| Title | : | Written in Bone (David Hunter, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0593055241 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780593055243 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2007 |
Forensic anthropologist Dr David Hunter should be at home in London with the woman he loves. Instead, as a favour to a beleaguered colleague, he's on the remote Hebridean island of Runa to inspect a grisly discovery.
Hunter has witnessed death in many guises, but even he is shocked by what he finds: a body almost totally incinerated but for the feet and a single hand. Could it be a textbook case of spontaneous human combustion? The local police are certain it's an accidental death but Hunter is not convinced. Examining the scorched remains, he finds the evidence he feared. It's clear to him that this was no accident, this was murder.
But as the small, isolated community considers the enormity of Hunter's findings, a catastrophic storm hits the island. The power goes down, communication with the mainland ceases, and then the killing begins in earnest...
Exploding in a series of violent acts and shocking twists, this is the compelling new crime thriller from a brilliant British storyteller.
Written in Bone (David Hunter, #2) Reviews
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Der Rechtsmediziner David Hunter untersucht eine verkohlte Leiche auf der schottischen Insel Runa. War es ein tragischer Unfall oder gar Mord? Der Fall scheint äußerst mysteriös zu sein. Bevor David Hunter sich näher mit dem Superintendenten auf dem Festland besprechen kann, wird die kleine Insel durch ein Unwetter von der Außenwelt abgeschnitten. Und dann wird der Polizist, der den Fundort der Leiche bewachen sollte, tot aufgefunden… ermordet. Der Täter muss auf der Insel sein…
**
Ich habe Band 1 dieser Reihe vor ziemlich genau drei Jahren gelesen. Das Buch hatte damals auch fünf Sterne von mir bekommen, und ich kann mir gar nicht erklären, warum ich damals nicht gleich weitergelesen habe!? Nun musste dieser zweite Band gute drei Jahre warten… Ich habe mir fest vorgenommen, Band 3 nun möglichst bald zu lesen!
…denn ich mag diese Reihe wirklich sehr gerne! Rechtsmedizin finde ich grundsätzlich schon sehr spannend, und David Hunter ist ein sympathischer Protagonist.
Der Fall mit der verkohlten Leiche war sehr geheimnisvoll und spannend. Ich habe miträtseln können, wurde dann am Ende doch überrascht. Ich liebe überraschende Wendungen in Büchern, wenn sie schlüssig und nachvollziehbar sind. Das war hier für mich der Fall.
Auch das Setting fand ich super! Schottland sowieso, und dann diese kleine Insel, die plötzlich ganz abgeschnitten ist vom Festland… Schon eine gruselige Vorstellung unter diesen Umständen!
Für mich hat alles gepasst. Handlung, Charaktere, Setting. Der Spannungsaufbau war da, die Spannung auch immer sehr hoch.
Ich freue mich nun auf den nächsten Band! -
Mir fällt es ehrlich gesagt immer schwer Thriller zu bewerten, da das einfach nicht (mehr) mein Genre ist. Aber trotzdem überkommt mich ab und an mal das Verlangen wieder einen zu lesen. Und SuB sei dank hatte ich noch den zweiten Teil der David Hunter Reihe da (so wie auch noch Band 3...).
Band 1 hatte mir damals gut gefallen, auch Band 2 glänzte mit tollem Schreibstil und einem interessanten Fall. Außerdem ist David Hunter einfach ein super spannender Protagonist und ich finde seinen Job auch echt cool. Das Setting fand ich auch gut gewählt mit dieser kleinen einsamen Insel.
Allerdings wurde mir die Handlung gegen Ende etwas zu diffus und wirr. Es wurde irgendwie permanent versucht noch einen drauf zu setzen, obwohl der Fall auch so schon "abgefahren" genug war... Und was war das für ein seltsames Ende mit einem echt übertriebenen Cliffhanger? Also muss ich dann wohl doch mal den dritten Teil lesen, gut dass ich den sowieso schon da hab :D -
After enjoying the hell out of "The Chemistry of Death" I was very eager to start reading the second book about Dr Hunter. And... oh boy. I don't really know where to begin.
