What do readers think of The Bone Thief by Vanessa Lillie? Write your own review.

The Bone Thief by Vanessa Lilie is a great story. It has a mystery mixed with a bit of history. I really enjoyed the writing. The characters are so real. I was really taken with Syd Walker.

Vanessa Lillie is a new to me author whom I plan to read more of. A very talented writer.

If you enjoy Tony Hillerman or Angeline Boulley books you will enjoy The Bone Thief.

Very good! I received an advance copy via BookBrowse for review. I hadn't realized it was a sequel when I requested the novel. So I read Blood Sisters first, which was very good. Reading The Bone Thief was even better. it gave me an insight to the atrocities that have, and continue to, impacted the Native Americans. I look forward to reading more Vanessa Lillie novels.

In The Bone Thief, indigenous author Vanessa Lillie's lead character is crime solver Syd Walker, an archeologist with the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The story moves along quickly as she tries to locate a missing woman and the bones and burial artifacts that have been stolen from a 300-year-old indigenous woman's grave. This book is part thriller, part historical fiction, part mystery and totally entertaining. I certainly learned a great deal about the Narragansett people, both their history and present-day struggles.

The Bone Thief is the sequel to Lillie's novel Blood Sisters. I have already downloaded that book onto my reader and can't wait to get started. I think anyone who likes mysteries and is concerned about the disappearance and murders of indigenous women and girls will be especially drawn to this series.

History is written by the winners. However, members of The Founders, an exclusive club in Rhode Island, whose ancestors go back to the Mayflower, are not satisfied with all they've won, they want to create a shrine to themselves via a museum incorporating the bones and relics of the Narragansett Indians they've vanquished – which they hope will also make them even richer than they currently are.

It was not enough to take the land, and to take native children from their families to "save" them and to relegate the native population to low paying jobs. While pretending to agree to incorporate native perspectives in their "educational" museum, they actually would prefer total elimination of the natives and, in fact, continually to them in the past tense as if they no longer existed.

All this is background for the story of a native woman who goes missing, native bones and relics (or more appropriately, "belongings") which are dug up from sacred burial grounds and then stolen. Syd, a Cherokee from Oklahoma (with a backstory of her own) and archeologist working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs investigates these two crimes.

This was a fascinating depiction of not only our early history with conquering native populations but also of some current attitudes – while also being a compelling mystery with some very interesting characters. Highly recommend!

Having previously read and loved its prequel, Blood Sisters, I was so excited to get my hands on the next installment in the life of Syd Walker, Bureau of Indian Affairs archaeologist. (I refuse to call it a sequel, as I hope Lillie will make it a series and not a duology.)

This time, Lillie whisks us from the plains of Oklahoma to Rhode Island, and the land of the Narragansett people, to tell a different, yet equally gripping and suspenseful tale. So well timed for its late Fall release, as the plot revolves around the “Founders Society” (think colonial lineage) and the local tribal community; yet it also makes for a great summer read - think the height of summer camp season - as Lillie's descriptive setting puts the reader directly into Syd’s POV.

Lillie’s atmospheric setting and tense narrative drew me into the story, but her emotional character development kept me turning the pages. I found myself not only concerned, but fully invested in the outcome of each character. I felt the thrum of the drums at the powwow, heard the shouts from the protest. Even more, I found myself digging deeper into the storyline, as Lillie blended fact and fiction seamlessly. I wanted, no, NEEDED to know more about the Great Swamp Massacre. “Sharing the past is important, but it should be led by the people who carry that history forward and are living it today.”

Bottomline: I found The Bone Thief incredibly entertaining AND enlightening and highly recommend this novel!

All thoughts and opinions are my own.

For the entire review, complete with my favorite quotes, please visit my substack
or follow me on Instagram @readingonthebrink

In honor of Indigenous People’s Day, I wanted to highlight and revisit one of my favorite summer reads, The Bone Thief. Having previously read and loved its prequel, Blood Sisters, I was so excited to learn I could get my hands on the next installment in the life of Syd Walker, Bureau of Indian Affairs archaeologist, as Lillie created a traveling ARC tour! (I refuse to call it a sequel, as I hope Lillie will make it a series and not a duology.) (See my review of Blood Sisters over on Goodreads.

