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The Diabolical Bones

The Diabolical Bones is the second book in the Bronte Mystery series. I enjoyed the first book, The Vanished Bride, and the second book can be read as a sequel or a stand-alone. In The Diabolical Bones, the siblings (Branwell, Charlotte, Anne, and Emily) attempt to solve a mystery concerning a skeleton that is discovered walled up in a local mansion. To whom did the skeleton belong, who put it there, and why?

The mystery involves issues of mental illness, feminism, grief, class, and the exploitation of children for labor. It also involves the personal lives of the siblings. The mystery itself is interesting and engaging, but I would call it solid rather than mindblowing. It has a lot of suspects and twists and turns and a genuinely scary climax, but I successfully guessed the identity of the killer early on.

For me the real draw is the impeccable historical research. I have both personal feelings about the Brontes and a serious historical nerd obsession about them. Other than a few adjustments made for the sake of story which are acknowledged in the afterword (the mysteries, of course, are fictional) the characters and their personalities match my own research and reading experience. These books provide a real sense of place and a fond yet realistic look at the Bronte household and the sometimes close, sometimes contentious relationships between the siblings, their father, and their housekeeper, Tabby. I really enjoy spending this time with them and I recommend this for fans of historical and literary history and for fans of the Brontes in particular.

– Carrie S

Haworth Parsonage, February 1846: The Brontë sisters– Anne, Emily, and Charlotte–are busy with their literary pursuits. As they query publishers for their poetry, each sister hopes to write a full-length novel that will thrill the reading public. They’re also hoping for a new case for their fledgling detecting enterprise, Bell Brothers and Company solicitors. On a bitterly cold February evening, their housekeeper Tabby tells them of a grim discovery at Scar Top House, an old farmhouse belonging to the Bradshaw family. A set of bones has been found bricked up in a chimney breast inside the ancient home.

Tabby says it’s bad doings, and dark omens for all of them. The rattled housekeeper gives them a warning, telling the sisters of a chilling rumour attached to the family. The villagers believe that, on the verge of bankruptcy, Clifton Bradshaw sold his soul to the devil in return for great riches. Does this have anything to do with the bones found in the Bradshaw house? The sisters are intrigued by the story and feel compelled to investigate. But Anne, Emily, and Charlotte soon learn that true evil has set a murderous trap and they’ve been lured right into it…