Where the Bones Lie
A Novel
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“A road trip into California’s gleaming, seething underbelly. Movie stars, mobsters, wildfires – buckle up and hold on for a heady ride.”
– Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Where the Bones Lie isn’t just Nick Kolakowski’s strongest novel yet, it’s a helluva page-turner, loaded with sinister humor, a twisty plot, and the kind of complicated characters readers deserve. Don’t miss this one.”
– Alex Segura, author of Secret Identity and Alter Ego
“Nick Kolakowski is a noir voice for the 21st century.”
– Steven Powell, Edgar-winning author of Love Me Fierce in Danger: The Life of James Ellroy
“Starts off in fifth gear and never slows down. This is the best detective novel I’ve read in years.”
– Steve Weddle, author of The County Line
For Dash Fuller, Hollywood’s underbelly is home. He’s spent years making the film industry’s worst secrets disappear, and it’s left him a cynical burnout with a taste for bourbon and self-loathing.
But when a young woman comes to him with a peculiar quest, Dash sees a chance at redemption. Madeline Ironwood is the daughter of Ken Ironwood, a notorious smuggler and murderer who disappeared 20 years ago. Ken’s skeleton has just been discovered in a barrel at the bottom of a dried-up lake, and Madeline wants to know who killed him.
Dash agrees to help, and as this desperate daughter and jaded cynic claw their way through a world of sun-bleached secrets, crooked cops, and Hollywood thugs, they soon uncover a conspiracy involving some of LA’s most powerful people.
Get ready for a fast-paced, darkly funny thriller with a twist you won’t see coming.
Customer Reviews
Character driven, dramatic, edgy
4.25stars- WHERE THE BONES LIE by Nick Kolakowski is a stand alone, contemporary, adult, murder mystery thriller focusing on former Hollywood fixer turned struggling standup comedian Dash Fuller.
Told from first person perspective (Dash) WHERE THE BONES LIE follows Dash Fuller as he struggles with his latest career. Failing as a late night comedian in the wake of his last disastrous ‘fix’, Dash’s mentor and ‘cleaner’ Manny begs for help with a missing Hollywood star. Although a success, the end result is a reminder of what was, and Dash reconsiders his future at the bottom of a bottle but when a young woman, Madeline Ironwood, asks for help investigating the murder of her father, a man who disappeared years before, Dash is determined to get answers but never expected to become a target of some powerful people.
The world building is imaginative and inviting as we are up close and personal with Dash and Madeline as they go in search of the truth. Madeline’s father’s remains were discovered in a dried up lake bed but law enforcement is refusing to give further details. Not all is as it appears to be as the body count increases with each step closer to the truth.
There is large ensemble cast of colorful, questionable and hapless secondary and supporting characters. We are introduced to actors Amber Rodney and Karl Quaid; Vintner Mike Vonn; Dash’s mentor Manny and Deputy Sheriff Reid, as well as an odd assortment of assassins, goons and San Douglas townies.
WHERE THE BONES LIE is a story of secrets and lies, murder, greed and madness, betrayal and vengeance. The character driven premise is dramatic and edgy; the characters are ill-fated and dynamic. The author leaves an opening for a possible continuation.