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Detective Tracy Sterling #1
Lies and Bones
The victim has been meticulously mutilated. Left hauntingly arranged in the city's dark alleys. She is the first of her kind. But she won't be the last.
The serial killer thriller that will grip you until the very last sentence.
Fresh-faced homicide detective Tracy Sterling has been thrown into the deep end. She's navigating the city's darkest corners to unmask a killer whose methods are as chilling as they are cryptic. A grotesque spectacle was discovered in an alley by a nightclub. Another chilling scene lay within the shadows of an alley next to a public library.
Who could commit such monstrous acts? And what is the sinister pattern hiding within their horrific handiwork? Tracy must grapple with a shocking lack of evidence, while potential witnesses seem to shroud the truth in fear and lies. And all the while, the nameless killer observes the investigation from the shadows, delighting in the terror he sows.
The case seems unsolvable. But failure is not an option. For if she cannot solve the puzzle, the dance of death will continue unabated, and the killer will strike again and again.
But Tracy isn't just determined, she's obsessive. And she won't stop until she's put every puzzle piece in place, exposing the killer, along with other shocking surprises that will shake the city to its core.
The serial killer thriller that will grip you until the very last sentence.
Fresh-faced homicide detective Tracy Sterling has been thrown into the deep end. She's navigating the city's darkest corners to unmask a killer whose methods are as chilling as they are cryptic. A grotesque spectacle was discovered in an alley by a nightclub. Another chilling scene lay within the shadows of an alley next to a public library.
Who could commit such monstrous acts? And what is the sinister pattern hiding within their horrific handiwork? Tracy must grapple with a shocking lack of evidence, while potential witnesses seem to shroud the truth in fear and lies. And all the while, the nameless killer observes the investigation from the shadows, delighting in the terror he sows.
The case seems unsolvable. But failure is not an option. For if she cannot solve the puzzle, the dance of death will continue unabated, and the killer will strike again and again.
But Tracy isn't just determined, she's obsessive. And she won't stop until she's put every puzzle piece in place, exposing the killer, along with other shocking surprises that will shake the city to its core.
206 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2023
86 people are currently reading
9180 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
June 4, 2025
stop reading books i saw on tik tok challenge level impossible
November 5, 2023
I read this book and the next in the series, just to give it more of a chance, but I do not get what the enthusiasm is for this series/characters/manner of writing. The characters don't have much depth, in my opinion, the books are very short, and even though short, they seem to just be the same thing over and over again, maybe in a different place, with a different bad person, but just the same. I won't be reading the 3rd one.
December 27, 2025
I need to learn to stop being influenced by TikTok.....
June 13, 2025
Meh. It was alright. There were some spelling errors that bugged me. The plot was good but there could have been more action. The book just felt flat.
February 10, 2026
DNF THIS BOOK @70% ! Tried to read for Jan bookclub and just couldn’t get with it ! I even had the audio just didn’t keep me interested
February 5, 2026
Loved Lies and Bones. I couldn’t put it down and kept clicking pages because the plot was so good. I do wish the creepy killer had been included more to make it a bit scarier, but I still really enjoyed it. Easy 5 stars.
July 8, 2025
This was a good read, it was not all the hype in my opinion and it was not as disturbing as some of the reviews made it seem. It kept me interested and gave some interesting moral dilemma's to think about. I haven't decided if I want to continue the series or not. I had closure from this one, it was not a cliffhanger, even though it is a series.
August 24, 2025
In theory, this book should’ve been one I devoured. I love crime dramas and the premise of this felt like it was right out of one of those shows, but I just couldn’t get into it. I had a hard time getting into the way the story was written and it made me feel detached. I also never felt connected to the characters, specifically Tracy as our FMC. I’m a reader who enjoys feeling immersed in a book and a big part of that is characters and I didn’t feel like I got really any backstory or personality behind the characters we were supposed to be rooting for. The only thing that kept me semi-interested was the murders and the mystery in trying to solve them. I wouldn’t say I was shocked by anything but I was intrigued enough to see it through.
June 18, 2025
I loved this book so much!! It was very detailed and so thorough. I felt like I was actually there and it was easy to invision everything in my mind.
I can not wait to continue reading the other books in the Detective Tracy Sterling universe! The twist was great and the characters were thorough and well described.
