The Bones of Summer is the second and final book of the Maloney series.
When Craig Robertson's religious fanatic father disappears, Craig is forced to return to the home he left behind after an underage affair in order to look for answers.
He takes with him his new lover, private investigator Paul Maloney, who is more than willing to help solve the mystery.
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The search soon becomes an investigation into Craig's past, and, because of distressing gaps in his memory, he's terrified of the truths he might find.
As Craig's obsession with uncovering clues grows, his fragile relationship with Paul begins to disintegrate.
Haunted and stalked, Craig has to face down the horror of his memories if he wants to have any hope of a future at all.
The Bones of Summer was awarded third place in the inaugural 2009 Rainbow Mystery Fiction Awards, and was also Commended in the Annual Writers' Conference Novel Competition 2008.
Reviews:
“This novel is a complicated and intriguing tale of a man struggling to cope with his life in the aftermath of a painful and difficult childhood, lived with a cold, hard and uncaring religiously fanatical father. It’s also the story of Craig and Paul, finding each other, and the passion, love, desire and friendship that builds between them, despite their individual painful pasts, hidden secrets and lies. Craig has periods where a wicked sense of humor pokes through. He’s also, deep down, an optimistic man who hopes for a happy and successful future.” [Read the rest of this “5 Nymph” review at Literary Nymph Reviews]
“This book was good. So good, in fact, that I may run out of superlatives. So good that my mind disappeared into 'book world' and I spent every single spare moment reading. There are two main themes running through it. The first, and most obvious theme is that of facing up to your past ... The past, as they say, has a way of catching up with you and I found it admirable in Craig that he faces up to that once he realises that he can't stay in hiding forever. Paul too has a past. He has suffered tragedy and betrayal in his life which you would think would make him the ideal person to help Craig through this difficult time. However, things are never that simple which leads to the second theme: that of secrets and lies. Both men have secrets from each other. These were complex men and it was this unpredictability that had me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. What a thrilling ride! Having said that, Craig had a typical British self-depreciating sense of humour and a ready wit, which brought out humour in the direst of circumstances. The plotting was tight, with each clue, each answer, being revealed slowly until a breathtaking, frantic, thrilling conclusion. All I can do is recommend that you read The Bones of Summer. Actually, this goes beyond recommendation to a plea - if you like mystery; if you like character driven books; if you like reading compulsively, unable to part with the story for even a short time; then you must read this book.” [From a 5+ Star review at Jessewave Reviews]
“The Bones of Summer is an exceptionally well written and thrilling mystery novel. This novel grabbed a hold of me almost immediately and would not let go. I found myself reading until the early morning hours. What really intrigued me most about this book is Craig himself. He survived a terrible childhood. I admired his resilience. His father’s fanaticism is extremely disturbing and also very sad. The last few chapters are especially chilling and will stay with me for a long time.” [A 4.5 Star review at Romance Junkies Reviews]
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"Well, Anne Brooke has done it to me again. I read the first book in the series (Maloney's Law) where Paul Maloney, a broken man, was the main character. At the end of the book, he met Craig Robertson and even though they didn't end up together, they established a connection. This is Craig's story. And what a story it is.” [From a 4 Star review at Mrs Condit Reviews]
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