Mighty Old Bones

Thistle & Twigg Mystery #2

by Mary Saums

Jane Thistle and Phoebe Twigg are as different as two best friends can be. Phoebe has never seen any reason to leave her small Southern hometown, while Jane, the urbane widow of a career military officer, has traveled all over, only recently putting down roots in Tullulah, Alabama.

At times, Tullulah can be a sleepy little town, but no one sleeps through the thunderstorm that knocks down a tree on Jane’s property and uncovers a pile of skeletal remains buried underneath. Jane has some archaeological experience, thanks to all her travels, and knows a few experts. She invites an old friend to come down to Tullulah to have a look and catch up on old times. When tests discount their best theories and point to a far more recent death, Jane and Phoebe find themselves in the midst of some strange happenings.

Mary Saums’s Mighty Old Bones, the second in this delightful series, rattles Alabama with two of the newest and unlikeliest sleuths throughout the southlands.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Paranormal, Cozy Mystery

298 pages, Hardcover

First published May 27, 2008

About the author

Mary Saums grew up in North Alabama. Her earliest memory is of her first trip to the library at age six. Both her mother and the well-meaning librarian refused to let Mary check out the book she wanted.Mary also writes poetry and short fiction.

Reviews

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book. The two main characters Jane and Phoebe are strong females with the conviction to act against injustices. Jane Thistle is a former intelligence operative and Phoebe Twigg a retired Librarian with the knowledge that she is more than society views her as. Both ladies are widows and have been drawn to each other from their inner strengths.

Jane owns and cares for a large parcel of wooded property that has the hidden gift of being a repository of ancient artifacts from Native American tribes. She recently purchased the land next to hers and the previous owner (book one,) dies leaving her cartons labeled and numbered. These cartons contain hints of the treasures within the woods. Jane also has a 'gift' of being able to see beyond the curtain of death.

In this book, Jane quickly realizes that someone is poaching on her property and that it is crucial to stop this intrusion. Phoebe joins in and so does a fellow archeologist friend of Jane's and the adventure picks up speed and force.

This book is a novel of suspense and action. It is not a cozy, although the characters are of a cozy 'Bond' type. I do adore this book.

Ms. Saums is quite an Author and traps my attention from the first paragraph until the surprising ending. I love the touch of paranormal that is added. This book speaks to me somehow.

[Tory Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mighty Old Bones by Mary Saums is part of a series featuring amateur detective, Jane Thistle and her sidekick Phoebe Twigg. Both are "ladies of a certain age" who stumble into situations that require both their detecting abilities and their expertise in weapons. This would probably be considered a "cozy" as the language and violence are pretty tame. Jane is an expert in archeology as well as assault weapons, a rather unlikely combination and Phoebe is a retired librarian with an equally intense interest in weapons. Quirky, but many may like it.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good mystery, and really needed something light right now. This fit the bill. Two old ladies, one a gun-toting former spy and the other a Southern Belle with a passion for action flicks, find themselves their own bit of action when a storm blows over a tree and uncovers a skeleton.

I could have done without the last chapter, in which the author goes on for a bit about the possibility of white men being in America earlier than currently documented. But - it was an easy, fun read.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

A library find. Second read April 2024.
Great mystery.
Well written.
Interesting characters.
A fun light read.

[Cornerofmadness · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't read the first book in the series and I have to admit, this book didn't exactly entice me to go find it. If I didn't need a book set in Alabama I wouldn't have gotten far. To be fair, Jane Thistle wasn't bad. I liked her well enough but this is told in alternating first person and Phoebe Twigg was just awful. She added absolutely nothing. If you removed her chapters, you would lose not a single clue and from a storytelling standpoint that's a giant failure.

Also this isn't a mystery. I'm sorry, it just isn't. There isn't even a hint of mystery until over 100 pages in when a storm knocks down a tree and we see the titular old bones. The only other thing that happened was Jane was mugged and her purse stolen (and yet mysterious still goes on to have her hair done and bought books, with what I'm not sure) and her house is robbed. But she doesn't investigate this. In fact she lies to the cops because her deceased husband had illegal weapons and some were stolen. It's only about fifty pages from the end that we have a hint something is going on with the dig site around those old bones which they think could be Native American (but aren't).

I hated Phoebe. She was a dog hater to the point of dragging out scripture to talk about dominion over animals and predictably after a dog is dumped on her, she turns into a dog lover. But what really set my teeth on edge was in her very first chapter she talked about knocking someone cross-eyed, Asian style. Thanks for the folksy racism. Later she's watching action flicks with her AK-47 which she named Smokahontas. OMG. She's playing with a semi-automatic gun (albeit unloaded but still).

