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Ellen Hart

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A Whisper of Bones: A Jane Lawless Mystery (Jane Lawless Mysteries Book 25) Kindle Edition

by Ellen Hart (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 97 ratings

Book 25 of 27: Jane Lawless Mysteries Series

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Fans of Jane Lawless new and old will be fascinated by newly minted Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Ellen Hart’s latest intricate puzzle in A Whisper of Bones.

Britt Ickles doesn’t remember much from her only visit to her mother’s childhood home when she was a kid, except for playing with her cousin Timmy and the eruption of a sudden family feud. That’s why, when she drops by unannounced after years of silence, she’s shocked when her aunts tell her Timmy never existed, that she must be confusing him with someone else. But Britt can’t shake the feeling that Timmy did exist…and that something horrible has happened to him. Something her aunts want to cover up.

Britt hires Jane Lawless, hoping the private investigator can figure out what really happened to her cousin. When a fire in the family’s garage leads to the discovery of buried bones and one of the aunts dies suddenly and suspiciously, Jane can’t help but be pulled into the case. Do the bones belong to Timmy? Was the aunt’s death an accident, suicide, or homicide? What dark secret has this family been hiding for decades? It all depends on Jane Lawless to unravel.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ELLEN HART, named the 2017 Mystery Writers of America’s Grandmaster, is the author of more than thirty mysteries, many of them featuring private investigator Jane Lawless. Entertainment Weekly has called her “a top novelist in the cultishly popular gay mystery genre.” She has won multiple Minnesota Book Awards, and has been nominated twenty-three times for the Lambda Literary Award, winning six. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her partner of forty years.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B073TSDGK6
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Minotaur Books (February 27, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 27, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 6801 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 310 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,028,001 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,260 in LGBTQ+ Mystery (Kindle Store)
- #4,772 in Gay & Lesbian (Kindle Store)
- #5,097 in Lesbian Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.5 97 ratings

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Ellen Hart

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Ellen Hart is the author of thirty-two crime novels in two different series. She is a six-time winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Mystery, a three-time winner of the Minnesota Book Award for Best Popular Fiction, a three-time winner of the Golden Crown Literary Award, a recipient of the Alice B Medal, and was made an official GLBT Literary Saint at the Saints & Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans in 2005. Entertainment Weekly named her one of the "101 Movers and Shakers in the Gay Entertainment Industry." For the past sixteen years, Ellen has taught "An Introduction to Writing the Modern Mystery" through the The Loft Literary Center, the largest independent writing community in the nation. Her newest Sophie Greenway mystery is No Reservations Required, (Ballantine, June 2005). Fever in the Dark, the newest Jane Lawless mystery, will be released by St. Martin's/Minotaur in October 2016. Ellen lives in Minneapolis with her partner of 37 years.

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4.5 out of 5

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Talia

A Mystery That Will Shake Your Core

Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2018

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I rated this book five stars, because I really liked this book from start to finish. This is the first mystery book i have ever read! I didn't have any dislikes at all! What I loved about it was how the main character Jane was onto the mystery, she has a charming and loving personality and it shocked me how evil people could really hide their true self, like an Apple which is red but turns dark and cold if not fully eaten.

Jane, is searching for answers for a woman named Britt, who hired her to find answers on her missing relative Timmy. She believes her aunts Elanor and Lena had something to do with his disapperance. However, there are a few hidden secrets and a betrayal that not even Jane and her friends would ever come to think would even be possible.

I would recommend this book to adults who love mystery, but not for children.

2 people found this helpful

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Jacqueline L. Carter

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2018

It was good

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2021

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As usual I thought I had the answer until I found out again I was wrong. Ellen Hart has had me stumped on every single book. I love it. For me she is a master of who done it. The characters are excellent and even though they've aged throughout the series it doesn't really feel like it. I'm sure if you've been reading the series you're a fan and this book will not disappoint.

One person found this helpful

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Wylee Farmher

Another good one

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2018

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I still really enjoy reading this series. I was afraid it might get old but it really doesn't. I love Cordelia and all her over the topness.