The book starts interestingly enough: gruesome murder, interesting location, good ol' Dr Hunter... But then it takes over a hundred pages until something, ANYTHING happens. Some of the characters in the book were so cartoonish I was afraid I might injure my eyes with all the eyerolling. Here's your token single mother with a dark past, there's your incompetent and drunken police officer who is completely oblivious to the most obvious facts, there's your spunky young journalist who "just wants to get to the bottom of things". The only reason we know that the retired detective Brody is "meticulous", is because we are told so about ten times, without actually ever really witnessing it through his actions. Dr Hunter is equally infuriating with his sixth sense telling him multiple times "something doesn't quite add up" but we never really get to find out why until it's too late. Come on, Mr. Beckett, let your readers join in on the fun, let them think a little! And then the plot... oh the plot. Formulaic (albeit entertaining) at first, but then within 50 pages it's plot twist after plot twist after plot twist to the point where it was giving me a major headache. What's even worse, by the time I got to the end of the book I realised I don't even care anymore what happens to Dr. Hunter or, for that matter, who the killer is.
I gave the book 3 stars because it's still a kind of entertaining read. The reason I'm so harsh is because my expectations were high after Beckett's first David Hunter book. Sadly, "Written in Bone" wasn't half as entertaining as I wanted it to be. -
Wow, da waren dann doch noch ein paar Wendungen, die ich nicht habe kommen sehen 😅 hat mir wieder sehr gut gefallen.
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En esta segunda entrega el autor nos lleva, al igual que en la primera, a un lugar con una comunidad cerrada y reticente con los extraños, creando una atmósfera de tensión, donde todo el mundo guarda algún secreto.
Beckett nos aporta detalles forenses muy interesantes pero con un lenguaje sencillo, que hace de este libro una lectura amena y entretenida.
Con un ritmo pausado pero no exento de algunos giros, iremos desgranando los entresijos de esta nueva investigación, llegando a un final abierto que nos empuja a continuar con la siguiente entrega. -
Чудесен втори трилър от поредицата за д-р Хънтър.
Превъзмогнал личната си драма от предната книга, той се занимава отново със съдебна антропология. На връщане от случай в Шотландия е повикан на остров от външните Хебриди, за да разследва предполагаемо самозапалване.
Но истината се оказва много по-зловеща и объркваща...
Саймън Бекет покачва стремглаво залозите, тази част е определено по-добра от предишната и завършва с обещание за нови мрачни загадки! -
Creepy! Like tiny hairs buzzing on the back of your neck, creepy!
"Our lives, and sometimes our deaths, are stories written in bone. It provides a telltale record of injuries, neglect or abuse. But in order to find what was written here, first I had to be able to see it."
When a body, burned beyond recognition, is found in an abandoned hut on the island of Runa, the local authorities call forensic pathologist, Dr. David Hunter for help.
At first, David refuses, wanting to continue his journey home. He wants nothing to do with it. But David's sense of duty to help the deceased find his or her way home is too much to turn his back on. After all, David will only there to assist the local police in setting the perimeters of sex, approximate age, and, with any luck, the cause of death. Then the case will be turned over to them to carry in whatever direction is necessary. It's only supposed to take a couple of days, then he can return home to his wife.
But things don't go that way.
Not by a long shot.
Written in Bone by
Simon Beckett takes place in the Western Isles, a coastal island chain that's separated from the Scottish mainland. The small, sparcly populated island of Runa is even more isolated which sets the scene perfectly for an eerie, ominous feeling, beginning from the very start and becoming more nightmarish and terrifying as the story goes on. The story has plenty of twists and turns that kept me completely unbalanced throughout, all the way to the startling conclusion.
This is the second book in the David Hunter series and I loved it just as much as the first book,
The Chemistry of Death. Both books are chilling, with likable characters, a rapid pace, and lots of authentic forensic evidence. I'm a huge fan of factual forensic science and this series has plenty of it! I devoured the story from beginning to end and the disturbing, macabre factor is off the scales! Perfect!
I am looking forward to the next book in this series! -
Beckett returns with a stellar sequel to his opening book, which captured the hearts of readers. When an apparent spontaneous combustion case pops up on the remote Scottish island of Runa, what looks like an open and shut case soon reeks of murder. Before long, a murder spree commences and the small island population begins to wonder who among its own is wielding the knife and setting fire to the victims. With a collection of new small-town characters, Beckett returns with a great new plot as wonderful narrative to bring the story to life. The reader will surely devour this book as they did the opening in the series and scramble for the latter two as well. Absolutely spectacular last 50 pages has the reader picking their jaw off the floor more than once. Mystery at its best!!!!
Beckett sets himself up to possibly be the UK's Jefferson Bass. While the books do have a great forensic aspect to them, the level of scientific osteo-based learning is less intense. A strong murder theme with wonderful medical references that keeps the reader hooked, I will not deny. I like the idea of using our main character as one who is parachuted into small-town scenarios, as it keeps the story fresh and rids any wonder about Jessica Fletcher syndrome (wherever you go, murder follows or your small town is repeatedly victim to a killer when you are around)!
