When the Bones Sing

Romance, secrets and mystery and a teenage girl who hears the bones of the dead... Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson, Adalyn Grace and Delia Owens' Where the Crawdads Sing

17-year-old Dovie doesn't believe in magic even though she comes from a long line of women who can hear the bones of the dead sing, and for the past few years the bones have been crooning nonstop, calling out to Dovie to dig them up. Because there is a killer on the loose - someone is snatching hikers from the miles of tracks, leaving their mutilated bodies for Dovie to find. And the body count grows ever higher.

Some of the old-timers believe that it's the monstrous Ozarks howler snatching people off the Aux Arc Trail. Well Dovie doesn't believe in the howler, and she doesn't believe her best friend - the gorgeous Lo - when he tells her he is being haunted by dark shadows. All she believes in is her talent that guides the local sheriff to the bones when they begin their song, then reuniting the dead with their families to give them some peace.

But the truth of their deaths isn't buried with their bones; it's hidden somewhere deep in the hills. And Lo and Dovie must unearth it before anyone else is killed...

In this latest thriller, Dovie's journey of self-discovery is a suspenseful coming of age tale, where the occult and realism intertwine. The teenage protagonist's struggle with the paranormal forms the crux of this contemporary fiction.

For fans of Emily Mcintire (Beneath the Stars), Chelsea Ichaso (We Were Warned), L.J Shen (Truly Madly Deeply), Megan Lally (That's Not My Name), and Erin A. Craig (The Thirteenth Child).

HarperCollins 2025