Bone Lands is another book in my Bionic Book Subscription. They seem to have chosen well for me, again. It’s a murder mystery set in Darlingshire, NSW in July 1911. This is the first in a series starring Gus Hawkins, returned from the Boer War with PTSD (a condition that wasn’t recognised until several wars and decades later). He ends up a mounted trooper in Calpa, out the back of nowhere. The story starts with a dance to celebrate the coronation of King George V, and Gus’ discovery of multiple murders.
It’s nicely put together. We get to understand Gus and his background and we see some of his war service to be able to understand why he has PTSD. We see how the PTSD impacts his sleep and his relations with his housekeeper and other people near to his rooms. And we also get all the background behind the murders and why these ones are personal.
I liked how this book was put together. There were flashback so help us understand things. When Gus is told stuff we don’t see that until pages later. It’s a little infuriating but is one of the essences of good writing, keep the reader engaged and don’t tell them everything at once.
I loved the history inside these pages. Some of it I knew and some I didn’t, I’m assuming Fioretti is correct and haven’t run a search for any of the details. I really felt I was in 1911 and out in a very small town where everyone knows everyone else.
What I don’t have are any notes. I was so engrossed in the reading I didn’t take any moments out to write even a page number down. And while I have a decent memory of the overall book I don’t have memory of too many details. It’s a book I’d want to read again to remind myself of the details and see how it feels on a second read. Sometimes a second read is better because I’m remembering bits from later in the book and stop to admire some foreshadowing. I’m guessing this would be one of those books. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, it’s called Skull River.