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Sarah Booth Delaney #24
Lady of Bones
Carolyn Haines's Lady of Bones is the next novel in the series that Kirkus Reviews characterizes as “Stephanie Plum meets the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” featuring sassy Southern private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney.
It’s Halloween season in Mississippi as Sarah Booth and the gang gather to decorate and gush over Tinkie’s new baby, Maylin. Sarah Booth is just about to refresh the cocktails when she hears a knock on the door and opens it to find a woman named Frankie, distraught at the disappearance of her daughter Christa, a young journalist. Christa had been investigating the disappearance of young women in New Orleans over a five-year period—one every year around Halloween. Now Christa herself is missing, and Frankie fears it may be connected to a cult based in the Garden District, called People of Eternity.
People of Eternity are known to have far-reaching connections which Frankie worries may reach as high as law enforcement. Refusing to contact the authorities, she turns to Delaney Detective Agency as her only hope.
Despite initial reservations, Sarah Booth accepts the case, which takes her on a journey to a secret underworld of beguiling cult leaders, witchcraft, and potentially human sacrifice. She’ll have to keep her wits about her if she wants to crack this case…and make it home alive.
It’s Halloween season in Mississippi as Sarah Booth and the gang gather to decorate and gush over Tinkie’s new baby, Maylin. Sarah Booth is just about to refresh the cocktails when she hears a knock on the door and opens it to find a woman named Frankie, distraught at the disappearance of her daughter Christa, a young journalist. Christa had been investigating the disappearance of young women in New Orleans over a five-year period—one every year around Halloween. Now Christa herself is missing, and Frankie fears it may be connected to a cult based in the Garden District, called People of Eternity.
People of Eternity are known to have far-reaching connections which Frankie worries may reach as high as law enforcement. Refusing to contact the authorities, she turns to Delaney Detective Agency as her only hope.
Despite initial reservations, Sarah Booth accepts the case, which takes her on a journey to a secret underworld of beguiling cult leaders, witchcraft, and potentially human sacrifice. She’ll have to keep her wits about her if she wants to crack this case…and make it home alive.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published June 14, 2022
106 people are currently reading
6793 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Haines
115 books1,573 followersCarolyn 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
May 18, 2022
I am a terrible writer but I received an ARC of this book and wanted to give a review. I love this series! The people are quirky and lovable. This latest book continues to develop the characters and makes me excited to read the next book. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys some giggles and a great cozy mystery
June 5, 2022
Late one night, I decided to start reading Lady of Bones. Everyone was asleep, so it was me and the cat. Just as Sarah Booth found a hidden garden that held a dangerous secret, I heard a noise, I looked at the cat and she blinked back at me. I knew this would be a "two-lamp read" and turned on another lamp.
Lady of Bones is one of those wonderfully written books that keeps a reader in suspense from the first chapter. This mystery finds Sarah Booth on the case of two missing young women in New Orleans - one of whom is the daughter of her late mother's best friend, Frankie. Since Tinkie is sitting this case out (we'll see) due to the recent birth of her daughter, the adorable Maylin, it's Sarah Booth, Frankie and Coleman sleuthing initially. However, you can't keep the Zinnia crew away.
The book is set in the gorgeous, quirky and mysterious city of New Orleans. There's kidnapping, 400 year old witches. cults who say they can grant eternal life, jealousy, greed all in one mystery. Cece, Tinkie, Maylin and others join the case and I promise the suspense will keep you reading! I think what makes it so much fun to read is that the characters come "alive" and you'll feel as if you're right there with them, finding clues. Also, with the birth of Maylin, the reader sees different sides of Tinkie and Sarah Booth which are touching and humorous.
The Sarah Booth Delaney Mysteries are a joy to read because the characters are like "old friends" you love to visit and Lady of Bones is the perfect way to catch up with the crew!
I received an ARC from the author and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Lady of Bones is one of those wonderfully written books that keeps a reader in suspense from the first chapter. This mystery finds Sarah Booth on the case of two missing young women in New Orleans - one of whom is the daughter of her late mother's best friend, Frankie. Since Tinkie is sitting this case out (we'll see) due to the recent birth of her daughter, the adorable Maylin, it's Sarah Booth, Frankie and Coleman sleuthing initially. However, you can't keep the Zinnia crew away.
The book is set in the gorgeous, quirky and mysterious city of New Orleans. There's kidnapping, 400 year old witches. cults who say they can grant eternal life, jealousy, greed all in one mystery. Cece, Tinkie, Maylin and others join the case and I promise the suspense will keep you reading! I think what makes it so much fun to read is that the characters come "alive" and you'll feel as if you're right there with them, finding clues. Also, with the birth of Maylin, the reader sees different sides of Tinkie and Sarah Booth which are touching and humorous.
The Sarah Booth Delaney Mysteries are a joy to read because the characters are like "old friends" you love to visit and Lady of Bones is the perfect way to catch up with the crew!