But the end made me roll my eyes so hard I think I hurt something. Keep in mind these are two 60+ year old women. Jane was a spy. Phoebe a librarian. They go all Rambo on grave robbers at the end. Literally there is a picture of Phoebe doing a flying spin kick at some guy's head while holding her AK-47 and she said she learned to do it by watching Jackie Chan. I have no words for this other than I can't believe this came from an actual publishing house. I don't think I need to read more of this one.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

These two characters are so charming! It would be great to have another book about them (hint!) Jane has been entrusted with the care of a precious virgin forest. She tries to figure out how to safeguard it in perpetuity, but once again it comes under attack from unsavory characters.
A violent storm causes a lightning strike that takes down a huge old tree in the forest. Under its roots Jane and Phoebe find human skeletal remains. Forensic anthropology and archaeology mix to determine what kind of burial site and how old it is. Meanwhile Phoebe's sister dumps a little dog on her despite the fact that she doesn't like dogs. The sweet little dog turned out to be a beautiful little female that managed to break down Phoebe's aversion. Strange events happen with Aunt Woo Woo and a Civil War era ghost, but the sweetest interaction is Boo (Jane's resident ghost) petting both of the dogs. This book, like the previous, is alternately narrated by Jane and Phoebe and has many humorous opinions, esp. from Phoebe. Thistle and Twigg should have more stories to share with readers!

[Dennis Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

After discovering the first installment in this series I couldn't wait to see just what kind of adventures Jane and Phoebe would have in the second volume of what I hope will be a very long series. Unfortunately when "Mighty Old Bones" arrived my wife snatched it before I could get to it so I had to bide my time for a while. I knew that I was going to thoroughly enjoy reading this book long before she was finished with it though because when she would retire to the library or bedroom to read I could hear her laughing hysterically. Once I finally got to read it myself I was not disappointed in the least.

As with the first book in this series the writing is crisp and the characters are extremely engaging as is the setting. This author has a gift for bringing fictional people and places to life and is very good at the art of having her characters tell the story in a nice conversational tone. Quite frankly I couldn't be more impressed and I can hardly wait for the next book in this series to come out!

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up "Mighty Old Bones" by Mary Saums in a library benefit sale. It was a relaxing and much needed read during a short turbulent period in real life. Enjoyed it so much, I plan to check out Books #1 and #3 of this same series. Relatable for those of us ladies now in middle age or more, it was a humorous and believable tale, providing a lovely light escape over a period of a few weeks. This is a medium size book that you can read straight through, or it works if you need to pick it up and down when life demands it.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the friendship between Jane and Phoebe. And Jane's passion to be a steward of the land was admirable. On the other hand, the story was way to unbelievable for me in many ways. Ghosts, phone calls from long-dead people, mysterious blue lights giving clues, and more were just too many circumstances contributing to the solving of the mystery. And there were a few "holes" in the story where things just didn't add up. Still, for those who enjoy a fantasy, some of it was charming.

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this story of Jane, a retired government worker who sees paranormal things. She has recently inherited a house and a forested land of ancient origins. And, she feels about the land in a way that I can identify with easily.

She has a friend, Phoebe, who would drive me up a tree personally, but who is a counterfoil for Jane in a delightful, wish I could slap her, sense.

Oh, what fun this cozy read was! Looking forward to the next book.

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was good technically as in there were not typos galore. But the plot had holes, and there were serious continuity problems. For example, Jane overhears the bad guys say they would do "it" tonight but it was two nights later before "it" occurred. This is one of several examples of continuity problems. I still have issues with the characters and the premise of the series but this is the end of the series so it doesn't matter anymore.

[Lisa Cobb Sabatini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mighty Old Bones: A Thistle and Twigg Mystery by Mary Saums is a fun cozy mystery with a touch of the supernatural. Set in a small town in Alabama, this series has all the things that make cozy mysteries so enjoyable: quirky characters, an interesting setting, and a well-written whodunit. Fans will want to read all the books in this series.

[Susie James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished enjoying Mary Saums's whimsical mystery, "Mighty Old Bones", which I discovered on the used book shelf at Turn Row in Greenwood, Miss., for $4 recently. Hey, try it out -- see whether you might be persuaded Welshmen of ancient times landed on the rugged lands near our heroines' home in small town Alabama!

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unexpected archaeological find reveals a human body. Jane Thistle and Phoebe Twigg are determined to find out more and end up involved in unanticipated danger. That is basically the story line, however Jane and Phoebe are gray haired retired women with guns! Although I did like the story the idea of anyone owning an illegal gun collection put me off.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and a delightful read.

[Marseydoats · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this and hope that Jane and Phoebe will have more adventures.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice to pass the time

[Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Jane Thistle and Phoebe Twigg are as different as two best friends can be. Phoebe has never seen any reason to leave her small Southern hometown, while Jane, the urbane widow of a career military officer, has traveled all over, only recently putting down roots in Tullulah, Alabama.
At times, Tullulah can be a sleepy little town, but no one sleeps through the thunderstorm that knocks down a tree on Jane’s property and uncovers a pile of skeletal remains buried underneath. Jane has some archaeological experience, thanks to all her travels, and knows a few experts. She invites an old friend to come down to Tullulah to have a look and catch up on old times. When tests discount their best theories and point to a far more recent death, Jane and Phoebe find themselves in the midst of some strange happenings."


I just didn’t care for this one, both characters write in the first person and each chapter seems to be by a different one, making it often hard to figure out which one was doing whatever. The mystery didn’t begin until way too far in the book, just found boring and awful slow reading!

