Cover the Bones

By Rachel Amphlett https://www.rachelamphlett.com/

Narrated by Ciaran Saward https://www.ciaransawardvo.com/ @sawardfish

Published by Saxon Publishing

271 pages (6 hours 56 minute) ISBN 9781915231574

Publication date 18 September 2023

Cover the Bones is the 5th book in the Detective Mark Turpin series.

I was sent an audiobook to enable me to take part in this Blog Tour. I would like to thank Anne at Random Things Tours @RandomTTours for the invitation to participate and of course the Author and Publisher.

The Cover

First impression was it’s rather dull, but on closer inspection of it enlarged it is a rather interesting photograph and certainly fits in with the story.

From the blurb

When archaeologists discover a skeleton in secluded woodland, the body is first thought to be related to an ancient Saxon settlement.

Then the torn and rotten remains of another woman’s bones are uncovered, her injuries bearing the markings of abuse and a violent death.

Detective Mark Turpin is tasked with finding their killer, except the forensic evidence is perplexing and the victims’ bodies are proving impossible to identify.

When a third victim is discovered only metres from the first, Mark and his team realise they’re running out of time to find out whoever is responsible.

Are the brutal murders the only evidence in a case gone cold, or does a serial killer lurk in the shadows, stalking their next victim?

The Narration

A nicely judged and balanced narration. Largely upbeat and easy to listen to with the occasional moment of drama, which fitted the storyline perfectly.

My thoughts

Our story starts with an archaeologist carrying out a survey using ground penetrating radar. Now if this were a History Channel program there would be sixty minutes of huffing and puffing, optimism by the wheelbarrow load only to turn up a few old nails and a brass buckle. This is crime fiction though, so immediately the reader is thinking body number one coming up (quite literally) shortly. Indeed, we are not to be disappointed, and the author has made an excellent job here capturing the sights and sounds of the summers evening, the archaeologists working and the shock at what they discover. It quickly transpires that this is a deposition site when body number two is found, much to the annoyance of the cable laying contractors who cannot progress and complain of over running costs. No shocks for the reader but nice and tightly written start to the story.

This is very much a procedural written not to give the reader any clues at the start, there is no prologue to whet the appetite, we know only what Turpin and the team does, so nothing is given away. The obvious place to start is the missing persons database, then we get an idea of the huge volume of possibilities, not to mention those who for some reason have not been reported. Even with computers we can appreciate the mammoth task entailed and share their sheer frustration. The real-life statistics for missing persons is staggering. Whilst some do return, many do not and it’s easy to see without good initial leads to follow the police have almost an impossible job. Turpin and the team need to narrow down the search, to be able to focus on a specific group, they need expertise.

There are no shortage of experts, archaeologists, anthropologists and forensic pathologists all willing to voice an opinion. The bodies are little more than bones, so what clues can a detailed examination give? This is complicated by the deposition site; the soil is acidic which over time will demineralise the bones. There are high expectations from these specialists, but just like anyone else these educated people can be intransigent, arrogant and act stupidly. There may be no direct lives at stake, but precious police man-hours are. It takes a third body for ideas to finally coalesce, then we can see how the case is going to take shape.

The search for the killer examines several themes, all impacting on life in modern Britain. There is the worrying lack of social care, an issue that is difficult and expensive to solve and so keeps getting kicked into the political ‘long grass’. With an aging population it is becoming critical and with a lack of support family members are putting their own health at risk trying to preserve the quality of life of loved ones. The author here writes with compassion rather than a preachy tone, but the message is quite clear.

Then there is the destruction of trust in society by the actions of relatively few. If you trust politicians, you are a fool and the actions of some have brought mistrust upon pillars of the establishment like the church and police, but the actions of Jimmy Savile and Dr Harold Shipman have had a profound impact on society. Now people who dedicate their lives to charity or doctors who go above and beyond for their patients are viewed through a lens of mistrust looking for ulterior motives.

The writing style is bright and breezy, the subject matter could have produced a much darker novel but not here, and most readers will zip through it quickly. There’s light-hearted moments and a bit of the usual cop banter to prevent it getting too dark, but the author is not afraid of posing serious, thought-provoking questions. Overall, it remains a procedural based investigation with little real danger or jeopardy, which is probably more realistic than some of the more action-based thrillers.

If you love tightly constructed police procedurals, then Cover the Bones fits the bill.

Cover the Bones can be purchased direct from the author’s website here.

The author

Before turning to writing, USA Today bestselling crime author Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio, and worked in publishing as an editorial assistant.

She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction with over 30 novels and short stories featuring spies, detectives, vigilantes, and assassins.

Rachel’s stories are available in eBook, print and audiobook formats from libraries and retailers as well as her own shop.

A keen traveller, Rachel has both Australian and British citizenship.

She loves hearing from readers and personally replies to every email.

Source: Amazon profile

The narrator

I’m a London-based voiceover artist who loves discovering new things.

From small businesses and indie video games, to big publishers like William Collins and big authors like Wilbur Smith, I’ve worked with a range of clients to get their stories heard.

If you need a flexible & enthusiastic voice to bring your project to life, you’ve come to the right place.

Please have a listen to my voicereels, read some testimonials and see how I could help you!

Source: Goodreads profile

Don’t forget to check out the other reviews in this Blog Tour: