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Your favorite NightShade agents are back, only Eleri and Donovan are now on their own. This time they aren’t working with the FBI, and the case is as personal as it can get…

FBI Agent Eleri Eames was there the day her sister disappeared at eight years old. However, Eleri is the only one who knows that her sister is already dead and has been for quite some time.

When a skeleton is unearthed in New Orleans, Eleri is convinced it belongs to Emmaline. The age and ancestry of the remains are a match, and there’s something telling Eleri that New Orleans is the place where her sister lived and died.

As Eleri hunts for answers, demons—old and new—begin following her. The Lobomau have been entering the city in ever-increasing numbers, and that might just have something to do with the Dauphine sisters and their long family history of witchcraft and voodoo. Eleri desperately needs her partner Donovan on this case with her, but can he risk his own job to help her?

Eleri’s ancestry may have imbued her with some powers, but compared to her own great-grandmother and the Dauphines, she’s untrained and untested at best. When the bones turn out not to belong to her sister, Eleri has to ask how a case so similar to Emmaline’s even exists…and is it an arrow pointed to her own twisted family history?

This is the sixth installment in the award-winning NightShade Forensic Files. Can be read as a standalone.

362 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 8, 2018

108 people are currently reading
120 people want to read

About the author

A.J. Scudiere

65 books389 followers
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Daniel Cox.
121 reviews1 follower
November 10, 2018
Another Book, Another Hit
I am required to say I was given a free copy of the book by the author when with no expectation on her part of receiving a positive review and no expectation on my part of any additional remuneration.
A.J. Scudiere, one of this generation’s finest writers, with over 20 Best Suspense/Best Fiction of the Year awards, continues the popular The NightShade Forensic Files series with Book 6, Garden of Bone. I don’t believe in reviewers giving a detailed synopsis of the book. I feel that is the job of the author to get people to read the book and it is the job of the reviewer to give an honest review. Since I do not like to give spoilers, in a way, I cannot say all that I would like to about the fascinating stories found in The NightShade Forensic Files in general, and Garden of Bone in particular.
It was not necessary to suspend disbelief in this story once you accept the premise of FBI’s NightShade division. The story is fast-paced and does not need a lot of shoot ‘em up action to maintain interest. It is an interesting story that is the culmination of past stories. The dialogue was credible, authentic, and not stilted, as well as never being used as a foil for the storyline. The primary characters are complex, well rounded, and well thought out. Sometimes, when a series goes beyond the literary trilogy, the story, characters, and dialogue get old. Garden of Bone does not have that problem.
Ms. Scudiere is known for the professional touches she puts on everything she writes, in a multitude of genres. When you pick up a book by A.J., you know it will be well written, well edited, and well proofed. Garden of Bone is no exception. A.J. is one of the few authors (along with Dean Koontz and Matthew S. Cox to name two) today that can create a book that is as good as a stand-alone tome as it does as one of the books in a series. She gives the perfect amount of background from previous books that you understand how they interrelate but not so much that it is like re-reading a previous book. Unlike some authors that just throw a “To Be Continued” midway through an under-edited and too long story, the books in the series resolve the major issues while leaving threads for future stories. She also sets up follow-on books in the series in just a few sentences. All I can say is that it is another great read that you will have a hard time putting down.
Profile Image for Craig.
348 reviews
November 9, 2018
I found Garden of Bone to be quite a riveting story. I could not put it down. Scudiere completely out did herself with this story. The characters continue to grow as I eagerly learn more about them through each successive story and while what happened to Eleri’s sister was horrible, the story laid it out in a truly satisfying way.

There was one part where, though I felt it was a bit forced in order to extricate the main characters from a precarious position, I completely loved when Scudiere had a major character from another series make a cameo appearance. It’s great to see her worlds bleed together, opening up the possibility of other favorite characters returning for small rolls. One of the toughest things is to let a character go after getting to know them so immensely. Now there is the hope one can see them again, like an old friend who moved away, yet is still very much in your thoughts.

