A Bloom of Bones

by Allen Morris Jones

Eli Singer, a rancher and poet in remote Eastern Montana, sees his life upended when a long-buried corpse—which turns out to be a murder victim from Eli's childhood—erodes out of a hillside on his property. This discovery forces Eli to turn inward to revisit the tragic events in his past that led to a life-changing moment of violence, while at the same time he must reach outside himself toward Chloe, a literary agent from New York whom he is falling in love with. In the tradition of such classic western writers as Thomas McGuane, James Lee Burke, Ivan Doig and Jim Harrison, A Bloom of Bones is a poignant and moving exploration of family, community, and the echoing ramifications of violence across generations, as well as a genre-subverting literary mystery.

Genres: Mystery

300 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2016

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I see a lot of three stars for this book and I think it's because A portion of the plot is a bit hard to swallow. And I can't applaud all of the poetry but I'm not a poetry expert. Yet his descriptions of the Montana life and also the imagery are awesome. I found the majority of the book to be unflinching, honest and very well-written. I was born and raised in Montana and I really connected to this book

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel two ways about this book which pull me to two extremes. I really like the poetry and the observational language of this author. But oh my, the romance did not sit well with me, not really plausible, yet the underlying mystery was enough to keep me going to the end.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part mystery, part love story, this small literary novel is a gem of beautiful writing, intriguing plot, interesting characters and absolutely mesmerizing description of the isolated Missouri Breaks region of Montana which plays as much of a role in the book as its characters. The author is currently editor of Big Sky Journal. He was recently interviewed on the Montana Public Radio program The Write Question and offers some interesting insights into the book and its characters.
http://mtpr.org/programs/write-question

[Cheryle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for One Book Billings May 2018.

Eli Singer, a rancher and poet in remote Eastern Montana, sees his life upended when a long-buried corpse—which turns out to be a murder victim from Eli's childhood—erodes out of a hillside on his property. This discovery forces Eli to turn inward to revisit the tragic events in his past that led to a life-changing moment of violence, while at the same time he must reach outside himself toward Chloe, a literary agent from New York whom he is falling in love with. In the tradition of such classic western writers as Thomas McGuane, James Lee Burke, Ivan Doig and Jim Harrison, A Bloom of Bones is a poignant and moving exploration of family, community, and the echoing ramifications of violence across generations, as well as a genre-subverting literary mystery.

[Leslie Wiseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice short read. Having had a Dakota farmer as a grandpa and having spent time in Montana I appreciate the way the landscape and the people are described. I read Eli’s words and hear my grandpa’s no nonsense voice. The plot line is a little hard to swallow, but in all I was very fond of this book. I was expecting more of a thriller based on the description and found a lovely drama instead. This would make a great weekend read for sure.

[Nicole Beyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always enjoy reading Montana books having been raised there. Enjoyed the poetry in this book- found parts of the romance difficult to accept...liked how the ending was unexpected...kept thinking there were more pages! I also enjoyed the main character and how hard he was to read- it fit into the story well- making him mysterious and interesting

[MaryBeth Herrboldt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really debated whether or not I could read this book. It sat on the nightstand for weeks. Reading reviews didn't sway me either way. Once I started I couldn't put it down or stop thinking about book. Beautiful, colorful, suspenseful, and engaging. A must read.

[Beth Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mystery, a love story, a psychological study and a poetry writing cowboy - what's not to like? Written by a Montanan, this book was selected by my small-town-Montana book club and it hooked me quickly. I read it in one sitting.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful literary mystery/western with some hints of romance novel thrown in. I love finding delightful books like this on the new book shelf at Westerville Public Library.

[Kathie Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous imagery

Just mysterious enough to get my attention, then the writing kept it! A story with tension and history and relationships, how we complicate our lives!

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Literary novel. A bit confusing. I didn't think he did it. Then I think he did. Did he? Saved the why anyone would have until the end. Didn't really see the attraction between Eli and Chloe.

[Mary Drew]

A sort of mystery, a sort of mysterious mystery. Or is it a mystery? It might be a love story....
Personally, I think the guy got what he deserved.
If you like the wild loneliness of eastern Montana, this is a book for you.