This was a fantastic read and left me wanting more after each page. I couldn’t put it down!!
I will say this book was recommended due to crazy serial killer and brutal murders. I felt I was kind of let down in that aspect. It wasn’t as “scary and brutal” as I went into it thinking it would be.
I can not wait to continue reading the other books in the Detective Tracy Sterling universe! The twist was great and the characters were thorough and well described.
This was a fantastic read and left me wanting more after each page. I couldn’t put it down!!
I will say this book was recommended due to crazy serial killer and brutal murders. I felt I was kind of let down in that aspect. It wasn’t as “scary and brutal” as I went into it thinking it would be.
June 25, 2025
Book #23 of 2025: Fast read about a rookie detective’s search for a serial killer that includes some suspense, twists that don’t quite come together, and some uneven pacing. The main character — Tracy — is interesting; the rest (including the constant interference of a private investigator) are just annoying.
November 8, 2025
I enjoyed the book.
This was my first R J Law book I've read.
I gave it 4 stars.
it's a typical detective series book with a young detective- who had a famous ex cop father. she lives in his shadow a lot of the time.
Detectives that live & work on the wrong side of the law to get the job done.
However it's a good read with a revealing twist at the end.
would I recommend this author- yes
This was my first R J Law book I've read.
I gave it 4 stars.
it's a typical detective series book with a young detective- who had a famous ex cop father. she lives in his shadow a lot of the time.
Detectives that live & work on the wrong side of the law to get the job done.
However it's a good read with a revealing twist at the end.
would I recommend this author- yes
March 31, 2026
Okay…it took me a while to get into this. It started off so dang slow, I almost put it on my DNF list. I’m glad I stuck through it. It picked up at the end. It was a little difficult to read. IMO it read like you were watching TV blind and with ADHD, there were a lot of rereading lines to figure it out. I do recommend though.
August 25, 2025
3.5⭐️ Enjoyed this first time reading this author. The ending was very good. Tracy and Jimmy did a good job. She stuck to her guns and followed her gut. Everyone came down. Bradley got what was coming to him.
January 31, 2026
⭐️⭐️.5/5
short mystery thriller I found on TikTok. While it was an easy read, it wasn’t as captivating as I expected. I didn’t guess the murderer, but the reveal wasn’t very surprising. Overall, it was okay but not one of my favourites.
short mystery thriller I found on TikTok. While it was an easy read, it wasn’t as captivating as I expected. I didn’t guess the murderer, but the reveal wasn’t very surprising. Overall, it was okay but not one of my favourites.
October 18, 2025
An okay read. Not much of a thrill.
May 28, 2025
not terrible, but there's nothing about it that makes it stand out or feel like it has a unique voice. there just isn't much character to anything besides the killer, who as a figure is extremely bland save for the odd signature he leaves at the bodies. just feels like it needed to be developed. disappointed to learn that the audio book is narrated by "virtual voice." really cheapens every aspect of the story and plants the idea that it could all be written/edited by AI too. boo
June 12, 2025
I’m not gonna lie, I really enjoyed this.
August 25, 2025
He must spend a lot of money to get his books promoted so often on TikTok. I’ve started a couple of his books and they are straight garbage. Whenever I see one of his books in a TikTok list, I know the post is paid advertising.
👎👎👎
👎👎👎
January 25, 2026
1.75⭐️ tiktok got me smh. I thought this would be a lot darker than what it was. Honestly booktok overhyped books sometimes. ANYWAYS, the amount of time these damn characters “shrugged” was beyond me and when I say every character, I mean EVERY CHARACTER. The rating is only this high because I unfortunately resonated with the FMC a bit. Girl I get it, that obsessive personality is always on go go go, she must have adhd too.
December 26, 2025
Very overrated…
June 13, 2025
This isn't even worth the 1 star I swear, I could rate it -5 stars maybe.
This book kept showing up over and over again, everyone was going over the top with it and what I found was the worst Watpad fiction ever written.
crime? Zero
Thriller? Zero
suspense? Zero
Storyline? Zero
characters? Zero
plots? Zero
And why does everyone keep putting their hands on their hips? by the end I was putting my hands on my hips too for no reason at all.
