**Read the stunning bestseller voted a Best Book finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards!
New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger "builds a sense of place for The Hollows that rivals Stephen King's Castle Rock for continuity and creepiness." (The News & Observer - Raleigh)
"For fans of dark and twisty psychological suspense, Ink and Bone is not to be missed." (Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of Most Wanted)**
Twenty-year-old Finley Montgomery is rarely alone. Visited by people whom others can't see and haunted by prophetic dreams she has never been able to control or understand, Finley is terrified by the things that happen to her. When Finley's abilities start to become too strong for her to handle--and even the roar of her motorcycle or another dazzling tattoo can't drown out the voices--she turns to the only person she knows who can help her: her grandmother Eloise Montgomery, a renowned psychic living in The Hollows, New York.
Merri Gleason is a woman at the end of her tether after a ten-month-long search for her missing daughter, Abbey. With almost every hope exhausted, she resorts to hiring Jones Cooper, a detective who sometimes works with psychic Eloise Montgomery. Merri's not a believer, but she's just desperate enough to go down that road, praying that she's not too late. Time, she knows, is running out.
As a harsh white winter moves into The Hollows, Finley and Eloise are drawn into the investigation, which proves to have much more at stake than even the fate of a missing girl. As Finley digs deeper into the town and its endless layers, she is forced to examine the past, even as she tries to look into the future. Only one thing is clear: The Hollows gets what it wants, no matter what.
**
Amazon.com Review
Tess Gerritsen and Lisa Unger in Conversation
Photo Credit: Leonardo Cendamo
Photo Credit: Jeff Unger
Tess Gerritsen: How did you come up with your main character in INK AND BONE, Finley Montgomery?
Lisa Unger: When I was writing FRAGILE, I ran into a character I wasnt expecting, psychic Eloise Montgomery. I thought: Oh! A psychic! Even if shes a fraud, thats still interesting. But my characters have minds of their own and she only had a small part to play in that book yet she stayed with me. Shes had a couple of books since then, three short stories, and in my upcoming INK AND BONE we meet her granddaughter Finley, who has powers of her own. Eloises story has told itself in a way that I wouldnt have expected, and it has led me down some roads I didnt imagine I'd go as a writer. This is, of course, the joy and the magic of writing. So I was struck while reading PLAYING WITH FIRE that you, too, had walked into some of the same territory. Was it a character, or a story, or curiosity about something else that led you there?
Tess Gerritsen: It was a nightmare! I was in Venice for my birthday, and after a night drinking a bit too much wine, I had a freaky dream. I dreamt I was playing my violin. A baby was sitting nearby, and as I played a dark and disturbing melody, the baby's eyes suddenly glowed red and she turned into a monster. I woke up wondering what it meant -- and knowing there was a story here. Something about the power of music to haunt and to transform people. That day I wandered around Venice and ended up in the old Jewish quarter. There I saw memorial plaques dedicated to the Venice Jews who were deported to death camps during WWII. That's when both parts of the novel came to me -- a story about a 1930s Jewish composer whose haunting melody will nearly destroy the life of a woman violinist 70 years later. I'm already a violinist (strictly amateur) with a lifelong love of music, and that knowledge helped inform the musical aspects of the story.
Was there anything from your own life that worked its way into INK AND BONE? Some part of yourself that slipped into the character or plot?
Lisa Unger: I have an enduring fascination with the idea of psychic phenomena in the Jungian sense, that it might be considered a natural extension of normal human ability. In my other life in publishing, I had a chance to work with psychic John Edwards. In a weird way, though this was many years ago, he was the inspiration for Eloise Montgomery. The fictional town in which INK AND BONE is set, The Hollows, first showed up in FRAGILE, which was very loosely based on a real event from my past. Though I didnt see it at the time, The Hollows shares certain similarities with the place where I grew up. So, in a lot of ways I suppose Im dreaming on the page, the real and the imagined get twisted into fiction.
