"All the Silent Bones" leans more towards a typical crime thriller than horror, but the (admittedly limited but crucial) touch of horror pervading the book is so well-done, I'd have no problem if the book were marketed as wholly horror. I enjoyed it from start to finish, despite the ending building on elements of the story very much in the background (and including an off-putting "villain monologue" at the end as well). It's also a slow burn, the most important part of the plot (driving the rest of the story forward) appearing midway through the book.

I would not consider any of this a flaw, however, since Funaro's writing shows incredible craftmanship, impressive attention to detail, and superb dialogue and characterization. It manages to tell an original story with the main characters being a group of male friends, portrayed both as kids and adults, without going the way of "IT" or "The Body" (as it usually happens), it captures the Rhode Island atmosphere perfectly, the themes of family issues and overall traumatic childhood are handled in an exemplary manner (with neither much fanfare nor turning everything into a crusade or a social message), and, finally, the darkness it deals with is displayed with uncanny precision and compelling realism.

My single complaint would be that the novel is so good, I really wanted more from it in relation to horror. It was disappointing that Bobby, the kid whose life derails when something bad happens to him as a teen, and who, as an adult, turned out to have so much potential for creepiness, all but remained untapped. I'm not saying that Funaro wasted a perfectly good character, who might have turned the story into a fascinating horror tale of possession and associated supernatural phenomena (the book does include these); I'm only noting that the author presses harder on the mystery thriller/police procedural aspects of the story, and, after some point, unnecessarily foregoes horror altogether.

In sum, this is a page-turner, and will easily satisfy lovers of horror, urban crime stories, detective tales, and psychological thrillers. Highly recommended!

The book, All the Silent Bones, by Gregory Funaro is overall well-written but not without flaws. As kids, the book’s main characters share a trauma that stays with them into adulthood, showing itself through restless nights and nightmares into eventually, murders. One of the character, Bobby, was intense and interesting at the beginning, but it felt like he was put on the back burner later on, which was a letdown. I wish the characters as adults had been as dynamic as they were when kids, and that Bobby had been focused more on when compared to the others. The use of a certain diagnosis felt too much like a crutch, and I wish there were more therapy sessions noted when the author decided to go that route. I did not care for the back-and-forth between the past and the present because it was a little awkward at times and unnecessary at others. The dialogue took the storytelling to another level, however, by flowing nicely and bringing out the characters' personalities. For me, it's a pet peeve whenever authors use the book title or chapter titles in the book itself, so I felt like that was a little redundant. While I wasn't thrilled about the twist, I did like how it was handled; it was still a bit creative and did not feel like a rushed ending. Even though this is a thriller, I found myself laughing often because of the funny dialogue or the wit of Funaro in general. Opposite to that, I found myself feeling a little uneasy after a few scenes. I will say this book is more of a mystery/thriller than a horror, but it still does a good job handling death, killings, and making you think of the darkness within others around you–and perhaps within yourself.


Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this book for my honest review.

Ray Dawley, Eddie Sayers, and Matthew Kauffman were the best of friends. Then new kid Bobby “Bones” Bonetti Became friends with Ray. When winer comes, the boys are looking forward to go sledding. Bobby is hesitant about the location Eddie and Matthew wants to go to—Blackmore Pond. At Blackamore Pond last summer, where Bobby had caught a fish, Eddie grabbed it and cut the tail off the fish and threw it back into the pond. Bobbie was upset. He didn’t want the fish to die. They end up going there. The hill ends up at the edge of the pond. Eddie tests the ice by walking and stamping on it. Eddie goes down the hill first. Eddie twists the tobaggon so it slides sideways missing the pond entirely and the snow bank. Ray goes next but ends up landing in the snow bank. When Bobbie goes down, he hits the snow bank and goes fling off the tobaggon. He ends up with a bump on his head. Ra runs down to see if Bobby is okay. He also tries to do a test to see if Bobby is okay. When Eddie and Matthew go back up the hill, Ray says to Bobby we can go home if you want. Obey says no as he doesn’t want Eddie to think he is a wimp. He asks Ray to join the boys as he wants a minute to himself. Becoming aware of a beautiful white fish without a tail Bobby follows it on the ice until he falls through. Bobby is saved by the boys. An ambulance is called and so are the police. Bobby seems to be in shock. The police questioned the three boys about the accident. Forty years later, the oys now men have a reunion at Ray’s house. The next day one of the men is dead. Why? What was the reason?