So poorly written I went on and deleted every R.J Laws book I had on my kobo.
Sometimes the book is just bad but the writer has potential.
I don't want to be rude but Laws should seriously consider doing something else.
This book kept showing up over and over again, everyone was going over the top with it and what I found was the worst Watpad fiction ever written.
crime? Zero
Thriller? Zero
suspense? Zero
Storyline? Zero
characters? Zero
plots? Zero
And why does everyone keep putting their hands on their hips? by the end I was putting my hands on my hips too for no reason at all.
So poorly written I went on and deleted every R.J Laws book I had on my kobo.
Sometimes the book is just bad but the writer has potential.
I don't want to be rude but Laws should seriously consider doing something else.
June 18, 2025
This book had every detective/ cop cliche that ever was! Very Predictable, and no thriller twist, you didn’t see coming, and certainly did not live up to the reviews I saw. Sorry but, it was not for me, and won’t be reading the rest if the series
September 26, 2025
First read by this author and it was a little all over the place for my taste. I read and listened to it and maybe it was the AI generated voice for the portions I listened to or the fact I moved back and forth between reading and listening but I found the story chaotic.
August 2, 2025
Waited for it to be great because everyone said it would “blow” my mind…. Finished and still waiting for the wow
January 18, 2026
Don't bother with this one.
January 17, 2026
Tracy is the kind of character I immediately root for: a woman following in her father’s footsteps, doing the job because she wants it and not because of who her dad was. Of course, that doesn’t stop everyone around her from accusing her of riding his coattails. She’s told she won’t amount to half the cop he was, and when she makes mistakes (you know, because she’s human?), it only reinforces their assumptions.
What really got under my skin is that Tracy was on the right track. She made one mistake, got pulled from the case, and after that no one would listen to her. Not because she was wrong but because she was inconvenient.
Then there’s Bradley. Ugh.
Bradley is a condescending, know-it-all slob who clearly believes he’s better than any woman within breathing distance. His attitude alone made my blood pressure spike. He talks down to Tracy constantly, dismisses her instincts, and treats basic respect like it’s optional. Unfortunately, he also felt uncomfortably realistic. Cops like him exist, and that made him even harder to stomach.
John was more complicated. I sympathized with him at first; he liked Tracy and genuinely wanted to help her. But he worked alongside Bradley, and that limited what he was willing to do. My feelings shifted when John, too, refused to listen to Tracy and instead told her she sounded crazy and needed some sleep. Which… come on. In a murder investigation, isn’t a little crazy kind of the baseline?
Bradley’s version of events was the one I trusted the least from the very beginning. His lack of respect for Tracy immediately made me question his credibility. If you can’t take someone seriously, why should I take you seriously?
Jimmy Hunter, the former cop turned PI, was an interesting secondary character. I still don’t quite know what to make of him. He bends the rules sometimes and sticks to them other times, like he’s operating under a personal code only he understands. I’m guessing he’s the kind of character who makes more sense the more you read assuming he shows up again later in the series.
As for pacing, it worked. I didn’t lose sleep, but I also didn’t skim or skip ahead. No filler, no dragging, no unnecessary drama. I appreciated that most about this book.
No romance. No hysterics. No flashy twists for shock value. Just real people doing real jobs, making real mistakes, in real time. Well, not really real, but you know what I mean.
Lies and Bones isn’t trying to be clever or trendy. It’s just a good, solid crime novel that knows exactly what it is.
What really got under my skin is that Tracy was on the right track. She made one mistake, got pulled from the case, and after that no one would listen to her. Not because she was wrong but because she was inconvenient.
Then there’s Bradley. Ugh.
Bradley is a condescending, know-it-all slob who clearly believes he’s better than any woman within breathing distance. His attitude alone made my blood pressure spike. He talks down to Tracy constantly, dismisses her instincts, and treats basic respect like it’s optional. Unfortunately, he also felt uncomfortably realistic. Cops like him exist, and that made him even harder to stomach.
John was more complicated. I sympathized with him at first; he liked Tracy and genuinely wanted to help her. But he worked alongside Bradley, and that limited what he was willing to do. My feelings shifted when John, too, refused to listen to Tracy and instead told her she sounded crazy and needed some sleep. Which… come on. In a murder investigation, isn’t a little crazy kind of the baseline?
