Old Bones

by Ron Chudley

Resting on what was left of the bench was something else, lighter in shade than the background, round, about the size of a cabbage. There were two large holes close together, a smaller pair below, then two rows of wedge-shaped objects. The pattern suddenly in atavistic and chilling familiarity In a remote British Columbia lake, an ancient auto wreck is discovered. Inside are the half-century-old remains of a traveler long lost and long forgotten. While there are few clues to the identity of the corpse, the discovery sets in motion a singular chain of events that dramatically affects a small and disparate group of people, each unknown to the other, but connected by history to the dead driver. Old agonies, unresolved quarrels, and desperate, dangerous secrets come to light, leading to a strange and surprising conclusion. Old Bones is the story of how a single circumstance can bring about huge changes in the lives of many people. If we could only know, observes one of the characters, just how many lost souls are stashed beneath the earth, some likely as near as our neighbours yard, we would never sleep at night."" Old Bones is the tale of what happens when some small-town stashing comes badly undone.

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2005

Reviews

[N · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm three-quarter finished. The interesting part of the book is that it takes place on Vancouver Island. I find the story clunky with too many subplots. It is uneven, with some painfully detailed descriptions.

[Leitchaj · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly good read. Its a page turner and recommended especially for anyone living on Vancouver Island.