Guru Bones

Sarah Booth Delaney #15.2

by Carolyn Haines

Beloved author Carolyn Haines returns to Zinnia, Mississippi, with this compelling story.

Southern-belle-turned-PI Sarah Booth Delaney is unenthusiastic at best when her friends rope her into attending a health food and lifestyle seminar. Priya Karsan, an internationally known activist, is in Zinnia for a lecture. But the lecture takes a turn for the deadly when there's a body discovered in the venue's kitchen. As Sarah Booth and her partner at the Delaney Detective Agency, Tinkie Richmond, tackle the case, Sarah Booth quickly realizes there's a lot more to Priya and her activism than meets the eye.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Short Stories, Paranormal, Humor, Cozy

72 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2015

About the author

Carolyn Haines is the USA Today bestselling author of over 70 books. In 2020, she was inducted into the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame. She was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alabama Library Association, the Harper Lee Award for Distinguished Writing, the Richard Wright Award for Literary Excellence, as well as the "Best Amateur Sleuth" award by Romantic Times. Born and raised in Mississippi, she now lives in Alabama on a farm with more dogs, cats, and horses than she can possibly keep track of.

Reviews

[Doward Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Southern Belles, Sarah Booth Delaney and Tinkie Richmond run their own detective agency in Zinnia, Mississippi. When a close friend sets them up to attend a seminar being presented by a internationally known advocate for healthy, non-GMO food. Priya is working to take down a large food conglomerate that is pushing GMO usage in many foods. When Sarah Booth finds a body wrapped up as a cocoon in a cooler at the seminar, she and Tinkie go to work to find who killed Priya. Suspects abound among their many neighbors who are using GMO foods and have ties to the corporation. Can the girls stop the spread of modified foods and prevent another friend's death. This is a wonderful series that gives us human and animal characters who work together to solve murders and uphold justice. You can read any of the books as a stand alone because there is always enough backstory so that you can follow the girls in their adventures. But, I really recommend you start at the beginning so that you can appreciate the way these characters and their lives have evolved. A series that will keep you ready to hop into the middle of the girls next investigation.

[Sassy Mystic Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow start with a strong finish
Ended up being a fun read.
love when animals are involved in solving mysteries.

[Barbara Hackel · Rating 3 out of 5]

These short between the books novellas are a welcome addition to the series. The same basic cast of characters are involved, with different additional characters and issues. This time it is about GMO enhanced farming and eating healthier foods. Sarah Booth (Sweetie Pie and Pluto) and Tinkie (Chablis) all work together to solve a pair of murders and a plane wreck without a pilot. The animals are the real heros as they work together to protect their owners.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes the Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery series. Heads up however, if you have purchased Killer Tails: 8 Pawsome Cat & Dog Cozy Mysteries; 8 Bestselling Authors, this story has already been published in that collection.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short follows the formula that the full books do. Sarah Booth is in the middle of a mystery, her and her crew figure things out while causing chaos across the county. Not a bad fast little read.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a novella that I listened to as a recording. I was not impressed. Not only do you have a group of friends that form a detective squad of sorts, the main character has a group of very perceptive pets that can find a dead body submerged in a lake, detect a hamburger that has been purposely tainted to knock out their human, and an attack by a cat on an individual that has stolen the main character's car. It is a story that tries to be current by tying into the GMO conflict, has twists and turns that you aren't supposed to see coming, and a private detective with several love interests sort of. Too much. Too far-fetched. It was background noise while I was cleaning.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zinnia, Mississippi private investigator, Sarah Booth Delaney, is not thrilled when her friends coerce her into going to a spa and a lecture by health guru, Priya Karsan. Sarah Booth likes her sugar, salt, and all things not healthy so this was the last place she wanted to be. But off she unhappily goes to The Club where the event will take place.

When she and her friend, Cece Dee Falcon who is the society editor for the Zinnia Dispatch, get there they see The Club manager, Jasper Pew, running outside asking anyone to call the police because someone was killed in the kitchen. Sarah Booth runs in and sees a woman hanging upside down with some kind of chemical on her and she’s told that the dead woman is the food guru herself, Priya Karsan.

Priya has been lecturing about the dangers of some foods and campaigning against the herbicide NoRoots that has put Gyndrex Chemical Corporation in the red. Could this chemical corporation be so angry that they would have her killed? It’s possible because Cyrus Angler, a farmer and opposer of Gyndrex, had a crop duster crash into his pumpkin field that very same day. The plane was spraying a herbicide made by Gyndrex. Since food crops weren’t treated aerially Sarah Booth find the crash to be very suspicious.

Cyrus asks Sarah Booth and her partner in the Delaney Detective Agency, Tinkie Bellcase Richmond, to investigate what happened in his field. There’s nothing that Sarah Booth and Tinkie like more is to investigate, get into trouble, and with the help of their pets solve every murder. So off they all go ready to get to the bottom of these events.

There’s also a nice little twist towards the end that was very interesting and great for for the story.

“Guru Bones” by Carolyn Haines is a 72 page novella and is just as wonderful as the previous 15 plus books she’s written in this series. Yes, I’m proud to say that I’ve read every one of them. Sarah Booth and Tinkie are just as wild and crazy as they’ve always been and their pet dogs and cat are right there by their side making sure the humans don’t do something silly like having the bad guys murder them.

I do want to mention something about author Carolyn Haines. She’s very interested in history and all her books all have some historical background in them. Usually the readers learn the history by the ghost, Jitty, who haunts Sarah Booth. Jitty appears as as historical figures to Sarah Booth thus helping her to figure things out.