Bradley’s version of events was the one I trusted the least from the very beginning. His lack of respect for Tracy immediately made me question his credibility. If you can’t take someone seriously, why should I take you seriously?
Jimmy Hunter, the former cop turned PI, was an interesting secondary character. I still don’t quite know what to make of him. He bends the rules sometimes and sticks to them other times, like he’s operating under a personal code only he understands. I’m guessing he’s the kind of character who makes more sense the more you read assuming he shows up again later in the series.
As for pacing, it worked. I didn’t lose sleep, but I also didn’t skim or skip ahead. No filler, no dragging, no unnecessary drama. I appreciated that most about this book.
No romance. No hysterics. No flashy twists for shock value. Just real people doing real jobs, making real mistakes, in real time. Well, not really real, but you know what I mean.
Lies and Bones isn’t trying to be clever or trendy. It’s just a good, solid crime novel that knows exactly what it is.
March 31, 2026
Lies and Bones by RJ Law
Mystery/Thriller
Tracy Sterling is a newly made detective trying to solve the case of a serial killer while trying to wiggle out from under the shadow of her legendary father, Detective John Sterling's "sterling" reputation. Still, the bodies are piling up and so are her mistakes, and her partner, Gary, her dad's old partner, has had a stroke and can no longer advise her and time is running out for the killer's latest victim--a woman named Elizabeth Gannon--who's still alive.
Lies and Bones is an exceptional action-packed police procedural mystery that throws the reader right into the deep end from the very first page with the victim's heart-racing POV from where she's trapped in the trunk of a moving car. It's incredibly exciting, and I'm already hooked on this story; I'll probably read it all in one sitting. Back to the book ... 😳
As the story continues the tension is turned up high as several things happen: Tracy's removed from the case, the killer calls Tracy and tells her that she's now "part of the game," and Tracy discovers a confessional letter from her father to her. OMG, what can he possibly have to confess? Guess you'll have to read the book like me to find out. 😁😁😁
Wow, what a story that was! 👏 👏 👏 Just when I thought the stakes couldn't get any ĥigher, the PI, Jimmy alludes to something dark in John's past then Tracy finds the letter and well, it was a bombshell of a confession. 😳 No spoilers here, no spoilers! 🤣
What I can tell you is that this book has plenty of good pacing, strong plot elements, the writing is excellent, and the characters are gutsy (Tracy), puzzling (the PI), and ultra creepy (Tim C. and Mrs. Stinson). The author successfully captures the tension and constant underlying threat of the serial killer vs. the anxiety of what a police officer must feel as they try to solve such a horrific crime. It truly was a blast reading this and I am looking forward to the next one. 5⭐️!
What I liked:
🗯 Snappy Pace that makes you want to read it all in 1 sitting
🤔 Puzzling Plot with a great premise kept me engaged
👮♀️ Smart MFC whose actions surprised me at the end
What I didn't like:
📖 It lacks where the main character's backstories are concerned. Some flashbacks of John & Tracy Sterling would have made this even better.
Possible Triggers:
Violence against women 👊
Profanity 🤬
Alcohol use 🍷
Top 3 quotes:
"Trust me, Tracy. It’s better to keep an unspoiled mind. The more details you have, the more likely you are to make mistakes. Just keep your mind open. Let the evidence lead you, not the other way.” ~Gary to Tracy Sterling
At a certain point, the grieving begin repeating themselves, as their minds struggle to make sense of the same world, made dark and different through freshly opened eyes. ~Tracy
"There aren’t any hidden messages. There are no secret codes. There’s just crazy fucking people doing crazy fucking shit for perverse reasons we will never understand.” ~Gary to Tracy (He's proven wrong by this case!) 😅
Mystery/Thriller
Tracy Sterling is a newly made detective trying to solve the case of a serial killer while trying to wiggle out from under the shadow of her legendary father, Detective John Sterling's "sterling" reputation. Still, the bodies are piling up and so are her mistakes, and her partner, Gary, her dad's old partner, has had a stroke and can no longer advise her and time is running out for the killer's latest victim--a woman named Elizabeth Gannon--who's still alive.
