To the Bone

David Wolf #7

by Jeff Carson

Chief Detective David Wolf’s son has a new girlfriend, and when she discovers her father—a well known man in ancient fossils trade circles—has been murdered, she and the rest of her shattered family turn to Wolf to bring them justice.

With the help of a small town sheriff and a retired police dog named Jet, Wolf follows the clues to a dig site in northwest Colorado, where secrets have been entombed for eons, and people are dying to keep them that way.

In a place where killing monsters are buried under the earth, it becomes clear there are still some roaming topside, and in this suspense-filled seventh installment of the David Wolf series, Wolf must keep his wits or his bones will be found next.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Ebooks, Mystery Thriller

362 pages, ebook

First published August 9, 2015

About the author

Jeff Carson is from the Front Range of Colorado where he lives with his wife and two sons. His David Wolf series of books takes place in the fictional ski town of Rocky Points, Colorado.

Reviews

[Michael Slavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

90% of the reviews are 4 and 5 stars (true of all of his books)

I said this before:
“I love this series because I know the people; it’s in a beautiful place, a ski resort in Colorado, and the characters keep developing as they all grow in the timeline.”

Some key points:
-David Wolf (the hero) is still the Chief Detective and happy. (Was the Sheriff)
-A U.S. Senator paid $1,000,000 in cash in a for dinosaur bones
-Dinosaur Bone Broker murdered
-Bones and cash both disappeared (stolen)
-A murdered broker is nice guy everyone likes and father of David Wolf’s girlfriend
-University professors, good guys or bad guys
-You experience going to a dinosaur excavation site in Colo.
-You get to meet a different sheriff in another county, who used to own the land the dinosaur was found on (might be something going on there) His daughter is a problem too.
-Lots of things going on, keeps you engaged and it was very good.

-And David Wolf got a dog, Jet. He is a retired military dog, still with a lot of skills for an old dog and with smelly farts.

Felt like another adventure with friends. I’m ready to read the next book in the series. (5 more to go if he doesn’t get one out before I finish.)

Strongly recommend this book and the series.

Mike Slavin
Author of award-winning thriller Kill Crime

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn’t like dinosaurs? The father of his teenage son’s girlfriend is murdered, and Detective David Wolf is led to a dinosaur dig in Colorado, where some strange things have been happening. I haven’t previously read anything in this series, but liked the setting and the characters, and loved the allosaurus.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy a David Wolf book, this here is number 7. Wolf’s son’s girlfriend (we’re talking 15 and 16 here) Cassidy arrives home from a sleepover to find her father shot dead on the driveway. Detective Wolf gets the call out. Just as he’s assessing the scene a car rocks up, Some Senator who came to buy some dinosaur bones. Cassidy’s dad is a well known broker. Okay, it works for me. Footprints indicate two attackers but also two potential victims. So who else was there?

The bones (obviously missing) were supposedly from a private dig in Utah. Wolf sets off to Utah and hooks up with the local Sheriff. There they find two digs, two groups of suspects, lots of inconsistencies, lots of lies and more bodies. And a whole lot of intrigue. A good solid story in this series.

[Trish R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good David Wolf book! This one was about murder and the discovery of 2 dinosaur skeletons found in Colorado and the people who tried to sell one set secretly and the 4 or 5 people who were killed over it.

This is the 7 book I’ve read about David Wolf and I’ve enjoyed every one of them.

There was no romance and the F-bomb was used 4 times.

As to the narration: Sean Patrick Hopkins does a great job with the voices, the females have gotten much better, but I wish he’d read with a little more emotion. He’s kind of monotone through the entire book. Everyone sounds rather bored all the time.

[Eric Wadsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great David Wolf investigation, this time taking him away from his home town after the father of his son's new girlfriend is found dead. A murder of an unlikely folding, due to a dinosaur fossil trade gone south. The fossil deal included a US Senator, University of Utah students, and University Professors. All sparked by greed, fame, and of course, money.

Wolf goes to small town (and let's not forget his new four-legged stinky companion - Jet) to uncover the truth about the dinosaur bone dig site(s). Working with local sheriff, Wolf and his team back home, end up following the leads of the rental truck, the numerous skeletal remains, and ultimately, the stealthy cover-ups by the murderer to make it look like someone else was behind it!

Throw in some scandalous behavior with the Sheriff's daughter and dig site students, this book has it all. Adventure, suspense, thrill... it was a great book in the series and didn't disappoint.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two-haiku review:

Son's friend's dad murdered
Dinosaur bones and money
Where did bones come from?

