When the Bones Sing

By Ginny Myers Sain

Book Overview

A tense and romantic supernatural thriller about a teen girl in a small town who can hear the bones of the dead, from the New York Times bestselling author of Dark and Shallow Lies.

* "A rural Southern gothic horror novel that will stay with readers well beyond the last page." --PW (starred review)

Lucifer's Creek, Arkansas, has had more than its fair share of murders.

Over two dozen people have disappeared off the local hiking trails-- there one moment, gone the next until seventeen-year-old Dovie finds their bodies. She comes from a long line of women who can hear the bones of the dead sing--a gift that has become a constant call to unearth the missing on the town's cursed trails.

Dovie and her unnatural talent are tested as she partners with her best friend Lo, who is haunted by shadows, believed to be the restless spirits of murdered hikers and they want answers. But the truth of their deaths isn't buried with their bones; it's lurking somewhere deep in the hills. And Lo and Dovie must unearth it before anyone else is killed.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593625501
• ISBN13: 9780593625507
• Release Date: February 2027
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Age Range: 14 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 9 and higher

Customer Reviews

"When the Bones Sing was such an amazing thriller with a really wonderful mystery to unravel."

When the Bones Sing was such an amazing thriller with a really wonderful mystery to unravel. There were so many possible suspects—seriously, everyone said or did something at some point that made them seem guilty—and I loved how many red herrings the author threw in to keep me guessing. I honestly suspected everyone except the MC at one point, and even Dovie wasn’t always the most reliable. She definitely had her own biases, but I liked that she still tried to be fair and objective, even when the truth was hard to face. My one small complaint would be the romance. I didn’t really think it was necessary, and it honestly pulled me out of the story a bit. Dovie and Lo’s history and long-standing friendship made complete sense, especially given everything they’d been through together, but adding another person into the mix felt unnecessary. It didn’t add anything to the overall story, never quite felt right—and his timing was pretty terrible, too. I kept rolling my eyes and texting my friend group to complain (they finished before me and had similar feelings about it). There were several twists I didn’t see coming, and the conclusion was absolutely ovation-worthy. The author wrapped everything up beautifully and left me feeling hopeful for the characters’ future. I’ll admit I teared up toward the end—enough to make my kids briefly question my mental stability—but it all paid off with a satisfying ending that made the anxiety and heartache totally worth it. Definitely keep this one in mind if you're in the mood for a good mystery/thriller! PS: The narrator did an amazing job with this one. Her male and female voices were believable and really well done, which made the story even more enjoyable to listen to. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.