The Thread that Binds the Bones (1993)

by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Chapel Hollow (1)

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460	14	57,563	(4.16)	91
Tom can see ghosts-and that's the least of his gifts. Now he must harness his newfound magic to save Chapel Hollow. A drifter trying to hide his extraordinary powers-and find a place where he belongs-Tom Renfield has recently settled in the small Oregon town of Arcadia. But when Laura Bolte gets into his cab, he's plunged deep into a world of magic he didn't even know existed. The pair is thrown together by supernatural forces, and Tom learns that Laura is the gifted daughter of an ancient family who lives in the nearby enclave of Chapel Hollow. But the mysterious clan has dark-and dangerous-secrets. If Tom is to have any hope of finding the kinship he's been looking for, he and Laura must find a way to protect the home of her ancestors and the innocent citizens of Arcadia. The Thread That Binds the Bones is the 1st book in the Chapel Hollow Novels, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. This volume includes the bonus stories 'Lost Lives' and 'Caretaking.'… (more)

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▾Member reviews

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Showing 1-5 of 14 (next | show all)

Loved it! I am a huge fan of this author. As usual, there are quite some psychological issues that lie at the heart of the story. I was slightly disappointed that Tom was taking center stage so much during the first three quarters of the book. Laura only starts using her magic more at the end and is in need of help a lot in the beginning. With Tom being new to the whole magic thing, this seems a bit off.

Second review:
I gave this 5 stars the first time around, but I think that is a bit too much. I like the psychology that Hoffman puts in her work, but everything does come very easy to Tom, with him hopping around everywhere and saving everyone. I find his character to be a bit bland, he's just a decent person with a backstory. (

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zjakkelien | Jan 2, 2024 |

Where have you been?

How did I not read this years ago?!? I’ve read other books from this series but never this one.

This is what good urban fantasy looks like. Magic is there and it changes how things work, but the story is deeper than the magic. (

)

wildwily | May 28, 2020 |

I'd enjoyed some later novels by Hoffman and decided to check out this earlier one. It's a tiny bit Larry Sueish with the main character becoming the most magical person in the room all of a sudden, but the story has enough originality to overcome it and even as a subway read, I couldn't wait to get back to it. (

)

cindywho | May 27, 2019 |

I'm sorry, I hate to not finish a book but I can't read any more of this. It is a romance for teenagers and just does not appeal to me in any way. Maybe if I was younger...... (

)

scot2 | Jun 9, 2018 |

An exploration of themes of magical slavery and combating the arising domestic violence/abuse. Not as icky as I'm making out, except in the implications. (

)

fred_mouse | Oct 11, 2017 |

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▾Other authors

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Nina Kiriki Hoffman	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Bober, Richard	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Fricker, Una	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

Chapel Hollow (1)

Is contained in

Common Threads by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Bram Stoker Award (Winner – First Novel – 1993)

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

The Thread that Binds the Bones

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

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Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

For Dean and Kris and Kate and Damon,
who urged me to fix it and send it out;
For Matt, who encouraged me to clean it up;
And for Debb, the first reader of my dreams:
thanks for letting me use your shower.

First words

Tom Renfield kicked the door of the girls' rest room open and pushed the mop bucket in ahead of him, wondering if there would be any new graffiti since he last cleaned there a week ago.

Quotations

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Zelazny, Roger

Wilhelm, Kate

Original language

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Canonical LCC

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▾Book descriptions

Tom can see ghosts-and that's the least of his gifts. Now he must harness his newfound magic to save Chapel Hollow. A drifter trying to hide his extraordinary powers-and find a place where he belongs-Tom Renfield has recently settled in the small Oregon town of Arcadia. But when Laura Bolte gets into his cab, he's plunged deep into a world of magic he didn't even know existed. The pair is thrown together by supernatural forces, and Tom learns that Laura is the gifted daughter of an ancient family who lives in the nearby enclave of Chapel Hollow. But the mysterious clan has dark-and dangerous-secrets. If Tom is to have any hope of finding the kinship he's been looking for, he and Laura must find a way to protect the home of her ancestors and the innocent citizens of Arcadia. The Thread That Binds the Bones is the 1st book in the Chapel Hollow Novels, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. This volume includes the bonus stories 'Lost Lives' and 'Caretaking.'

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