PSA: Bears are not picky eaters. Just sayin'.
Bone Maker by DF Bailey is one of those thrillers that builds slowly. It actually took me three days to read, which surprised me because the opening made me think I was headed for a marathon reading session.
We begin with Ethan and his son Ben. They are out hunting when they come across a Mercedes parked with its window open and a bear happily chowing down nearby. And let’s be honest, bears aren’t exactly picky eaters when they’re hungry.
So immediately we have questions. Who was the bear’s dinner? Why would someone see a bear and open the window? Did that even happen the way it appears?
As the story progresses, Bailey doesn’t hide who the villains are. Instead, the tension comes from watching reporter Will Finch piece everything together. Once it’s discovered that the victim was shot before becoming bear food, the mystery shifts from who did it to how Will is going to uncover the truth without ending up on the menu himself.
The middle moves at a measured pace, but the investigation gradually gathers momentum, and by the end I was fully invested in seeing how Finch would connect the dots. If you enjoy crime thrillers where the suspense comes from the hunt for evidence rather than a last-page twist, Bone Maker is worth picking up.