Kudos Mr. Beckett for a sensational piece of work. Bring on Book #3! -
Es gab so viel coole Wendungen in der Geschichte! Hat mir sehr gut gefallen! Ich liebe halt auch einfach David Hunter 😩😍 der nächste Teil der Reihe ist natürlich bereits heruntergeladen 😌
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Das Ende hat mich echt umgehauen! Fesselnd, erbarmungslos und mal wieder ein grandioses Meisterwerk von Simon Beckett.
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3 veriyorum ama 5 yıldızlık hikaye gibi geliyordu başta. Hala emin değilim ama bu kitap beni sinirlendirdi garip bir şekilde. Şimdi kurgu şahane bence - muhtemelen spoiler ile devam edeceğim onu söyleyeyim - adada mahsur kalınıyor, çıkış yok, bir katil başı boş dolaşıyor felan filan... Tess'in Buz Gibi Soğuk kitabıydı sanırım, bir de onda böyle bir tekinsiz gerilim yaşamıştım; kısacası her şey şahane. David bir şeyler çözmeye çalışıyor, zaten adada azınlık bir sayıdalar, tabi ölümler artıyor vs. Yavaşça sonuna geliyoruz değil mi? Şimdi önceki kitapta yazarın sevdiği şeyi anlamıştım, böyle dan diye ters köşe yapıyor, siz ne olduğunu anlamadan beyin ambelesi yaşıyorsunuz biraz. Dedim bu da kesin öyle, okurken hiç olmayacağını düşündüğüm karakterlerden kıllanıyorum felan. Netice olarak şöyle bir son var, duble ters köşe. Yani birinden şüphelendik hep birlikte - tabi ben yemedim biliyorum ki o değil - sonra asıl kişiyi öğrendik... Ve dan! Bitmemiş. Yani sevgili yazar, niye bu kadar zorluyorsun. Ben ters köşeyle biten polisiyelere bayılan biriyim, ilk defa - ciddiyim - fazla geldi. Bir de en son sahne var, kaç oldu dört ters köşe mi... Gerçi o kısımdan içten içe şüphelenmiştim ama bu kadar da olmaz heralde demiştim. Sanki ikinci-üçüncü sınıf bir aksiyon filmi izlemişim de o tip bir filmi izlerken sürekli göz devirdiğim sahneleri tek tek okumuşum gibi. İnanılmaz akıcıydı, hakkını yiyemem. Ama bir de sinir oldu��um büyük bir şey daha var; o da tam biri bir şey söyleyecek oluyor, söyletmiyor yazar. Yani bir kez olur anlarım, her defasında da olmamalı. Bu kitap beni çok yordu, sinirlendirdi, bence herkes benim gibi düşünmüyor; zaten listemdeki herkes 5 vermiş... Bir de utanmadan cliffhanger ile bitirmiş sanki yeterince şey yaşamamışız.
Böyle olmamalıydı kısacası. Yorumlarda şey görmüştüm twist over twist diye, aynen öyle. Bu kadar zorlamaya gerek yok, gerçekten. Bitmiş olması gereken yer iyiydi, bırak orada. İnsanları nasıl daha da şaşırtabilirim diye düşünmekten gözüne uyku girmiyor sanırım yazarın. Devam kitabına da geçtim çünkü nasıl ilerleyeceğini bilsem de cliffhanger beni çok rahatsız etti. Sinirimi hala üzerimden atamadım. Üşenmeden pc'yi açtım ki bu yorumu sıcağı sıcağına içimden atabileyim. Yarın kitabın puanını aşağı çekebilirim bile emin değilim, duygularım da karışık. Klişe dolu bir hikaye bir de ayrıca, anlatım tarzı bir üçüncü tekil şahıs - sonra David'e geçiyoruz hop birinci tekil şahıs felan... Neyse kısacası benim bu siteye yazdığım en uzun yorumlardan oldu sanırım. En son bu kadar sinirli hissettiğim kitap Sarı Odanın Esrarı'ydı diye düşünüyorum, orada bir şeyler eksik gelmişti; burada ise bunların fazlalığı beni yordu. İronik. -
besser als Band 1. Aber umgehauen hat es mich trotzdem nicht.
-
David Hunter va a ayudar a esclarecer unos asesinatos sucedidos en un pequeña Isla, donde cualquiera puede ser el culpable.
Una trama, una ambientación y unos personajes bien trabajados con un final inesperado.
Muy recomendable. -
Von Anfang bis Ende spannend, wobei sich mehrere Interessante Themen verflechten
und die Spannung immer mehr aufbaut.
Alle Charaktere, die Stimmung auf der Insel und die Umgebung
sind so toll beschrieben, dass man praktisch dabei ist.
Das nächste Buch in der Reihe wird auf jeden Fall auch bald gelesen! -
Ein wirklich spannender Krimi, welchen ich sehr genossen habe und welcher am Ende super spannend war und wirklich nicht vorhersehbar.
-
The story moves along at a fairly leisurely pace for most of the book, then suddenly starts taking off near the end like a rocket with action and surprises galore (not to mention gore). Some of the characters I liked didn't fare too well, but I'll get over it, I think.
Much like the first book in the series, it takes place in a small town that makes city living sound ideal. Lots of people either die, come close to dying, or come back to life when seemingly dead. It gets pretty weird towards the end, and ends with an unsatisfying cliffhanger. I think I'll need to read the next one right away to see if it resolves any of the issues.
David Thorpe narrated the audiobook, and in my opinion did an excellent job with the accents. He made it all sound more authentic, but was still easy to understand. -
As a forensic anthropologist, Dr. David Hunter is reminiscent of Dr. Nikki Alexander of television's "Silent Witness". He frequently gets far too close to suspects and police investigators of the cases he consults on, putting his personal relationships under strain and inevitably leading to dramatic life-or-death confrontations near the conclusion of each book. They are thrillers, after all.
Written in Bone is the second solid instalment in the Dr. David Hunter series by Beckett and revolves around the discovery of burned bones in a remote cottage in the Outer Hebrides. Fans of Ann Cleeves' D.I. Perez (Shetland) series will appreciate the bleak and isolated setting. While the actions of the central character defied realism, this was an entertaining and evocative read. -
Nach dem tollen Reihenauftakt waren die Erwartungen groß.
Kalte Asche ist wieder ein spannender Thriller, der mit unerwarteten Wendungen und interessantem Fachwissen überzeugen kann.
Auch wenn mir die Geschichte insgesamt gut gefallen hat, war sie in meinen Augen doch schwächer als der erste Band.
Möglicherweise lag das an den wirklich vielen Charakteren, mit denen man schon relativ zu Beginn der Geschichte konfrontiert wurde - irgendwie kam jeder als potentieller Mörder in Betracht, weil man einfach deren Rolle im großen Ganzen noch nicht absehen konnte.
Zum Glück hat sich das aber im Laufe der Seiten etwas gelichtet - Spannung kam so aber auf jeden Fall auf und bis fast zum Schluss hatte ich den echten Täter nicht auf dem Schirm.
Das macht für mich einen guten Thriller aus - es langweilt mich, wenn ich schon früh weiß, wer der Täter ist und der Ermittler noch im Dunkeln tappt ;-) -
Excellent, gripping police procedural mystery. A slow start, but midway it takes off and there are several twists at the end that took me totally by surprise, especially the final few paragraphs - WHAT??!!
If you enjoy the *locked room* variety of murder mystery, Written in Bone should satisfy. Gruesome in places, and a plot twist that's creepy to say the least, but a quick and satisfying read. -
Чудесен трилър
-
4 de 5 estrellas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(me ha encantado)
Agil, amena, intrigante y con un final lleno de sorpresas......
La saga me está encantando -
Loved this book! I am pushing this author to the top of my fav. pile. I read his first book some time ago and then I forgot about him! (And I keep records of all the books I read so I don't lose track of where I am in a series and what I thought about each.) But wowser, this was a great one.
David Hunter, a former GP, and now working as a forensic anthroplogist ,is called, sort of last minute, to Runa an island in an outoftheway location off the Scottish coast. (Yep, this is all Scotland we're talking about and I love books set there!) It seems a burned body has been found in an old 1,000 year old croft, or cottage. The entire body has been consumed, except for - wait for it - the two feet and one hand!
Let me tell you, I could not read this fast enough. David's a charming and engaging MC; the people he's forced to work with in Runa are mostly NOT. The police sergeant on the island is a miserable curmudgeon; many of the 'locals' are crabby as well. There's a rich guy and his wife who live in a mansion-type home on the island with an intriguing back story, and a few women thrown in here and there. Now David HAS a girlfriend on the mainland, but she's angry cuz he's off on another assignment and not with her. (Trope-trope-trope, but we women often do get like this, so it's a trope based on reality.) Back to story...
I can't say much without putting it in spoilers, but everything is great about this book. There's a storm. Communications with the mainland are iffy. There's a bar where everyone hangs out. There's atmosphere and lots of sheep and even two dogs. David gets hurt, then he gets hurt some more and all while doing his forensic shtick. And at the end...
It's one of those books with such fantastic - and wholly realistic twists - that I want to read it all over again to see where I missed something.
Five outstanding stars. -
2.5 Sterne. Grundsätzlich ist das Buch nicht schlecht, es handelt sich nur um einen ziemlich klassischen Krimi, der in meinen Augen durch nichts aus der Masse hervorsticht. Während mir Band 1 der Reihe noch ganz gut gefallen hat, konnte Beckett hier dieses Mal irgendwie nicht mein Interesse am Fall wecken und es war mir am Ende ganz egal, wer der oder die Täter:in ist.
Ein Hauptkritikpunkt bleibt auch nach Band 2 bestehen und das ist der Protagonist David Hunter. Wenn eine Reihe schon den Namen des Hauptcharakters trägt, dann erwarte ich eigentlich auch, dass er nicht komplett gesichtslos und blass bleibt. Ich habe im ersten Band kritisiert, dass man eigentlich nichts über ihn erfährt ausser, dass er vor vielen Jahren Frau und Kind verloren hat. Und leider erfährt man auch in dieser Fortsetzung keinerlei weitere Infos über Hunter, der ihm eine Hintergrundgeschichte gegeben hätte, ausser, dass man die Beschreibung vielleicht um den Satz "und er neu eine Freundin namens Jenny" ergänzen könnte. Aber das reicht mir nicht. Müsste ich Hunters Charakter beschreiben, würde mir nicht ein Adjektiv einfallen. Und das spricht alles andere als für eine gute, vielschichtige Charakterisierung eines Protagonisten.
Für mich gibt es im Thriller/Crime Genre deutlich bessere Reihen und Autor:innen, deshalb werde ich David Hunters Fälle an dieser Stelle auch nicht mehr weiterverfolgen. -
Rating: 4.5 stars
This is the second in the David Hunter series, and was just as compelling as
The Chemistry of Death. The tension, the forensics, the story telling; they all had me gripped from page one, and one of the reveals made me gasp out loud and say 'NOOOO!' I loved the eerie atmosphere of the remote island, cut off from the mainland during a savage storm; no-one can arrive, no-one can leave, and there’s a killer on the loose with a fondness for fire. It gave me the chills!
Beckett has become my favourite 'new' author of the year, and I can’t wait for the third book,
Whispers of the Dead. -
I unfortunately didn't enjoy this book as much as the first one in the series.
The writing style was, again, fluent and easy to read the whole way through.
The main character was as amazing as in
The Chemistry of Death.
The other characters were well developed, but I somehow just didn't feel drawn to them.
The biggest thing I have a problem with is the solution.
I felt like it kind of came out of nowhere. I would have liked a bit more build up.
There was too much happening in a short amount of time.
I have mixed feelings about the epilogue, too. -
Written in Bone (David Hunter, #2) by Simon Beckett.
This author continues to astound me. This story begins with Dr. Hunter at a decision at which way to turn. Should he return home to London and the love of his life or stay as requested after a body is found in a burnt out cottage. His first love (his work) and horrendous weather conditions decides for him.
One outstanding feature of this author and this new series is the endings. They are truly outstanding endings. Another 5 star review for this fantastic book as with his first in this David Hunter series. -
Разследванията на д-р Дейвид Хънтър продължават да ми се вслаждат. И "дедуктивните способности" на "малките ми сиви клетки", ако мога да използвам израза на Артър Конан / Кристи ;) стават все по-добри и по-добри - отново рано-рано се досетих за... (нищо не казвам :) ) А пък леееко отвореният край подсказва само едно - в най-скоро време ще награбя и третата книга от серията!
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Likau šiek tiek nusivylus. Po pirmosios dalies, kuri mane sužavėjo, tikėjausi tikrai daug, bet.. Pritrūko baisybių, kraupiai aprašytų scenų, kad net kūnas pagaugais nueitų. Ir buvo per daug paprasta, tiesiog susiskaitė viskas viena lygia linija, nejutau jokių emocijų, kurios man labai svarbios skaitant. Na ir galiausiai, kai sužinojau kas ir kaip, nesugebėjau viskuo patikėti.
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Een lichaam waarvan er nauwelijks nog iets van overblijft, de slechte weersomstandigheden, de interessante karakters, het spannende einde; ik heb genoten van Het laatste zwijgen!
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