Finding the Bones by Natalie Conyer is a suspenseful, crime thriller inspired by actual people and events in Sydney’s Kings Cross in the ’70s and ’80s.
In Sydney in the 1980s, Belle Fitzgerald is young, rich and spirited. She has bought and lives in a terraced house in King’s Cross. When she hears that developers have been buying up property and plan to knock down the terrace houses in her street and evict the working-class tenants, she forms a protest group to stop the development. Belle has a secret boyfriend; she is having a passionate affair with Sergeant Stanton Rose, who may or may not be a corrupt police officer.
The Cross at that time was notorious for corrupt cops and politicians, organised crime, drugs and prostitution. And, Belle is reported missing.
Jump to Sydney today, and Belle Fitzgerald’s bones have been discovered. Jackie Rose, inspired by her father, is a homicide detective in Kings Cross and is now in charge of the cold case. A recent TV documentary on Belle’s disappearance has created a lot of public interest.
Jackie’s father is Stanton Rose, now retired and celebrated for his undercover work in the area. It is hoped the case will be solved quickly and not create bad press for the current police department.
Jackie has some personal issues she is dealing with. Her mother left her and her father when Jackie was only seven, but she throws herself into a thorough investigation.
Unfortunately, she discovers evidence implicating her father. Jackie is forced to make a difficult choice between her family and her career, possibly saying goodbye to any chance of future promotion.
Can she trust the man who raised her? She has so many unanswered questions and finds many secrets and lies. As Jackie puts all the pieces of the puzzle together, you wonder which path she will choose and who really is Belle’s killer.
The book is a compelling read of family dynamics, choices, love, betrayal and suspense.
The history and the atmosphere of Belle’s King’s Cross is fascinating, portrayed in a way that you feel as if you are there. At the end of the book, Natalie has listed sites and books for you to explore if you are interested in that era.
The main characters, Belle and Jackie, are strong women, both leaders of their times. There are a lot of supporting characters, all playing a part.
The book is easy to follow with alternate chapters in the past and then in the present.
Thoroughly recommend this book. A slow and steady who-done-it mystery with lots of clues and potential suspects that keep you page turning and guessing to the end, and then there is even more!
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading Finding the Bones by Natalie Conyer. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
What a great read! Finding the Bones is a gripping crime thriller set across two timelines—1980s Kings Cross, when underworld gangs ruled the streets, and present day Sydney.
The story follows the life and disappearance of Belle Fitzgerald in the 1980s, and the later investigation when her remains are discovered. Homicide detective Jackie Rose leads the present day case, with an added complication: her father, Stanton Rose, a highly decorated former undercover officer from the Kings Cross era, is brought in as a consultant.
What unfolds is a compelling cold case that opens a Pandora’s box of secrets. Police corruption was rife in the 1980s, and while Jackie deeply admires her father’s career, it becomes clear there are things he isn’t telling her.
The novel weaves together family secrets, love, loyalty, and betrayal against the backdrop of a dark shadowy environment. I especially loved the depiction of inner Sydney and Kings Cross in the 1980s—it adds an authenticity that really brings the story to life.
A compelling read, especially if you enjoy character driven crime with strong Australian settings.