Rituals
Secrets
A killer who will protect them at any cost…
Martha Strangeways has settled into a quiet life in Strathbran, after the horrific events that traumatised the village a year earlier. But all this is turned upside down when her friend at Glasgow CID, DI Derek Summers, calls on her to help with a disturbing case: a human ear, with an unusual Celtic earring, has been found next to a railway line in the Highlands.
And when the body of a young woman wearing matching jewellery turns up at a landmark church shortly after, the mystery deepens. Why has she been laid out in a ritualistic fashion? Does her trek along the little-known Cailleach Way have anything to do with her death? And who is running the Facebook Group where she posted details of her journey to the shrine of the Bone Mother goddess?
As Martha tries to unpick the threads, she finds herself entwined with a ghost from her own past, and in conflict with the owner of a project that threatens to destroy the goddess’s sacred land.
With Halloween approaching, and someone determined to protect the goddess at all costs, can Martha and Summers catch the killer before they strike again – and this time much closer to home…?
It is such a pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for The Bone Mother by Suzy Aspley today. Many thanks to Orenda Books for sending me a copy of the novel and to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in the tour.
I loved Suzy Aspley's impressive debut, Crow Moon when it was published a couple of years ago and have been looking forward to being reunited with her protagonist, Martha Strangeways. The development of the returning characters, particularly Martha, is one of the highlights of The Bone Mother but the references to past events which are woven into the plot, mean it can also be enjoyed as a standalone read.
Martha is a stronger figure here and is able to look back on her past, despite the awful tragedy she endured and the more recent danger she faced. As a natural investigative journalist, she has a dogged determination to follow a lead while her empathetic intuitiveness means she never forgets the people at the heart of the story. We learn a little more about her past in The Bone Mother, including the time she spent in Bosnia, where she met the enigmatic Dr Brigid Russell. Brigid was a forensics expert with a unique instinct that meant she was able to help identify individuals found in the mass graves of the Balkans War and reunite them with their families. Martha hasn't seen Brigid for many years but when a human ear is discovered next to a railway line in the Highlands, she contacts her old friend, hoping she might be able to help, thanks to the distinct earring – a Celtic hammer – found on the dismembered ear.
It's a gruesome discovery but only the start of an investigation which finds Martha's friend, DI Derek Summers temporarily promoted and SIO of a complex, disturbing case. The mutual respect between Martha and Summers is markedly different from the usual mutual suspicion or antipathy often depicted between detectives and journalists in crime fiction but the Martha Strangeways series could never be accused of being predictable.
The twists and turns of the plot make for compulsive reading as another body part is discovered before it becomes obvious that other people could be in danger. The sinister sense of tension is chilling but there is another layer to this atmospheric thriller which makes it even more unsettling. The Bone Mother is steeped in Scottish folklore; the stories of the Cailleach's power over the landscape add a richly evocative mystery to proceedings. The vivid descriptions of the autumnal Scottish highlands, the strange, inexplicable sightings and the creepy ritualistic offerings as Samhain draw near ensure The Bone Mother is an eerie, compelling read from start to finish.
A tense race against time ensues before events reach their dramatic, emotional climax and Suzy Aspley marries mythology with contemporary issues and poignant family matters perfectly. The Bone Mother is beautifully written literary crime fiction which will linger long in the memory, and is a novel I very highly recommend.
The Bone Mother is published by Orenda Books and can be purchased from their website, further purchasing links can be found here.
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