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second in the Thistle and Twigg series, this one is a worthy successor. Jane Thistle, military widow with some secret skills of her own, is settling in to her inheritance of a wilderness in northwest Alabama. Cal Prewitt, the aged recluse who left her the land, has also left her boxes of information about it, and after opening Box #2, she is lead to the discovery of some old bones and other artifacts. She calls in Michael, an old friend and archaeologist, to help with the "dig," and of course Phoebe Twigg gets involved too. Unfortunately, some not-so-nice folks are also interested in the site. Jane and Phoebe, with some supernatural help, foil their plans. The book is set at Hallowe'en time, with fun provided by Phoebe's library Hallowe'en party and also by the Lhasa Apso Phoebe's irresponsible sister has left with her. The characters of Jane and Phoebe continue to develop and the author's love for the land and people of northwest Alabama shine through. Excellent for people who like traditional mysteries with a bit of "woo-woo."

[Sheila Beaumont · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Mary Saums' second delightful Thistle & Twigg mystery, two friends, Jane and Phoebe, with their contrasting personalities, take turns narrating the tale. Phoebe, a widow and retired librarian, has always lived in her hometown of Tullulah, Alabama, while the more sophisticated Jane has not only lived all over the world with her late husband, the Colonel, but has experience in archaeological digs and espionage, and a knowledge of martial arts, not to mention the Colonel's extensive collection of armaments.

You might call this a Southern action cozy, complete with assault rifles, such as Phoebe's smaller ladies' version of an AK-47, an AK-46 1/2 she calls "Smokahontas." There's a supernatural element too. Plus two lovable dogs! It all adds up to an entertaining read with engaging characters and a well-told story.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a surprise! This book was a thousand times better than the first one! I had decided to read it quickly so I could swap it on PBS.com, but it ended up being pretty entertaining. I get so sick of books that tie in supposed Indian history, when so much of it is just made up politically correct nonsense. In this one, the characters discover a dig site which turns out to be Caucasian, as would actually mesh with real history. The only problem is that in real life, the archaeologists would have their dig stolen from them from the Indian council anyway, just like the Kennewick man, since they must fake their protected status at all costs. Good fiction though.

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

The contrasting viewpoints between Phoebe and Jane add an interesting element to this mystery series. In this case, a bad storm hits the little town of Tallulah and one of the old trees on Mrs Thistle's property is knocked over. It reveals an old skeleton.

Surprisingly, this is not the murder victim (yes, there is one). Instead it's an archaeological discovery. Mrs. Thistle contacts the proper authorities; local Cherokee tribe and an archaeological contact from her days of working on digs around the world.

[Shana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another installment of Jane Thistle and Phoebe Twigg's adventures. There's a lot more to Jane than meets the eye, which makes it amusing and interesting. In this adventure (a mere 8 weeks after she's moved to this new town), Jane and Phoebe find bones where a tree has uprooted. I love how the spirits help out -- through blue auras or with a phone call!

I was intrigued by the ending of this story. The eventual answer to who the bones belong to is a possibility I've never heard of -- is it pure fiction or based on some theory???

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Jane Thistle and Phoebe Twigg's unlikely friendship as much as I like the inhabitants of their town of Tullulah. The Bones mystery was very interesting, with archealogical twists, Native American and pre-Colmubus information. Sadly, the Mary Saums website is gone! Excessive googling finds her listed at all sorts of mystery websites, but I cannot find any future references for Thistle and Twigg. That's too bad because they make a fine pair and I would continue to read their adventures.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great second book! I'm a fan of alternating protagonists; this one changes point-of-view between the two women by chapter. The paranormal and historical aspects were terrific, though I was put off a bit by the emphasis on guns.
I recommend reading Thistle & Twigg first for context, but this series continues to look quite promising.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in a fun & unusual mystery series set in Alabama. I enjoyed all the elements of the story, the friendship between Jane & Phoebe, the hint of the supernatural, the southern setting & the unusual aspects of Jane's history. It would be much improved if the dogs were replaced with cats, which is my only quibble.

[Mascanlon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the new series from Mary Saums. I had the same experience, I didn't like it going in but somehow the charm of the characters, the good plotting and writing and by the middle of the book I'm satisfied. And amusing cozy w that is full of paranormal twists. Oh and did I say its Southern too!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even more enjoyable than the first book, the continued adventures (and misadventures) of Jane and Phoebe will bring a smile to the face of the reader. I can't help but envision Helen Mirren and Shirley MacLaine as Jane and Phoebe as these two "mature" women from different worlds join together to bring down the bad guys. More, please!!!!!

[Nancy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, even though it didn't quite grab me the way the first one in the series did. I like it that the main characters have surprising traits and personalities, and that (SPOILER here) one was a former spy. The theme of the book in terms of the archeological find is interesting, also, especially the part about how Caucasians could have been here before Columbus. An interesting read.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a difficult time with each chapter alternating which sister is telling the story. Every time I really started to settle into the story, the next chapter would come up and I would need to acclimate myself to reading the story through the other sister's viewpoint. I would have enjoyed to story more without all that.