“The Bone Forest” by V.J. Chambers was the first in the Wren Delacroix thriller series.
Wren Delacroix grew up in a cult called The Fellowship of the Children of the Lord or FCL. In the early years, the FCL was a small, benign communal Christian group on the outskirts of a quiet Virginia town. After David Song took over, the group grew rapidly so they decided to purchase neighboring properties to expand.
The Fellowship had been tolerated, if not welcomed, but now the local people decided to fight the expansion. Things turned dark when Wren’s mother, Vivian Delacroix, gained power. Soon the focus and worship included a horned deity called the Horned Lord or Crimson Ram.
Vivian would hold bonfires, dispense a mixture of drugs and lead vision quests. About 15 years ago, locals were organizing to confront the FCL, so Vivian instructed a drug-crazed group to go to the Walker house and kill the people there. Two of the killers and Vivian were quickly caught and convicted.
Many members, including David Song, vanished. The remaining children stayed on and grew up with the stigma of being part of the cult, but Wren’s father took her far away. She attended college and pursued a career as an FBI profiler.
That fell apart when she began receiving calls from a man claiming to be David Song. Since her mother ordered the original killings, Wren feels compelled to solve the murders of several young girls related to the original Walker family. Each was in the unique pose of Vivian’s initiates.
After she finds another victim, Wren meets Detective Cais Reilly. He invites her to be a civilian member of the task force hoping her connection to the FCL would help the investigation. Her connections are real but troubling.
At about age 12, Wren was “partnered” with 22-year-old Hawk. They slept in the same bed, but he never touched her. Their feelings for each other had never been resolved, so when Wren approaches Hawk she sees that he still self-medicates with acid and booze, as does his close friend Major. Both are on her suspect list and have no real alibi.
As she and Reilly track down former Fellowship members, they learn more about Vivian’s twisted demands, but find few solid clues to follow. While Wren works to find the killer, she feels guilty for succumbing to her long-held crush on Hawk. Her rational mind knows they have no future but her physical needs don’t care.
Things ramp up when Reilly is trapped in the basement of a madman who proclaims to follow the Crimson Ram. Wren’s FBI training kicks in when she shoots the man. Struggling with another layer of guilt, Wren begins to catch glimpses of her loveless childhood.
One night she is in bed with Hawk when Major arrives begging for his friend’s help. After Hawk and Major leave, Wren follows only to discover another murder. This time, the girl is in a slightly different pose, offering Wren a strong hint into the killer’s identity and leading to a dramatic final confrontation.
Fortunately, Reilly puts the pieces together and arrives to save the day. I’m sure book two will fill in more of Wren’s blanks and include some sort of mystery.
AT A GLANCE
Book: The Bone Forest (Wren Delacroix, Book 1)
Author: V.J. Chambers
Publisher: Punk Rawk Books
Year published: 2019
Number of pages: 220
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