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THIS SERIES CAN BE READ IN ANY ORDER.

Do you worry about becoming a 'bag lady'?
So does Ollie!

Ollie has finally settled into life in Medlin Creek, Texas. However, it’s no vacation, at least financially. She must balance teaching at the community college, opening the disused oil well on her property, and kick-starting her event center business.

When the bones of beloved local, Garrick Markovich, turn up buried by the oil well, Ollie's dreams of financial stability are put in danger. Now, Ollie must uncover the secrets of tight-lipped locals to find the killer and obtain justice for Garrick.

If you love action-packed cozy mysteries with a feisty protagonist, you'll love Bitter Bones, the third book in a fun series of Ollie Stratford Murder Mysteries set in a small Texan Hill Country town, with all its quirky inhabitants.
Pick up this page-turner today!

173 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 26, 2017

304 people are currently reading
206 people want to read

About the author

N.C. Lewis

47 books203 followers

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Community Reviews

5 stars
137 (42%)
4 stars
107 (33%)
3 stars
50 (15%)
2 stars
19 (5%)
1 star
6 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
Profile Image for Cindy B. .
3,899 reviews219 followers
September 17, 2018
Nice bedtime, fireside or beach read. Liked the main character wasn’t ditzy but a mature, educated snoop. 😊 clean and enjoyable.
490 reviews9 followers
September 16, 2018
Well, I feel like I have just finished a grand tour of a mental institution. I found it hard to find someone in their lovely little town who was not a candidate for being admitted. What a bunch of looney tunes. Or is it the writer who is a looney tune.
Millie and her puppets. Now there is a woman who REALLY needs help. Then if you add Bryant, Roger, Johnny, Bobby and last, but not least, Chastity - you have a full parcel of people who are not playing with a full deck.
And Ollie - well, what can I say for her when she needles information out of the deputy, of course saying she won't tell anyone - and then proceeds to tell one and all. Oh yeah, she's a real winner.
I really struggled to get through this book, and the fact that it was peppered with superfluous happenings didn't help. But, I finally made it and you can bet that I will not make the mistake of picking up another Ollie Stratford Mystery book anytime in the foreseeable future.
Profile Image for Frank.
586 reviews2 followers
September 23, 2018
Ollie Stratford has a problem - one of her students, a high achieving advanced student wants higher grade and he has supporters in the local oil industry. Add to that, a drilling crew has found the remains of a missing person on her property. Almost everyone in the community apparently found the missing person a decent person. Naturally, Ollie is drawn into the mystery surrounding this death. Her investigations take into some of the dark history of the town's community and ultimately to a showdown with the perpetrator. The story is well-crafted, the characters interesting, and the resolution to the mystery not entirely foretold. This is a quick read, but some of the later scenes in the story repeat earlier ones. I recommend this book for cozy mystery readers.
Profile Image for Lisa Edwards.
49 reviews1 follower
December 30, 2017
Meddling Creek is a great place to read about

As with the last 2 books, Ollie Stratford is great to have back. Ollie's relationship is starting to deepen with certain people in the community. Plus, others trust her more. There is always a couple of people who don't like her. I like that Dr. Ollie Stratford is a positive person and uses meditation to set her thinking back on the right track. Ollie always gets her murder. This story had an interesting ending that took me by surprise. Thanks. Ready for #4.
Profile Image for Karen Wright.
606 reviews4 followers
January 5, 2018
What a wild story!

I quickly got hooked on this series and this book is one of the reasons why. It has a winning combination of lots of adveture and drama, well develiped characters and good story that is well written. Ollie finds herself in some really interesting situations as she settles into her new life in Texas. She's got some spunk as a murder and other setbacks always come into her path but things always seem to work out in the end. This story is non stop and you never know what might happen next.
Profile Image for Judy.
3,382 reviews31 followers
September 16, 2018
I like the setting in Texas, and a few of the characters, but it's getting hard to believe by book 3, that so many murders happen in this small town. The writing is a bit repetitive (that dog keeps heading for the outbuildings, but it never turns out to have anything to do with the plot). And even at the pace I read, which often lets me miss typos and misuse of words, I caught a couple--"peek" for "pique" and "caste" for cast. In other words, words that are not caught by spell check because they are real words, just not the right ones. Not terrible, but not terribly good either.
175 reviews1 follower
July 4, 2018
Can't really say

I finished thebook, which is unusual if I rate it only two stars. I can't figure out what it was I didn't like. It could be the style of writing, or just too many characters to track? At one point I do remember thinking someone else took over the writing. An author tends to uave a style of writing and I got the impression there were two styles. I didn't fi d thestory interesting.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
1,174 reviews7 followers
July 7, 2018
This is the 3rd in the series. In this one the main character , Ollie, is threatened by a student who wants more credit than the system allows. When Ollie refuses, the next day the opening of her oil well is denied and then they find a body hidden there. Trying to find out who and why the body ended up there leaves Ollie looking for answers. The ending took me by surprise. I look forward to the next story.
158 reviews
July 31, 2018
Ollie Stratford moved to Texas and bought a piece of land with a capped well, house and event center on the property. When her well is about to be uncapped, bones are found and Ollie is about to find herself in the middle of a mystery. Ollie is also a college professor and a strong female protagonist; she is intelligent, courageous and compassionate. While this is the third book in the series, it is my first read and I look forward to reading the rest.
157 reviews1 follower
November 4, 2020
Another ollie mystery, every thing is going wrong for her. The bills piling up no answers in sight for cash flow. Then trouble with a spoiled punkin whos used to
getting his way, throwing a tantrum in her room. Then sicking his rich uncle on her.
And then there's the pile of bones found in the oil well, and the murders keep on
adding up. Whats a professor to do.... solve the crimes of course. Elementary.
Grab the book of Bitter Bones and start trying to solve this mystery.
Debra H.
Profile Image for Karen.
112 reviews1 follower
June 28, 2018
Another Ollie Stratford mystery that is as good as the first one in this series .