Interesting plot
Some new characters join cast
Enjoyed it a lot

[Satrajit Sanyal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books and can't wait to get the next one. I was pleasantly surprised to see the hero in this one David Wolf did not get injured. Now I am in hopes Carson will at least let him have a chance at some peace and a good relationship with both his son and a romantic partner. The characters are becoming well developed and seem to be people I would like being around.

Please keep up the good work I like to dive into books that hold my interest and have a nice mystery. With Carson's books I appreciate the clean story line and the minimum of bad language and long tedious sexual relationships. So many pages filled with graphic sex means the writer has nothing to say and can't add to the story line. Jeff Carson's books leave all that stuff out because he does have a a lot to say. This one was a little too short. Sonow I have to wait for the next one. Thanks for a really good book Mr. Carson.

[Twobchelm · Rating 4 out of 5]

No murder is the same and this was an odd one! The scenarios are all so different and interesting.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

To The Bone by Jeff Carson is an interesting read. I received this book as a free e-book via Amazon.com. The title promises creepiness, and I was pleasantly surprised that it centers on archaeology and dinosaur digs. This is my first David Wolf mystery, and when I saw this is #7, I was a bit leery. There was no need to fret because this novel did well as a stand-alone, and it did not leave me hanging over an excavation pit.

I enjoyed the journey of the read. The characters are believable, and there are twists and turns that made the ride exciting. When I am able to sit back and jump into the author's world without much effort, I call that good writing. I look forward to reading more Jeff Carson, and if not for the free e-book, I may never have read him. Jeff Carson has a new fan.

Thank you for the enjoyable read.

Content: Violence: There is violence, but not in your face blood and gore. There are homicides, but we do not experience the killing.
Sex: There are allusions to sexual activity, but no graphic sexual activity.

Would I read this author again: Yes
Would I recommend this series? Yes
Would I recommend this author to others? Yes.

[booksthrubifocals · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth your time.

"To the Bone" was a multi-layered novel. The police procedural/mystery wasn't terribly suspenseful or rapidly moving, but the author invested a lot into the main characters and their relationships. David Wolf once a sheriff of a smaller county is now a detective after his former county was joined to another. He and his son, Jack are still getting back on their feet after the loss of his wife. When Jack's girlfriend's father is shot, Wolf is in charge of finding the culprit. A student in a local archeological dig disappears and other students become suspect in an illegal procurement and sale of dinosaur bones off a protected site. Wolf's sensitivity to others, bring out nuances of individual struggles and the reader is drawn into the inner workings of this small community surrounding Wolf and how they are influenced by each other. The reader is drawn into the microcosm of characters and unite with Wolf as he evaluates and disregards one suspect following another. The plot was complex with sufficient red herrings to hold your interest, although I read it over the course of a week, rather than a single sitting as is my usual approach, the holidays may have had a bit of influence in that regard.

[Susan Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paleontology is the last topic I would expect Detective Wolf to weave into a crime scene up in the Rockies but why not? Any where there’s treasure there’s greed and man’s avarice will lead to crime. This is a very complex plot with so many twists & turns I almost want to date you sleuth solvers among you to try and figure this one out! Loved it! And of course now Detective Wolf has his aromatic side kick ‘Jet’ that we learn about biological functions of ‘older German Shepards’ I never knew! Now that’s TMI for me Jeff! Lol

[Tulay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good story.

Reading this series and David Wolf is like catching up with your favorite uncle couple times a year. But he should carry some cold water for a priceless dog Jet with him. Dinosaur Quarry, Allosaurus Fragilis bones, murders and million dollar sales. Some politics, beautiful mountain top ceremony.

[Anne Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay read

I thought his first 2 books were the best of the series so far. The characters were more developed in this book but I found some of the dialogue stilted and forced, like the author was trying to squeeze personal tidbits in but it really didn't fit the scene. Will wait for the next installment.

[Carlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up in Colorado where fossils are a common sight and I know people collected them (like arrowheads and stone axes from early inhabitants of the region). But I never really thought about fossils as being a valuable commodity until a few years ago when I learned of Sue, a 90% complete tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, brought $8.36 million when she was sold at auction by Sotheby's in 1997. Of course the location of the find is vital. The United States’ Bureau of Land Management prohibits any commercial collection from public lands, but does allow collecting for personal use. University Paleontology/Anthropology/Archeology Departments send students out to digs to find artifacts and fossils for their collections, for science and not for financial gain. (Note: I majored in Anthropology at Colorado State University.)

