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DI Emma Christie Crime Thriller #3

The Bones of Chester: A DI Emma Christie Novel Book 3

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A buried skeleton. A decade-old mystery. A killer who's not finished yet.

When a skeleton is unearthed beneath Chester's ancient walls, Detective Inspector Emma Christie and her team are called to what appears to be a long-buried relic of the past. But the bones tell a different story - one of violence not time.

What starts as a cold case swiftly turns far more sinister, pulling Emma and the team into a tangled web of lies, betrayal and chilling echoes of the disappearance of young women. The deeper they dig, the more the lines blur between past and present. This killer has been watching, waiting - and they are not finished yet.

As the pressure mounts and the old ghosts rise, Emma must confront the darkest corners of the city - and her own past - before the killer strikes again.

The Bones of Chester is a twist-filled crime thriller packed with dark voices, shocking revelations and secrets that refuse to stay buried

356 pages, Paperback

Published June 28, 2025

97 people are currently reading
29 people want to read

About the author

M.J. Lee

46 books447 followers
Martin has spent most of his adult life writing in one form or another.
He has spent 25 years of his life working outside the North of England. In London, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok and Shanghai.
He writes three series; the Danilov books set in 1930s Shanghai. The genealogical mysteries of Jayne Sinclair and the contemporary crime cases of DI Ridpath set in Manchester.
When he's not writing, he splits his time between the UK and Asia, taking pleasure in playing with his daughter, practicing downhill ironing, single-handedly solving the problem of the French wine lake and wishing he were George Clooney.

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5 stars
196 (54%)
4 stars
127 (35%)
3 stars
34 (9%)
2 stars
4 (1%)
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0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
1 review
July 14, 2025
Cracking book

Fast paced with some twists and turns before the culprit was finally unmasked,as most read for serious crime readers off this genre
Profile Image for Lisa Shower.
674 reviews5 followers
June 12, 2025
What a rush!

An outstanding book from the first word to the breath taking conclusion. This series is really growing on me! Love Emma and her crew.
2 reviews
July 17, 2025
Excellent

This book held my attention all the way through and one of the moles who was caught took me by surprise I highly recommend this book
Profile Image for Claire Sheldon.
Author 6 books33 followers
July 3, 2025
really got a feel for Chester and the location in the books 📚
Profile Image for Marina.
7 reviews
June 12, 2025
Is there going to be afourth book? Loved it.
26 reviews
June 12, 2025
An excellent book with lots of twists and turns. highly recommended.
1,306 reviews
December 31, 2025
A great read to finish the year off. I spent the last day of 2025 just reading. I couldn't put this book down. A skeleton has been found at the base of the wall, and not a normal skeleton. Who is the person responsible for this heinous crime. And she has a leak on her team. What terrific characters and a great story.
Profile Image for Eve ⭐️.
1 review
June 5, 2025
Thought I'd read this as I liked the title. Loved the book - well written and exciting. I couldn't put it down. Now I have to go back and read the first two in the series...looking for to it if they are as good as this one.
Profile Image for John Roberts.
485 reviews1 follower
January 17, 2026
Half the book was far to slow although I did really enjoy the ending. I love Martin's Chester series. Really looking to book 4 out in a few weeks! You really need to read the series from the beginning. I highly recommend thos series.
Profile Image for Cea.
110 reviews1 follower
January 20, 2026
excellent read

Captivating but I figured the killer part way so four stars. Enjoyed this one, did not figure the mole so kudos for that.
374 reviews3 followers
July 22, 2025
Interesting story! Bodies are found buried in the area. But when the bones are reviewed, the bones are from three different missing girls. How can this be? As the corner’s office and the police department investigate, the signs become more and more odd. Who is killing young girls and then mixing the bones? Who is doing this and why? Will the department be able to find the killer before more young girls are killed?
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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