The Bone Cay by Eliza Nellums
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Magda Trudell is the caretaker of Whimbrell Estate in Key West, Florida. The stately property was once home to a famous American poet, Isobel Reyes, who committed suicide on the property in 1918.
Magda, a botanist and historian, has dedicated her most recent years to restoring Whimbrell Estate to its former glory; something Isobel could be proud of.
Magda’s hope is for Whimbrell to be recognized as a national historic site. It’s important to her that Isobel’s legacy be passed down for future generations to enjoy.
Some might say she is a little obsessed with it actually.
When a fierce hurricane is reported to be headed straight for the Keys, local authorities call a mandatory evacuation.
Magda isn’t hearing it. There is no way she is fleeing and leaving her life’s work at risk to Mother Nature. She must stay and protect the property, whatever the cost.
Once the storm hits, it proves to be just as dangerous as the experts predicted. Go figure.
Now with her supplies wiped out and the house barely livable, Magda has company arrive. A teenage girl and her father, seeking shelter from the storm.
Without many resources to spare, Magda nonetheless takes them in. It’s the three of them against the storm. Will they be able to survive?
In amongst all of this, Magda discovers some hidden artifacts that she believes may be tied to Isobel’s death. You know she will never leave those artifacts behind. This is her chance to leave her imprint on Isobel’s story.
The Bone Cay is a good book. I had never read anything by Eliza Nellums and I’m glad that I had a chance to.
I think for a lot of people, this will be a really great story. For me, it was good. It kept my attention and I’m glad that I read it. However, I wouldn’t say it will remain particularly memorable for me.
It’s a simply-told, linear story that makes a great escape from regular life. I enjoyed the setting of the Keys and Magda’s role as caretaker for the Estate.
Some aspects of the storm and the discovery of the new artifacts seemed a little strange to me, but in the context of the story, it did flow fairly well. As I mentioned above, I do think a lot of Readers will enjoy this.
I think it could work well for history buffs, particularly Florida history buffs, and people just getting into the Thriller genre.
Thank you so much to the publishers, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. I did listen to the audiobook and would recommend that as a medium for reading this story. It was quite well narrated.