The Family Bones by Elle Marr

Item: The Family Bones
Rating: 5
Author: BaronessMom

Posted May 14, 2023 by BaronessMom in Review, Thriller and Suspense / 0 Comments

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Family Bones

by Elle Marr

Published by Thomas & Mercer on March 7, 2023
Setting: Eastern Oregon and California
Genres: Psychological Thrillers
Pages: 318
Format: Paperback
Source: the Publisher
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Books-A-Million

What makes a psychopath? A young woman delves into her family’s shadowy legacy in a terrifying novel by the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of Strangers We Know.
Psychology student Olivia Eriksen’s family is notorious among true-crime buffs. Faced with a legacy of psychopathy that spans generations, Olivia has spent much of her academic life trying to answer one chilling question: Nature or nurture?
Although she’s kept a safe distance from her blood relatives for years, Olivia agrees to attend a weekend reunion. After all, her fiancé is eager to meet his future in-laws, and the gathering may give her a chance to interview her elusive grandfather about the family traits.
But nothing is ever peaceful among the Eriksens for long. Olivia’s favorite cousin is found dead in a nearby lake. Then another family member disappears. As a violent storm isolates the group further, Olivia’s fears rise faster than the river.
And an uninvited guest is about to join the party. True-crime podcaster Birdie Tan has uncovered a disturbing mystery in her latest investigation—and she’s following it right to the Eriksens’ mountain resort. There’s a deadly twist in the family plot that even Olivia doesn’t see coming.

The Family Bones by Elle Marr is fantastically written with plot twists that keep you shockingly glued to the pages.

How will Olivia handle the Eriksen family reunion? Will Birdie figure out who killed Li?

We have two points of view and a journal of another unknown woman.

Olivia Eriksen

Olivia is our first point of view. She is a doctorate student working on her dissertation in psychology. The Eriksens have the psychopath gene; well, some of them do. Whether it is the type that is murderous or develops in another direction depends on the individual. It is something that plagues the family either way. It is also what Olivia has set her dissertation on.

I wouldn’t say that I like Olivia. We certainly wouldn’t be friends as I feel she is a bit too judgmental for me. She isn’t a good friend, but I can’t imagine the stress that she is under. Olivia does seem to be good with her fiance, Howard.

Birdie Tan

Birdie is a wife, mother, and true crime podcaster from San Diego. She is out to find the truth about the disappearance of Li Ming Na. Birdie sees herself as the person who finds justice for those who can’t find their own. Her research skills are above average, and her theories are spot on. This investigation takes her in contact with the Eriksen clan. Will she make it back home unscathed?

The Mystery

The Eriksen Family Reunion hosted at the Horsefly Falls Resort in Oregon is a disaster waiting to happen. This family should know better than to get together in the woods. Nothing good comes from it.

My favorite thing about The Family Bones is how Ms. Marr lays the story out. We have Olivia, an Eriksen, trying to figure out her family’s history of violence and how it affects her. Then we have Birdie chasing the case of Li Ming Na, which may or may not be connected to the Eriksen family. There are also journal entries from an unknown young woman connected to the Eriksen family. The twists and turns in the story and the dysfunction are like a train crash that you can’t look away from.

Five Stars

My rating for The Family Bones by Elle Marr is five stars. I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves thrilling mysteries. The family dynamics of the Eriksen family are incredibly complex. It is a gripping story filled with heartache and, of course, death.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Family Bones by Elle Marr.

About Elle Marr

Elle Marr strives to tell powerful and compelling stories of women who demonstrate resilience in the face of great obstacles. She is the author of two thrillers, THE MISSING SISTER (2020) and LIES WE BURY (April 2021).

THE MISSING SISTER was a #1 Amazon bestseller, #1 in the Kindle Store, an Amazon Charts bestseller, featured in Woman’s World, and named one of PopSugar’s “31 Thrillers of 2020.” Marr’s essays have been published in CrimeReads and Criminal Element.

Originally from Sacramento, Elle Marr graduated from UC San Diego before moving to France, where she earned a master’s degree from the Sorbonne University in Paris. When not working on her next book, she enjoys watching French Netflix shows with the subtitles off, in Oregon, where she lives with her husband, son, and one very demanding feline.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges: