'A complex and immersive thrill-ride through a wild expat Costa del Crime community' - Denise Mina
'Thirty-One Bones is fast, furious and infinitely entertaining' - Lin Anderson
When Effie Coulston drops dead on the floor of her bar in a small Spanish town mid-business meeting, her daughter Daniella feels it's her duty to return for the funeral. But Daniella has been estranged from her mother for over twenty years, and Effie's life in Spain harbours many secrets. Daniella is soon confronted by a hostile group of ex-pat misfits who frequent the bar and who, along with Effie, are involved in a multi-million-pound property scam. But the money has vanished, and the ex-pats are threatening to implicate Daniella to save themselves.
Meanwhile, a Spanish detective is investigating Effie's death. He's convinced Daniella knows more than she is telling. And now a terrifying enforcer has heard about the missing cash. With no idea where the money is and threats coming from all sides, Daniella is up against a seemingly impossible deadline to find the cash. She's a stranger in a strange town - and she's seriously out of her depth.
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['It's the mother lode' says Effie Coulston to the young investor]
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(@PolygonBooks, 2 July 2020, 304 pages, ebook, #ARC from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed, #BlogTour 11 July via @RandomTTours)
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This is different than other crime novels I've read. I don't think I've read a book that focuses on the Spanish criminal world or property scams. I wanted to read this book because of these two things; I thought it would be different than other books I've read and I was right. I loved this book and had such a good time reading it. Thirty-One Bones is fast paced, fun, a bit crazy and packed with dodgy character you can help warm to. Effie is not a nice person, the matriarch of a group who call themselves The Ex-Patriots, people from the UK who've settled into the area and made a life for themselves. She comes up with the genius idea of a property scam to make them all rich. Her unexpected death from a heart attack scuppers the plans of the group. Effie's estranged daughter Daniella turns up to settle her estate and throws a bigger spanner in the works. I loved all of the lies, secrecy and bizarre twists and turns the book takes. The book is littered with extracts from the Spanish police investigation into Effie's death which adds an extra layer of amusement. This is a brilliant book. I loved every word.