This David Wolf mystery is centered around a University of Utah sponsored dig in Western Colorado near Dinosaur National Monument. Greed dictated what a professor decided when he and his students discovered two nearly intact rare dinosaur skeletons, and he decided to sell one of them commercially through a "fossil broker" in Rocky Points where Wolf is a detective. The broker was found murdered and the skeleton missing. Wolf's teenage son Jack is romantically involved with the broker's daughter.

The story was exciting and drew me into the plot with characters in the Sheriff's Office I've grown to care about (this is the 2nd Davis Wolf mystery I have read). It included the teenage daughter of the neighboring County Sherŕif making two single parent fathers dealing with family relationships to complicate the two jurisdictions working together to solve the mystery. I did not guess the murderer until close to the end and several more murders had occured. I certainly could relate to the difficulty of policing a very large area where cell phone coverage is spotty at best!

I highly recommend this book.

[Dave Weller · Rating 4 out of 5]

To the Bone was book seven in the David Wolf series, and I read the first six. I blasted through this book in three days, and I really enjoyed it. Wolf is the lead detective for Sluice-Byron County, now that the two police forces of each got combined. His boss is Sheriff William MacLean, the previous sheriff of the other county and a much more politically oriented individual. Heather Patterson and Tom Rachette remain as stalwart deputies from Wolf's previous staff, and there is an uneasy blend with MacLean's team members, Barker and Mumford. Wolf's son, Jack, is now fifteen years old, and he is dating Cassidy Frost. Near the start of the book Cassidy's father is murdered, and this leads the Rocky Point police team into an investigation involving dinosaur fossils. The plot moves along in a crisp manner, and I once again enjoyed the interplay among the main characters. The main plot is always interesting, but I was also captivated by the ongoing developments in the lives of Wolf, his son, Patterson and Rachette. I anxiously await book eight.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, Fast-Paced Read

I enjoyed this small-town police procedural written by new-to-me author Jeff Carson. Although this is book #7 in the David Wolf series, I didn’t have problems reading it as a stand-alone. I especially liked the dinosaur dig storyline that was set in a hot, arid wilderness area of Colorado.
This mystery is complex and well-plotted with good side stories, but the characters made the story come to life. I wanted to follow these characters. Other pluses: no familial melodrama, no gratuitous sexcapades, and no OTT language that I noticed (my tolerance for bad language is middling to high).
For a shortish book, there were a lot of characters, but unlike some other character-heavy books, I was able to mentally separate them into groups: 1)Wolf’s civilian family/friends/victims, 2) Wolf’s police colleagues, 3) other towns’ police, and 4) dinosaur & fossil fiends.
I will seek out other books in this mystery series.

[Jerry Walch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the second time that I've read To The Bone (David Wolf, #7) . When you read as many books as I do, all the titles begin to run together, so I didn't realize that I had already read this wonderful book until after I started to read it again. Fast paced, great story line, wonderful characters, and snappy dialogue. Like I said in my previous review of this book, the only thing that kept me from giving it a five star rating was the fact that the author uploaded the manuscript as a fully justified text which made for difficult reading. Even the rankest beginner knows that a book manuscript should be left-justified--even left margin, ragged right margin. I guess that no one has pointed this out to Jeff and this is the 7th book in the David Wolf series. Still a really neat action packed mystery and well worth reading.

[Linda Galella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Choppy

is about the only way I can really describe this book. While I appreciated the short chapters, they were so truncated that it felt like driving in stop n go traffic on an 8 lane expressway. Maybe it’s because this is the only book from this series I have read, but I needed to know more about the characters. It’s very hard to be invested in a story when little is understood about the intended recipients of care and attention. There is not a lot else to garner support in this book. Details about archeology are few and the mystery was woefully inept, but, the spelling and grammar were good. That, my reading friends, is a rarity in today’s instant, ebook nightmare, publishing panacea.

[Tom Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff Carson has really hit the nail in "To the Bone". The format and style seem to be much better about moving from one set of characters fighting their demons of crime to another but blending much smoother and not distracting from the latest characters that the reader in leaving. D. Wolf seems to come down off of his superman pedestal and is much more human as he strugles to recover his son's love and respect. Many men have gone through similiar circumstances in dealing with 'nearly adult' sons and will certianly 'feel' this relationship. BTW, how does Carson keep coming up with such interesting and intreging plots? I don't know the answer, but I trust that he can maintain the high bar.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading this series and I didn't start with book 1. But I didn't feel like I couldn't follow the storyline starting so far into the series. David Wolf is a cop in Colorado. He is a widower with a teenage son. His son's girlfriend find's her father murdered and the dinosaur bones that he was selling are missing. Lots going on - raising a son by himself, keeping his team working smoothly, working with out of town departments, forest fires raging nearby. And Wolf has a flatulent, retired police dog which made me chuckle several times. Good story! And I think I would very much enjoy finding the rest of the series. So many books, not enough time.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing Mystery

To the Bone is an intriguing investigation that leads Detective David Wolf to a different county to chase a dangerous murderer. Although a very well told mystery, this book isn't as pulse pounding as some. But it is still classic Wolf, and is a great book.

