Review: Island of Bones

Louis Kincaid, made his first appearance in Dark of the Moon which introduced the half-black, half-white Detroit cop in a series set in the late 1980s. He returns for the fifth time in P.J. Parrishs Island of Bones. And, for the first time, he actually seems to be setting down some roots. But a hurricane brings to shore long held secrets and changes everything forever.

Mid-storm, a young woman runs for her life through dark and tangled woods. The winds of the hurricane batter her every step, but what shes running from is far worse. Even when she makes it to the small boat tied to the dock, shes not safe. She gets the motor going and heads away from the island. But not soon enough to escape her fate.

Kincaid, now a licensed private investigator, resides in a beachfront cottage on Captiva Island, Florida. Not an entirely idyllic setting, hes as close as he gets to content. The morning after the hurricane hit, he walks the beach, hoping to find an open restaurant or store as his belly complains about the lack of food. What he does find wasnt on the menu. Nestled in the seaweed, sand and shells is a tiny skull.

When he drops the skull off at police headquarters hes suddenly sucked into an investigation of the body of a young woman found wrapped in the roots of mangrove trees. The Chief of Police, Al Horton, entreats Kincaid to team up with a recent addition to the force, Detective Mel Landeta. Landeta is rumored to be a burnout and known to be a hardass. Kincaid storms out after a few snide comments too many.

As he repairs the damage to his wreck cottage a few days later, Kincaid encounters the troubled Diane Woods. She is desperate to hire him. Woods suspects her father, Frank Woods, of being involved with the body recently found and with a missing woman from 35 years ago. After an uneventful week of surveillance, Kincaid is suddenly flooded with peculiar and circumstantial evidence that all points to Woods. When he follows Woods to a remote island restaurant that can be reached only by ferry, Woods jumps ship and drowns after an odd and compelling confession.

Frustrated and chastised by Horton for losing the suspect, Kincaid reluctantly re-teams with Landeta. They discover the story of an old Asturian family, a bizarre mating ritual and Roman mythology that begins to reveal the true horror of what is happening on the Island of Bones.

Kristy and Kelly Montee, otherwise known as P.J. Parrish, have created a tense plot that will have you wanting to turn the pages faster and faster. Dont. This is a well-researched and well-wrought book that deserves undivided attention. The addition of Landeta to the series as a beaten down yet reflective cop, brings out the best and the worst in the impulsive and hotheaded Kincaid. Despite butting heads, the two share a common sense of loss and a need to find all the answers. Their partnering against a background of fast- paced action, decades of lies and the untamed islands off the coast of Florida make this a deeply satisfying read.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Jennifer Jordan

Book Review: Island of Bones