About the Book
'If this had to be Mo Hayder's legacy, then it's a fitting one. I inhaled this book' Helen Fields, author of The Institution**THE FINAL NOVEL FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER MO HAYDER. ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S BEST CRIME THRILLERS OF 2024**A terrifying accident . . . Alex Mullins knows she is one of the lucky ones. When a fatal coach crash at her school reunion killed several of her classmates, she was saved from a grisly fate. She is haunted by what she thinks she saw that night - a vision of a skeletal woman, known by the locals as the Bonehead - a woman who brings bad luck to all that see her. A mystery waiting to be solved . . . Now a police officer in Gloucestershire, Alex fights to overcome the past by helping other people. But when her path crosses with someone who was there that fateful night, her new life begins to unravel at the seams. What really happened the night of the crash? And what does she have to do for the petrifying Bonehead to finally leave her be? A new crime thriller from the Queen of Fear - prepare to be terrified by Bonehead . . . PRAISE FOR BONEHEAD:'As shocking and sinister as anything Hayder has written. It is an unexpected, bittersweet treat to be back in the hands of one of our very best crime writers' Observer'Hayder was one of the UK's most accomplished crime writers, and her final book, Bonehead, proves to be among her most memorable' Financial Times'Bonehead is a triumph, with Mo Hayder's customary sleight of hand, attention to detail, and brilliantly authentic character creation. It perfectly wraps urban myths within the frailty of men's follies, and weaves a tale that unfolds piece by piece until you can bear it no more and rush through to the final, extraordinary pages. If this had to be Mo Hayder's legacy, then it's a fitting one. I inhaled this book' Helen Fields, author of The Institution'Deliciously dark and horrifying, perfectly balanced and plotted. Stayed with me long after I'd finished reading' Catherine Cooper, author of The Chalet'A rivetingly dark read; I was sucked in by its python-like coils and taken somewhere very dark; I ended up racing to the end, knowing something terrible was coming. A powerful story with memorably characters, not least the glowering forest, and a terrific back story' Jane Shemilt, bestselling author of Daughter'Mo Hayder's final hurrah is truly chilling, a dark and gripping read that left me guessing at every turn. I'm privileged to have re
About the Author :
Mo Hayder left school at fifteen. Gifted with intelligence, and determined to shape her own future she worked as an actress in tv and film, barmaid, security guard, filmmaker, hostess in a Tokyo club, educational administrator, and teacher of English as a foreign language in Asia. She had an MA in film from the American University in Washington, DC, and an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University, UK. She wrote eleven crime novels under the name Mo Hayder, and her fifth novel, Ritual, was nominated for the Barry Award for Best Crime 2009 and was voted Best Book of 2008 by Publishers Weekly. Gone, her seventh novel, won the Edgar Allan Poe Award. Two of her books, The Treatment and Ritual have been made into films and her novel Wolf, nominated for Best Novel in the 2015 Edgar Awards, has recently been adapted for the BBC. Prior to her diagnosis with Motor Neurone Disease in December 2020, she had completed The Book of Sand and the first drafts of 3 more books in a series of speculative fiction, from which she took her greatest personal writing satisfaction. Hayder passed away in July 2021 as a result of MND. She lived her life as a creative artist, never afraid to challenge her personal boundaries or those set by the establishment. She leaves behind a husband and daughter, a powerful legacy of books, and an incredible number of people who loved and admired the many facets of her diamond personality.
Review :
PRAISE FOR BONEHEAD -
Hayder's untimely death in 2021 robbed us of an imagination unparalleled in both its darkness and its audacity. Her final novel is as haunting and distinctive as its predecessors.... A classic Hayder shocker
[Bonehead] is a triumph . . . Spooky and unsettling, the book is a spectacular end to Hayder's career
As shocking and sinister as anything Hayder has written. It is an unexpected, bittersweet treat to be back in the hands of one of our very best crime writers
Hayder was one of the UK's most accomplished crime writers, and her final book, Bonehead, proves to be among her most memorable
A disturbing and compelling farewell
The writing is restrained but beautifully descriptive, the pace varied according to the tensions it is intended to create . . . the talent at work here is remarkable
Bonehead is a triumph, with Mo Hayder's customary sleight of hand, attention to detail, and brilliantly authentic character creation. It perfectly wraps urban myths within the frailty of men's follies, and weaves a tale that unfolds piece by piece until you can bear it no more and rush through to the final, extraordinary pages. If this had to be Mo Hayder's legacy, then it's a fitting one. I inhaled this book.
Deliciously dark and horrifying, perfectly balanced and plotted. Stayed with me long after I'd finished reading
A rivetingly dark read; I was sucked in by its python-like coils and taken somewhere very dark; I ended up racing to the end, knowing something terrible was coming. A powerful story with memorable characters, not least the glowering forest, and a terrific back story.
Mo Hayder's final hurrah is truly chilling, a dark and gripping read that left me guessing at every turn. I'm privileged to have received this very special read.
This is everything you expect from a Mo Hayder: a little bit weird, a little bit nasty, with characters you love from the off. Creepy as hell. And an ending that made my blood run cold
A tour de force . . . A riveting blend of folklore and thriller
PRAISE FOR MO HAYDER
Mo Hayder has a profound ability to shock and surprise her readers. She's the bravest writer I know
Hayder's work and characters are worth the unending nightmares they will inspire
Hayder is one of the most skilled crime writers at escalating unbearable tension . . . nothing short of brilliant
With Mo Hayder you never know where you are going until you get there. A chiller to the very end
Haunting, lyrical, disturbing, important, suspenseful and wonderfully written
Left me stunned and haunted. This is writing of breathtaking power and poetry
An authentically disturbing, gripping winner
