What The Bones Know

Author: Kirstyn McDermott

Publisher: HQ Fiction

Genre: Contemporary Gothic, Psychological Fiction & Literature, Horror & Ghost Stories

Year of Release: 2026

23/02/26

Rating 🌟🌟🌟

TW Death of a child

Synopsis  

A child’s bones, a lost girl, a mind adrift – sometimes what is lost comes back to haunt you…from an award-winning author comes a contemporary gothic tale of guilt, grief and redemption.

In the village of Kiln Creek in the Victorian Highlands, a ghost gum falls in a storm. Tangled in its roots are the bones of a small child and the tattered remains of her clothing, including a pair of bright-red sneakers.

Single mum Jude Mees is in her early forties and struggling to get her business off the ground while raising her ten-year-old daughter, Katie, and managing a fractious relationship with her controlling ex-husband. But when Jude learns that her mother, Nance, who still lives alone on the family property at Kiln Creek, is showing troubling signs of dementia, she has no option other than to return and check on her.

And indeed, all is not well at the farm. Nance is slowly drifting off into her own world, and there are other disturbing occurrences. Strange smells, inexplicably wet footprints, a voice in the night. As her daughter starts to sleepwalk and Jude’s nightmares take over her days, she begins to wonder whether her imagination is out of control or if something more sinister is happening …

A taut, claustrophobic exploration of what it means to be haunted – by our past, by fractured relationships, by a place we thought we knew and by our own unreliable memories.

Review

In the small village of Kiln Creek in the Victorian Highlands, a ghost gum tree falls during a storm. Tangled in its roots are the bones of a small child, along with the tattered remains of her clothing, including a pair of bright-red sneakers.

Jude Mees is in her early forties, a single mother trying to get her business off the ground in Melbourne while raising her ten-year-old daughter, Katie, with her controlling ex-husband never too far away. When Jude learns that her mother, Nance, who still lives alone on the family property at Kiln Creek, is showing signs of dementia, she realises she has little choice but to return home and check on her.

But once Jude arrives at the farm, it becomes clear that things have not been right for some time. While Nance drifts further into her past, the house itself begins to feel unsettled. Strange smells linger in  rooms, unexplained wet footprints appear on the floor, and voices seem to echo through the night. When Katie begins sleepwalking and Jude is plagued by nightmares and migraines, she starts to question whether the stress of returning home is playing tricks on her mind — or if something far more sinister is unfolding at Kiln Creek.

A single line in the synopsis instantly drew me in: a ghost gum tree falls during a storm, revealing the bones of a child tangled in its roots alongside a pair of bright-red sneakers. Add to that the eerie cover and the promise of a gothic mystery set in rural Australia, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to resist discovering what secrets lay buried in What the Bones Know.

From the opening pages, the story builds a quiet but persistent sense of unease. While much of the novel initially reads like a domestic thriller, the creeping paranormal elements gradually blur the lines between reality and imagination, leaving both Jude and the reader questioning what can truly be trusted. Kirstyn McDermott skilfully weaves the routines of everyday life with unsettling supernatural hints, allowing the tension to build slowly as each new detail reveals another piece of the puzzle.

The characters feel layered and believable, and it is fascinating to watch their emotional journeys unfold throughout the story. When we first meet Jude Mees, it is clear she is carrying the weight of many pressures — the uncertainty of a global pandemic, a demanding co-parenting situation with her narcissistic ex-husband, and the constant responsibility of caring for her daughter. Despite everything, Jude’s determination to hold her life together is admirable. Even as challenges mount, she refuses to collapse under the strain, and that resilience made her easy to root for.

As the story progresses and the past begins to surface, Jude’s emotional state shifts noticeably. The conflict chapters reveal the growing toll that uncertainty, memory and responsibility place on her. By the novel’s conclusion, it feels as though she has finally confronted parts of her past that have long lingered beneath the surface, leaving her in a far more balanced place moving forward.

Nance Mees makes for a particularly compelling supporting character. Although she plays a smaller role on the surface, her presence is deeply tied to the unfolding mystery, and her storyline adds layers to the emotional core of the novel. Her relationship with Katie is especially touching and provides moments of warmth within the darker elements of the story.

Michael, Jude’s ex-husband, is a character who consistently frustrated me. His narcissistic tendencies are evident throughout the novel, and I often found myself wishing the strange happenings at the farm might direct their attention his way.

Thea, meanwhile, is introduced as a supportive friend during Jude’s difficult moments. While she serves her purpose in the story, I did find myself wondering whether her role might have been expanded further, particularly as the plot moved toward its final twists.

Without giving too much away, I did find the resolution slightly difficult to fully reconcile, particularly regarding a promise Jude makes near the end of the story. For me, this moment stretched the bounds of realism a little further than I was comfortable with.

I also found myself wishing we had been given a little more time with the Mees family in the past timeline, particularly when Jude was around ten years old. Spending more time in that period might have deepened my understanding of the family dynamics that shaped the present-day events.

In terms of pacing, the novel moves steadily for much of the story, though there is a section where the narrative slows somewhat. At times it felt as though the story was circling familiar ground rather than revealing new clues. This may well have been a deliberate choice reflecting the repetitive nature of life during lockdown, or perhaps a way to gradually build tension toward the ending. Either way, it meant the book took me a little longer to finish than I initially expected.

Despite this, the story itself remained intriguing. The blend of contemporary fiction, gothic atmosphere, psychological horror and ghost-story elements gives the novel room to explore darker emotional corners while still feeling grounded in everyday life. If someone had asked me during the height of lockdown whether I would enjoy reading a novel set during the pandemic, I likely would have said no — but with some distance from that time, I found the setting surprisingly effective.

One element I particularly appreciated was the dual-timeline structure. I didn’t initially expect it, and the way the past and present gradually weave together is handled beautifully. Rather than feeling like filler chapters, the glimpses into the past steadily reveal context and meaning, allowing the mystery to unfold piece by piece.

If I had to describe this novel in a single sentence, I would say it is a story about how the past rarely stays buried — and how the places we call home can hold more secrets than we realise.

Sub-plots and tropes included in What the Bones Know:

• Australia
• Death of a child
• Dementia
• Divorce
• Female friendship
• Grief
• Guilt
• Lightbulb moment
• Mother/daughter relationship
• Narcissism
• Pandemic/lockdown
• Redemption
• Single parent
• Small community
• The big reveal

Overall, the ending left me feeling pleased for this family, particularly for Thomas and Katie.

For readers who enjoy the work of Kate Horan, Fiona Lowe, Clare Mackintosh and Louise Milligan, What the Bones Know is well worth adding to your reading list.

I recommend What the Bones Know to a mature audience. Fans of contemporary fiction, mystery and gothic storytelling should certainly consider picking up this novel.

With continued thanks to Harlequin Australia and author Kristyn McDermott for sending a copy of this book to read and review in exchange for my honest opinion.