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The Same Bones
Not yet published
Expected 16 Feb 26Predator. Prey. Pack.
When Teancum Leon’s ex-lover confesses to murder, Tean doesn’t believe it. Sure, Ammon has a dark side, but he’s not capable of killing someone.
Except Tean seems to be the only one who feels this way. Tean’s boyfriend, Jem, is more than willing to take Ammon’s word for it. The police are thrilled to bring the official investigation to a close. And Ammon’s wife, Lucy, is afraid of what he might have done in a fit of rage.
With the police no longer looking for answers, it’s up to Tean and Jem to find the truth. Their investigation leads them to more victims—and to the realization that a serial killer is at work, and he’s targeting gay men.
But someone else is stirring on the high steppe. Someone even more dangerous. Someone who has been content, until now, to watch. And wait.
Until Tean and Jem wake them up.
The Same Bones begins a follow-up series and should not be read as a standalone. Jem and Tean’s story starts in The Lamb and the Lion book one, The Same Breath.
When Teancum Leon’s ex-lover confesses to murder, Tean doesn’t believe it. Sure, Ammon has a dark side, but he’s not capable of killing someone.
Except Tean seems to be the only one who feels this way. Tean’s boyfriend, Jem, is more than willing to take Ammon’s word for it. The police are thrilled to bring the official investigation to a close. And Ammon’s wife, Lucy, is afraid of what he might have done in a fit of rage.
With the police no longer looking for answers, it’s up to Tean and Jem to find the truth. Their investigation leads them to more victims—and to the realization that a serial killer is at work, and he’s targeting gay men.
But someone else is stirring on the high steppe. Someone even more dangerous. Someone who has been content, until now, to watch. And wait.
Until Tean and Jem wake them up.
The Same Bones begins a follow-up series and should not be read as a standalone. Jem and Tean’s story starts in The Lamb and the Lion book one, The Same Breath.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 16, 2026
4 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Gregory Ashe
136 books1,803 followersI'm a long-time Midwesterner. I've lived in Chicago, Bloomington (IN), and Saint Louis, my current home. Aside from reading and writing (which take up a lot of my time), I'm an educator.
While I enjoy reading across many genres, my two main loves are mystery and speculative fiction. I used to keep a list of favorite books, but it changes so frequently that I've given up. I'm always looking for recommendations, though, so please drop me a line if you have something in mind!
My big goal right now is one day to be responsible enough to get a dog.
While I enjoy reading across many genres, my two main loves are mystery and speculative fiction. I used to keep a list of favorite books, but it changes so frequently that I've given up. I'm always looking for recommendations, though, so please drop me a line if you have something in mind!
My big goal right now is one day to be responsible enough to get a dog.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Now that I've devoured pretty much every Gregory Ashe book ever published, it's amusing to go back to my old reviews of the earlier books to see where I was on the sane-to-feral spectrum when I first read them. Because in my head, I was feral about Jem and Tean from the drop. Yet reading those old reviews, they evince some shred of sanity. Huh.
Spoiler alert, friends: I am feral about this book.
No offense to Emery and J-H, or Shaw and North, or Theo and Auggie, or even my new blorbos, Gray and Sam, but Jem and Tean will always be my favorites. Jem is an absolute, well, gem: equal parts cynical survivor and kind-hearted, only partially housebroken puppy, he is intensely loyal, extremely devoted, and able to roll with the punches to an admirable -- and at times, self-destructive -- degree. Tean is more reserved and self-effacing, a natural catastrophizer, someone with a strong moral compass and a great deal of empathy but also, like Jem, a survivor -- though he doesn't really think of himself in those terms. While GA's other couples tend to have a lot of sharp edges in their relationship, Jem and Tean have always, even in moments of crisis and conflict, been softer with each other. There is real compassion, love, and tenderness in their interactions, and that was true even when their relationship was "only" platonic. Both men are funny, smart, and quick, but for the most part, their jabs are meant to amuse, not wound. They are each other's biggest fans and allies.