I would highly recommend Garden of Bone to all fans of Scudiere as well as fans of criminal drama/suspense. I believe they will agree it is one of her best stories yet.
Profile Image for Loy.
1,523 reviews
November 11, 2018
I have read all the books in the series and they are fascinating. In this one we finally find out what happened to Eleri’s sister who went missing when the girls were eight. The story is set in New Orleans where Eleri's grandmother lives. Donovan is on another case but when he realizes the Lobomau are converging on New Orleans he goes to help her. Donovan risks his job with Nightshade when he goes to help.
They encounter a family using witchcraft and voodoo. Eleri is untrained but she has her grandmother to protect both herself and Donovan. This one is very intense with many of the mysteries being revealed.
The writing is very good and the relationship between Eleri and Donavan is strengthened. They are a team who will protect each other. I miss the other characters in the story though we did get a little bit of Wade and Christine in the beginning.

I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. Thank you A.J. Scudiere for an advance copy to review.!
Profile Image for Felix Bearden.
22 reviews
November 9, 2018
Review
Garden of Bone
By Liz and Felix Bearden
Oh give me a bone
In the Darcelle Dauphine home,
Where the kids and Lobomau play.
Where always is heard
A discouraging word
And the sky is cloudy all day.

Bone, bone on the range
Where the soft tissue just falls away,
Where always is heard
Some discouraging word
And the clouds look like sh.t
Every day.

Another A.J.Scudiere book in the NightShade series that is worth singing about. Same type twisting plot intertwined with her knowledge of Human Forensic Identification, Human Physiology, and Witchcraft. And for those who play dominoes, this book gives new meaning to ”bone yard”. For those who read it I suggest you have a dictionary handy and be ready to learn something. But be careful. A lot of her fiction sounds like fact.

1,612 reviews32 followers
February 12, 2022
Garden of Bone! Take heed of this title. I was so pleased that Eleri and Donavan back in the saddle again. Be prepared this time they are not working with the FBI. This time thay are on their own. The case is personal, it could not be any more personal than it is.

FBI Agents Eleri Eames and Donavon are on their own. Each have unique and special talents. Eleri is trained archeological forensics and Donavan is a doctor. But no worry each was trained with the best in the various FBI schools. Eleri is the senior agent and Donavon is new to the FBI. But each was born with a special unique talents. Which they will need in this case. Donavon has agreed to work with her but he does worry that what they are doing may cross the lines of the rules set out for them in the FBI.

Eleri was there the day her sister disappeared at eight years old. Eleri has a long held secret. She is the only one who knows that her sister is already dead and has been for quite a long time. A skeleton is unearthed in New Orleans; she is convinced it belongs to her sister Emmaline. The age and ancestry of the remains are a match, and there is something telling Eleri that New Orleans is the place where her sister lived and died. Over the years Eleri has found that her thoughts and “hunches” have been proven true. It is seems that Eleri’s ancestry may have given her with some powers, but she’s untrained and untested.

Each novel in the NightShade Files is more compelling, and more exciting. I am totally addicted and can’t wait to read the next novel in the series. A.J. Scudiere is a gifted author. She uniquely brings pen to paper and creates a novel that cannot be put down. Be prepared, set aside a nice leisurely afternoon, a cup of tea, and your novel, and see if you can stay ahead of the twists and turns of A.J. Scudiere. I received this novel from Griffyn Ink.
Profile Image for Beth.
624 reviews2 followers
August 29, 2020
This seemed to be disjointed. Eleri is off on her own in NOLA trying to find her sister. Walter is with GJ trying to catalog her grandfathers lab contents. Donovan is sent to help Wade and Christine in Montana. They are not working together so it’s disjointed. Donovan finishes his work in Montana and immediately heads to NOLA to help Eleri. What I don’t understand is that Eleri is with her Grandmere but her Grandmere doesn’t even try to teach her any magic, not even protective magic. It doesn’t make sense. Also Eleri’s powers seem to be muted and she’s not relying on them at all. Both she and Donovan seem very lackluster in this one. Eleri seems unhinged. Grandmere offers protection against a powerful witch family in NOLA but doesn’t teach her how to protect herself, weird. There are a lot of non-pack Lobomau wolves in NOLA but we never learn why. It’s unclear. Who is the woman with two así knives who fights off the Lobomau attacking Donovan and Eleri? There is closure for Eleri’s and her sister Emmaline but it comes at a high price. This was not my favorite book in the series.
522 reviews3 followers
March 26, 2021
Auvoir, grandmere

