Them Bones by Carolyn Haines

Them Bones (Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery, #1)

by Carolyn Haines

Meet Sarah Booth Delaney, an unconventional Southern belle whose knack for uncovering the truth is about to make her the hottest detective in Zinnia, Mississippi . . . if it doesn't make her the deadest.

No self-respecting lady would allow herself to end up in Sarah Booth’s situation. Unwed, unemployed, and over thirty, she’s flat broke and about to lose the family plantation. Not to mention being haunted by the ghost of her great-great-grandmother’s nanny, who never misses an opportunity to remind her of her sorry state—or to suggest a plan of action, like ransoming her friend’s prize pooch to raise some cash.

But soon Sarah Booth’s walk on the criminal side leads her deeper into unladylike territory, and she’s hired to solve a murder. Did gorgeous, landed Hamilton Garrett V really kill his mother twenty years ago? And if so, what is Sarah Booth doing falling for this possible murderer? When she asks one too many questions and a new corpse turns up, she is suddenly a suspect herself . . . and Sarah Booth finds that digging up the bones of the past could leave her rolling over in her grave.

Reviewed by MurderByDeath on

4 of 5 stars

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I've seen this book on the bookstore shelves for years and always picked it up, but then put it back down again. The whole dog-napping bit seemed too stupid to me. But it's really such a very small part of the book - literally less than a chapter, and the rest of the story was quite good. I really enjoyed the characters - the author painted them very clearly - and the setting of the Mississippi Delta really came to life and added to the mystery of the story. I didn't see the end coming and was thoroughly, pleasantly surprised. I'm looking forward to continuing on with the series.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 8 January, 2011: Finished reading
  • 8 January, 2011: Reviewed