This is another in the Louis Kincaid series and it's as good as the rest - which were all very good. Louis is still in Florida. The aftermath of a hurricane turns up the skull of a tiny baby and the body of a young girl. Kincaid works with the new local Detective to piece together the history of both of them. ( )

This is my first visit to the world of Louis Kincaid, and what an adventure it was! With a sort of laid back beginning through to the final whirlwind, it truly kept my attention. A hurricane sweeps the Florida island where he lives and washes up what he originally believes to be a murdered baby's skull. It takes a new father only a quick glance to inform him that it is a newborn's skull and no murder. It also appears to be about 500 years old. Is this a portent of things to come? Will this innocent child connect the dots? For some reason, Kincaid has become very attached to this baby's skull and can't escape the thoughts about what could have caused it's death.

Once we really get into the book, we get into the world of missing girls, a strange privately owned island, a possible serial killer...but I'm getting ahead of myself. For the missing persons case, an unlikely relationship builds up between the new head detective and our private investigator, Louis Kincaid. Kincaid has been approached by a woman who wants him to follow her father, Frank Woods. She suspects him of killing the girl who has gone missing. With not much to go on, why would she hire a private detective for this vague premise? While watching her father, he finds him to be a very mild-mannered librarian. Following him seems a waste of time, he rarely changes his routine. But there are many questions.

The book suddenly takes off, having grabbed my attention thoroughly while following the whys and wherefores up until now. A connection is made to another island, the action and suspense begin to take on much more momentum, adrenaline flows and so does mine as I read. An ancient Roman/Spanish family tree, Asturian descendents who often speak in Latin, owners and protectors of the island Away So Far, a misnomer based on the Spanish for Island of Bones, Isla de huesos. P.J. Parrish has done very deep research to back up this story line. The background is as much a character as any of the people. History, mystery, murder, and genetics all rolled into one strong story. Great characterizations, great twisting plot as twisted and hidden as the tangled mangroves, suspenseful, dark, yet curiously entertaining. ( )

As I began reading Island of Bones, I loved the description of the landscape, and I enjoyed the sense of history associated with all those small islands off the coast of Florida. However, I felt as though I'd gotten off on the wrong foot. Perhaps I should not have begun this particular series with book #5 because I felt there was a whole lot of backstory behind Louis Kincaid that I was unaware of-- to the point where his character never really captured my imagination or interest. His contact on the local police force, Mel Landeta, was different; I took to him almost immediately.

There was more bothering me about this book the longer I read. The motivations of the woman who hired Kincaid to follow her father never really set well with me. I had the feeling that she had some hidden agenda that she wasn't sharing. Although I did like the sense of history that permeates those small islands, I wasn't in the mood for the convoluted mess that masqueraded as family history on the Island of Bones.

All in all, even though the writing was good, the setting was excellent, and I did like a couple of the characters, Island of Bones just wasn't my cup of reading tea-- but that doesn't mean I won't be sampling P.J. Parrish's writing again. In fact, I think I'll look up the first book in the series.... ( )

I can’t belive the fact that I’m not reading this series in order. I love this series. Island of Bones was very entertaining and well written. What I like about P.J. Parrish novels is they are always so mysterious. I also liked Landetta’s character, at first he was a jerk but over the course of the book he grew on me. I hope he returns in future books. I don’t think Island of Bones is the best book in the series so far, but I totally recommend the series. It’s a must have if you enjoy mystery novels. ( )

Part of a series, a well written mystery, a true page-turner. ( )