My Sister's Bones: 'Rivals The Girl on the Train as a compulsive read' Guardian

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It's funny and sweet, but also desperately sad, as Billie chronicles the diminishing health of her sister alongside her own desperate grasp for control through her friends and promiscuity. Whilst not necessarily a criticism, the title of the book is also quite misleading, as is the blurb.

She's not an extraordinary girl who learns any big lesson that makes you want to sigh and nod your head knowingly at the end.

Kate has an estranged relationship with her sister, Sally, who still lives in the town, and tries to make amends with her, even though Sally doesn’t want to hear anything more from her. Pic is produced by Bill Kenwright ( Broken), and executive produced by David Gilbery ( The Lost Daughter) and Naomi George ( My Pure Land) for London-based BKStudios. I assume this story takes place in the 1970s, given all the references, yet because it is written in first person and doesn't give off even a trace of nostalgia, I had the feeling that I was in the same room as Billie as she told her tale in present tense. Here the intrigue kept me turning those pages as I wanted to find out what had happened to Kate and why she was in a police station.

Because of this Kate also has a tense relationship with her sister, who has also descended into alcoholism after daughter Hannah left home- also putting strain on Sally’s relationship with husband Paul. Just back at her late mother’s home after a stint in Aleppo, Kate’s eyes meet “a sight so horrifying it makes my toes curl: my reflection in the full-length mirror.

Though a little spiky and cold to begin with, you begin to warm to Kate as she goes through one terrible difficulty after another while always trying to do what she sees as the right thing.

Kenwright commented on the acquisition: “As a producer I am always looking for that intangible something special. Bill Kenwright’s BKStudios is behind the project, adapted from Nuala Ellwood’s novel of the same name.Now Billie has become Cassie’s confidante, the only one Cassie trusts enough to tell the truth to, and Billie is suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar—and disturbing—role; one that drives her to make choices that will forever change the way she looks at the world. On reading Nuala’s novel I immediately thought this could be the one; a thriller that transcends the genre, almost reinvents it. A formidable debut thriller, MY SISTER'S BONES rivals The Girl on the Train as a compulsive read (and beats it for style). It's been a long time since I've picked up a book and read non-stop the way I read My Sister's Bones by Cathi Hanauer.

I found this aspect of the plot of My Sister’s Bones, absolutely harrowing, as we see Kate begin to crumble, and the scenes that she replays in her mind are very vivid and disturbing. My Sister's Bones is guaranteed to be this year's most twisty and twisted read - you'll never see what's coming! My Sister’s Bones is an excellent read with a well developed and realistic cast of characters and a powerful storyline covering darker subjects such as domestic abuse and alcoholism, all combined with the twists and turns that you would expect from a psychological thriller. We’re excited to bring this gripping and thrilling story to the market,” said Tannaz Anisi, principal of 13 Films.But whilst she is home, Kate believes she has stumbled on a sinister secret, but how can she prove it when no one will listen to her? But an incident with a young Syrian boy haunts her dreams, and when Kate sees a boy in the garden of the house next door--a house inhabited by an Iraqi refugee who claims her husband is away and she has no children--Kate becomes convinced that something is very wrong. Reminds you that they are still just children, at risk and running around in an adult world with decisions many times beyond their comprehension.