Review: Bone Pendant Girls by Terry S. Friedman

Bone Pendant Girls

by Terry S. Friedman

Release Date: January 30, 2024

2024 CamCat Books

Ebook Edition; 368 Pages

ISBN: 978-0744307924

ASIN: B0C2F6B2RR

Audiobook: B0CP69K58D

Genre: Fiction / Paranormal

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Beware of jewelry that calls to you. Andi Wyndham has been able to communicate with spirits since she was a kid. When a bone pendant carved into the likeness of a girl’s face calls to her at a gem show in Pennsylvania, she can’t resist buying it and a sister piece. When she discovers the girls are missing runaways and the pendants made of human bone, Andi is drawn into a mystery that will force her to confront her gifts, her guilt, and the ghosts haunting her. 

 

Pendant Girls Mariah and Bennie urge Andi to find a man they call "Fisherman,” a master of disguise. Teaming up with a handsome P. I. and a South Carolina sheriff, Andi must find the girls’ bodies and put their souls to rest, before the Fisherman casts his deadly net to trap Andi.

 

My Thougths

Bone Pendant Girls is one of those books that intrigued me because of the interesting title and the fascinating cover page.  I am not usually one who is swayed by cover pages as I tend to choose books more about the subject matter, but I can appreciate beautifully done cover pages when I see them.  It was the ghost story that definitely drew me in and I found that aspect of the story to be both tragic and well-done at the same time.

 

Most of the story is told from Andi's POV, but several of the chapters are told from a couple of other characters POV as well.  I am still unsure if the multiple POV was necessary, but at least it didn't detract from the story in any way.  I enjoyed this author's writing style, thought the story was fun and interesting, and liked the twists and turns, some of them I didn't quite catch.  And while I appreciate it when an author shows you what happens through dialogue and through a character's perspective, I did feel like the author needed to tighten up a few things in the story as there were some inconsistencies.  There were times when I thought I missed something important and had to back track to double-check, only to find it wasn't me, but the way the story was written.  

 

The story moved along rather quickly, with a lot of things happening, and the tension level kept me turning the pages especially in the last 25% of the book.  One of the issues I did have with this book was the lack of knowledge about the actual serial killer as I felt the reader didn't fully get an understanding of their motivations or the reasons behind the killings and while this didn't lower the tension level, it did affect it as I couldn't relate to how they got where they did and how they knew what they did.  There was no closure in that regard. 

Andi was a great character and I liked her sense of humour considering she had to deal with both a serial killer and a crazy ex-husband on top of everything.  I loved her inner monologue when speaking to the ghosts and trying to figure out how she would impart information she received to the police and the P.I. without giving away how she got her information, and found it quite humourous. In all fairness, if I was investigation something and someone told me they go their information from ghosts and shadows, I'd be skeptical as well, and I believe in ghosts.  I also liked how she didn't do anything stupid when trying to gain information as that is the one things that always bothers me when reading some of these books, and she didn't information from the police as if she was entitled to it.  

Verdict

Bone Pendant Girls was a great debut novel and I enjoyed it quite a bit.  The story moved along quickly and the paranormal element was very interesting and incorporated quite seamlessly.  I did feel like there were some inconsistencies with the plot and character development, and I wished we knew more about the serial killer as there was little about their motives and reasons, but overall, it was full of tension and quite enjoyable.  I will definitely read another book by this author in the future.