Ms. Haines is also a true animal lover which is why, I suspect, all the pets in the Sarah Booth books are almost like super heroes. The animals don’t have any special powers and the things they do to help is just what other pets would do out of love but with a touch more. I like these little guys.

You’ll enjoy “Guru Bones” if you’re a fan of the Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery Series already and if you haven’t started the series yet I strongly suggest you do so as soon as possible.

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A food activist is found hanging upside down in a refrigeration unit, sprayed and encased in "something" so that she is recognized only by her long black hair hanging down. She had been protesting against the unsafe chemicals being used by a company on crops.

Sarah Booth discovers the very much alive activist being held in the home of a farmer who was also against the chemicals, but then a young man working for the company is found dead by SB's dogs in the water hole of a golf course.

As always, SB's clever pets save the day and SB gets to further subdue the bad guys by her tried and true method of bonking them on the head with whatever is handy. The cavalry in the form of Coleman, Deputy DeWayne, Tinkie, Oscar, Harold, Roscoe, Cece, and even country singer Scott arrive. Our heroine has very loyal friends who always come to her aid.

This novella is very shallow and lacks a solid story line and much of the usual humour.

[Becki Basley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guru Bones by Carolyn Haines
(A Sara Booth Delaney novella) (Rb Digital Audiobook Library Loan) First major props to Ms. Carolyn Haines for using my favorite woman in history, the Miners angel, Mary Harris Jones, quotes and story in this novella.
In this novella, the GMO dilemma is showcased and a murder because of it.

As Sara and Tinkie are kept in the dark about the details by the sheriff, coroner, and CC, it’s up to well actually the credit goes to Sweetie pie and Pluto to lead Sara to solving the case. If she hasn’t already, Carolyn should do a series based on the animals solving cases lol

[Elaine Orr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy these, and the setting and characters were as engaging as ever. If I'm reading a book in this series, it seems that the air should be humid when I walk outside. Perhaps because it's a novella, Sarah seemed to get most clues by simply talking to people. Her cat seemed to perceive danger better. I will, of course, continue the series (and am enjoying the new Pluto's Snitch series), but I'm not sure I'd try another novella.

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite entry into this series. The actual mystery of this story was pretty good, possibly could have made a full-length book. The heavy-handed anti-GMO blather (and savior-worship of the vocal anti crowd), however, was extremely off-putting and really hampered my enjoyment. That stuff doesn't take away from the mystery itself, but if you're pro-science (or have any sort of understanding of extremely basic scientific facts), it does make for some VERY cringe-worthy passages throughout.

[Terhi Tatjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this story! Sabotage in the big Ag business is such a interesting topic, I wish this one was a longer tale. Once again, the dog-cat team of Pluto and Sweetie Pie take down the bad guys, with a little help from Sarah Booth. In this one, right wins our again and corruption and murder are foiled as all are in on the game except Sara Booth and Tinki... Until the end.

Favorite Line ~ "If I had all the toxins pulled out of my body through my feet, my head would collapse. "

[Mary Corso]

I generally dislike short stories

I generally dislike short stories. The plots feel rushed and I can't get into the story. This one was quite good. I cared about the outcome and the action was constant. Still helps if you read the story before and know the relationships between the characters.

[Ashley Cate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been having some serious Sarah Booth Delaney withdrawals and these short mysteries are exactly what I need to get me through until the next full length mystery releases. These short story has a solid mystery and we still get to interact with all of our favorite characters from the series. I enjoyed this short story and can’t wait for the next full length mystery to come out.

[Amanda Holiday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Booth and her posse stumble through what looked like a double murder like a bored dog chases its tail. No results early until Sweetie Pie, Sarah's red tick hound, finds a body in a golf course pond. A short story, things move fast from then on. The conclusion is satisfying. Can't ask for more than that.

[Christy Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Southern Cozy Mystery

Even though this is a shorter story it gives you a good taste of Sarah Booth Delaney. The critters and the friends make it a wonderful read. I recommend more of the series!

[Brenda Koenig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast read. Have read all of the Sara Booth Delaney mysteries. Enjoyed this as I have others.

[Kelli Buchanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet

[Tamra Muir · Rating 1 out of 5]

same old/same old.
reads like the last 3
series is getting stale
every book starts to feel the same as prior book
sorry____

[Joggingt · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, Sarah Booth is highly creative, sexually charged and overrun by critters.

[Isabella Hardester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet. Was in a little reading slump so it's always a good time to read a mystery novel where animals come to the rescue.

[Teddi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sure wish I knew of any cats or dogs that had the kind of ESP that these ones do!
More than average cozy. I skip over the wordy/preach parts...lol

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of her better books. Too many times in the book it seemed like the author couldn't figure out how to solve a problem so, conveniently, the pets figured it out and saved the day

[Deidre Hasenbalg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good shorty

It was a good short book. It was interesting to hear about all the gmo stuff but I could have done without it haha on you the next book

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gyndrer, a large agricultural GMO company, is trying to protect itself in a serious way.

[Ann Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wasn't long enough. I can't get enough of Sarah Booth & Tinkie!

[Tomi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stretches believability beyond the breaking point.

[Marseydoats · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had put off reading this, because I didn't think it would be good. I was really wrong. I applaud anyone who has the courage to fight Big Ag and GMOs.

[Robbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun Sarah Booth Delaney story. This one dove into GMOs. I often learn a little something from these books while having fun reading them. It was another short story but a good one.

[Ricki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite Sarah Booth Delaney mystery...but I liked the sneak peek at the next full book! Still enjoyable...I am still a fan!

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️

Excellent short story! Love how Sarah Booth and Tinkie are kept in the dark. Sweetie Pie and Pluto solved this one in my book!