Tess Gerritsen: Im intrigued by the fact your character in INK AND BONE was inspired by your work with psychic John Edwards. I love hearing about the research. It is the part I enjoy most about writing, because I can delve into new worlds. As a writer I've attended autopsies, watched the CT scan of a mummy, and scouted Boston for the best places to dump a body. What lengths have you gone to get the details right?
Lisa Unger: Most writers are explorers. I like to think of myself as a spelunker, shimming into the dark spaces between things I dont understand to try finding answers. So, yes, research (and life) is an important part of the process.
Ive taken a concealed weapons course (and absolutely hated the feeling of firing a gun). Ive interviewed a woman who claimed to be a ghost hunter. One of my closest friends is a retired Federal Agent who, if he doesnt know the answers to my million questions, can always find someone who does. I lived with a New York City police officer for eight years okay, so that was a relationship, and a pretty bad one at that. But in the end I just wound up with a good knowledge of police work and fantastic recipe for roast pork -- which I guess is something. Ive been lava tubing in Iceland (not sure where thats going to turn up, but Im guessing it will). Recently, Ive become obsessed with birds. Im an information junkie. Im constantly reading non-fiction in all areas with a special focus on psychology, addiction, trauma, biology and the brain. For me, more than the nuts and bolts of procedure, its human nature and the mind, and where those things intersect with nurture and spirituality, that fascinate me. Much of INK AND BONE is laced through with those themes.
What themes do you find come up again and again in your novels? Have you ever been surprised by a recurring question or idea that surfaces without your realizing it?
Tess Gerritsen: I too hated firing a gun. I was painfully aware that if I was the slightest bit careless and didn't stay in control of where it was pointed, someone could die.
When I'm writing, I'm thinking primarily about characters and plot, and it's only in retrospect that I understand what the theme might be. You asked whether I've been surprised by recurring questions that seem to surface in my books, and the answer is: yes, absolutely.
When I was a child, I adored a family friend named Uncle Mike, who served very much as a father figure for me. He was a gentle soul who counseled me about school, life, and love. Then when I turned eighteen, Uncle Mike was arrested for murdering his sister-in-law. I was stunned because I never saw that violent side of him, and it led me to question whether anyone is who they seem to be. That's the theme I return to again and again -- which smiling face hides the monster? In a way, it's a universal theme for crime writers, the evil that lurks in the hearts of seemingly ordinary human beings.
Lisa Unger: When I was fifteen, a girl I knew was abducted and murdered. We lived in a small, supposedly safe town, the kind of place you move to give your kids a happy, suburban upbringing. And then, on a day like any other day, a girl walking home from school fell victim to a monster. I never saw the world the same way again. The theme of the lost girl runs through almost all of my novels in one way or another, never with my intending it and always obvious to me only after the book is done. I think most of us are metabolizing fear on the page, and looking to put order to the chaos we perceive in the world. Maybe thats why people read crime fiction, as well because theres a beginning, middle, and an end where some kind of justice is served. Not always so in the real world.
Im writing pretty close to the bone. I follow the voices in my head, and so far theyve all been pretty dark and twisted, wrestling with questions of identity, struggling with everything from addiction to body dysmorphic disorder to hauntings. I have a voracious curiosity about people and all the different things that make us who we are. If someone else turns up with something different to explore, Ill certainly honor that. For me thats the joy of writing, following character voice wherever it takes me.
Unknown
A deeply layered and finely textured novel about a special relationship that has taken a dark turn. It is a novel of obsession, unrequited love, loneliness and the rage that comes from not fitting in. BookReporter
"Mesmerizing and unnerving from its first pages to its stunner of an ending, Lisa Unger's Crazy Love You is a tale you won't soon forget." Megan Abbott, author of The Fever
"When I tell you I could not put this book down, I mean I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!!! It is dark and twisted and captivating and full of endless surprises. I promise you're in for a wild ride." John Searles, author of Help for the Haunted and Strange But True
Unger makes the spectral realistic because anything can happen in The Hollows, and does. In her storytelling, the supernatural jump starts a story about fragile families seeking peace and fulfillmentWithout overt violence, Unger delivers a frighteningly real villain who is able to hide in plain sight. INK AND BONE is a welcomed return to the haunting The Hollows.
