The Legacy Of The Bones by Dolores Redondo

Author : Dolores Redondo
Title : The Legacy Of The Bones
Published : 25/08/2016
Pages : 528
Genre : Crime Thriller
Publisher : Harper Collins

     A year after arresting Jason Medina for the rape and murder of his step-daughter, Detective Inspector Amaia Salazar has one last duty to complete before starting her maternity leave - attending Medina's trial. When the trial is suddenly called off, Amaia is appalled. But the judge had no choice. Jason Medina has committed suicide in the bathroom of the courthouse, leaving behind a cryptic note addressed to Amaia: the single word `Tarttalo'. What message was Medina trying to send with this obscure reference to Basque mythology? To unravel the truth, Amaia must return once again to the Baztan valley, her family home and the place where she feels most vulnerable. As the investigation becomes more complicated and more personal, those closest to Amaia will be placed in mortal danger...has 

     I have once again returned to the world of detective inspector Amaia Salazar, It not being so long ago the I devoured the first book in this series. The Inadvisable Guardian held my attention from start to finish with it's clever story and it's beautifully written characters. I knew it would not be long before I would jump back in to this world. So the last week while at the book store I made sure to seek out this book. When you have enjoyed the first in the series of books there is always a slight wounder in the back of your mind as to weather the follow up will be as good as the last. But pushing this thought down I jumped in to this one with both feet. 

     Salazar returns to what she does best, hunting down killers and putting them were they belong, this leading to her not always being the easiest person to be around. This time her own family dynamic has  changed with the addition of the birth of her son. This slight twist adds to the character as she try's to find balance between the job she loves so much and her new responsibility. For me I think it added more depth to her and allowed us to get a better feel for who she is when not on the hunt. It also allow her to explore better her own relationship with her family, in a pace where family means everything. One that that was rocked to it's very core by the events of the previous book.  Once again we get to spend some time with well thought out and complex supporting cast. Through out the course of the book I got to delve enough into to each of these people and how events from the past and the very landscape it's self came to mould who they are. The author managed to create people who held my interest and  make for a gripping plot of a killer on the loose.

     It is difficult to find fault with this book, the author plays the long game with her readers, and we get to experience the thrill of the hunt along with our heroine. Through out we get little hints dropped as the true killers identity, but for me there was never enough to give away the ending and spoil it for me. Much like it's predecessor the action is well spread out and never over powers the story she is trying to tell. This book once again questions the nature of family and how some can bring warmth and love into it, and others can make it toxic and seek nothing more than to destroy. While this may seem a lot like the same themes that run through her other book, she has found new ways in which to look at them so you never feel like you are just going through the paces. She has a great way of blending mythical themes and legends of this place through out her narratives. With this elements she brings to life not only her story but the landscape of the region lifting it of the page and into the real world. It allows for the story to have a definitive setting and not just another big city which could transplanted to any major place around the world. 

       By the ending I have come to realise that this is an author who i can trust to delver the sort of storeys I have come to enjoy the most. We get a complex and gripping murder mystery that builds tension with ever chapter. And along the way we also get to look at some bigger themes and ideas. If you are looking to step away from the usual fair and digger a bit deeper into the world of European crime novels the series should defiantly be on your list.