The author has written a tense and disturbing horror novel. The author writes about the impact of childhood abuse and its influence on adult relationships. I found the book delightful (note—I enjoy horror. It is my favorite genre to read.) I like reading the different points of view from the characters. I have not read this author’s books but I will be looking forward to reading some of his books.

All the Silent Bones ended up being a letdown for me. Despite being described as a “thriller”, the main event that kicks off the story (at least according to the blurb) doesn’t occur until almost halfway through the book. I spent the entire first half of the book wondering if the “tense and exciting” parts promised in the description were ever going to occur. Eventually enough started happening that it pulled me in, but the whole thing felt surprisingly slow paced.

I also found most of the characters to be disappointingly one-dimensional. Despite the story being told from the perspectives of multiple people, none of them felt very “real”, and many of the internal monologues felt so disconnected from the main story being told that I found it difficult to care about them.

Without giving too much away, there is a reveal at one point about a diagnosis of one of the characters that I personally find to be pretty overused in mystery/thriller fiction. It could just be my personal bias due to having read a number of books where this is used as a “twist”, but it’s something that I don’t feel is particularly unique or surprising anymore, and in this case I didn’t even think it added that much to the story, besides maybe giving the villain some more “ammo”?

Speaking of the villain, the whole “bad guy reveals entire plan in a monologue” cliche just doesn’t cut it for me anymore.

All in all I think this book will appeal to readers who want something quick and entertaining to read, but it didn’t end up being my cup of tea.

Was not expecting that, omg. This book was fantastic! It twisted and it turned, and I can’t say too much because I don’t want to spoil it omg! I highly recommend people read this, it is so good! I’m going to grab a physical copy asap!

All the Silent Bones is a wild, fast paced ride that kept me turning pages, even when I wasn’t entirely sure where it was taking me. While I genuinely enjoyed the read, I think this novel struggles a bit with genre identity. At various points, it feels like a police procedural, an organized crime thriller, a supernatural mystery, and a psychological drama, and a murder mystery... all rolled into one. The frequent shifts in tone and direction left me feeling a bit disoriented, as if I had genre whiplash.

That said, where this book truly shines is in its character work. Gregory Funaro delivers a masterclass in character development, making even a wide cast feel fully realized and their motivations crystal clear. Each character’s actions felt grounded and believable, which is no small feat in a story juggling so many elements.

Even though I found myself scratching my head at the plot’s twists and the story’s overall genre trajectory, the strength of the characters kept me invested from start to finish. If you're looking for a thriller with rich character arcs and don’t mind a bit of narrative chaos along the way, All the Silent Bones is worth the read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, and Gregory Funaro for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Stayed up late to Read this in a night, I really enjoyed this book. I would read more books by this author

Ray, Eddie, and Matthew were close friends until Bobby “Bones” fell through the ice at Blackamore Pond. They saved Bobby but something else, evil came back with him that exploded their friendship.

Forty years later, Ray returns.. Bobby, now on disability has been hiding a dark secret from his past.

After the friends reunite Matthew is found murdered near the pond, with a message meant for the friends. Possibly one is the killer.....

"All the Silent Bones" is a thriller exploring the impact of childhood trauma on adult relationships. I enjoyed the book but felt it was a story ive seen alot of. It's worth a read so give it a shot.

Thank you for the opportunity to read an early copy of all the silent bones. I absolutely devoured this book! I couldn’t stop turning the pages because I needed to know what would happen next

Ray Dawley, Eddie Sayers, and Matthew Kauffman were close friends until Bobby “Bones” Bonetti fell through the ice at Blackamore Pond. They saved Bobby but released something sinister that shattered their friendship.

Forty years later, Ray, a retired professor, returns home. Eddie is a retired homicide detective, and Matthew is a banker. Bobby, now on disability from his corrections officer job, harbors a dark secret linked to his past.

After a reunion, Matthew is found murdered near the pond, with a message meant for the remaining friends. Is one of them the killer?

"All the Silent Bones" is a gripping thriller exploring the lasting impact of childhood trauma on adult relationships.
I enjoyed the book but felt it was a trope that is visited so much. It was the author's unique take on that trip however, so makes it worth the read.