Lies and Bones is an exceptional action-packed police procedural mystery that throws the reader right into the deep end from the very first page with the victim's heart-racing POV from where she's trapped in the trunk of a moving car. It's incredibly exciting, and I'm already hooked on this story; I'll probably read it all in one sitting. Back to the book ... 😳
As the story continues the tension is turned up high as several things happen: Tracy's removed from the case, the killer calls Tracy and tells her that she's now "part of the game," and Tracy discovers a confessional letter from her father to her. OMG, what can he possibly have to confess? Guess you'll have to read the book like me to find out. 😁😁😁
Wow, what a story that was! 👏 👏 👏 Just when I thought the stakes couldn't get any ĥigher, the PI, Jimmy alludes to something dark in John's past then Tracy finds the letter and well, it was a bombshell of a confession. 😳 No spoilers here, no spoilers! 🤣
What I can tell you is that this book has plenty of good pacing, strong plot elements, the writing is excellent, and the characters are gutsy (Tracy), puzzling (the PI), and ultra creepy (Tim C. and Mrs. Stinson). The author successfully captures the tension and constant underlying threat of the serial killer vs. the anxiety of what a police officer must feel as they try to solve such a horrific crime. It truly was a blast reading this and I am looking forward to the next one. 5⭐️!
What I liked:
🗯 Snappy Pace that makes you want to read it all in 1 sitting
🤔 Puzzling Plot with a great premise kept me engaged
👮♀️ Smart MFC whose actions surprised me at the end
What I didn't like:
📖 It lacks where the main character's backstories are concerned. Some flashbacks of John & Tracy Sterling would have made this even better.
Possible Triggers:
Violence against women 👊
Profanity 🤬
Alcohol use 🍷
Top 3 quotes:
"Trust me, Tracy. It’s better to keep an unspoiled mind. The more details you have, the more likely you are to make mistakes. Just keep your mind open. Let the evidence lead you, not the other way.” ~Gary to Tracy Sterling
At a certain point, the grieving begin repeating themselves, as their minds struggle to make sense of the same world, made dark and different through freshly opened eyes. ~Tracy
"There aren’t any hidden messages. There are no secret codes. There’s just crazy fucking people doing crazy fucking shit for perverse reasons we will never understand.” ~Gary to Tracy (He's proven wrong by this case!) 😅
March 19, 2026
I will not give spoilers.
This book was suggested on TikTok as a book that stays with you and has so many twists and turns. The kiddie roller coaster has more twists and turns.
I liked the characters for the most part, some were annoying as they were intended. But unfortunately the characters did not interact very well and the main character was rather wooden. They didn’t have a lot of development or growth.
The murder case/plot was intriguing and could have been really great, BUT it went from a 3 to a 1 and then jumped to a 8.5. Not much build up. Not much to add to the excitement or edge of your seat feeling. It was like a firework, not a lot of climax, and you wish there was more.
I did also find two spelling errors.
Overall not bad but not great. The synopsis on Amazon is a bit misleading.
This book was suggested on TikTok as a book that stays with you and has so many twists and turns. The kiddie roller coaster has more twists and turns.
I liked the characters for the most part, some were annoying as they were intended. But unfortunately the characters did not interact very well and the main character was rather wooden. They didn’t have a lot of development or growth.
The murder case/plot was intriguing and could have been really great, BUT it went from a 3 to a 1 and then jumped to a 8.5. Not much build up. Not much to add to the excitement or edge of your seat feeling. It was like a firework, not a lot of climax, and you wish there was more.
I did also find two spelling errors.
Overall not bad but not great. The synopsis on Amazon is a bit misleading.
October 7, 2025
I almost didn't read this one because of the low star rating but I came across it at a used bookstore and said well hell, why not. & honestly after finishing it..idk how it's not at least a 4 star read. I wasn't sure about it at first because in the beginning the author DID go overboard with adjectives and tried a little too hard at wordy/lengthy descriptive sentences. I understand the author wanting the reader to feel like they are there and to give them a visual but I do feel like to was too much in the first couple of chapters. it tapered off the deeper I got into the book and I started to really enjoy it. it was a super fast read because I kept wanting to know what was going to happen and who the killer was, etc. overall, I was satisfied and enjoyed the story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews