The Bones of the Story by Carol Goodman

​I’ve been away from thrillers for a while. On purpose. Just got tired of all the formulaic crap flooding the market. But then I liked Goodman’s work, so I figured I’d try it again, see if I can be pleasantly surprised. And lo and behold, I was!
This isn’t to say The Bones of the Story isn’t formulaic. It’s formulaic as all get out. You know that checklist that all thrillers are working off these days? Yeah, this novel checks several of the boxes very prominently.
Young people getting together and doing things that’ll sure to haunt them in the future - check.
Those same people coming together 25 years later when the bodies start to drop – check.
A remote Academia setting – check.
An inclement weather trapping them together – check.
What sets this locked campus mystery aside isn’t its originality, but its ability to work the formula well. Goodman not only writes very well, but she plots nicely, too. The story twists and turns and surprises plenty. Even though the party responsible was the one I’ve had my suspicions about all along, the motives were still a surprise. And that’s really all you can want out of a book like that – to play along with a puzzle, try to solve it, and be surprised in the end. So yeah, fun was had. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.