Sun Sentinel
A gut-wrenching tale of horror and mystery...Strong characters and stellar writing make this a wonderful mix of small-town life with the supernatural.
Associated Press
Lisa Unger learned at a young age to listen to the voices in her head...Now, those voices appear on the page, and without much prompting become the interesting, dimensional characters that make her books so thrilling...Ungers grasp of trauma and fear have earned her a reputation as a fearless writer of dark, character-driven psychological thrillers."
Herald-Tribune
Unger builds the tension to high intensity...Little by little, the truth is revealed to Finley and to the reader a dark side that winds through the Hollows like the long-abandoned mines that snake beneath its surface...Ink and Bone takes the reader into dire places, but into the light as well. And Finley? My psychic vibes predict she'll be back.
Tampa Bay Times
Those voices appear on the page, and without much prompting become the interesting, dimensional characters that make her books so thrilling.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
"Engrossing, atmospheric, and fast-paced, for fans of dark and twisty psychological suspense, Lisa Unger's INK AND BONE is not to be missed." Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of Most Wanted
"Instant page-turner! A race-against-the-clock thriller that brings together grieving families, small town secrets, and a troubled teen whose ghosts aren't just in her past." Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author of Find Her
Engrossing. . . the tension is palpable. Unger straddles the fine line between thriller and horror, making this a very exciting and riveting read, sure to appeal to a wide range of readers, including Kay Hooper or Stephen King fans.
Booklist (starred review)
Unger's beloved characters continue a deftly balanced story that's supernatural without a creepy aftertaste.Kirkus Reviews
"Lisa Unger takes you to dark places then shows you the light. The universe she has created in The Hollows the dead and the living, the haunted and the haunting, the lost and missing resonates so deeply, its a world I want to go back to again and again and am always a little heartbroken to leave. In INK AND BONE, we return to The Hollows once more, and Unger weaves a story that casts a captivating spell, and will leave you feeling haunted long after you turn the last page." (Jennifer McMahon, author of The Night Sister )
"Fans of the supernatural and psychological suspense will find this story entertaining." (Library Journal)
Praise for Crazy Love You:
Sharply drawn characters and occasional rest breaks of humor . . . Unger is adept at evoking the eerie, but shes also capable of droll sociological commentary on the urban scene. . . . After reading Ungers sinister thriller, anyone cavalier enough to think they can easily put the past to rest (and even live companionably with the dead) will think again. Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post
Exhilarating and gut-wrenching . . . Proves to be complex and surprising in several ways, and Unger has a gift for telling a story with great characters while also manipulating the reader. . . . Its crazy good. Associated Press
At first I thought I knew where Unger was driving me, but then she slammed on the brakes, turned and drove me right off a cliff. Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Nothing is what it seems in this creepy romance novel. The Oklahoman
Manages to keep us guessing. Raleigh News & Observer
An extraordinary psychological thriller . . . Manages to do an incredible amount of things, all of them well, including a truly unique romantic triangle and the blurred lines between unconditional friendship and romantic infatuation. . . . A simmering tale of romantic obsession and angst in the tradition of Body Heat or Fatal Attraction, laced with the noirish spirit of James M. Cain. Wonderfully crafted and beautifully executed. Providence Journal
"CRAZY LOVE YOU kept me reading like a madwoman, desperate to find out what happens next. This is a haunting, compulsive tale that will have you under its spell long after you've closed the book." Tess Gerritsen, author of Die Again
Ungers skillful portrayal of complex and traumatized characters make her latest psychological thriller one that will keep readers engaged from start to finish. . . . This imaginative tale . . . may be the authors best work yet. Library Journal (starred review)
