A young boy discovers a bone in a snow-covered forest. Initially, Quigley Maguire thinks it could simply be that of an animal. But it belongs to a young girl who has been missing for three years.
Quigley’s father, Frank, an ex-detective who now works as a private investigator, has hidden from his son his responsibility for his wife’s death. When he confesses the truth to him, Quigley runs from his home into the worst snowstorm for decades.
Frank’s search for his son brings him into contact with Jeremiah Grazier and his drug-addicted wife, Judith, a damaged refugee from an orphanage who now sees herself as an avenging angel.
Meanwhile, in the derelict orphanage, a tramp discovers a sexually mutilated and decapitated corpse, later identified as that of the grotesquely abusive head warden of the institute.
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A young boy discovers a bone in a snow-covered forest. Initially, Quigley Maguire thinks it could simply be that of an animal. But it belongs to a young girl who has been missing for three years.
Quigley’s father, Frank, an ex-detective who now works as a private investigator, has hidden from his son his responsibility for his wife’s death. When he confesses the truth to him, Quigley runs from his home into the worst snowstorm for decades.
Frank’s search for his son brings him into contact with Jeremiah Grazier and his drug-addicted wife, Judith, a damaged refugee from an orphanage who now sees herself as an avenging angel.
Meanwhile, in the derelict orphanage, a tramp discovers a sexually mutilated and decapitated corpse, later identified as that of the grotesquely abusive head warden of the institute.
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“The Darkness of Bones recreates the details of a child sex abuse scandal [Kincora] with shivery vividness.”
BookReviews, Irish Times
“A colourful history is a public relations dream when it comes to promoting a crime-writer; the darker that history the better it is for selling novels. Millar has this and more, but it is the quality of his writing that he is quickly becoming renown for. Based on the true story surrounding the Kincora sex-abuse scandal, his latest novel, The Darkness of Bones, takes us into the very heart of darkness with a gruesome yet compelling story of murder and revenge…”
Irish News
“Using place names of Belfast and the city’s identity itself, Millar is undoubtedly leading a literary and popular revival in this part of a crushed and traumatized world and his story will appeal to all. He pulls no punches in the message of this story, but the depth of his characters and the story they tell are equally powerful. The plot crowds, heaves and thickens to its inevitable end, but always keeps the reader guessing. This is a powerful novel in its honesty and originality.”
Andersonstown News
“The Darkness of Bones is a must-read, and not simply because of Millar’s distinctive style of writing, but also this: because it revisits the evil that prevailed in this society in spite – or because of – the terror of the conflict, and gives a voice and an avenging but healing hand for the innocence of children lost to sexual abuse. His talent for writing a riveting, dark and purging tale of unspeakable horror – namely the Kincora scandal - and fashioning it into a fascinating crime drama is nothing short of genius.”
Daily Ireland
“Millar writes with such intensity his words can often knock the breath clean from your lungs. His gritty style takes no prisoners, and his stories always ask the question other authors shy away from. Based on the infamous Kincora scandal, this is a gripping story, one you will not easily forget.”
Belfast Telegraph