Silence and Shadows by James Long

Silence and Shadows

James Long

Full of great characters - Patrick Kane, leader of the archaeological dig, haunted by his past; beautiful Bobby who is a constant reminder of Patrick's former wife; unscrupulous local businessman, Roger Little, who scuppers the original dig; CD, an American with a pet raven called Edgar; Dozer, a former Hell's Angel and finally, Bobby's brother, Joe, whose magical song about a German Queen leads them to the place of her burial. I began reading this book rather reluctantly but found myself pleasantly surprised and quickly drawn into the lives of these characters.

Extract
Patrick was slow to understand but he did as he was told, looking at the skeleton itself and when he turned his gaze properly, two tiny bones, thinner than the thinnest part of a chicken's wishbone, reared out of the earth. 'Oh I see. Rodent?' said Patrick. 'Could be rabbit ribs. Maybe some bunny died in its burrow.' I hope it didn't damage anything if it burrowed here, he was thinking. 'You don't get it, do you?' 'Get what?' 'Those bones,' said CD. 'They're not from an animal. They're human.'
Parallels
  • The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley
  • A Place in the Hills by Michelle Paver