Superb storytelling at its finest.
Eleri needs all her inherited powers to work with grandmere and Donovan to survive an encounter with the Dauphine family.
Whilst Eleri's family powers are generally for good and protection, the Dauphines are for more evil purposes and work in league with the lobomau.
Whilst having taken leave to search for her sister's remains, weird things start to occur after she visits a voodoo shop in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
At the finale, powers meet powers and it is a case of who will be the stronger?
It appears that the four Dauphine sisters may win, until grandmere appears and gives Eleri the power to arrest the three remaiming siblings, Darcelle having escaped as soon as her mother's binding is broken.
Agent Almalfi arrives with other agents and the women are taken into FBI custody.
Upon returning to grandmother's house, they sadly find she has passed and it is time to contact Frederic, another great grandchild, who will be the new head of the family.
Profile Image for D. Starr.
466 reviews8 followers
April 26, 2019
A Strange Off-the-Record Case in New Orleans

4.5 Stars. 1/2 star off for the turn from the strange, unusual, and barely explainable to the occult. Nevertheless, what a story!
Mature Readers, please
No sex
Disturbing occult related violence may bother some readers
Some strong language
More grammatical errors than in previous books in the series. I wonder why.

Plot no spoilers:
Eleri has taken time off to go to New Orleans not only to visit her great-grandmother, but also because she has come to believe that.she will find the answer to her sister's disappearance.
She is immediately drawn to a local voodoo shop, and her strange adventure unfolds from there.

Recommended
Profile Image for J.B..
Author 13 books616 followers
December 26, 2018
The Nightshade Forensic Files is a series I find so intriguing! Always lots of forensics in these and always something extra because these characters work in a special division of the FBI where unique gifts are explored and necessary. In this one, Garden of Bone, we finally get to learn more about Eleri's upbringing, her sister's disappearance, and their family history. Of course, Donovan is there to support her, although this isn't a NightShade-sanctioned investigation. Lot's of witchcraft and voodoo in a New Orleans setting. We get some interesting teasers into Donovan's kind, too.
Profile Image for Michele bookloverforever.
8,336 reviews39 followers
November 9, 2018
The Nightshade Forensic Files:Garden of Bones

Eleri searches for her missing sister and finds witchery run amuck. Her beloved grandmere helps keep Eleri and her partner safe. A rival family harbors terrible, murderous secrets. And finally Eleri finds her sister's grave and brings her bones home but it costs her the life of her grandmere. Tremendously complicated and very spooky story of murder and madness and malign witchery run amuck.
37 reviews1 follower
November 16, 2018
This may be something I say about each new AJ Scudiere book that I read, but it's the best so far! In Garden of Bone, we find out what exactly happened to Emmaline, and we get to spend quality time with one of the most enigmatic characters of all, Grandmere. Even as some story lines come to a close, seeds are planted for future stories. Scudiere creats a fascinating supernatural world that makes me wish she wrote just a little faster.
1 review
January 19, 2025
A witch and a werewolf in the FBI? Preposterous!

