My interpretation of the setting of this story is Wales, or a Wales-like place, because the mythology and folklore reference beings similar to the fae, to the Tuath Dé Dannan, and also the character names feel Welsh. Once there were magical beings in the world, and magic, but a battle saw it ended and, as time passed, the legends have become stories or morality tales. But in Ryn's village, the magic isn't all gone; the dead, or bone houses, still walk the forest. Though with few people brave enough to venture into the dark, few believe that even that much magic still lingers. It isn't until years later, her father lost, her mother dead, and at seventeen, working as a gravedigger, doing all she can to keep her siblings fed and with a roof over their heads, that something has changed. The bone houses are leaving the forest. i can count on one hand the amount of mainstream novels that have incorporated traditional welsh influences into their stories. welsh folklore and culture - particularly northern welsh - is rich and magical, so i am beyond happy to see a story represent it (this even mentions the legend of beddgelert, which i may have lowkey freaked out about. lol). Brian Freeman is a New York Times bestselling author of psychological thrillers, including the Jonathan Stride and Frost Easton series. His books have been sold in 46 countries and 22 languages. He is widely acclaimed for his "you are there" settings and his complex, engaging characters and twist-filled plots. Brian was also selected as the official author to continue Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne series, and his novel THE BOURNE EVOLUTION was named one of the Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2020 by Kirkus.

The church grounds were very small, even up to the turn of the 20th century, and so space was at a premium.

That was the problem with pain, he thought. It refused to be quieted. It devoured, the way flame consumed wood. It took and it took, and all he could do was lie on a mattress of straw, torn between boredom and fear. Fear that this time the injury would not let up. That this time the pain would finally conquer him.” Mark's troubles continue when he and his wife attend a high school dance competition in Florida and he is again accused of not only having an affair with a young girl but also is accused of her murder. Again, nothing can be proven but everything points in Mark's direction, even his wife is now having second thoughts about his innocence. The remotely situated North Meols was just not an attractive place to reside for a man of the cloth at this time; no matter how conscientious they were, simply living in the most pleasant area under his “sending” (control).

This small structure had two little windows to light up the small enclosure, a door to gain entrance, and a tall chimney for the fireplace used to dry out the freshly excavated skeletal bones. Cab (Born In One) Bolton, the unusual detective assigned to the case, fights against his attraction to the lovely CSI analyst, Lala. Like Hillary, he doesn't know who to believe. But he's Mark's only hope. And he carries a horrific secret of his own from the past.Other churches, including UK ones, also had “bone holes” instead of bone houses. Some of them were like tunnels, which also provided storage when old graves were excavated to create new ones.

The people here at this time, it must be said were heathens, described as “totally rude and unlettered”, and as parishioners were accused of “loitering and even drawing or selling (alcoholic) drink during church service times” and there were complaints of secret marriages. Mark Bradley - the ex-school teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with Glory's sister Tresa, also the last person known to have been with her on the beach the night she died. Surprisingly elegant and atmospheric, but definitely rough around the edges. Zombies meets ancient Wales meets myth meets....traditional YA trappings. Also, with the persecution or Roman Catholics at its height,, south-west Lancashire was an excellent hiding place for recusants, and the Reformation obviously not taken very seriously. First off, a disambiguation: this book really isn’t horror. Yes, it has zombies, but it isn’t written in a way meant to scare; its focus is more on breaking a curse, dealing with loss, and fighting a corrupt noble. Aside from the descriptions of decaying bodies, which are a little creepy/gross but not very scary, it probably isn’t going to freak you out. If you’re afraid it’ll be too scary, don’t worry; if you’re looking for some good old-fashioned fear, this might not be the best place to get it.The characters are poorly developed, the curse from the cauldron reminds me of ACOTAR and some bits of information bears resemblance to The Cruel Prince. This has fae history but WHERE. ARE. THE. FAE?!! 🧐 Hmmm ... I'm not going to rate this & will probably try more books in the series, but this one is not for me. The situation is too real & shitty. A girl's fantasies in a journal on her computer are discovered by her mother & that leads to small town public condemnation of an excellent teacher. He's fired, never convicted, & things go downhill from there as another situation crops up. In the meantime, their village has been graced with the presence of an unusual boy: a map-maker with chronic pain, who won't tell them his surname or why he's come to their village. Aderyn meets him when she saves his life and they end up forging an unusual alliance. Both of them need to go into the forest to find a legendary castle in the lands of the faerie, and a cauldron rumored to give life. However, to reiterate, in the past St Cuthbert’s churchyard, like numerous others, was small, so space was limited. Cab Bolton comes to Door County to unravel the mystery of Glory's death, but that's not the only secret Door County is hiding.