But that doesn't mean everything's perfect. The first series -- which you really should read before starting this one; rest assured, it's brilliant -- uses a string of unrelated crimes as the vehicle for exploring their evolving relationship: either Tean or Jem had a personal connection to each of the crimes, and the process of investigation reveals their backstories and how the traumas of their past play out and ramify in the present. It's all about trust -- how hard it its to earn, how easily it can be broken -- and communication, especially when it feels most terrifying. And the Big Bad -- in the emotional, if not criminal -- sense is Ammon, the most universally despised (with Tucker) piece of vile shit in the Hazardverse, the one fans would happily shove in front of a moving bus. Ammon, whom we all, at the end of book 3, assured ourselves would not haunt our pages again with his manipulative, emotionally abusive ways. I suspect you all know where I'm going with this.
Speaking of the end of book 3: it left our men in a tentatively hopeful place, finally together as a couple and starting to make plans for the future, even while Tean, in particular, struggled with the after-effects of what he was forced to do in order to save Jem's life. The post-book 3 short story, set a month afterwards, moves us more from HFN to HEA-territory; by the time we get to the crossover series Iron on Iron, they are much more solid, married, and with two foster kids.* Jem and Tean's installment in Iron on Iron was welcome reassurance that GA hasn't missed a beat in how he writes these two; even while they were thrown headlong into the Hazardverse-craziness, they still felt recognizably themselves, teasing and good-humored and at ease with each other.
That's maybe why this book, which picks up almost exactly a year after the end of book 3 (so, before Iron on Iron), at first feels like a slap in the face. Tean is in a way, way darker place emotionally than he was the last time we saw him, in I-on-I; while Jem, struggling to connect with and support his partner, is additionally feeling his sense of self and identity being chipped away by his job as car salesman, surrounded by ass-kissing colleagues and a particularly obnoxious boss. Into this already-tenuous situation comes an Ammon-shaped bomb: his arrest for, and confession to, the murder of a fellow Mormon, Brennon, who was preying sexually on Ammon's 15-year-old son, Daniel. At Ammon's request, Tean is dragged in; and Tean, though having gone no-contact with Ammon after the events of book 3, can't help but investigate the circumstances behind what both he, and Jem, find a suspicious confession.
Getting the big concern out of the way first: while Ammon is the catalyst for Tean and Jem's involvement, he is, for the most part, absent from the story. He definitely haunts it, in terms of the many ways he fucked up, manipulated, and mistreated Tean, his children, and his wife, and the legacy that his lying, narcissism, and homophobia has wrought. But this is not a re-tread of the twisted love triangle from the first series, and Ammon, while a presence in the background, is mostly off-page.
Another thing here, that I suspect could be divisive for some readers, is the way Tean and Jem differently talk about Brennon's crimes. That Daniel is a victim is stated clearly and unequivocally throughout. (For clarity, Brennon is a 40-something man with a wife and children of his own. We meet one of his other victims on-page, now legally an adult, and it is suggested that there may have been more. There is no indication that Brennon was victimizing his own children.) But while Tean can only understand Daniel as a groomed, abused child -- which, again, he very clearly is -- Jem tries to put himself in Daniel's headspace: as a kid who believed himself in requited love, as someone who feels more mature than he is told he is, as a closeted and unsupported gay boy who has certain ideas about queer love and relationships that don't fit the straight mold and that, in his mind, further legitimize the relationship. Tean feels despair for Daniel; Jem tries to understand him. Daniel reads the former as judgement, the latter as -- not affirmation, per se, but some kind of acceptance. It's a fascinating contrast in how the two men situate themselves against the world's evils -- in how they wrap their minds around what these depredations do to people, how people deal with them, and how they recover (or not). How much agency do victims have? When does sympathy feel like dismissal, or worse, condemnation? But what if acceptance is taken as approval?
Similar questions recur in Tean's despairing discussion of ghost nets, a tangent that, at first, feels like one of his patented catastrophe spirals, but which deepens into a meditation on his own pain and agency in an unforgiving world. Another extremely revealing insight comes when Jem deals with the fact that the murderer may be visiting onto his victims an even more twisted, extreme version of the horrors visited on him, and how this ties into issues around sexuality and free will. Something Jem has long been plagued by is his own teenaged victimization -- rape -- at the hands of fellow inmates in juvie, and the confusion this created in terms of his own sexuality. The moment when Tean grasps Jem's unspoken struggle is quietly powerful.