I am so hooked on this series! When the characters began to unfold in the first book my thought was "too foolish to continue". But I kept on and by the end I was believing every word. I'm now very involved with the characters, back stories, associates and all. So good in have to slow down my reading to make the delight last longer.
49 reviews1 follower
November 17, 2018
Entertaining but flawed

I enjoyed this series. The mixture of forensics and the occult is interesting. The character development of the principals exceptional. This book, however, goes into the occult too tentatively. It dips its oars, but treads water. A bit of a disappointment while a great read.
Profile Image for Janis.
567 reviews13 followers
March 21, 2020
After the problems with Wade's family, everyone needs some serious downtime. Elleri heads to New Orleans to visit her grandmere, and finds clues to her sister's whereabouts. Donovan joins her, even if it means the end of his career, to help her find the garden of bones and bring her sister home. His reward - a mysterious unknown brother.
80 reviews
November 19, 2018
Good, but not as good as previous books in series

I recommend the book, but was a little disappointed when comparing it to previous books in this series. Slow getting going, not as much of an exciting storyline as previously.
Profile Image for Dana.
215 reviews6 followers
January 2, 2022
New Orleans is the backdrop for a thriller that has witches, werewolves, and lots of other lore. The characters are good, the story is a resolution of threads that have been dangled in the previous books. A race to the finish.
716 reviews5 followers
June 16, 2022
Not your usual FBI procedural!

Well written and completely addicting stories. The unusual characters, with their gifts, investigate suspenseful plots. There is action, romance and some humor to offset the horrible crimes the agents must deal with. More please!
Profile Image for David.
42 reviews5 followers
November 18, 2018
Great book, I personally feel this is the best book in the series. Although the ending did make me sad. I highly recommend this series. Can't wait for book 7 to be released next year
243 reviews1 follower
December 13, 2018
What a rush!

It's hard to believe that the series has come this far, but thankfully there's still at least one more to go.If you haven't already read any of these, you really gotta.
Profile Image for Clyde.
488 reviews
March 1, 2019
Good series, but some grammatical errors in this one.
32 reviews
March 4, 2019
Good Story

I had read the earlier books some time ago and took this one for something different. It was a good read and in a Mulder and Scully way the story works well.
125 reviews
September 8, 2019
Weird and crazy good

So full of suspense! Amazing again! The characters are larger than life. It could happen it won't but it could.
13 reviews1 follower
September 28, 2019
Great read

Detailed and creative yet melds in local myth and rumor of the French Quarter .... great read!
Looking for for book 7.
Profile Image for Chanda Shae Curry.
274 reviews
November 4, 2019
Yes

Witches, spells and changelings,cause As they say there’s no such thing as werewolves! Sad that Grandmere is no longer but loved this spooky story.
16 reviews
July 16, 2022
Easy

Easy reading books. Keep you gripped. Have bought the next in line each time I have finished one. Four stars
Profile Image for Amys Bookshelf Reviews.
879 reviews69 followers
September 7, 2023
A Brilliant read!

What a wonderful story in Garden of Bone by A.J. Scudiere. This is the sixth book in The NightShade Forensic Files series. I read all up to this one. I love this series, and I love reading work by this author. It's a well-written, unique story with investigations that link to paranormal. It's a grand thriller, and can be chilling, and agents Eleri and Donovan are on the case, but it's not a bureau case. It's something else. It’s definitely un-put-downable! It is always an honor to read this author's books. This is a magnificent story that kept this reader turning the pages. Definitely an unpredictable story, my favorite kind! Wow! A wonderfully told story. Brilliant writing! Garden of Bone is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book and give my honest and unbiased review. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book, to also write a review. I hope to read more books by this author.
4 reviews
November 16, 2018
A. J. does an excellent job of furthering the story in this installment of The Nightshade series. You learn quite a bit more about Eleri's ancestry and it leaves you wanting more, so much more. Eleri and Donovan find themselves up to their proverbial necks in New Orleans searching for closure on Emmaline's abduction. As one mystery is solved, new ones beckon. Will Eleri's abilities be explained further? Will she train and hone them to increase their usefulness? Will she realize her true potential? And let's not forget Donovan. Will his discovery mean that his and Eleri's paths were tied to each other long before they became NightShade partners?
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews

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