Bone Appetit

Flint & Co Paranormal Investigations #5

by Rachel Ford

I’m a magic-wielding Freak. My partner Flinty Jack is a sentient skeleton. We’re Flint & Co Paranormal Investigations.

Things are going well. I mean, sure, our short-term squatter seems to have turned into a perma-resident. And yeah, there are rumors that an undead serial killer might have set his sights on us next.

But work is steady, and the agency is finally on solid footing. Until one of Nat’s plaintiffs, head chef of an up-and-coming local restaurant, decides to bail on a rock solid case. She doesn’t believe he left willingly, and her firm asks us to take the case. Unpaid.

We don’t have the manpower, and we’re not doing well enough for charity cases yet. But saying no isn’t really an option. Not when it’s my fiancée asking.

So now we’re up to our eyeballs in work, trying to track down an un-missing person. Except the deeper we dig, the more it looks like someone went to a whole lot of trouble to cook up a story of the chef with cold feet…

Genres: Paranormal

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2024

About the author

Rachel Ford lives in beautiful Central Wisconsin. She is a programmer, who works in everything from SQL to .NET to Cisco CVP and IVR. Her latest foray into new and exciting things has been developing custom Java plugins for CVP applications.
Rachel also enjoys recreating historically authentic jewelry, and mixing historical recreations with fantasy elements to create exciting new pieces.
When not designing jewelry or tinkering with computers, Rachel spends her time writing and reading science fiction and fantasy.

Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flint & Co Paranormal Investigations is finally hitting its stride, with plenty of paying work coming in. So when Nat's firm asks for free help in locating a client who appears to have gone missing, Flinty Jack is less than keen. Jill, on the other hand, can no more refuse her fiancee than she can change her Freak status.
Agreeing to look into it while her partner continues with the paid work, Jill finds she has assistance after all - from Meryatum, the Egyptian pharaoh mummy who seems to have invited himself to become a member of the team.
Did the young zombie chef go missing voluntarily or not? That's the initial challenge. Oh, and keeping up with Meryatum's insatiable need for coffee and snacks.
I love the humour that winds through these books, and this one has some really hilarious exchanges between Meryatum and his companions. His obsession with films and TV shows adds to the fun.
The mystery thickens as the story gets going, with unexpected complications that add to the tension and danger for all. Descriptions are so vivid you feel as though you are looking over the character's shoulder, excellent dialogue, and real emotion to relate to. The plot races towards a huge climax with tons of action and a satisfying conclusion.
Highly recommended, even if you've not read previous installments. Ford is highly adept at filling in the background without slowing the pace, although reading the previous books is where I'm off to now.

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our hero and heroine make a great detective team. Our hero brings years (well, centuries) of experience while our heroine brings a more human (living human, that is) perspective. As well as a bit of magic. But that may not be enough to find the semi-missing person that doesn't really want to be found. This seems like a no-win situation for everyone and our team might just be the biggest non-winners of them all.

This is book five of this series, but it is written as a standalone. You will be missing a bit of the backstory, but all the essential elements are covered early on.

This is an urban fantasy detective story with undead as the focus. If that sound weird and very intriguing, just wait until you start reading the story The story is well written and easy to read with a very unique setting and set of characters. Said characters are well developed and definitely give this story a unique feel. And a good bit of fun as well. The plot is well thought out and complex, keeping us guessing as to what comes next. All these elements all blend into a fantastic story that is hard to put down once you start. I am definitely looking forward to seeing more books in this series.

Highly recommended.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bone Appetit (Flint & Co Paranormal Investigations Book 5), my fifty-fifth highly enjoyable read from prolific author Rachel Ford. No matter the genre a Rachel Ford book can be counted on to be entertaining & enjoyable. A Rachel Ford read is like a visit with an old friend. This one delves into the realm of crime thrillers and is the fifth book in the Flint & Co Paranormal Investigations series. I own 58 books from this author. The problem with reading a prolific author like Ford is that you can go from reading the first book in a series in April of 2022 to reading the fifth book in the series published in January of 2024 and lose track of some of the fine details the author writes into the series. Writing over fifteen series it's possible to lose readers over these extended time frames. I love Ford's writing, some more than others but the reader might be better served if some of the storylines were completed before beginning a new storyline.“I received a free Kindle copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read all the books in this series, but it wasn’t necessary. If you are familiar with the universe, it’s easy to follow. The characters are odd and amusing with their quirks and foibles (and weirdness), and it seems like Ford enjoys writing this very improbable series. I had a good time reading this fantasy detective series book with the unusual characters. Jill is stuck with Meryatum while Flinty Jack is doing something else. This novel has a little of everything – humor, danger, mystery, heroes and villains, and a little romance between Jill and her partner Nat. While they try to figure out what happened to a missing cook and why he has completely disappeared, ordinary life (such as it is) still goes on. The twists and turns kept me reading.