And rare, because the sad fact is, Tean isn't doing a great job of grasping things this book. Feel free to insert a sex joke; that's pretty much the only thing being inserted at the moment. Tean is something of a frustrating figure for long stretches of the book: obviously stuck, obviously struggling, and obviously -- to the reader, at least -- unable to give Jem what he needs in a partner, or to accept what Jem is giving him. And at a certain point, it almost feels like he's unwilling to do anything about any of it. This is unfair, given Tean's emotional state, but not necessarily untrue; it's only when Tean really sees how hurtful his actions are to Jem, and how much they feed into Jem's own insecurities and fears, that he feels equipped to take baby steps towards getting better.
While the mystery here is very solid -- and gross -- it's the quiet moments and honest conversations between Jem and Tean that are the payoff. Jem so desperately wants to connect with and be good for Tean that he hides his own discomfort and disgust with his job; Tean is so focused on his own pain and shame that he can't deal with anything beyond that. But their relationship, while under strain, is strong enough now that they manage to find these small points of connection and fellowship and hope, those moments that they can hold onto and build on while they pull their way out of the darkness. This is a very human, compassionate book, but also grounded in the reality that recovery from trauma is neither a short nor a one-way street. It's a gorgeous portrait of a love story that is still young, still vulnerable, but growing ever more rooted and strong each day.
I'm already on pins and needles for book 2, and that's only partly because, unlike the last series (but more in keeping with the other Hazardverse books), the crime arc in this one carries over. Crime, schmime -- we're in this for Tean and Jem (and Scipio, our beloved), and I can't wait for the next chapter in their story.
* Obligatory pedantic mention that the timeline established textually in book 1 of Iron on Iron, where Tean tells J-H that at that point they had "known each other almost three years" -- not been together, but "known each other" -- is a very tight fit with this timeline: they knew each other roughly a year before getting together at the end of book 3, this book is set a year later, and at this point they are neither married nor even thinking about fostering. I suppose that in less than a year, they could get married, get certified as foster parents, get a placement, and have the kids established enough in the family that they can leave them with Hannah while their weekend jaunt to Missouri turns into weeks away, but -- ugh to the foster kids storyline, is all I can say. I'm not anti-foster kids for these two, per se, it's the timing that bugs me: I want Jem and Tean to NOT rush shit, and have time together as a happy, functioning couple first. (Indeed, Jem notes in this book about how Scipio's presence covered up how little he and Tean were actually communicating, because they always had Scipio to talk about -- that is, they were conversing, but they weren't really saying anything. And then he further notes that this is probably what kids do for the straights. EXACTLY, JEM!!!!! Listen to your own smart self!!!!) Anyway, I've always thought the foster-kids storyline was suss, precisely because it felt WAY too rushed in terms of their actual relationship. I can see wanting Jem and Tean to be parenting eventually -- not just because they are both caregivers, but also, specifically in the context of Iron on Iron, because parenting is a means of bonding with (most of) the other couples (e.g. the Emery-Tean convo). Selfishly, though, I would like them to have time to settle in as a couple first, without immediately piling on the stresses (and -- because it's relevant here -- financial burdens) of parenthood. And especially given where they are in this book, it just seems way too premature to think of imminently adding foster kids to the mix, even if you look beyond the "how the hell will Jem ever get approved to foster" issue. Although maybe the timeline has changed; it's noted in this book that it's 2019, and I don't know/ remember when Iron on Iron starts. Add a couple more years in-between, and it's less of an ugh.
Disclosure: I'm on the author's ARC team, and I am also a Kickstarter backer of this series. I think these two facts cancel each other out monetarily, but [disclaimer, disclaimer].
Spoiler alert, friends: I am feral about this book.
No offense to Emery and J-H, or Shaw and North, or Theo and Auggie, or even my new blorbos, Gray and Sam, but Jem and Tean will always be my favorites. Jem is an absolute, well, gem: equal parts cynical survivor and kind-hearted, only partially housebroken puppy, he is intensely loyal, extremely devoted, and able to roll with the punches to an admirable -- and at times, self-destructive -- degree. Tean is more reserved and self-effacing, a natural catastrophizer, someone with a strong moral compass and a great deal of empathy but also, like Jem, a survivor -- though he doesn't really think of himself in those terms. While GA's other couples tend to have a lot of sharp edges in their relationship, Jem and Tean have always, even in moments of crisis and conflict, been softer with each other. There is real compassion, love, and tenderness in their interactions, and that was true even when their relationship was "only" platonic. Both men are funny, smart, and quick, but for the most part, their jabs are meant to amuse, not wound. They are each other's biggest fans and allies.
