Synopsis
In a city where history bites back, murder is just the beginning.
Detective Eliza “Bish” Barnaby thought she’d left her home behind—along with its plague outbreaks, random time-shifts, and tendency to accidentally host people from the 1600s during breakfast.
But when a dangerous practitioner escapes custody in London, Bish is forced back to Norwich, a city where ancient maps hide deadly shortcuts, angry nuns have scores to settle, and Puritans throw acid at those they don’t approve of.
Armed with only a gun she can’t fire, a spaniel who thinks he’s a wolf, and a partner who dresses like a rejected Bridgerton extra, Bish must stop a killer before wild magic unravels the city’s fragile balance.
But keeping her own forbidden talents hidden is just as dangerous as catching the murderer. And in a place where past and present bleed together, the only way to solve this mystery might be to embrace the very magic she fears.
Review
Flint in the Bones by Eva St. John was my first 2026 SPFBO read. While I did have some issues with it, overall I enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to continuing the series on my own.
My favorite part about this book was definitely the world building. It was quite different from anything else I’ve read and I liked learning about it throughout. Though I wasn’t always clear on where things stood technology wise in the wider world, Norwich was really fun to learn about. Though magic wasn’t allowed there, it still had quite the impact in really interesting ways.
I wasn’t always a fan of the main character due to her opinions, but she really grew on me by the end as she started to understand herself better as well. Trauma can have serious long-lasting effects and it was good to see her work through her own complicated feelings and preconceptions. There were also several side characters I quite enjoyed that I’m excited to see again in the next book. Big shoutout to Harry especially.
The plot is where I struggled though for a little while. Despite an explosive beginning that drew me right in, it started to feel too slow and somewhat repetitive too at one point when our MC kept bumping up against people ineffectively. There also seemed to be a real lack of urgency once she arrived in Norwich after being forced to rush there despite the danger of doing so that late in the day. The last quarter really picked up again and is what makes me want to continue the series, but I seriously considered putting the book down for a little bit in the middle of it.
Thankfully the MC did grow in her confidence eventually and developed more emotionally as well, which is something that I really like to see. She took charge and even grew a backbone when confronted by people that ran all over her previously. That was very satisfying. Not all mysteries were solved in this book though and I’m excited to find out more!
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