2 people found this helpful

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Samantha.1020

A Whisper of Bones by Ellen Hart (thoughts)

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2018

Summary from Goodreads:

"Britt Ickles doesn't remember much from her only visit to her mother's childhood home when she was a kid, except for playing with her cousin Timmy and the eruption of a sudden family feud. That's why, when she drops by unannounced after years of silence, she's shocked when her aunts tell her Timmy never existed, that she must be confusing him with someone else. But Britt can't shake the feeling that Timmy did exist...and that something horrible has happened to him. Something her aunts want to cover up.

Britt hires Jane Lawless, hoping the private investigator can figure out what really happened to her cousin. When a fire in the family's garage leads to the discovery of buried bones and one of the aunts dies suddenly and suspiciously, Jane can't help but be pulled into the case. Do the bones belong to Timmy? Was the aunt's death an accident, suicide, or homicide? What dark secret has this family been hiding for decades? It all depends on Jane Lawless to unravel."

My Thoughts:

A Whisper of Bones is one of those books that I was intrigued by from the very beginning. With a great cover and a unique summary, I just couldn't help wanting to read this one. The idea of a woman remembering a little boy from her childhood only to be told that he doesn't exist was too much for me to resist. I just knew that I had to read it despite the fact that this is book #25 in this long standing mystery series. Happily enough, it didn't matter in the slightest that I hadn't read the previous books as I found myself sucked into this book with ease. The thing that I really liked about this book was the mystery portion and how unexpected that it all was. Jane is hired basically to determine if Timmy is real or not. That alone had me reading without stopping because I just couldn't figure out how she was going to be able to do that. Then the bones were found in the garage and I was seriously hooked. This book also featured some interesting secondary characters that I enjoyed reading about. I'm sure that without having read the previous books I'm missing some back stories there but it didn't detract from my reading experience in the slightest. Instead it just made me go and the first book to my TBR list to read soon. I really enjoyed my time with this book and found that I didn't want to stop reading. I loved the way this book wrapped up but I won't tell you much more than that so I don't spoil anything. I just found it to be perfectly tied up and it left me excited to read more from this series!

Overall, I found this book to be a really great mystery and a series that I want to read more of. I find it so surprising that I hadn't heard of this author until now but I'm glad that I found her books. I'm looking forward to picking up book one in the very near future. I do love that I have so many books to look forward to! Readers that are looking for diverse characters - this book features a main character who is LGTBQ. I thought it was worth mentioning because so many readers are really trying to expand their reading in ways like this - I know that I am! If you are looking for a unique mystery, I would definitely recommend this book! I think that this series is considered to be a cozy mystery series but I'm really not for sure on that. All I can say is that I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read more! Mystery, suspense, and cozy mystery fans alike should give this book and series a shot!

Bottom Line: An enjoyable mystery that left me excited to read more from this series!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

One person found this helpful

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Patsy

Like An Old Friend

Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2020

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Good to be with Jane Lawless again...

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Lupine Smile

Not A Very Exciting Mystery Novel

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2018

Minotaur Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of A Whisper of Bones: A Jane Lawless Mystery. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Jane Lawless is a private investigator, hired by Britt Ickles to find out what happened to her cousin Timmy. Despite her aunts saying that Timmy is a figment of her imagination, Britt is certain that something horrible happened that necessitated a cover up by her extended family. When a garage fire yields gristly results, will the subsequent police investigation and that of Jane Lawless give Britt the answers she seeks?

Although A Whisper of Bones was a decent book, it just plodded along and was not very exciting. None of the characters really stood out for me, not even Jane. With multiple side plots, as it seems that every character in the book had complications in their lives, the main mystery gets lost in the shuffle. Although it is part of a lengthy series featuring Jane Lawless, it is not strictly necessary to have read the previous books. Despite never having read any of them, I did not feel lost or confused as to the central idea surrounding the novels. As a result of the shortcomings that I listed above, I do not feel the desire to continue reading either the previous novels or any future ones. Because of this, I would be hesitant to recommend A Whisper of Bones to other readers.

3 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

I love the way Ellen Hart weaves her characters into crossing ...

Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2018

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I love the way Ellen Hart weaves her characters into crossing paths. I love the "gotcha" endings. Jane Lawless is a rock star!