Historical murders and archaeology should make for a pretty solid book, but Rebecca Alexander’s A Baby’s Bones takes some time to really get started.
Quite some time ago, the show Cold Case used to air on CBS. In a lot of ways, Rebecca Alexander’s latest book from Titan, A Baby’s Bones, feels extremely similar — just also dealing with a case that’s centuries instead of decades old. But beyond that superficial similarity, the book also actually takes place in the 1580s, at least partially, echoing the flashbacks of the old TV series. So too do the two share a sense that something supernatural might actually happen. But while yours truly could binge Cold Case, she’s not so sure about A Baby’s Bones.
Here’s the plot: there’s murder in both past and present, and our primary heroine, archaeologist Sage Westfield, finds herself caught up in both cases.
As a character, Sage’s fine. Alexander has her pregnant throughout the entire story with a married man’s baby, and while other characters may judge Sage, she herself is able to even find some romance and keep working. That’s all a positive for her; there are a lot of ways her characterization could have gone badly.
Unfortunately, it seems like all that work leaves other characters feeling a little bland and uninteresting, save for the creepy child, Chloe and the vicar, Nick.
Oddly enough, though, the historical thread of the narrative has more movement and intrigue than the present-day. That’s perhaps partially due to the shortness of the historical chapters, while the present-day ones drag on a bit. Additionally, the historical chapters have a rhythm to them that the present day lacks in the novel; marriage and magic and French seamstresses of all things are paramount, and the pacing feels a lot better than it does in the present-day chapters.
The present day, unfortunately, takes about half of the book to really get going, and once you’re that far in, it’s harder to get invested.
Next: Only Human is a solid end to The Themis Files
Crime and historical fiction fans will like A Baby’s Bones best, but it won’t be the best introduction to either genre.