I received an ARC and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars
In this 5th book in the series, bizarrely, Flint & Co Paranormal Investigations is threatening to actually make a profit, when along comes Nat to get them to take a case pro bono...
A zombie chef has gone missing just prior to a trial for unfair dismissal. So, Jill and, particularly, the mummy start searching high and low in New Boston, scouring hospitals and morgues for the errant chef.
The story takes a few twists and turns, family issues and mafia and mummies fleshing things out. A nice sense of humour flows through the tale and the characters are thoroughly engaging. A fun mystery that is well worth your time.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

in an alternative universe and timeline, the undead are back- not necessarily as they were in life

as some forces fight for their rights, like her lady love, one detective and her exceptional and partly mummified and skeletal team of detectives do the legwork: missing persons or entities , research, recoveries, and so on

they are an odd bunch, oddly loyal to each other in large part, and very determined and bizarrely skilled and talented

wild and wacky adventures, with horror, humor and surprising romance and insights

[Looby Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

The strange characters of Flint and Co are back and this time it’s to help find missing head chef, Franco. Nat’s firm are wanting to find him so despite being unpaid, Jill accepts and with the help of Meryatum, the Egyptian Mummy from the last book, they start their investigations.
As usual there are lots of twists and turns, the world building is fantastic and the humour is spot on.
Another great addition to the series.

[Marybeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful romp through a great world! The characters are familiar -- a mummy, a skeleton and a freak -- who investigate crime and avoid danger like the pros they are. This book is funny too with witty banter between the characters. The world they live in is well developed and I really like the MC Jill Wallace the intrepid private investigator who just wants to do the right thing. I would definitely recommend this one for a read. I received an ARC.

[Sharmani Jayaram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jill was a Investigator at Lyons and Natalie comes in with a new case about Franco Capriani missing . Franco had been the head chef at Giuseppe’s and grandfather of Luca Torelli who owned the restaurant. There Paranormal helpers agree to take the case and find out what had happened. Nice characters like Flinty Jack, Meryahum who are Paranormals.There is a lot of mayhem with twist and turns to make this an intriguing read.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read this author before or this series but I just had to see what was going on with this series and what I found out is that I have totally been missing out on a really good time. Damn, how did I not know about this? Really great book. Now I absolutely have to start on the first book. Wow! This was really fun.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took a while to get into this book but eventually I focused on the plot, characters and writing, forgetting the apocalyptic zombies etc, and enjoyed it. There were some laugh out loud moments, some 'yew' moments but, all in all, I found it enjoyable and the ending left me wanting to know what comes next.

[Anne V · Rating 5 out of 5]

always good

Always good to see that the last book in a series is just the latest, and there are more to come. Flint & Co — especially the and Co — really grow with the telling, the first book was good, but shaky, by the third the author really hit her pace, and the rest have been stellar. Fast paced, with a good mix of high tension and humour, these are a great read.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful story. A paranormal investigation co and a strange killer on the loose. Who actually committed this crime. There’s no stopping until the last word. Absolutely loved everything about the characters and how they solve the problem.

[Ashleigh Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great series. I just love the characters, the world built around them and also the way that, once the drama really starts heating up, it becomes really difficult to put the book down. Excellent ending too...

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So in this book in the series, they are back in New Boston. Natalie has asked them to look into the disappearance of one of her clients. There are so many twists and turns throughout the story. It was a fun read but at times it was really slow. The pace of this book felt more like the first one to me. It wasn't quite as engaging as the last two. I am looking forward to the next one. I think it will be fun with the setup at the end of this book.

[J.Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read, interesting characters and dynamics. Enjoyable.

[Peggy Babcock]

Great

I have read all of this series so far and this one just as good as the rest. Can't wait for the next one!

[Todd Bliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic fun story packed with a great storyline and awesome characters you will love this part of the series

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a magic-wielding Freak. My partner Flinty Jack is a sentient skeleton. We’re Flint & Co Paranormal Investigations Things are going well. I mean, sure, our short-term squatter seems to have turned into a perma-resident. And yeah, there are rumors that an undead serial killer might have set his sights on us next.
This is a good paranormal experience. A paranormal character has gone missing and if they can't find him who knows what will happen.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.