Book Summary and Reviews of The Talking Bone by Rene Denfeld

The Talking Bone by Rene Denfeld

The Talking Bone

A Novel

by Rene Denfeld

  • Critics' Consensus (4):
  • Published:
  • Jul 2026, 256 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

From the revered bestselling author, a compulsive, page-turning thriller inspired by her real life work exonerating innocents, a novel that asks how far we'll go in our pursuit of the truth—an emotionally rich, luminously written book about evil and people trying to do good in the world.

Ruby Spencer is known as "the exonerator." Her job as an investigator is to free innocent men from death row, and she's good at what she does. What many people don't know is that she spends her time finding missing women, too. The orphaned daughter of an orphaned mother, Ruby feels a natural affinity for those who have been mistreated by the world at large.

Her newest case takes her to Georgia, and involves a man set to be executed in two weeks. What begins as a routine exoneration unexpectedly sends Ruby down a winding path. Pursuing the truth, she begins to uncover crimes that lead to startling revelations about her own life.

With time running out, will Ruby's search for answers ultimately lead her to danger?

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Every harrowing scene quakes with pain and outrage over injustice and the tragic consequences of perpetual 'hatred and contempt for women.' Denfeld is a righteous and resounding storyteller." —Booklist (starred review)

"Denfeld's potent prose balances lyricism with narrative momentum, and she ushers the proceedings to a stunning conclusion. Fans of Attica Locke and Laura Lippman will find a lot to like." —Publishers Weekly

"Powerful and haunting." —Kirkus Reviews

"Drawing on her experience as a licensed death-row investigator, Denfeld (Sleeping Giants) crafts a taut, emotional thriller. Readers of her earlier novels will appreciate this intricately layered tale of suspense." —Library Journal

This information about The Talking Bone was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

Rene Denfeld

Rene Denfeld is a bestselling author, licensed death row investigator, and foster adoptive mother. She is the author of the novels The Butterfly Girl, The Child Finder, and The Enchanted. Her novels have won numerous awards, including the French Prix du Premier Roman Etranger, and the New York Times named her a 2017 hero of the year. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

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