Joey S. (Joey) reviewed on 8/21/2005 + 404 more book reviews

"Bestselling author Mike Noonan, suffering from writer's block and still mourning his wife's untimely death of a few years earlier, returns to their summer home on the coast of Maine. Searching for inspiration and answers, he finds himself regarded with suspicion by most of the town's populace, although he makes the friendship of a young widow who is engaged in a fierce custody battle with her very powerful father-in-law. Cryptic messages left in his home convince him he's not alone, and lead him to uncover a chilling mystery that's far greater than he could have imagined.

BAG OF BONES is by turns a legal drama, a romance, a mystery and a ghost story, and that last takes a back seat for much of the book. King wisely baits us with hints -- a quiet incident here or there, often at the end of a chapter of heavy character and plot development. Those looking for ghouls and gore may be disappointed, but the story is all the more stronger for it. These are hauntings of the fairly typical variety, and it's a testament to King's skill as a writer that they are more frightening than perhaps they should be to the experienced reader. It's only toward the end of the novel, where the supernatural forces come to a head, that it loses some of its credibility. It's a final confrontation that rivals those in "The Library Policeman" or "The Sun Dog" -- not a good thing -- and cheapens what was a high quality read. But this is just a small flaw (it's a big book.)

I'm pleased to number BAG OF BONES among King's best." amazon review

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