In wartime England, love is a secret, and murder is just another casualty—join Dr. Benjamin Bones & Lady Juliet on a thrilling journey to uncover the truth.
It's June 1940, in the quaint English village of Birdswing. Amidst the chaos of World War II, Dr. Benjamin Bones and Lady Juliet find themselves embroiled in a captivating mystery. As they welcome young evacuees from London and contend with personal struggles, a sinister shadow emerges from the past.
When a stranger is found murdered under the village bridge, the tranquility of Birdswing shatters. Dr. Bones must unravel the mystery surrounding the victim's death, a task made all the more challenging by the arrival of a determined detective from Plymouth. As secrets unravel and danger looms, Ben and Juliet must navigate a treacherous path to uncover the truth, all while safeguarding their secret love.
With rich historical detail and tantalizing suspense, Bones Buried Deep is a gripping tale of love, loss, and deception in wartime England. Join Dr. Benjamin Bones on his latest thrilling adventure—a journey that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Emma Jameson writes the kind of mysteries readers devour—smart, romantic, sharply funny, and impossible to put down. It’s why her books have sold over one million copies worldwide and built a fiercely loyal international readership.
A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Emma is best known for her beloved Lord & Lady Hetheridge series, where sharp wit meets murder in elegant British settings. Her character-driven stories blend suspense, romance, and a touch of humor—creating mysteries that feel as immersive as they are addictive. Her novel London Blue was recently named a Gold Medal Finalist in the Crime Fiction Indie Gold Awards.
A lifelong Anglophile (though not actually British), Emma brings England vividly to life on the page. When she’s not writing, she serves three demanding cats who believe they are in charge—and are probably right.
The H and h are now in a full blown affair, her husband is being low key and assists them - that was a bit icky for me. It's being noticed in the village so clearly there is trouble ahead. The mystery was clever with lots of 'moving' parts to resolve.
Ok, here’s the thing: I’m quite certain the first two books in this series are subtitled “a romantic wartime cozy mystery,” or something to that effect. So I would have figured that the other books in the series would ALSO be cozy mysteries. Upon further examination, it looks like this book is NOT billed as a cozy, which makes sense, since it is chock full of overt and violent antisemitism. I feel like I’ve been bait-and-switched—this was a much darker, more disturbing story than I signed up for, and I did not enjoy it. I will take a careful look at any subsequent books in the series before I dive into them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
By book 4 of the series, you’re familiar with Birdsong, the Cornwall village of WWII, and many of its inhabitants so it’s fun to go deeper into the local culture as you armchair solve the whodunit along with Dr Bones, Lady Juliet and Detective Pearl from nearby Plymouth.
The victim is a Jewish man from Plymouth, found on Lady Juliet’s land. The suspects are hidden in plain sight. What the two amateur sleuths are missing is how to connect their suspects to the why and where.
The book deals with themes of anti-semitism, Nazi sympathizers, black market goods, children sent from London to be safe in the country, and other dirty doings of the times. Add in some outrageous sleuthing on Lady Juliet’s part, a new male friendship for Dr Bones, and some nudges from house ghost Lucy, and you have an engaging read.
What keeps it from being a solid 5 star whodunit is the author got over enthusiastic with medical terms without enough context that let you easily understand what they were about. Fortunately, I read it on Kindle so a dictionary definition was but a finger tap away. Still. It took me out of the story too many times that the narrative sometimes felt bumpy, especially since they didn’t move the story forward enough to warrant their consistent presence.
On a fun note, however, Mr Bryce Paquette from the fairy love letter novella shows up so we get to play with how that side story with Lady Victoria might pan out. Plus, it’s entertaining to see how well he engages with Lady Juliet’s stubbornness the one time they have direct involvement with each other.
Bones Buried Deep: a Romantic Wartime Mystery is written by Emma Jameson. The title is Book #4 in the Dr. Benjamin Bones series. Bones Buried Deep follows Bones in the Blackout - Bones at the Manor House - Bones Takes a Holiday. “It’s June 1940 in the quaint English village of Birdswing. Amidst the chaos of World War II, Dr. Benjamin Bones and Lady Juliet find themselves embroiled in a captivating mystery. As they welcome young evacuees from London and contend with personal struggles, a sinister shadow emerges from the past.” I like this series very much. There are historical and cultural references, a great location (Cornwall), good characterizations, dialogues and plot points. There are many serious thought-provoking moments, also. I recommend this series, especial this particular title, Bones Buried Deep. ***** I also recommend Ms. Jameson’s other series, The Lord & Lady Hetheridge Mysteries and the Jem Jago Mysteries.
I enjoyed the Lord and Lady Hetheridge series by Emma Jameson. How excellent is Ms. Jameson’s writing? She is a “classic”, extremely educated writer, and her books are amazing with excellent plots, fast-paced writing and interesting characters. Her prose is crisp and provides an engaging narrative with well-crafted sentences. I was happy to purchase “Bones Buried Deep” at a cheap price because I love Ms Jameson’s writing. I enjoyed “Bones Buried Deep”, but maybe I should have started with the first of the series because I couldn’t follow some of the writing in this fourth book. This story is a compelling wartime mystery, and I think I should now purchase the previous books in this series. Dr Bones and Lady Juliet are great characters and the story is fast-paced. I recommend all book series written by Emma Jameson.
