A Suspenseful Mystery: Skeletons

Cover of Skeletons: A Novel of Suspense

Skeletons by Kate Wilhelm
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published August 2002 by St. Martins Minotaur
ISBN13: 9780312300753
Read January 2011

It has been a busy week, but I still wanted to tell you about a book I read over the Christmas break. As you know I like to go to library sales where I can buy as many books as I can put in the bag for a set price. Well, let me tell I might be a bit addicted and have more books than I know what to do with. Since I am usually getting the books for a quarter or less a book, I am not too discriminatory in what I put in the bag. If the cover looks interesting, a comment on the jacket catches my eye, a new genre that I haven't tried, or just about anything will lead me to put the book in my bag. Some times I get good books, and other times well let's just say painting drying might be more interesting.

So it was while on my week break for the Christmas holiday that I decided to try one of the books from a bag that hadn't found a place for yet. It was following my Dekker kick I was on (well I am still on it) and a small statement on the cover said "'One of the masters of psychological fiction in America' - San Fransisco Chronicle". So I was intrigued.

Kate Wilhelm's writing reminded me a bit of Mary Higgins Clark, but maybe not as scary. (I might be a bit biased, the last Mary Higgins Clark was one my mom gave me right after I moved into my own house. The book had a young girl - about my age - that was attacked while living alone. I couldn't even look at the book for months after reading it, it scared me so bad.) Anyways, I digress. I enjoyed Skeletons.

There were a few problems with the story line that kept me from giving it 5 stars on Goodreads.com, but I was hooked enough on the story to finish it within a couple of days. Also, I want to check out a few of her other books (she's been published since the 1960s) as another review on Goodreads.com said that Skeletons wasn't Wilhelm's best novel.

All the way through I was guessing who was who and what was what. There were enough plot points that I could guess correctly that kept me thinking I could solve the mystery before the main character, but enough twist to tell me I wouldn't. All in all it was a good novel of suspense and anyone looking for a good mystery without being so scary that it gives you nightmares I would say try Skeletons.

Related articles

• Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books You'd Hand to Someone Who Says They Don't Like to Read (bridgetsbooks.wordpress.com)
• Exclusive Interview: A Conversation with Carol Higgins Clark (blogcritics.org)