This series of books is a very good series and I'm happy I found it. The storyline was a little different but the characters are well developed. This is a must read for N.C. Lewis fans, or even if you're not a fan yet after reading this, you will be.
590 reviews2 followers
July 4, 2018
Keeps you guessing!

This is a mystery almost to the end. The reader will be led to several conclusions, all proven wrong later. An enjoyable book for anyone who likes this genre. My only complaint is too many loose ends after the mystery is solved--will Ollie change the grade; will she retain her teaching position; will she be bankrupt?
Profile Image for Cheryl A..
305 reviews32 followers
July 9, 2018
Another outstanding performance from N.C.Lewis!

I had no clue as to the killers. This story was amazing with the twists and turns of mystery and mayhem. The characters are explained easily and descriptions of scenery was amazing. I can hardly wait to start the next one of this series.
1,769 reviews23 followers
July 16, 2018
One step ahead

You never know what what might be happening in a small town down south but you can bet i'ts always going to be a little mystery with a dead body to start with. Ollie is never far away and ready to solve the problem of finding out who done it. Read on and enjoy the next Ollie Stratford cozey mystery. Kat
1,063 reviews4 followers
January 6, 2018
Great read

Only three books in and I feel that Ollie is a friend that I hopefully will get to visit with more if your like me and love a great cozy then N C Lewis books are for you I can't wait till the next book
9 reviews
January 27, 2018
I love this series! I feel like Ollie and I could be good friends. Sitting in Moozoo having a jolt and working on a problem. Fun, action packed, never dull stories! Not predictable!!! Must read!!!
567 reviews
September 27, 2018
Old bones found by Ollie's non-working oilwell.

First it's a brilliant 13 year old asking for a better grade, second the boy's uncle threatens Ollie with losing her job, thirdly we have three murders, one old two new.

Read and enjoy!!
105 reviews
September 30, 2018
Another winner...

Falling in love with Ollie and her little piece of Texas. Another well written, well planned story. I didn't see this one coming, & i usually figure out a mystery's outcome well before the reveal.
719 reviews
October 9, 2018
Bitter Bones

Another interesting cozy murder mystery. Ollie Stratford, a 40+ widow, moves from New York to a 10 acre ranch in a small town in Texas. Some how she keeps getting involved in findi g and solvi g murders.
Profile Image for Elaine.
Author 29 books29 followers
October 22, 2018
A cozy mystery where a girl from Brooklyn (like me!) moves to Texas to live on a farm. Her life completely changes and that goes from meeting new people and finding murder victims! Friends, foes, and strangers all fit into this story. Will she figure out who the murderer is?
A good read.
Profile Image for Theresa.
74 reviews
November 16, 2018
A realy good cozy mystery that keeps you guessing!

With a story that moves quickly and fun quirky characters this was a good read on a snowy afternoon...looking forward to follow more of Ollie's adventures!
Profile Image for bex.
2,435 reviews24 followers
December 1, 2018
2 star

I read mysteries for a puzzle I can piece together. This wasn't satisfying in that respect. There weren't sufficient clues building up to the solution. Also could use more polishing.
Profile Image for Jill.
388 reviews1 follower
February 6, 2019
No Bitter Feelings Here

I am really enjoying this series. Being a native Texan makes me very critical about any book set here. Lewis has won me over. Bitter Bones is my favorite so far. Can't wait to get started on the next one.
Profile Image for Liz Whelan.
71 reviews7 followers
December 30, 2017
Awesome

This book was fantastic. A must read for everyone. I enjoyed every part of this book & the story behind it.
Profile Image for Judy R.
296 reviews2 followers
January 17, 2018
Another great Ollie mystery

I loved reading this next installment of Professor Ollie Stratford. The characters in this series are fun to read about.
Profile Image for Kitten  Peters.
1,017 reviews5 followers
February 10, 2018
Awesome

Book 3 keeps you guessing who murdered who and you might figure out who killed one person but the reason why is a shocker.
Profile Image for kc.
597 reviews1 follower
February 15, 2018
More adventures in the life of Ollie and the quirky characters of Medlin Creek in this mystery cozy.
892 reviews
June 14, 2018
Another good book involving the characters of Medlin Creek!
Profile Image for Angel Graham.
Author 1 book33 followers
June 24, 2018
Decent enough

Decent book, but a bit weird at times. The puppets...why? Also, author didn't wrap up all the Lois ends. I hate that.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews

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