My favorite part was the introduction of the new character, Jet. A retired police dog from Vail is now a part of David and Jack's small family. Jet has a few quirks that are funny, and one that stinks. But retired or not, Jet is a courageous German shepherd that adds so much to the book. My new favorite character!

[Patches Deese · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the David Wolf series. There is a great core of continuing characters that continue to develop. Then there are the single book characters that are interesting as well. There is a solid plot with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. The murderer is not obvious. I thought this was a good Wolf novel. Not quite as good as Smoked Out where Wolf was fighting for his life and seriously injured. But still To The Bone is a solid murder mystery. I'm sorry to find that there is only one more published Wolf novel to read and hope that Carson is writing quickly! I suggest reading these books in order to better understand and appreciate the characters.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehhh...I don't know. Maybe it was the story revolving around dinosaur bones that let me down a little bit or the lack of action. The seventh installment to the David Wolf series was mostly investigating and interviewing. There was no action whatsoever that I can recall. This book didn't even build on the "Wolf Universe" as we might call it. No building of the Wolf family. No structural changes to the Sheriff's Office. Minimal changes to the Sheriff's Office staff (Patterson gets married). The whole story just doesn't keep up with the first six books of the series. I'll keep reading in hopes that author Jeff Carson gets back to true form with his later entries to the series.

[Murrel Lowry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Headline

Once again. Nicely done by author Jeff Carson. From the opening page I was hooked. David Wolf had his work cutout for him and me along with him as I'm trying to check out my detective skills. Believe me when I say Jeff Carson and David Wolf do not have to worry about me being on the scene. I'll leave that to the good guys. Now for the 8th book in the series. I always have to have more. And thank you Jeff Carson. I definitely appreciate your efforts for people like me.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting Better (?)

I applaud the author’s “new” habit of actually finishing the story being written, before starting a new book; it’s a much better philosophy to keep the reader interested.

The geology and geography described in Book #7 was difficult to keep up with, and it seemed like some parts of the story were short-changed before Wolf came up with his conclusions. And, the shooting capabilities near the end of the book are considered highly unlikely to me, if you consider the shooting that had occurred earlier in the story.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A JC. Mystery Action Thriller (DWB. - 7)/Ancient Burial Site/ Murder /A Dog Named Jet/Unwelcome Sprelunking

JC. has. penned the seventh novel of the David Wolf series, which includes a visit to an Ancient Burial Site, which happens to be underground, shortly after a famous professor is murdered. The family of the murdered man want justice and asked DW. for assistance. What the people are unaware of is DW. does not like Sprelunking.
However he acquires a cadaver dif, named Jet for assistance. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS

[Jackson Gates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven’t written as many reviews for this series as I normally do, but I’m very much enjoying them. The last couple have been some of my favorite books of the year, and this one was still solid. Dropped to 4 stars solely because I didn’t love the plot and I don’t really enjoy when Wolf is out of Rocky Points with less communication with his team.

I think the author has done a fantastic job developing this series on all levels and keeping them fresh— something that can be difficult in a detective thriller.

I highly recommend this series to anyone.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character is a excellent cop but stinks in any kind of personal relationship. When he’s on a case he has tunnel vision he hardly eats or sleep and fails to keep his 14 yr old son posted on what he is doing. I don’t think he will ever have a lasting relationship job is first and all else doesn’t come close to comparing. If would be interesting to see this character’s personality advance.

[Sheena BZA · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one I enjoyed because of the subject. I did find it a bit predictable and although the twist was there I feel the chapter about the reason for the murder even though no names were mentioned spoilt the end...I knew within a couple of pages who "done it".
All the crew is there, developing from the last story with a new 'bad boy' Barker who takes on the role of internal antagonist.
Again a quick light and enjoyable weekend read.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book of Carson’s I’ve read. It’s a solid, enjoyable murder mystery story. Main characters are likeable so you care about what happens. The rest of the characters are described just enough so they are all distinct and interesting. Prose never gets in the way of enjoying the story. Setting and subject matter are all interesting. If you like murder mystery genre there’s a lot to enjoy here. I’ll definitely be seeking to read more of his books.