The Bone Hunters

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What to expect

'An engrossing tale of a woman striving for the recognition she deserves in the face of male indifference and betrayal' SUNDAY TIMES 'Best historical fiction for February 2024'

THE ESSEX SERPENT MEETS AMMONITE IN THE STUNNING HISTORICAL NOVEL EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT:

'Singular and astonishing . . . I've never met a character quite like Ada' ANNIE GARTHWAITE
'The Bone Hunters has cemented Joanne Burn's place as one of my favourite writers' SONIA VELTON
'Joanne Burn is fast becoming my go-to historical fiction writer' EMMA CARROLL
'The Bone Hunters is that rare combination . . . beautifully written but also a gripping page-turner' LAURA SHEPPERSON


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In 1824, Lyme Regis is as tumultuous as the sea that surrounds it. When twenty-four-year-old Ada Winters - poor, peculiar and brilliant - uncovers a set of unusual fossils on the cliffs, she believes she has found the answer to her scientific frustrations and her family's financial struggles.

Meanwhile, Doctor Edwin Moyle has come to Dorset in search of the discovery that will place him amongst the greatest geologists of the age. What he finds instead is a strange young woman who seems to hold the key to everything he desires.

But what is the creature that Ada and Edwin seek to unearth? And will it lead them to greatness, or destruction?
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'Delicate and beautiful, I loved it' POLLY CROSBY
'An extraordinary book . . . I fell in love with Ada from the first page' ELIZABETH LEE
'A beautifully written tale of obsession, friendship, betrayal, ambition and love' ROZ WATKINS
'So beautifully and brilliantly written. Every word dripped with atmosphere' CAROLE MATTHEWS

Critics Review

  • An engrossing tale of a woman striving for the recognition she deserves in the face of male indifference and betrayal

    SUNDAY TIMES 'Best historical fiction of February 2024'
  • In Ada, Joanne Burn has given us a singular and astonishing heroine: a woman of strength, intelligence, resilience and resource; a woman who sees the restrictions the world would impose upon her and has the moral courage to step beyond them. Every young woman of ambition – any young woman who feels her ambition impeded either by her gender or class – should read her. I’ve never met a character in literature quite like Ada – or one I admired more. And it goes without saying that Joanne’s writing, her use of language and skilful world-building, go from strength to glorious strength.

    ANNIE GARTHWAITE, author of CECILY
  • I devoured this in a couple of days. So beautifully and brilliantly written. Every word dripped with atmosphere, I absolutely loved it.

    CAROLE MATTHEWS
  • The Bone Hunters is a beautiful and extraordinary book, bringing to life a time and place in breathtaking detail and lyrical prose. At its heart it is the story of a young woman learning to discover and embrace who she is, and find her place in an unwelcoming world. I fell in love with Ada from the first page.

    ELIZABETH LEE, author or CUNNING WOMEN
  • The Bone Hunters by Joanne Burn is that rare combination, a beautifully written book that is also a gripping page-turner. I was drawn in by the intelligence and passion of the main character, Ada Winters, and read with a growing sense of dread of the dangers, both societal and environmental, that she faces. I adored this novel. Highly recommended.

    LAURA SHEPPERSON, author of THE HEROINES
  • A wonderfully lyrical story of intrigue that spirals into obsession. Based loosely on the Victorian fossil hunter Mary Anning, the story is delicate and beautiful. I loved it.

    POLLY CROSBY, author of THE UNRAVELLING

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