The Bones of Amoret

Some stories you read, and they're fun, but they don't make a lasting impression. Some stories, though, grab you by the heart and stick with you long after the last page has been turned. The Bones of Amoret is one of those stories.

Set in west Texas in the town of Amoret, out where the land is as much a character in the tale as any of the people, the story unfolds through the eyes of Dr. Noah Grady. He's telling his story as his life draws nigh unto its end, and we see events unfold through flashbacks as he talks to a much younger reporter doing research on the events of forty years earlier.

Like any of us, Noah has been faced with choices throughout his life. Sometimes he did the right thing, sometimes he did the expedient thing. But he always chose to do what he thought would best protect those he cared about. He helped illegal immigrants get across the border and gave them medical treatment when necessary. The choice to save one of them instead of leaving him to die got the attention of some bad folks focused on him for his trouble. He took actions that he felt were necessary to protect Angelica, his wife, and her son Miguel. He looked after his own in an unforgiving landscape filled with its own harsh beauty. He was a sympathetic character who will stick with me, even if some of his choices weren't necessarily “right” by societal standards.

I also really liked Sheriff McHenry. Yes, he cared about law and order and seeing justice served. But he also realized that sometimes, justice isn't best served by strict adherence to what law and order would require. He and Noah had an interesting and largely cordial relationship, and it made for good reading.

The ending of the story wasn't one that I figured out. Herbert does a good job of laying down rabbit trails for the reader to follow, and then changes direction on you at the last minute. I love stories where the author keeps me guessing!

“It's mankind's evil that gets the headlines. Sometimes we need a reminder that God sprinkles the goodhearted among us too.” Noah Grady is one of the goodhearted.

Great characters, wonderful setting and description, dialogue that was true to where the story took place, tension that moved the book along at a brisk pace – all of these things make The Bones of Amoret a five-star read. Highly recommended!