The Unquiet Bones is the book you curl up with on a rainy afternoon when you’re not looking for something groundbreaking, but something reliably good. It’s a cozy mystery that leans into its genre with confidence, offering a well-paced narrative, a familiar structure, and characters that are charming without being saccharine.

What Loreth Anne White achieves here isn’t revolutionary, but it is remarkably consistent. There’s a calm to this book, an understanding of what makes a mystery engaging without trying to be overly clever or twisty for the sake of it. The tone is measured, the pacing thoughtful, and the setting evocative enough to pull you into its small-town atmosphere without overwhelming you with exposition.

The plot does play out along some predictable lines, but that predictability works in its favor. You’re not here to be shocked though, you’re here to observe a well-told story unfold. That said, I wouldn’t push this into the thriller or suspense category. This is classic mystery territory, where the satisfaction comes from watching the pieces click into place.

The standout element for me was the cast. The characters have just enough shading to feel dimensional, and their relationships carry emotional weight even when the plot treads familiar ground. There’s a sincerity to the writing that makes it easy to root for them.

I wouldn’t say I’m rushing to explore more of White’s work, but I wouldn’t skip over her name on a future recommendation either. All in all, this book does exactly what it sets out to do. No more, no less. For fans of classic mystery with a modern polish, this one delivers. 4 out of 5 stars. If I’m judging purely within the cozy mystery genre, I’d nudge it up to a 4.5 for how solidly it executes on its promise.