This time, Lillie whisks us from the plains of Oklahoma to Rhode Island, and the land of the Narragansett people to tell a different, yet equally gripping and suspenseful tale. While I read this during the height of summer camp season, making it very easy to put myself into Syd’s POV, I also think it will be so well timed for a late Fall release, given the plot revolves around the “Founders Society” (think colonial lineage) and the local tribal community. Lillie’s atmospheric setting and tense narrative drew me into the story, but her emotional character development kept me turning the pages, as I found myself not only concerned, but fully invested in the outcome of each character. I felt the thrum of the drums at the powwow, heard the shouts from the protest. Even more, I found myself digging deeper into the storyline, as Lillie blended fact and fiction seamlessly. I wanted, no, needed to know more about the Great Swamp Massacre. “Sharing the past is important, but it should be led by the people who carry that history forward and are living it today.” Bottomline: I found The Bone Thief incredibly entertaining and enlightening, and I highly recommend this novel.

For the entire review, complete with my favorite quotes, please visit my substack
or follow me on Instagram @readingonthebrink !

I recently listened to Blood Sisters, so I was interested in reading the second in the series, The Bone Thief. Syd Walker has returned to Rhode Island. She is quickly caught up in a newly discovered skeleton of a possibly 300 year old Indian sachem. But just as quickly, the skeleton is stolen. Meanwhile, a young Native woman has gone missing. Everything revolves around the Founders Society, an exclusive club of folks who trace their heritage back to the colonists. The club is looking to create a large public educational “experience” that would use Native artifacts and remains found on their site.
Syd is a well developed main character. It added an extra depth to the story that Syd understands the conflict between being an archeologist and a Native American. In fact, some of my favorite passages involved the desire to educate vs the desire to return artifacts and remains to the tribes. And because she’s Native, she continues to involve herself in hunts for missing girls when the authorities can’t be bothered.
It was also unique that this story involved east coast tribes. While I’m familiar with Cherokee history, this was the first I’d read about the Narragansett and the Great Swamp Massacre. It’s also the first I’d ever heard about land leases between Native Americans and colonists. There actually was one in RI in the 1700s. The book also does an excellent job of giving the reader a sense of the tribe’s economic struggles. Be sure to read the Author’s Note at the end of the book.

The book moves at a brisk pace and the tension ratchets up as the story moves along.
I would not recommend reading this without having read Blood Sisters. Lillie doesn’t waste a lot of time with backstories which could leave the new reader confused.
My thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for an advance copy of this book.

Life and Death and Giants is a moving, heartwarming, character rich story about a young man of uncommon size. There is a magical realism aspect to the story, which was very well done and felt totally natural.

The book takes its time setting up its premise. A young Amish woman becomes pregnant out of wedlock. When she refuses to name the father, she is excommunicated and forced to leave the community. She gives birth to a normal son but later becomes pregnant again to an overly large baby and dies. That son, Gabriel, goes to live with his Amish grandparents after his older brother dies. He grows up to be over 8’ tall. To put this in context, Andre the Giant was 7’4”.

The story is told from multiple POVs, including the Amish grandmother, a local bar owner who knew the grandfather as a child, the local veterinarian and the HS football coach. Despite Gabriel being the focus of the book, we never hear directly from him.
It handles the Amish religion thoughtfully and respectfully. I liked the juxtaposition between “English” interests, like sports, books or artworks, against the Amish beliefs about a simple life. While there are many sad scenes, overall it’s a heartwarming story about the multitude of people who look after Gabriel. The weaving of Emily Dickinson”s poetry into the story was just an added bonus. Several times I was caught off guard to the point of gasping. I never saw the twists coming.

This would make a wonderful book club selection. There’s so much meat to this story and multiple themes about family, community, religion, forgiveness and values.
I listened to this and the cast all did a wonderful job.