But that doesn't mean everything's perfect. The first series -- which you really should read before starting this one; rest assured, it's brilliant -- uses a string of unrelated crimes as the vehicle for exploring their evolving relationship: either Tean or Jem had a personal connection to each of the crimes, and the process of investigation reveals their backstories and how the traumas of their past play out and ramify in the present. It's all about trust -- how hard it its to earn, how easily it can be broken -- and communication, especially when it feels most terrifying. And the Big Bad -- in the emotional, if not criminal -- sense is Ammon, the most universally despised (with Tucker) piece of vile shit in the Hazardverse, the one fans would happily shove in front of a moving bus. Ammon, whom we all, at the end of book 3, assured ourselves would not haunt our pages again with his manipulative, emotionally abusive ways. I suspect you all know where I'm going with this.
Speaking of the end of book 3: it left our men in a tentatively hopeful place, finally together as a couple and starting to make plans for the future, even while Tean, in particular, struggled with the after-effects of what he was forced to do in order to save Jem's life. The post-book 3 short story, set a month afterwards, moves us more from HFN to HEA-territory; by the time we get to the crossover series Iron on Iron, they are much more solid, married, and with two foster kids.* Jem and Tean's installment in Iron on Iron was welcome reassurance that GA hasn't missed a beat in how he writes these two; even while they were thrown headlong into the Hazardverse-craziness, they still felt recognizably themselves, teasing and good-humored and at ease with each other.
That's maybe why this book, which picks up almost exactly a year after the end of book 3 (so, before Iron on Iron), at first feels like a slap in the face. Tean is in a way, way darker place emotionally than he was the last time we saw him, in I-on-I; while Jem, struggling to connect with and support his partner, is additionally feeling his sense of self and identity being chipped away by his job as car salesman, surrounded by ass-kissing colleagues and a particularly obnoxious boss. Into this already-tenuous situation comes an Ammon-shaped bomb: his arrest for, and confession to, the murder of a fellow Mormon, Brennon, who was preying sexually on Ammon's 15-year-old son, Daniel. At Ammon's request, Tean is dragged in; and Tean, though having gone no-contact with Ammon after the events of book 3, can't help but investigate the circumstances behind what both he, and Jem, find a suspicious confession.
Getting the big concern out of the way first: while Ammon is the catalyst for Tean and Jem's involvement, he is, for the most part, absent from the story. He definitely haunts it, in terms of the many ways he fucked up, manipulated, and mistreated Tean, his children, and his wife, and the legacy that his lying, narcissism, and homophobia has wrought. But this is not a re-tread of the twisted love triangle from the first series, and Ammon, while a presence in the background, is mostly off-page.
Another thing here, that I suspect could be divisive for some readers, is the way Tean and Jem differently talk about Brennon's crimes. That Daniel is a victim is stated clearly and unequivocally throughout. (For clarity, Brennon is a 40-something man with a wife and children of his own. We meet one of his other victims on-page, now legally an adult, and it is suggested that there may have been more. There is no indication that Brennon was victimizing his own children.) But while Tean can only understand Daniel as a groomed, abused child -- which, again, he very clearly is -- Jem tries to put himself in Daniel's headspace: as a kid who believed himself in requited love, as someone who feels more mature than he is told he is, as a closeted and unsupported gay boy who has certain ideas about queer love and relationships that don't fit the straight mold and that, in his mind, further legitimize the relationship. Tean feels despair for Daniel; Jem tries to understand him. Daniel reads the former as judgement, the latter as -- not affirmation, per se, but some kind of acceptance. It's a fascinating contrast in how the two men situate themselves against the world's evils -- in how they wrap their minds around what these depredations do to people, how people deal with them, and how they recover (or not). How much agency do victims have? When does sympathy feel like dismissal, or worse, condemnation? But what if acceptance is taken as approval?
