Bone by Bone by Carol O’Connell

Twenty years ago, Oren Hobbs’s younger brother vanished without a trace from their small California town. Now, Oren—a veteran investigator—returns home to find the long-buried bones of a child unearthed in the woods behind his family’s house. Piece by piece, the past begins to surface, and with it, the dark truths about what really happened on that terrible night.

In a place where everyone harbors secrets, Oren must navigate family betrayals, small-town vengeance, and his own haunted memories to uncover a truth more sinister than he ever imagined.

Haunting, atmospheric, and masterfully written, Bone by Bone is a slow-burning psychological thriller about guilt, justice, and the bonds—both broken and unbreakable—that tie us to home.