James Brogden
On the killing fields of World War One, a British soldier abandons his regiment to join the Grey Brigade – a company of deserters who pledge allegiance to no country and fight for no army. Amongst this motley group he meets Bill, an adherent of an old Celtic religion, who makes outlandish claims that cannot possibly be true.
A hundred years later, a young couple take on the allotment pitch next to Dennie’s. Soon, the disappearances begin, and Dennie is left to decide whether there’s really something wrong with the new tenants, or whether her suspicions are just the fantasies of her fragile mind.
Bone Harvest begins slowly, but soon builds into an unputdownable page turner. The shift in focus from the deserter to Dennie is a little jarring, but the Dennie section of the novel is larger and more intriguing, so it’s not too much of a problem. I often see reviews claim that a book has ‘undercurrents of dread’ or suchlike, but in this case I really did feel quite anxious about Dennie, and had to keep on reading to find out what happens with her. Not too good for my insomnia, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.