Valley of Bones

By Michael Gruber
Read by Kate Forbes and Jonathan Davis

   A man is found impaled on an iron fence. In his apartment is a woman named Emmylou. Paz, a detective helping with the case, takes the lead in the story line, along with Emmylou and psychologist Lorna Wise. Emmylou writes her story down in notebooks. As her journals are read, her tragic life is revealed-from abused child to hunted criminal to supposed instrument of God. The subject matter is strong, and the story seemingly unreal at times. It's a hard start, but once the journal reading begins, the story builds momentum, pulling the reader along on a sordid, disturbing ride of mankind, love and faith.

     Valley of the Bones is a captivating, thought-provoking novel. At some points I wanted to turn the audio book off to escape Emmylou's tragic life, but I couldn't. I found Gruber's main characters compelling yet sad, and the sub-characters fascinating, yet hard to take at times. If you're planning to pick this one up, be prepared for a dark, unpleasant storyline.

    The audio book version is read by Kate Forbes and Jonathan Davis. Headphones recommended.