So glad to finally get another in this series. It was a long wait but worth it.
Dr. Bones and Lady Juliet can't seem to catch a break in their personal lives, and then a body is found caught in the debris under a bridge between Linton land and Bodmin. Dr. Bones is called out to the body, and, of course, he and Lady Juliet, along with others are investigating the murder.
Murderers, fascists, gangsters, policemen, clashing villagers, twists and turns. There's never a dull moment!
A great fourth book in the series. It's not necessary to have read the preceding books, but characters and relationships grow and develop throughout, so it's more enjoyable to me having read from the beginning.
I love this series! This book is so interesting from the historical perspective. Hard to read about such open anti-semitism but we live in a time when anti-semitism is again on the rise. The things that are spoken of in this story are being said out loud again today and it is just as horrible now as it was when Hitler was on the rampage. The other side of the story is the people of Birdswing, whom I adore. Lady Juliet and Dr. Bones are so adorable. Also they are both formidable. A wonderful combination. I’m so glad she didn’t keep us in suspense over multiple books but jumped right in to the heart of the matter. I’m only sorry to have to wait for the next book.
Ben Bones and Juliet once again come to solve a mystery, and now have added a policeman (who Jameson promises will be a regular visitor.
In addition to the mystery, Jameson brings up the anti-semitism and fascism that were still part of English life even in the middle of the Battle of Britain.
Well written and engrossing, I cannot wait for the next book in the series. Having finished both this series and the Lord and Lady Hetheridge series, I am shifting to start her other series based solely on her ability to write a good story.
For a doctor, Dr Bones gets mixed up in all sorts of mysteries. I'm surprised he has time to see his patients. This story is full of the flavor of 1940's England, from children leaving London for their own safety, to black market cigarettes and liquor to murder. You will not be able to put this book down. Hope Dr Bones and the Lady of the Manor return soon!
Another wonderful mystery for Dr Bones and Juliet, favorite characters from previous novels are joined by child evacuees, a jolly butcher, DC Pearl from Plymoth. Gaston and the Archer twins have a delightful part in the final denouement. Interesting, exploring the history of the Nazi sympathizers in England, dosages based on male patients, how the children evacuated to the country felt and were treated. Very good!
Always fascinating to read a murder mystery but particularly so when it is British and in 1940's and in Cornwall. I bury myself in another time (and probably not any simpler than 2024) when two amateur sleuths continually get caught up in murder investigations. The settings, the characters, the charm, the courage to try to do "normal" and do "good" during a horrific war all keep me in that time. Thank you Ms. Jameson.
It's been a long wait, but it was worth it. A return to Dr. Ben Bones and Lady Juliet. Their love story continues and heats up. A new mystery to solve and it is so twisty. What's not to love. A new character, DC Daniel Pearl, from Plymouth. He's delightful. Hope to see him in future books.
I really liked this book. It's the first whodunit I have read that also has a positive social kick. Bravo Emma Jameson. The main characters have a modern outlook, very out of keeping with the times (except for the plot line). Whilst this jars historically, it makes a much more comfortable read.
I was amused when Dr. Bones gave a patient a truss for a hiatal hernia. Was he supposed to swallow it? Otherwise the story remains enjoyable and entertaining. The abrupt ending was a surprise. Hopefully there is another book on the way. We still have a whole war to get through.
This series is great. The storylines are captivating, and the characters in the village are never disappointing. I have waited for this book for what seemed forever and can't hardly wait for the next one. I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a good mystery that has great characters mixed with humor.
The story drew me in quickly. The characters were interesting as was the historical aspects and spy intrigue. The story involves crime more than spying. It can be read as a standalone but there are previous editions. There’s a few years gap between book 3 and 4. It appears there is still more to this new Spotify so I hope it comes sooner.
Really enjoyed this fun and moving glimpse of WWII with evacuees and other excitement. I already loved the series, and this was a good addition to it. Fun characters and some real depth to them too.
I've really enjoyed all of Emma Jameson's series. I must admit, this one had quite a few errors: auto-correct, missing words, etc. As a retired technical editor, this was discouraging. I'd be happy to take a look before the next is published!
A few plot twists I didn’t expect. London evacuees and a few new people moving to the village added characters that will add interest to the macro plot. Solid entry to the series.
I have loved reading this series and the way it has left off, I foresee another book on the horizon! (or at least I hope so). Such great and endearing characters and narrative! Please tell me book 5 is on the way!
The Emma Jameson Bones novels are a good, light read with quirky characters and interesting plots. A good read to clean the pallet after a steady diet of thrillers…
This is as much fun for the history as it is for the story and characters. WW2 is a special interest of mine since childhood, so this was perfect for me. I’m sorry this is the last one in the series, sigh…
I really like this series and the characters in it! It was a long wait for this 4th book, but I am hopeful that Emma Jameson will stay on this series for a while :)