I received an ARC from the author and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
March 7, 2022
I recently received this ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in the mail. I had forgotten that I entered to win a free book on Goodreads awhile back. Thank you to the Author, the Publisher (Minotaur Books) and Goodreads for sending me this book. This book is scheduled to be published in June 2022.
This is the 24th installment of the Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery series. I thought that I had read most of the series, but according to my Goodreads profile, I have read books 1 through 11. I would usually go read all the ones I missed before reading this one. However, I was excited to read my first ARC. I quickly recognized all the recurring characters. It was as if I had just stopped by and was surrounded by a group of old friends. I had some catching up to do, but quickly caught up on all that I had missed.
This book starts at a celebration party for Tinkie’s new baby. An old friend of Sarah Booth’s mother drops
by, very upset about her missing daughter, a journalist competing for a prestigious journalism degree, and of course, Sarah Booth has to take the case. Tinkie stays home with the baby while Sarah Beth heads to New Orleans to solve the mystery. It is right before Halloween, so the veil is thinning. There are cults and con men, ghosts and the supernatural, celebrations and sadness and just plain fun. While I missed having the book set in and around Sarah Beth’s ancestral home, It was fun to visit New Orleans as Sarah’s friends and family help to solve the mystery.
Reading this reminded me how much I enjoy these characters and this series. So, books 12-23 are on my TBR now. 📖
This is the 24th installment of the Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery series. I thought that I had read most of the series, but according to my Goodreads profile, I have read books 1 through 11. I would usually go read all the ones I missed before reading this one. However, I was excited to read my first ARC. I quickly recognized all the recurring characters. It was as if I had just stopped by and was surrounded by a group of old friends. I had some catching up to do, but quickly caught up on all that I had missed.
This book starts at a celebration party for Tinkie’s new baby. An old friend of Sarah Booth’s mother drops
by, very upset about her missing daughter, a journalist competing for a prestigious journalism degree, and of course, Sarah Booth has to take the case. Tinkie stays home with the baby while Sarah Beth heads to New Orleans to solve the mystery. It is right before Halloween, so the veil is thinning. There are cults and con men, ghosts and the supernatural, celebrations and sadness and just plain fun. While I missed having the book set in and around Sarah Beth’s ancestral home, It was fun to visit New Orleans as Sarah’s friends and family help to solve the mystery.
Reading this reminded me how much I enjoy these characters and this series. So, books 12-23 are on my TBR now. 📖
October 20, 2022
I won this in a giveaway so here is my honest review:
I waited til the Halloween season to read this and I'm really disappointed in it. I had to DNF with a little over 100 pages left. I'm not sure why I lasted so long when I couldn't get into it at all. Maybe it's because I needed to read some of the previous books in the series? I didn't like any of the characters, but the New Orleans setting was nice.
I waited til the Halloween season to read this and I'm really disappointed in it. I had to DNF with a little over 100 pages left. I'm not sure why I lasted so long when I couldn't get into it at all. Maybe it's because I needed to read some of the previous books in the series? I didn't like any of the characters, but the New Orleans setting was nice.
July 23, 2022
I had a blast reading this book. There's always some type of wild adventure going on and I enjoy every bit of it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.
September 28, 2024
Who audios a book that is the 24th in a series? Me of course, glad I did. It is set in Louisiana and New Orleans around Halloween.
Sara Booth Delaney is a private detective who has been hired by one of her mother's friends to find her daughter who went missing. The case ends up not being that simple but why would it be when we are talking about the missing in New Orleans.
Sara runs into cults, ghost, and lies at every turn. When everything starts to come together the reader cannot help but wonder how and why.
This a cute cozy mystery with a Halloween theme.
Sara Booth Delaney is a private detective who has been hired by one of her mother's friends to find her daughter who went missing. The case ends up not being that simple but why would it be when we are talking about the missing in New Orleans.
Sara runs into cults, ghost, and lies at every turn. When everything starts to come together the reader cannot help but wonder how and why.
This a cute cozy mystery with a Halloween theme.
April 15, 2022
I have always enjoyed this series, and this book was no exception. Ostensibly a story about the search for two missing young women, one of them the daughter of a friend of Sarah Booth’s mother, and about the quest for youth, what I read was a story about family, about the family we choose having each others’ backs.
Sarah Booth and her friends are getting ready to celebrate Halloween, as they celebrate Tinkie’s infant daughter. A knock at the door brings them Frankie, an old friend of Sarah Booth’s parents, whose daughter has disappeared in New Orleans while researching a story on People of the Earth, an odd cult in pursuit of perpetual youth. Sarah Booth and Coleman go with Frankie to try to find the missing woman and another woman who had also disappeared two days earlier. It seems that everyone they talk to is either lying to them or holding back information, and peeling the onion on the cult gets more and more dangerous.
There are plenty of twists and turns, and lots of evocative descriptions of the city and it’s vegetation. Sarah Booth’s relationships with her friends, with Coleman and with Jitty, her family’s haint, are front and center.