Similar questions recur in Tean's despairing discussion of ghost nets, a tangent that, at first, feels like one of his patented catastrophe spirals, but which deepens into a meditation on his own pain and agency in an unforgiving world. Another extremely revealing insight comes when Jem deals with the fact that the murderer may be visiting onto his victims an even more twisted, extreme version of the horrors visited on him, and how this ties into issues around sexuality and free will. Something Jem has long been plagued by is his own teenaged victimization -- rape -- at the hands of fellow inmates in juvie, and the confusion this created in terms of his own sexuality. The moment when Tean grasps Jem's unspoken struggle is quietly powerful.
And rare, because the sad fact is, Tean isn't doing a great job of grasping things this book. Feel free to insert a sex joke; that's pretty much the only thing being inserted at the moment. Tean is something of a frustrating figure for long stretches of the book: obviously stuck, obviously struggling, and obviously -- to the reader, at least -- unable to give Jem what he needs in a partner, or to accept what Jem is giving him. And at a certain point, it almost feels like he's unwilling to do anything about any of it. This is unfair, given Tean's emotional state, but not necessarily untrue; it's only when Tean really sees how hurtful his actions are to Jem, and how much they feed into Jem's own insecurities and fears, that he feels equipped to take baby steps towards getting better.
While the mystery here is very solid -- and gross -- it's the quiet moments and honest conversations between Jem and Tean that are the payoff. Jem so desperately wants to connect with and be good for Tean that he hides his own discomfort and disgust with his job; Tean is so focused on his own pain and shame that he can't deal with anything beyond that. But their relationship, while under strain, is strong enough now that they manage to find these small points of connection and fellowship and hope, those moments that they can hold onto and build on while they pull their way out of the darkness. This is a very human, compassionate book, but also grounded in the reality that recovery from trauma is neither a short nor a one-way street. It's a gorgeous portrait of a love story that is still young, still vulnerable, but growing ever more rooted and strong each day.
I'm already on pins and needles for book 2, and that's only partly because, unlike the last series (but more in keeping with the other Hazardverse books), the crime arc in this one carries over. Crime, schmime -- we're in this for Tean and Jem (and Scipio, our beloved), and I can't wait for the next chapter in their story.
* Obligatory pedantic mention that the timeline established textually in book 1 of Iron on Iron, where Tean tells J-H that at that point they had "known each other almost three years" -- not been together, but "known each other" -- is a very tight fit with this timeline: they knew each other roughly a year before getting together at the end of book 3, this book is set a year later, and at this point they are neither married nor even thinking about fostering. I suppose that in less than a year, they could get married, get certified as foster parents, get a placement, and have the kids established enough in the family that they can leave them with Hannah while their weekend jaunt to Missouri turns into weeks away, but -- ugh to the foster kids storyline, is all I can say. I'm not anti-foster kids for these two, per se, it's the timing that bugs me: I want Jem and Tean to NOT rush shit, and have time together as a happy, functioning couple first. (Indeed, Jem notes in this book about how Scipio's presence covered up how little he and Tean were actually communicating, because they always had Scipio to talk about -- that is, they were conversing, but they weren't really saying anything. And then he further notes that this is probably what kids do for the straights. EXACTLY, JEM!!!!! Listen to your own smart self!!!!) Anyway, I've always thought the foster-kids storyline was suss, precisely because it felt WAY too rushed in terms of their actual relationship. I can see wanting Jem and Tean to be parenting eventually -- not just because they are both caregivers, but also, specifically in the context of Iron on Iron, because parenting is a means of bonding with (most of) the other couples (e.g. the Emery-Tean convo). Selfishly, though, I would like them to have time to settle in as a couple first, without immediately piling on the stresses (and -- because it's relevant here -- financial burdens) of parenthood. And especially given where they are in this book, it just seems way too premature to think of imminently adding foster kids to the mix, even if you look beyond the "how the hell will Jem ever get approved to foster" issue. Although maybe the timeline has changed; it's noted in this book that it's 2019, and I don't know/ remember when Iron on Iron starts. Add a couple more years in-between, and it's less of an ugh.
