Game of Bones by Carolyn Haines

Game of Bones

by Carolyn Haines

Series: Sarah Booth Delaney #20
Series Rating:
Published by Minotaur Books on May 14, 2019
Genres: Private Investigator Paranormal Southern Mystery
Pages: 370
Format: Hardcover
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Book Depository
Also in this series: Sticks and Bones, Charmed Bones, Clacking Bones, A Gift of Bones , The Devil's Bones, Enchanted Bones, A Garland of Bones, Independent Bones, Lady of Bones, Bones of Holly, Tell-Tale Bones

The next charming mystery from Carolyn Haines featuring spunky southern private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney.

When a ritually murdered corpse is discovered at the new-found Native-American temple site smack in the middle of Sunflower County, Mississippi, the archaeology crew on the dig is immediately under suspicion -- with particular focus on its handsome, flirtatious leader, Dr. Frank Hafner. So when Sheriff Coleman Peters closes in on him, Hafner does the only logical thing: he hires the Delaney Detective Agency to clear his name.

Rumors swirl around Mount Salla, the burial mound created centuries before by the local Native tribes, and no one is sure what the site contains -- bones, pottery, treasures, or a curse -- but the victims start to add up. Sarah Booth and her partner, Tinkie, have too many likely suspects to whittle down the list. It's a race against time once Sarah Booth's resident ghost, Jitty, in the guise of various Native American warrior women, points to the waxing of the coming Crow Moon as the time of maximum danger.

Death and mystery cloak the site, and Sarah Booth isn't sure who to trust or what to believe. But she won't rest until she's dug up the truth.

Game of Bones by Carolyn Haines is impressive. Ms. Haines never seizes to surprise me, and she always has my full attention.

Will Sarah Booth and Tinkie figure out who killed the two women before their loved ones are hurt?

Three individuals have warned Sarah Booth that on the night of the Crow Moon, she and her loved ones will be in danger. She tries to keep everyone safe, but her friends just aren’t cooperating with the objective. Coleman is the worst. He and Sarah Booth are so much alike.

The Mystery

We have the murders of a college professor and a private investigator as a local archeology dig in an untouched Native American Mound Burial ground. The excavation is funded by multiple investors, with a professor, Dr. Frank Hafner, and his student from Michigan. They are going about their business when a second professor, Dr. Sandra Wells, and students from the same Michigan college show up. I found this similar to the old claim jumpers back in the day. Dr. Wells isn’t very professional, and everyone knows that she wants to get a television show from this dig.

Since no one like Dr. Wells, you could see why someone would want her dead. There are quite a few people on the list. The problem is what happened to the private investigator, and how are the women connected? This question is where Tinkie and Sarah Booth come in as Dr. Hafner hired them to clear his name. Our sleuths start work right away, but nothing seems right.

So, this one caught me off guard. I fell for all of the same lines that Sarah Booth and Tinkie did. This mystery is perfect; there are so many things moving around. My favorite part is, of course, Jitty and the personas of outstanding Native American women that she brings to help Sarah Booth solve the problems plaguing the dig. There is also the one spirit that finds Sarah Booth on her own to share another valuable message about the troubles that Sarah Booth is trying to figure out.

Coleman and Sarah Booth

Coleman gets shot, and Sarah Booth is supposed to be keeping an eye on him. However, Coleman is just like Sarah Booth and won’t let his deputies down. So, he keeps showing up when Sarah Booth wants him to stay away. Sound familiar? It is nice to see them happy together. Now if they could just quit ending up in the hospital. They need to make that heir for Jitty.

Five Stars

I love this series, and I found this twentieth installment as meaningful and entertaining as the others. Spending time in Zinnia, Mississippi, is always fantastic. It’s like going home to see family and friends. Therefore, my rating for Game of Bones by Carolyn Haines is five stars.

I highly recommend this book and the rest of the Sarah Booth Delaney series. It has everything, mystery, romance, a touch of paranormal, horses, dogs, a cat, friendship, with a few current events, historical images, and that southern Carolyn Haines flare that you can only get from her books.

Other Books in the Series

Coming in May!

Sarah Booth and Cece are in Lucedale, Mississippi, where the newly-pregnant Tinkie is treating her friends to a girls’ weekend at the fabulous new Bexley B&B. The facials, organics, food, and fitness coaches are supposed to be phenomenal. Still, Tinkie’s primary aim is to attend the Sunrise Easter Services at the incredible Palestinian Gardens, a miniature Holy Land that spreads over 20 acres and has recreations of all parts of Jerusalem—and to speak with the Biblical scholar, gardener, and creator of the Palestinian Garden Daniel Reynolds.

After waking up at the crack of dawn for the service, the three friends wander around the gardens, taking in the wonder of entire cities in miniature and the acres of the Holy Land, with the River Jordan winding through it all. The day is brightening when they find themselves at the Mount of Olives—with a dead body.

Daniel identifies the dead man as local lawyer Perry Slay, who was well known for his sly and underhanded dealings and had plenty of people out for his blood. When Erick Ward, a local pharmacist, is arrested, Sarah Booth takes the case.

As the bodies pile up like a pillar of salt and the suspect list grows as long as the River Jordan, Sarah Booth, Cece, and Tinkie must resurrect the truth before their own lives—and that of Tinkie’s unborn child—are endangered.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Game of Bones by Carolyn Haines. If you are looking for reviews for this series, there are links at the top of the page.

Until the next time,

 

This Guest Review is for Baroness’ Book Trove. 

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