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White Bones

an absolutely gripping and gritty Katie Maguire thriller, the first in the unmissable must-read series for 2026

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White Bones

By: Graham Masterton
Narrated by: Caroline Lennon
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READ THE THRILLER THAT LAUNCHED THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING SERIES

Eleven bodies. One grave.

On a wet, windswept morning, a field on a desolate farm gives up the dismembered bones of eleven women. They have been buried there since 1915, their skeletons bearing the marks of a meticulous butcher.

Then a young woman goes missing. When her remains are found soon after, police are horrified to discover the bones were carefully stripped before being arranged in an arcane pattern.

With the crimes of the past echoing in the present, DS Katie Maguire must solve a decades-old murder steeped in ancient legend before this terrifying killer strikes again…

Perfect for fans of Peter James, CJ Tudor and Chris Carter, White Bones is part of the darkly original million-copy-bestselling DS Katie Maguire thriller series, which can be read in any order.

'One of this country's most exciting crime novelists.' Daily Mail

Also in the DS KATIE MAGUIRE series

#1 White Bones
#2 Broken Angels
#3 Red Light
#4 Taken for Dead
#5 Blood Sisters
#6 Buried
#7 Living Death
#8 Dead Girls Dancing
#9 Dead Men Whistling
#10 Begging to Die
#11 The Last Drop of Blood
# 12 Pay Back the Devil

Why readers love Katie Maguire...

'A tough and gritty thriller.' Irish Independent
‘A natural storyteller.' New York Journal of Books
'Any fan of mysteries should grab this book.' Irish Examiner
'Books in this series and they never fail to entertain.' Reader review *****
'A fierce read with a plot that feels topical.' Reader review *****
'Devastatingly brilliant...Brilliant, exhilarating writing.' Reader review ****
'Riveted from start to finish.' Reader review ****
'A first class detection novel.' Reader review ****
'Amazing, the man is a genius.' Reader review **** Crime Thrillers Mystery Police Procedurals Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths World Literature Exciting Scary
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Critic reviews

One of the most original and frightening storytellers of our time (Peter James)
A natural storyteller with a unique gift for turning the mundane into the terrifyingly real
One of the few true masters (James Herbert)
White Bones and Katie Maguire deserve to be recognized as standing toe-to-toe with the best books and detectives in the genre today
All stars
Most relevant

What did you like best about White Bones? What did you like least?

The pacing of the story was good but the excessive, Repetitive gore made for an uncomfortable read. Once the picture was painted of the fate of the girls the author could profitably have left things to our memory. Gore for gores sake does not make for a good book. Unless you like large amounts of detailed violence, give this a miss.

What was most disappointing about Graham Masterton’s story?

The most disappointing was his over-reliance on detailed description of torture. Suspense and atmosphere can be built up quite effectively without going into intimate detail, especially when an element of repetition of scenes creeps in. As it is it created a one-dimensional story of horror and depravity when the author has more tools in his armoury, which he could deploy.

Which character – as performed by Caroline Lennon – was your favourite?

Katie was a sound character around whom other books can be centred. However, she would lose credibility if every book presented her with sick repetitive violence. One hopes that the author has it within him. Otherwise - see the last section.

Did White Bones inspire you to do anything?

Be very careful about reading, or listening to, anything by this author.

Any additional comments?

The only reason why I stayed with this book was the reading by Caroline Lennon. If it had been read badly, I would have given up upon it. Ms Lennon's skill lay in her ability to create her own tension by avoiding histrionics. Diction was good, pacing was excellent and she created tension by, at times, an almost matter of fact reading, detached might be better, which allowed the story to unfold naturally. I don't mean to suggest that it was flat and uninvolved, anything but. The real skill lies in creating tension, holding the listeners attention, in a seemingly effortless, understated, way. That takes real talent.

A brilliant reading.

An Uncomfortable Story Brilliantly Read

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An engaging story with plenty of suspense. There's a hint of the supernatural, but not enough to be troublesome. My main objection is the over-detailed description of the crimes as they are committed - I didn't need to hear that.

Almost great, but a bit heavy on the gory details

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A fantastic listen. Had me on the end of my seat. Stretched my imagination. Gruesome in parts. Almost too hard to listen to or comprehend.

White Bones

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The torture scenes were so graphic and brutal, I gave up on this book quite early - don’t like gratuitous violence, not for me. A return!

Sinister and brutal - not for the faint hearted

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loved it. keeps you engrossed all the way thru. can't wait for the next in the series.

brilliant

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