they estimate the bones to be of a young child who was buried about thirty years ago.

Sue mentions that her mother, Monica Hearn, disappeared in 1992 under suspicious circumstances so they begin to investigate whether the two cases could be linked and discover that police corruption could very well be involved. Unfortunately, Sue’s father, who has dementia, cannot remember much that'll aid the investigation. Small Bones is a compelling read with a complex, wide-ranging plot that travels in unexpected directions. Featuring graphic violence, the detectives don't know who they can trust as a cover-up appears to be ongoing. Police corruption, protection rackets and murder seem to have been rife. Buchanan brings Belfast to life, for those of us who have never been, with superb descriptions, and I found myself turning the pages faster and faster. Asha and Aaron make a brilliant team; they are intelligent, tenacious and close to one another too. It does end on a cliffhanger which leaves you hanging so we shall see what the next book brings. Highly recommended.

Anything regarding this genre of book catches my attention but this one did in particular because of the family secret.

Sue, Asha and Aaron are Likeable characters. I liked the relationship between them and how they were quite relatable.

Loved the storyline, very cleverly done and definitely gave a sense of unease and mystery.

At times I felt it quite far fetched but I guess that’s the good thing about stories, they can be!

Overall an enjoyable thriller!

Small Bones by Kerry Buchanan is the second in the new detective series starring Detectives Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Joffe Books (in particular Nina Kicul for sending me a widget), and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Background:  (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
Detectives Asha Harvey, and Aaron Birch handle crime in Belfast, Ireland. Asha is always trying to prove herself as the rare Indian woman in a largely white, male police force.  Aaron, too is trying to prove himself, because he became a detective through a graduate recruitment scheme, so his fellow officers think he jumped procedures.  Their boss is CS Yvonne Patterson, who can be a little abrupt.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Asha is now Acting Detective Inspector of the branch, and she feels even more determined to prove herself capable.

When the remains of a child are found in a garden, she is right there.

Sue Hearn was planting a herb garden, outside the family estate.  It is just her and her father left, and he has dementia.  She didn't expect to find a child's skeleton on the site of her grandfather's old greenhouse.

Asha and Aaron start trying to finding out the identity of the child, and also start looking into the disappearance of Sue's mother when Sue was just a teenager.  It seems she went missing about 30 years ago, which is also along the timeline that the body had been buried.

Sue's father has been talking to her about her missing mother lately, and seems to be under the impression it could have been a policeman who was responsible.  But with his memory issues, how much does Sue believe.

As the investigation continues, it appears that Sue's father may have been right, and now more lives are in danger.


My Opinions:   
This is only the author's second novel (and the second in the series), and it is really good.  The author continues to prove herself as the books are well-written and the plots good.

Yes, sometimes the descriptions are a little long, but all in all, I enjoyed the from start to finish.

The characters are great.  I love both Asha and Aaron.  Again, I was pleased that the victim (Sue)  was very involved in the book.  The story is told from different perspectives, and I really enjoyed Sue's take on everything that was happening around her.  

As in the first, the book had a glossary of terms for "US readers".  Maybe I have read enough British authors, but this didn't really seem necessary.

The book ended in a bit of a cliffhanger, and but definitely peaked my interest in reading the next book.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Joffe Books for the electronic copy.

This is Book#2 in the series featuring Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch (now Acting DI and DC respectively), though I haven't read Book#1 - Knife Edge, this read well as a standalone.

Based in Northern Ireland, around Belfast, and showcasing the PSNI. Sue Hearn is excavating the base of her grandfather William Hearn's defunct greenhouse to make a herb garden. Carrow Lodge had been in the family for many years; her father, Michael, is still in the house and she cares for him daily, giving up her job in a pathology lab to look after him. He has dementia, complicated by minor stokes.; her mother Monica, had disappeared without trace almost 30 years previously whilst sue was a teenager. The house is becoming dilapidated, but she's doing the best she can.

The story is told between the present day and 1992, when Sue's mother disappeared.
Sue unearths some small bone fragments and engages her friend at the pathology lab to double-check for her - is this her mother? Something happened to her - was her grandfather, or father, involved? She really didn't want to know the truth.

When Asha and Aaron become involved the greenhouse base is viewed as a crime scene. What could have happened all those years ago? The truth can be stranger than fiction - after Sue's father suffers another stroke and is hospitalised, Michael has something to say - bit by bit - there's a police officer involved in this mystery.

We are taken into the realms of police corruption, protection rackets and murder. Who can you trust?

This is a twisty and emotional read. Is there just one bad apple - or more?

The story leaves the reader with questions - perhaps to draw in to the next book, but speculation is rife.
I think I'd like to catch the next one.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Small Bones, the second novel to feature Acting DI Asha Harvey and DC Aaron Birch of PSNI.

Sue Hearn is digging in her garden when she unearths human bones. She is worried they belong to her mother who disappeared almost thirty years ago. Then her father who has dementia says a policeman was involved. Now Asha and Aaron are investigating a cold case and potentially a police officer.

I thoroughly enjoyed Small Bones which is an absorbing read that expands from the find of a bone to something much broader and unexpected. I liked where the story took me, although I was disappointed that it wasn’t finished completely and left probably not a cliffhanger but enough loose ends and unresolved issues to suggest that the follow up will involve them. They are intriguing, so I hope it comes soon before I forget the detail of this one.

I think the plot is great. It occupies the mind and gets the reader thinking as more information comes to light and the possibilities widen. Sure, there are lucky breaks where information suddenly appears to move the investigation forward, but so what? It’s entertainment. It should also be noted that this is quite a violent novel with physical attacks and gunplay. It’s always strange to see guns on UK soil, so I’m assuming that the rules are different in Northern Ireland.

Asha and Aaron are fast becoming one of my favourite detective teams. They are smart and dedicated and very close, saving each other time after time. Could there be romance in the future for them? Maybe, but circumstances etc.

Small Bones is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

This is book 2 but I am looking for Book 1 now! Great read and page turner. While digging to plant an herb garden, Sue Hearn finds a small bone, is it a o;d pipe or a finger bone, next a skull. Detective Asha Harvey and Detective Aaron Birch are looking into skeleton found and but find that there is much more at play, and it reaches back 30 plus years, who can be trusted.
Great team work, I also liked the diversity of characters and look forward to many more books in this series. I did not read book 1 and even though you get glimpse of it was not so glaring that I felt I was missing something, and the book read fine without the knowledge.
Thank you to NetGalley and Joffee Books for an early read in exchange for my opinion.