I’m grateful to Lone Star Literary Life for this thoughtful editorial review of The Bone Nest. I’m honored they took the time to read the book so carefully and share their reflections.
“It was all a façade: a house of cards, a nest of bones.”
Youth teetering at the edge of adulthood is the time for dreams, love, adventure, friendships, and sometimes murder.
In The Bone Nest by Shanessa Gluhm, it is 1986 in Bluesummer, Texas, and four friends—Troy, Hayes, Tilly, and Greer—are spending their last Fourth of July together following high school graduation. Starting this next chapter in their young lives is the most natural, albeit bittersweet, experience in the world. Unfortunately, a tragic event on that fateful night changes everything, splitting friends and families apart and leaving deep emotional scars that may never heal.
In 2024, Troy has been on death row since the murder of Tilly in 1986, and his time has finally run out. With Troy’s execution date looming, attorney Joaquin Ramos dives into the case courtesy of the Death Penalty Abolition Project, hoping to prove Troy’s innocence and put the real killer behind bars. Nothing prepares him and his team for the reality that has been decomposing for decades.
Shanessa Gluhm delivers a masterful, fast-paced mystery/suspense that keeps the reader hanging on every word, every revelation, and every deception that pushes its way to the surface. The plot is captivating; however, the dynamic characterization drives the reader’s engagement. Greer is the linchpin. She is the one who discovered her friend’s body all those years ago and harbors secrets and heartache of her own. Moreover, as a retired journalist in 2024, Greer is the one finally willing and able to bring down that house of cards, discovering and spilling the devastating truth all over the place.
The author expertly presents many suspects as new evidence and testimony come to light. Figuring out who done it before the ending chapters is difficult, unless you pay attention to the clues and all the red herrings. The overall tone of The Bone Nest is an intricate mix of bleak and hopeful, sorrowful and forgiving.
What makes this story so compelling, in addition to the murders and subsequent lies, is how easily family members either stick together or turn on each other when suspicion and accusations run rampant. Both scenarios can be problematic based on motive and method. Another dynamic aspect here is the tenacity of a young lawyer, his paralegal, and other team members who refuse to ignore crucial evidence or leave any stones unturned. The truth is there if we are willing to fight for it and not simply accept a theory out of sheer convenience.
With everything going on in this compelling novel, several important themes are worthy of exploration: family duplicity, friends and lovers, and the lengths people will go for love, money, and self-preservation. Families often have problems and secrets, many of which remain hidden forever, while some reside in a nest of bones built and feathered by a serial killer.
The Bone Nest by Shanessa Gluhm is an intriguing look into the human condition and how people often alter the truth to deflect guilt, fit a specific narrative, and escape consequences, all while their loved ones suffer because of either ignorance or complicity.
Shanessa Gluhm 