White Bones by Graham Masterton.

This book was originally called 'A Terrible Beauty' but was renamed 'White Bones' for UK readers.  It tells the story of modern day ritualistic killings which follow on from the discovery a large quantity of human remains believed to have been buried many years ago.

Set in Ireland, we meet Detective Katie Mcguire for the first time and follow her on a journey trying to solve these horrific crimes.  When I say the crimes are horrific, prepare yourself for some very gruesome and detailed descriptions of the killings (and the torture which takes place before the deaths) it's not something I normally read and I can't say I enjoyed those parts of the book.  There are lots of characters in the book but not too many that it becomes confusing trying to keep track of everyone.

There are plenty of moments when you wonder who the murderer is and some intriguing twists and turns.

As long as you're prepared for the gory details, this is a fast paced, dark and disturbing thriller of a book, and a book worth reading.

The back page blurb:

One wet November morning, a field on Meagher's Farm gives up the dismembered bones of eleven women. In this part of Ireland, unmarked graves are common. But these bones date to 1915, long before the Troubles. What's more, these bones bear the marks of a meticulous executioner. These women were almost certainly skinned alive.

Detective Katie Maguire, of the Cork Garda, is used to dead bodies. But this is wholesale butchery. Her team think these long-dead women are a waste of police time. Katie is determined to give them justice.

And then a young American tourist goes missing, and her bones, carefully stripped of flesh, are discovered on the same farm. With the crimes of the past echoing in the present, Katie must solve a decades-old ritualistic murder before this terrifying killer strikes again.

Title: White Bones (aka. A Terrible Beauty)
Author: Graham Masterton