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Model Craig Robertson is very surprised
to get a call one night from Paul Maloney, a guy he hooked
up with at a club almost two months earlier. They meet up
again, and things go very well. Then Craig gets the news
that his estranged father is missing, and things begin to
spiral out of control.
The Bones of Summer is a
hard book to describe. Before I even try to do so, my
preface to the review: I strongly recommend reading
Maloney’s Law before The Bones of Summer.
While it isn’t absolutely necessary, Maloney’s Law
gives the setup for The Bones of Summer, gives
a detailed portrayal of Paul (who is the main character in
that one), and is just a really good book.
That said, The Bones of Summer stands on its
own as a romance and more so as a mystery. Craig is a
conflicted character. He had a difficult childhood with a
fundamentalist father. After leaving home, he changed his
name and tried to forget his past. Unfortunately, the
secrets of his past won’t stay hidden, even though he’s
forced many of them from his own mind. Paul is also
conflicted. He’s had a great deal of sorrow and betrayal in
his past. His job as a private investigator makes him the
perfect person to help Craig look into his past, but their
budding romance complicates things. Secondary characters,
including Craig’s roommates, his father, and a former
neighbor, are well-drawn. The mystery is sufficiently
twisty and interesting, especially since a great deal of it
is in Craig’s mind. The Bones of Summer isn’t
perfect by any means. The villain is a bit over-the-top,
and parts near the end are pretty horrifying (sensitive
readers beware). The ending is hopeful, but not as sweet as
my romantic side wanted. I also would have preferred some
from Paul’s point of view as well, although I know why Anne
Brooke chose to write in one point of view. Despite those
cautions, The Bones of Summer drew me in and
kept me clicking the page turn button on my ereader
throughout. Little touches of humor and bittersweet
emotion, likeable characters, and an interesting mystery
make The Bones of Summer well worth a read. |
