[1] The book "is a series of interconnected short stories [whose] narrator/protagonist is a museum archivist--neurotic, erudite, insomniac--and he and his world are both homages to and interrogations of the works of M. R. James and H. P.

[1][4] Publishers Weekly calls the book "Cerebral, ethereal and stylishly understated," an "entrancing collection will appeal to fans of literary horror, dark fantasy and supernatural mystery."

James and Algernon Blackwood, Monette reconstructs the traditional English ghost story—insinuated horror, no gratuitous sex or violence—with a decidedly modern-day approach in this laudable collection of 10 necromantic mystery stories featuring introverted museum archivist Kyle Murchison Booth."

She "strongly recommend[s] The Bone Key not just for its queer sensibilities and the questions it raises about self-definition and sexual identity, but because it treats mental illness fairly and realistically.

She does "recommend reading the best tales in the book, not necessarily in one sitting: 'The Venebretti Necklace,' 'The Wall of Clouds,' 'Elegy for A Demon Lover,' 'Wait for Me,' and 'The Green Glass Paperweight.