Review: The Bone Field

Title: The Bone Field

Series: Dark Paradise Mystery #2

Author: Debra Bokur

Release Date: May 25, 2021

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Find it here: Goodreads

Synopsis from Goodreads: Kali Māhoe, Hawaiian cultural expert and detective with the Maui Police Department, has been called to a bizarre crime scene. In the recesses of a deep trench on Lana’i Island, a derelict refrigerator has been unearthed. Entombed inside are the skeletal remains of someone buried decades ago. Identification is a challenge. The body is headless, the skull replaced with a chilling adornment: a large, ornately carved wooden pineapple.

The old field soon yields more long-buried secrets, and Kali is led along an increasingly winding path that brings to light an unlikely suspect, an illegal cock-fighting organization, and a strange symbol connected to a long-disbanded religious cult. Her task is to dispel the dark shadows lingering over the Palawai Basin plains, and to solve a puzzle that no one wants exposed by the bright, hot tropical light.

To discover the answer, Kali will be drawn deeper in the mysteries of the island’s ancient legends—stories that tell of an enraged rooster god and man-eating monsters. For Kali, a detective of sound logic and reason, it’s not easy to consider the unknown for explanations for what appears to be a series of illogical links in a twisting chain of deadly events. Or safe. Because the dormant pineapple fields of Lana’i have yet to give up their darkest and most terrifying secrets.

My Review: I really enjoyed this one! It pushed the boundaries of what a cozy is but it did it in a really good way. I hadn't read the first one in the series but it really wasn't necessary at all to enjoy this one. I really liked the main character. She has a lot of depth and clearly some pretty serious issues to sort through but I think that added a lot to the character. The secondary characters are also pretty great, particularly the people that Kali works with is. I loved the mystery for the most part though I find cults make me angry so I didn't love all of that but that is a personal thing. Overall it was a great read and I look forward to reading more in the series!

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All opinions are my own.*