In The Bones

After reading and enjoying the first two books in Canadian author Tessa Wegert's Shana Merchant series, I was excited to see that she's back with In The Bones, the first book in a new series that is set in a small town in upstate New York on the St Lawrence River - the same world as her popular Merchant series. 

Wegert wastes no time getting into the story that centres on characters we've met in the earlier series (but rest assured, you do NOT need to read the Shana Merchant series first). That said, it was comforting to slide into a new series that had familiar places and faces. 

But that's where the comforting vibes stop because this was a suspenseful story that features a sinister issue (I won't spoil it for you here) that will have you checking all the nooks and crannies in your home before going to bed for the foreseeable future.

Entertaining and highly atmospheric, get ready to be pulled into a tense and well-paced story of murder, lies and long-held secrets. And if you've visited the beautiful 1000 Islands area, you'll love the mentions of popular spots like Boldt Castle. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to catch up on some of the Shana Merchant series backlist. 

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher for the complimentary copy of this book that was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Tessa Wegert

Genre: Suspense

Series: North Country 1

Type and Source: Trade paperback from publisher

Publisher: Severn House

First Published: Nov 4, 2025

Read: Oct 12-17, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: The arrival of a celebrity athlete on a remote peninsula in New York’s Thousand Islands unearths dark and deadly buried secrets in this heart-pounding blend of suspense and mystery, the first in the new North Country series—Agatha Christie meets Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley

It’s almost summer in Cape Vincent, and as the heat rises, ex-professional ice hockey superstar Mikko Helle arrives, ready to move into his extravagantly renovated waterfront home. Mikko is 30, handsome, and wealthy. He’s a stranger in town. There’s no reason to suspect he's anything other than he seems.

Local married mother-of-two Nicole Durham works her connections hard to get hired as his cleaner. She needs this job—and not just because of the money. Nicole is desperate to expose a secret, and she’s running out of time.

But when Nicole disturbs an intruder while cleaning, New York State Police Investigator Tim Wellington discovers that the luxury mansion is hiding its own unthinkable truth. Deep in the basement lie the bones of a young woman, identity unknown.

The celebrity athlete. The local. The thief. Everyone is hiding something—but someone in the North Country’s a ruthless killer, and one of the three knows exactly who it is.