What is the central idea of Written in Bone?

Loss is a major theme. Nearly all of the characters are motivated, in one way or another, by loss. Each character be viewed in terms of their reactions to their circumstances. Hunter and Brody have lost their wives and daughter, although the circumstances are significantly different. Grace has lost the ability to have children. Ellen lacks a relationship with the father of her child. Fraser loses his partner, Duncan, when he is murdered during the plot. Michael's relationship nightmare has deprived him of the desire to live. The shopkeeper, Karen Tait, has lost her youth to alcoholism. The ex-fisherman Sean Guthrie has lost his fishing boat to the bank after never making enough money. Maggie's grandmother loses her granddaughter after Maggie is murdered. The small village loses its collective innocence after a series of brutal murders and nauseating disclosures. These myriad examples demonstrate the multifaceted nature of Loss. For most of these characters, the past is thick in the air, and all of their decisions must answer to it. Hunter considers his loss every time he meets a young girl. It makes his relationship with Ellen's daughter particularly emotionally significant. Brody has sacrificed everything remaining in his life in attempt to avenge the loss of his daughter. Once his efforts go terribly awry, he loses the desire to keep living, and ends his life,