The Bone Garden cover art

The Bone Garden

An Atmospheric, Chilling Thriller From The Sunday Times Bestselling Author

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The Bone Garden

By: Simon Beckett
Narrated by: Leigh Symonds
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About this listen

 'One of our finest crime writers' ― Peter James

'Fabulous' ― The Sun

'Creepy and complex' ― The Times

Buried in the shadows and roots of the forest is a deadly secret that was never meant to come out . . .

Driving through the mountains in a fierce winter storm, David Hunter is forced to seek shelter at a remote village. But a one-night stop-over at the dilapidated Hillside House becomes deadly after a gruesome discovery in the depths of the surrounding forest.

With communications down and the only road washed out by the storm, Hunter is unsure who - if anyone - he can trust. And as long-buried secrets of a feud amongst the locals begin to emerge, he knows that whatever dark past the isolated community might be hiding, there's no one he can call on for help.

This time he's on his own.

The Bone Garden is an atmospheric and utterly gripping mystery set in the shadows of the Cumbrian mountains, that will chill the reader to their very bones.©2026 Simon Beckett (P)2026 Orion Publishing Group Limited Crime Thrillers Genre Fiction Mystery Psychological Small Town & Rural Thriller & Suspense

Critic reviews

A beautifully written cliff-hanger of a thriller, in which Hunter must navigate the social complexities and hidden history of an isolated community riven by closely guarded secrets . . . full of fascinating forensic detail and lyrical descriptions of the natural world in winter
A fabulous, atmospheric addition to the forensic anthropologist thriller series.
Beckett makes the most of his deep research, and the result has a denser texture than the work of his competitors. The Bone Garden (...) is very creepy and complex.
Simon Beckett delivers his customary fierce outing for tenacious forensic expert David Hunter, set in a community, with long buried secrets. This may be familiar terrain, but Beckett knows exactly what he's doing; if your taste is for strong, pungent writing, then Beckett is for you. As far back as Whispers of the Dead, he supplied all the adroitly orchestrated tension we now expect from him - and David Hunter.
All stars
Most relevant
I really like all books by this author. And I like David Hunter.It s just a pity that there are so few books (

Good as ever!

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This is the weakest book of the series by far and certainly not worth the years of wait since the last instalment in 2019. This series is one of the best in the genre but this installment was really lacking for me. A generic “who done it” with none of David’s usual work. A rambling story contained within a very small location with a very limited cast of characters which dragged until the end when there was a rush to explain everything in the last half an hour. This series is in my top 5 of all time but I nearly gave up on this book multiple times. The change in narrator was also a shame.

Not worth the wait

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narration great and a fast paced story never slow great book as usual can't wait for the next one

really enjoyed this

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If you are someone who likes long, meandering, descriptive passages with the mere hint of a plot once in a blue moon, then this book is absolutely for you. Go for it. Sadly I only managed to slog as far as chapter 12.

Sadly not my cup of tea

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