Disclosure: I'm on the author's ARC team, and I am also a Kickstarter backer of this series. I think these two facts cancel each other out monetarily, but [disclaimer, disclaimer].
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November 23, 2025Coming February 16, 2026!
Beep beep boop, Jem & Tean are back! (So is a familiar, unwelcome face according to the blurb, but I’ll try my best to forget about them for the time being 😂) A long-awaited follow-up to the final events of The Same End, and the bridge between their first arc and Iron on Iron is on the horizon. I cannot contain my excitement for being launched back into the throes of existential contemplation with the two softest characters known to man.
Beep beep boop, Jem & Tean are back! (So is a familiar, unwelcome face according to the blurb, but I’ll try my best to forget about them for the time being 😂) A long-awaited follow-up to the final events of The Same End, and the bridge between their first arc and Iron on Iron is on the horizon. I cannot contain my excitement for being launched back into the throes of existential contemplation with the two softest characters known to man.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I’ve been excited for this series, and The Same Bones absolutely delivers. This is one of Gregory Ashe’s strongest plots in a while, and it's paired with the emotional depth that keeps me coming back to his books. Tean and Jem are true couple goals: completely different personalities, but always showing up for each other—even when both of them are struggling individually and pulling away is their first instinct.
This story follows the events of The Lamb and the Lion trilogy, so new readers should start with The Same Breath. While that trilogy featured mostly standalone cases, The Wolves Among Us looks to have a more continuous, overarching plot, which I’m really enjoying so far. This doesn't end in a cliffhanger, but it has plenty of unanswered questions and lingering tension to keep me counting down to the next book.
This story follows the events of The Lamb and the Lion trilogy, so new readers should start with The Same Breath. While that trilogy featured mostly standalone cases, The Wolves Among Us looks to have a more continuous, overarching plot, which I’m really enjoying so far. This doesn't end in a cliffhanger, but it has plenty of unanswered questions and lingering tension to keep me counting down to the next book.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Same Bones is much darker than Gregory Ashe’s more recent Last Picks series, and it leans fully into the kind of story he does best.
This may be some of his darkest work yet, particularly when it comes to the crime element.
I loved being back with Jem and Tean, especially seeing the aftereffects of where the previous series left them. We know Greg doesn’t shy away from consequences, and I really appreciated how he addressed long- standing issues like Teans ‘affair’ with Ammon and the toll it’s taken on Ammons wife and family.
What stood out most to me, though, was the handling of depression and PTSD.
Reading Tean’s struggles was hard, but what stayed with me even more was Jem’s perspective, the loneliness of loving someone who is suffering so deeply and being unable to fix it.( Needless to say , a tear or two were shed)
This was an excellent read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Bring on the next one.
This may be some of his darkest work yet, particularly when it comes to the crime element.
I loved being back with Jem and Tean, especially seeing the aftereffects of where the previous series left them. We know Greg doesn’t shy away from consequences, and I really appreciated how he addressed long- standing issues like Teans ‘affair’ with Ammon and the toll it’s taken on Ammons wife and family.
What stood out most to me, though, was the handling of depression and PTSD.
Reading Tean’s struggles was hard, but what stayed with me even more was Jem’s perspective, the loneliness of loving someone who is suffering so deeply and being unable to fix it.( Needless to say , a tear or two were shed)
This was an excellent read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Bring on the next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Missed Tean and Jem so much-lovely to have them back, at least in shadow form. No spoilers, but the weight of their previous adventures weighs heavy in this book, lifted only by the love and respect they have for each other. And that is beautiful.
This series is off to a powerful start…sinister external forces, complex relationship dynamics, generations of families destroyed by hate and betrayal, and a series of disturbing crimes. All told with rich dialogue, stunning settings, and over more than one fast food meal. Oh yeah, love. At its core, this crime thriller is a poignant love story. Another incredible novel from Gregory Ashe.
This series is off to a powerful start…sinister external forces, complex relationship dynamics, generations of families destroyed by hate and betrayal, and a series of disturbing crimes. All told with rich dialogue, stunning settings, and over more than one fast food meal. Oh yeah, love. At its core, this crime thriller is a poignant love story. Another incredible novel from Gregory Ashe.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews