Love Katie Maguire. Compelling if imperfect story.

Where does White Bones rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Graham Masterton is a really masterful storyteller, and the twists come fast and furious. A few choices are more over-the-top than I like in my mysteries (prefer them slightly more real,) but I can't imagine he'd ever be a wasted listen. Love his ability to set up Cork as a place in time, and to draw a series of interesting characters.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Katie is a great character. She makes unique moral choices - more interesting than a lot of authors would allow- and her morality is very particular to her as a character. I like her doggedness. Masterton isn't afraid to let her screw up, either, which makes her all the more real. The ultimate villain of this piece is interesting too. Not entirely unexpected when revealed, but still worth it.

What three words best describe Caroline Lennon’s voice?

The narrator's voice is dramatic but also soothing with its Irish lilt. It's honeyed and unique. HOWEVER, I really feel that she hams it up awfully with the American characters. Their accents are SO BAD that it unfortunately ruins some really important scenes. Seriously. A suggestion of an accent often works better than when narrators try to fully do an accent (this must happen to British listeners all the time, but my ear is tuned to North American. Sorry, British listeners! Wow!) The end of the second book implies that there are more American characters to come so I hope this is fixed.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Masterton shows his roots as a horror author - BOY is there some gore in here. Just a warning. I'm not squeamish by most measures, but something about listening to the torturous scenes in here was pretty difficult... He also likes supernatural subjects a lot.

Some lesbian stuff in both books so far has been kinda gratuitous from where I sit - much more a male fantasy than a true female experience. Not enough to wreck anything, just a little silly.

Any additional comments?

I listened to the second Katie Maguire book first. If you think you might listen to it, you might want to do this one first. It doesn't matter much in a lot of series, but there is some serious story arcing from book-to-book here, and the journey of this one was a little spoiled by listening out of order.

4 people found this helpful

Intolerable torture scenes

I had to return this novel after about an hour's listen. The detailed scenes of torture are lengthy and intolerable. The narrator's rendition of what she thinks is the voice of a young American woman is also torturous (otherwise the narrator is fine).

3 people found this helpful

gratuitous gore

What would have made White Bones better?

The graphic descriptions of sadistic violence were distracting and seemed unnecessary. I find stories that leave some of these details to the imagination and focus on the forensic analysis to be far more interesting.

What could Graham Masterton have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

As stated above, there were elements of the story that were interesting; however, I found the descriptions of the sadistic acts to be unnecessary.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Several of the characters were interesting.

Any additional comments?

I recommend against downloading this book if you are sensitive to butchery and extreme suffering. I have read six of Chelsea Cain's Archie Sheridan/Gretchen books and found them to be gruesome, but enjoyed the series. White Bones far exceeded my threshold for gore.

4 people found this helpful

Could be great book instead of great disapointment

What disappointed you about White Bones?

Sexual scenes and scenes of torture.are GRAPHIC. The sexual scenes are so detailed that that they could be used in an OBGYN text book. I needed a shower after reading one chapter. The scenes of torture including details of being skinned alive and legs amputated
in minute detail are stomach turning.

.I found myself skipping chapters. This is a well written book take out the scenes of torture and sadism I would be hooked if it turned into a series. Believe me I am NOT easily offended, I am not squeamish, sex, when its part of the story is just great. Torture in detail is another story.You need a strong stomach, not prone to nightmares and enjoy porn to enjoy this book

What other book might you compare White Bones to and why?

Broken Angels by same author.

What does Caroline Lennon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Excellent pronunciation of the Irish language. Caroline is great.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger and disappointment. Terrible ending great story, ruined by unnecessary scenes of sadism, crudity and violence

Any additional comments?

Dont buy this book if you are easily unnerved.

3 people found this helpful

"I want more"

What made the experience of listening to White Bones the most enjoyable?

Mr. Masterton's imagination is full of darkness and he is not afraid to show it. Love it!

What other book might you compare White Bones to and why?

No comparison at all.

Which character – as performed by Caroline Lennon – was your favorite?

Kate Maguire

1 person found this helpful

Enjoyed listening

Loved it, kept me intrigued. I am looking forward to listening to/or reading Katie McGuire's next mystery.

Torture porn, cliche riddled

All dogs are black labradors, travellers can't be trusted, pathologists are pompous, great insights are revealed in dreams....
How I managed to finish this book is a mystery and I'm embarrassed to have done so. Don't waste your time.

Masterton is as good at thrillers as he is at horror.

This book bridges a well written cop thriller in the same vain as HBO’s True Detective or BBC’s Luther with a good mix of what Masterton is more well known for, Horror.

Reduced the rating by 1 star on all accounts, as I figured out the ending before I got there. I just wish that had been disguised a little better or some more red herrings thrown around so that when I did get to the end it was different to what I thought - that’s what would have made it the full 5 star rating for me.

The performance is very good also, I had a little trouble at first getting used to the Irish accent, although it fits the story and character perfectly, so this is more my own issue rather than the reader. After an hour or so I slid right into it and didn’t notice any longer.

Overall a great book that is one I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys a cop thriller and doesn’t mind a bit of gore and lore involved.

Looking forward to listening to the rest of this series, I have always been a lover of GM’s full blooded horror but as I have seem to grown out of that, so to has Masterton matured with me with this healthy twist of the genre.

Interesting start poor ending

I like listening to books read with an Irish accent so this caught my eye. Despite reviews of the goriness I did not find it that offensive. The story started out with an interesting concept but about 90% through galloped to a disappointing end. I give it a “meh”.

Interesting thriller!

Really enjoyed the twists + turns of the storyline! Unexpected ending! Learned about more folklore of the region! Am getting the next book in the series!