Originally published in 2020 under the title Whirligig, The Bone Clock is a rerelease of book one in Andrew James Grieg’s Detective Corstorphine mystery series, and it was captivating read that left me wanting more. There is a second book in the series, and I’m hopeful that with this new edition, more books are planned.
Set in the highlands of Scotland, The Bone Clock is a dark mystery full of secrets, deception, and intrigue. It opens with a disturbing scene set in 1997, then jumps around twenty years, although the exact year is never specified that I can recall.
Soon the reader is drawn into the mystery of what the locals refer to as The Hanging Tree, and we follow Detective Inspector James Corstorphine as he and his fellow officers try to find a killer before more people die.
This is one of the best mysteries I’ve read lately. It captured my attention and kept it throughout the story. The characters were interesting and felt real, dealing with some of their own personal issues as well as the mystery at hand.
The mystery was quite dark, and there were a couple of scenes that were pretty gruesome in their detail but I think necessary to understand how disturbing the deaths were.
If, like me, you are a lover of mystery series (or shows) like Vera, or Shetland, I think you will really enjoy this book as much as I did. I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series and hope for more.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The new edition of The Bone Clock publishes on April 17 2025.
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