Review: What the Bones Know by Kirstyn McDermott

The descriptive country setting of the prologue, a farmer rescuing his bull from a flooded creek, did not prepare me for what was to come. What the Bones Know is a searing, gothic tale of past ghosts, family and long held secrets.

Set on the cusp of COVID lockdowns, Jude has returned home over concerns of her mother's declining cognitive health. Her return to the farm coincides with the discovery of a child's bones.

Plagued by nightmares that feel frighteningly real, Jude feels like she is on the brink of a breakdown.

McDermott pulls the reader ever deeper into the mystery with a foreboding air hanging over the story. The dark gothic/supernatural element gives an eerie feeling.

Jude is dealing with an ex-partner, an aging parent, the remoteness of country life and the COVID lockdown and its tribulations, all causing stress and anxiety.

Told in the present and also through breath-holding, suspense filled flashbacks. I was plunged into Jude's nightmare and the cliff-hanger chapter endings kept the pages turning.

Evocatively written with a beautifully described country setting What the Bones Know had me engaged from start to finish.

What the Bones Know is a haunting exploration of suppressed memory and family obligation.

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

Publication date: 1st March 2026

Genre: Mystery / Gothic

Pages: 307

RRP: $32.99AU

Source: Courtesy of the publisher