Riveting . . . This is a complex, intricate story, yet the pages fly by as Ian, the most unreliable narrator since Nick Dunne in Gone Girl, leads us on a wild ride in this superb psychological thriller. Unger is at the top of her game here. Booklist (Starred review)
Darkly compelling psychological thriller. Family Circle
"Scores another bull's eye with this one. Classic Unger and a surefire hit." Kirkus Reviews
Emotionally involving . . . Unger skillfully keeps the reader off kilter as she delves into the psyches of Priss and Ian. South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"Suspenseful . . . Will keep readers hooked." Publishers Weekly
Crazy Love You ups the ante. Every time I thought I had a handle on what was really happening and why, [Unger] gave the plot another sly twist that left me scrambling to catch up. . . . Has enough supernatural elements to remind us of Stephen King territory. Tampa Bay Times
"Page-turning psychological suspense." DuJour Magazine.com
The psychological and paranormal dimensions of Crazy Love You are superbly drawn, endlessly fascinating and extremely frightening. The undertow of despair might not be safe for novice word-swimmers.A book so richly textured. Florida Weekly
With CRAZY LOVE YOU, Lisa Unger has outdone herself. Ive been a fan of hers for years but this is hands-down my favorite book shes written. It has all the twists and turns weve come to expect from her, along with a delightfully unreliable narrator, and a psychological depth that is as poignant as it is shocking. People like to exaggerate claims of reading a book in a single sitting. I didcover to cover without once rising from my chair. Its that good. Gregg Hurwitz, author of Don't Look Back
Praise for *In the Blood: *
Unger pulls off a bravura feat. . . . Readers will savor the pleasure of being guided by Ungers sure hand along a deliciously twisted narrative path. Another scary winner from an accomplished pro.
Kirkus Reviews
In the Blood is an absolute corker of a thriller that cements Lisa Unger's status as one of the brightest stars in the game.
Dennis Lehane
"Reading In the Blood is like grabbing a live wire. . . . A shocking, unputdownable thriller."
Karin Slaughter
"In the Blood is a riveting new thriller from Lisa Unger. Dark and haunting, with a deadly twist that you won't see coming 'til you're hit between the eyes, this book is a winner."
Linda Fairstein
"In the Blood is a psychological thriller that played me--in the best sense--from beginning to surprising end. I guarantee Lisa Unger will pull the rug out from under you more than once, so hold tight."
Andrew Pyper
Previous Praise for Lisa Unger:
Deeply plotted and complex and carries an undeniable momentum. Lisa Ungers enthralling cast of characters pulled me right in and locked me down tight. This is one book that will have you racing to the last page, only to have you wishing the ride wasnt over.
Michael Connelly
A thrilling story that affects complicated and nuanced people. But its also a sensitive meditation on the very nature of family and community and the ties that bind us to one another.
Laura Lippman
Riveting psychological suspense of the first order. If you havent yet experienced Lisa Unger, what are you waiting for?
Harlan Coben
I read Black Out in one hungry gulp and spent the rest of the night trying to calm my jangled nerves. This is a stunning, mind-bending shocker with moments of sheer terror one of the best thrillers Ive read this year!
Tess Gerritsen
Suspenseful, sensitive, sexy, subtle The best nail-biter I have read for ages. Highly recommended.
Lee Child
A stunning, powerful novel! Lisa Ungers taut prose grabs the reader from word one and never lets go. In this tantalizing tale of family suspense, beware of who you trust and be forewarned about what might happen next.
Lisa Gardner
Lisa Unger is one of my favorite authors. She gets better and better with each book.
Karin Slaughter
ES Index : 5
All Identifiers : amazon:B0176M3VGO, barnesnoble:w/ink-and-bone-lisa-unger/1122858658, ff:u/lisa-unger/ink-and-bone, goodreads:27297198, isbn:9781501101663, mobi-asin:B0176M3VGO
Number of Words in Auth: 2
Formats : EPUB
Number of Formats : 1
Test Text Series Index: Hollows
Single Author : Lisa Unger
Original Source : New_Train_Pack_2019-126
Sorted Author by LN, FN: Unger, Lisa
Title Length : 012
Title Parm D : Ink and Bone
Title Parm F : Ink and Bone
Title Parm A : Ink and Bone
Title Parm B : (
ES Lib Name : NIRC 2019-09
Record ID : 5845
Template Work Area : Hollows
ES Name : Hollows
Uncomma Author : Lisa Unger
Has Cover : Yes
Num of Aut : 1