WINNER OF THE JHALAK PRIZE 'The Bone Readers is a page-turner, but its insights and language are equally testament to a literary novel of impressive depth and acuity' Guardian Secrets can be buried, but bones can speak . . . After standing witness to a murder on the streets of the Caribbean island of Camaho, young Michael 'Digger' Digson is recruited into a unique plain clothes homicide squad, an eclectic group of semi-official police officers, led by the enigmatic DS Chilman. Digger becomes enmeshed in Chilman's obsession with a cold case, the disappearance of a young man. But Digger has a murder to pursue too: that of his mother, killed by a renegade police squad when he was a boy. He has two weapons at his disposal - his skill in forensics, and Chilman's latest recruit, the mysterious, observant Miss Stanislaus. Together, the two find themselves dragged into a world of dangerous secrets that demands every ounce of their courage to survive. This award-winning crime debut by highly acclaimed author Jacob Ross marks the thrilling start to a new series following forensics genius Michael Digson. 'It's masterly. I've started to read it again with increasing admiration' Crime Time 'A breath-taking, thought-provoking, and yes brilliant read. I know this is a book I shall go back to again and again' Sunny Singh 'Ross's novel is one that effortlessly draws together the past and the present, gender, politics and the legacy of colonialism in a top quality Caribbean set crime thriller. The Bone Readers is a wonderful read' Catherine Johnson 'By turns thrilling, visceral and meditative, and always cinematic' Musa Okwonga 'An unconventional crime novel, and one that exposes the dark underbelly of 'paradise'' Book Muse (blog) 'I was fascinated by Ross' ability to create characters with depth and diversity. A great read' Not Chai tea (blog) 'A unique read, paced to the islands where it takes place with a group of interesting characters I will enjoy following into future books' Word Dreams (blog) 'An engaging, poetic and twist-filled Caribbean crime-noir novel. Masterful' Book Witty (blog)

Cemirowl is gifted, and cursed. She sees the spirits of the dead, and sees the future in her basket of bones; her sight is cryptic, lacking, and mostly useless. In her tiny village, she is a priestess, but still an object of curiosity and an outcast. A chance meeting brings one of the king's caballiers to her door for a reading, for nothing more than some entertainment. He is well-entertained indeed by her predictions of his lady loves... and far less so when she foretells a coming death. He leaves, dismissing her. But for all that her power is mysterious and often confusing, it is never, ever wrong. When Queen Tidyri is murdered, the caballiers return for Cemirowl. She is brought unwillingly into the palace and into a web of intrigue and lies, where King Larthor rages in his grief. He demands that Cemirowl now use her gifts to find the one who killed his beloved wife. Cemirowl must draw on all her abilities - her powers, no matter how unreliable; her intuition for reading people; her knowledge; and her wits - to discover the murderer, lay the spirits of the dead to rest, and help the living to grieve and find peace. And, perhaps, she will finally find a place where she belongs. THE BONE READER is a fantastical murder mystery set in the rich world of Ihyel, where the hard-won peace between two kingdoms rests on the shoulders of one determined, compassionate priestess.

The Bone Readers are a dedicated group of scholars who study the earliest human remains, their chemistry and DNA, their extinct floral and faunal contemporaries, and the geologic layers in which they were found. Their research leads them to theories about modern human origins that continually challenge conventional wisdom and cherished beliefs— about “Eve ,” Neanderthals, “hobbits,” and the Bering Straits, among others. Two leading Bone Readers and a science writer have penned a literate, authoritative summary of the current questions and the minefield of academic politics that surround it. Ideal for students in human origins or biological anthropology courses, and a delightful read.

"Child's Femur Found in Memorial Park." He read the headline and threw the paper down onto the table knocking his steaming cup of coffee into his crotch. "Shit. Shit. Shit!" Spencer Grier jumped up and danced around flapping his robe like a giant angry butterfly. "Who the hell makes coffee this damn hot?" As the coffee on his robe and legs cooled, he grunted and shook his head. He lived alone. Grabbing the front section of the paper, he waddled to the bathroom, his favorite spot for reading and deep thinking.He quickly scanned the article and then read the closing paragraph. "The forensic anthropologist from the State Bureau of Investigation confirmed that the bone was the right femur of a three or four year old child. From the weathering of the bone, she felt it had lain in the woods, exposed to the elements for ten or more years, and during that time, it had been gnawed on by wild animals more than once. The missing-persons coordinator for the county confirmed to this reporter that they do not have any current unresolved reports of a missing three-four year old child. There were no unsolved missing child reports as far back as twenty years when the county began to keep county-wide, consolidated records. Additional information on page D13."He looked up into the bathroom mirror and chastised himself. "You are going to have to get off your ass and do something about your irrational reaction to human bones! You can't continue to avoid them for the rest of your life. One day you will need to help the police." His image glared back at him and said, "But not today!"He flipped the paper to page D13, exposing a full color photo of the child's femur. "Oh God, not a photo!" was all he got out before his world closed in and became dark. Skeletons came from everywhere, pushing him, falling on him, surrounding him and he moaned in terror as he did every time this vision took hold of him. He threw the paper from him in disgust and as the loose sheets of paper fluttered through the air and settled to the floor, the nightmare vision faded. "Why this same damn vision every time I go near a human bone? Even just a grainy photo in a paper." After a quick shower, he drove to the university and surreptitiously slipped into his office, hoping to avoid any conversations about his 'gift', as it was often described. Sensing the location of associated bones no matter how far they were scattered after simply touching one of the set, had allowed him to find more complete skeletons of extinct species that anyone in the world. The closest he had ever come to explaining it was to compare it to dowsing. He just felt a pull in the direction of any associated bones to the one he was holding. Sure, it was a good skill in the field and had helped him become one of the most successful fossil hunters of all time. It had helped him achieve his position at the university, not to devalue the untold hours of study and serious academic effort that had also been required. He glanced at the plaque on his wall alongside his degrees, a photo of him and his friends as a high school student and president of the fossil hunter's club. He grinned at the memory of that much simpler time. "To Spencer Grier, The Bone Reader."

Ancient secrets are buried with the dead. A Bone Reader can unlock them all. Teguin Dorst and Herbert Tanasen are willing to defy the Imperial Empress herself to rescue Teguin's kidnapped master, a woman with the rare ability to recall memories of the dead through their bones. But when they find her hard at work, Teguin realizes that the knowledge she uncovers could unseat the empress, and bring to light more powerful magic left behind by the old gods. New alliances are forged in blood and steel, and the magic that brought Teguin and Herbert together threatens to end more than their friendship. Some secrets demand both loyalty and sacrifice -- if they don't kill you first. Perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson and George R.R. Martin, this sequel to The Emperor's Horn will sweep you away on an epic fantasy adventure.