I received a copy of Hollow Bones by CJ Lyons from NetGalley. It goes on sale on August 27, 2013.
Synopsis (from Good Reads):
From the ancient mysteries of a Mayan temple to the sinister secrets of modern medicine, FBI agent Caitlyn Tierney uncovers crimes that have been buried far too long and far too deep…
It’s the kind of case that chills Caitlyn to the bone. Missing person. College student. Beloved daughter of a world leader in biotechnology. She was last seen on a spring break cruise. No witnesses. No motives. Just one possible lead—reports of a stranger who may have lured the young archeology major off the ship and into the jungles of Guatemala. When Caitlyn follows her hunch into the jungle—with the FBI’s Jake Carver by her side—the trail takes a surprising turn into the very heart of darkness.
MY THOUGHTS:
-I once again started reading a book without properly researching if it was part of a series. This is the second book that focuses on Caitlyn Tierney. So even though I didn’t read the first book, I still enjoyed this one. I felt like the beginning chapters could have done a little better job of establishing Caitlyn’s past and her relationship with Jake Carver, but as the book went on I feel like I got a decent enough overview to understand what went down in book one. I actually think the first book, Black Sheep, sounds pretty good and I’m adding it to my To-Read list.
-Maria is the college student that went missing. She mostly drove me crazy. She’s a young girl that goes to a foreign country to meet people she doesn’t know and has no way to stay in contact with anyone back home. Oh and it’s to prove to her overbearing parents that she’s an adult. But despite the fact that she starts out very naïve and stupid, I think she redeemed herself as the story went on.
-The story juggled a few different storylines – from the shady dealings of tissue procurement of BioRegen, the disappearance of Maria, the relationship between Caitlyn and Carver, and the political unrest in Guatemala. Where the story really started to interest me was when they all converged, in the jungle of Guatemala.
-There wasn’t a lot of humor in the book, but the funniest part for me when Carver, a CPA (who was formerly with the IRS, but ended up going undercover with a biker gang in the first book – I still don’t understand how that happened), was talking about this college days, his pranks included pennies in the door to get the door to jam. This was particularly funny to me because all I could think about what the Janitor and JD on Scrubs. 🙂
-The end could’ve been a little more resolved for me. Some of the characters got happy endings, which I like, but I feel like not all of the bad guys really faced the justice they deserved to.
-Overall, I enjoyed Hollow Bones. Despite some of the scientific language, it was easy to follow. Most of the characters were likable. I would recommend this book to those who like a little science with their mystery.
Stephanie's Book Reviews 
I just finished Hollow Bones by CJ Lyons. You liked it more than I did. For me CJ Lyons is not a great writer. I give as my score 2 1/4 stars out of 5. Not a page turner. Didn’t like the crap relationship between Caitlyn and Jake. Not enough foundation in the characters. For me the dialogue (which is so important) was not strong. Amateurish. Not well crafted. Some of the scene description — the author seemed confused ? unsure ? of herself. It will be a while before I attempt one of her other books.
George Murrell
British Columbia
Canada
geowmurr@shaw.ca
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it. It’s been so long since I read it that I don’t remember a lot of the details, but I thought it was ok. A little to science-y at times, though. Did you read the first book in the series? I haven’t yet and I wonder if it would make this one more enjoyable.
Hollow Bones is the 1st book I have read by CJ Lyons. Maybe my opinion of the book is the same as yours. You said you thought the book was OK. You did not say great. I would say the same comment. I would not strongly recommend it to any one.
I am about to start SNAPPED by Laura Griffin. I read JB Turner’s HARD KILL. He is a UK writer. NOT IMPRESSED WITH Hard Kill. 2 stars out of 5. Not greatly impressed with HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN —- she has written many books. I have read 2. Good writer, not a great writer. I loved Rick Mofina’s IN DESPARATION. Good dramatic page turner. Bit of a weak ending where the bad guy does not get due justice to him — but very good read up until the ending.
AND — by the way — thank you for responding. Good to hear from you. Maybe you are a voracious fiction book reader like I am.
Have a great day.
George Murrell
British Columbia
Canada
I definitely read a ton! I haven’t heard of any of the books you mentioned, but I’m going to look them up. I’ve read one other book by Lyons, Watched, was ok. It had much better developed characters, but if you weren’t a fan of this one, I probably wouldn’t recommend Watched to you.
When it comes to mysteries, I discovered Linwood Barclay last year and all the books I’ve read from him so far have been fantastic. I also like Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent Series (though some books are better than others).