RebeccaBethany knows that her best chance of staying alive is to play to the BoneMan’s wishes. As she finds herself repulsed and fascinated by the man who has kidnapped her, she has so far managed to outlast any of the other young ladies who were kidnapped. But she is also afraid. Alvin Finch has told her his plans, and while she can stay strong for a while, how long will she be able to hold her defenses against the man who is determined to make her his daughter?
Ryan on the other hand is seeking escape. He is being held as the prime suspect in the BoneMan murders, even his own wife thinks that he is guilty. But Ricki, the FBI agent assigned to the case has her doubts. While Ryan clams up and refuses to speak anymore, the entire FBI team is forced to wait. Ryan has made it clear that if he is not in a certain spot at a certain time, than his daughter will die. No one believes him. But his training is about to kick in, and he will go to extraordinary lengths to escape and save the daughter that he never had time for in the past. But time is running out, and he is getting desperate.
Ricki is not convinced that Ryan is guilty of anything other than kidnapping the District Attorney, but even there, she believes that he did it on orders from someone else, in order to save his daughter. While they sift through the case notes, and the information that they have received from Ryan, all they can do is wait and hope he decides to start talking soon. But the news that the DA has been murdered in his home by the BoneMan sends them running, trying to determine Ryan’s whereabouts (he has escaped from prison), and wonder what in the world is going on. While the city is gripped in fear, all the FBI can do is wait.. wait and listen for any movement that would alert them to where either Ryan or the BoneMan are hiding. When the handwriting analysis comes back clearing Ryan of involvement with the BoneMan, the entire case seems to be back at square one. Television news stations are calling for him to be given a medal, for going to such lengths to save his daughter.
Meanwhile, Alvin is doing his best to get Bethany to accept him as a father. He has asked her if he wants her parents both dead, but he is also determined to get a confession from Ryan. A confession of how he has failed as a father. Ryan has so far held in his anger, but there is coming a point where he knows he will lose it. Not until his heel is broken and the BoneMan send him out as a failed father, does Ryan’s resolve completely harden. He has come this far to save his daughter and he will not fail her again.. not now. Death however, is something that the BoneMan is not completely finished with..
This week we are reading Chapters 29-38
Questions:
- Ryan is as determined to find his daughter as the FBI is to lock him away. Do you think the FBI had tunnel vision when it came to this case?
- Bethany is playing on the BoneMan to stay alive. Was this a good ploy?
- Do you think that this incident was what it took for Bethany to realize just how much her father actually loved her?
- What were you overall impressions of the book?? Which characters did you love to hate? (Burt Welsh for me..) What would you have changed?