This book is entertaining and spooky, and another delightful entry in the saga of Sarah Booth Delaney.
Sarah Booth and her friends are getting ready to celebrate Halloween, as they celebrate Tinkie’s infant daughter. A knock at the door brings them Frankie, an old friend of Sarah Booth’s parents, whose daughter has disappeared in New Orleans while researching a story on People of the Earth, an odd cult in pursuit of perpetual youth. Sarah Booth and Coleman go with Frankie to try to find the missing woman and another woman who had also disappeared two days earlier. It seems that everyone they talk to is either lying to them or holding back information, and peeling the onion on the cult gets more and more dangerous.
There are plenty of twists and turns, and lots of evocative descriptions of the city and it’s vegetation. Sarah Booth’s relationships with her friends, with Coleman and with Jitty, her family’s haint, are front and center.
This book is entertaining and spooky, and another delightful entry in the saga of Sarah Booth Delaney.
June 24, 2022
I really loved this book. I'll admit, it has taken me a few books in this series to really get a feel for the characters and what kind of things make them up. However, some of that could be my fault due to jumping in towards the end of the series.
I have come to really understand, appreciate, and love Sarah Booth, Jitty, Tinkie, Coleman, CeCe, Millie, and the rest of the gang. I love how they are a cohesive group and that they all function to support one another. I personally have never had that in my life but that is one of the reasons I read. I feel that one of the very few ways that anyone ever gets complete understanding and acceptance is through books. And this is one of the groups that I find that I would like to visit with time and time again.
I envy them the fact that everyone has a place and knows what to do with it. I wish I knew what that was like. The author does a wonderful job of showing the characters in their best light and how they couldn't do what they do without each other. This book is no different, in fact, it may show this even more so because of what happens in the story.
I thought the premise of this story was really unique, it certainly had me guessing as to what was going on and I admit, I guessed wrong a lot of the times. I had no clue how the end was going to work out. I kept thinking the whole time that there is just no way there is going to have a happy ending to this one. The timeline is just too short.
However, thankfully, it was a happy ending. My heart stopped a few times then re started with a rush. I caught myself holding my breath and tentatively waiting for what was going to happen next.
The suspense had me clinging to my seat for dear life!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Now that I feel like finally I have gotten my feet wet in this series, I want to go back and start from the beginning. I most definitely recommend this book. I absolutely had a blast reading it.
Thanks to Net Galley, the publishers, and the author for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are completely honest.
I have come to really understand, appreciate, and love Sarah Booth, Jitty, Tinkie, Coleman, CeCe, Millie, and the rest of the gang. I love how they are a cohesive group and that they all function to support one another. I personally have never had that in my life but that is one of the reasons I read. I feel that one of the very few ways that anyone ever gets complete understanding and acceptance is through books. And this is one of the groups that I find that I would like to visit with time and time again.
I envy them the fact that everyone has a place and knows what to do with it. I wish I knew what that was like. The author does a wonderful job of showing the characters in their best light and how they couldn't do what they do without each other. This book is no different, in fact, it may show this even more so because of what happens in the story.
I thought the premise of this story was really unique, it certainly had me guessing as to what was going on and I admit, I guessed wrong a lot of the times. I had no clue how the end was going to work out. I kept thinking the whole time that there is just no way there is going to have a happy ending to this one. The timeline is just too short.
However, thankfully, it was a happy ending. My heart stopped a few times then re started with a rush. I caught myself holding my breath and tentatively waiting for what was going to happen next.
The suspense had me clinging to my seat for dear life!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Now that I feel like finally I have gotten my feet wet in this series, I want to go back and start from the beginning. I most definitely recommend this book. I absolutely had a blast reading it.
Thanks to Net Galley, the publishers, and the author for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are completely honest.
June 24, 2022
Apparently this is the 24th book of a series I have never read, by an author I have never read. Nonetheless. I enjoyed reading the book and I was not constantly wondering about the background story of the characters. It takes place mainly in New Orleans, LA during the lead up to Halloween. What better place to set a story for this holiday? There are various references to demons and ghouls, and certainly many of the famous voodoo people, including Marie Levaux. We learn of several of the parades and customs that are celebrated during this time, such as The Day Of The Dead. Tinkie has just had baby Maylin so Sarah Booth is mainly on her own when the agency is hired to find a missing girl, thought to be kidnapped by a cult. Thanks go to Net Galley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read this book
June 25, 2022
Ebook/Mystery: This is book is #24 in the Sarah Booth Delaney series. A few disclaimers: I got this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review. I have only read the first two SBD books along with several of the books later in the series. And finally, I do not know the author, but we are friends on FB and converse on occasion.
As for the book, I really liked this one. Sarah Booth is somewhat out of her element in New Orleans. The plot is a missing person with a trip to Louisiana. She takes along Coleman. I liked that she wasn't in her home with her crew and pets this time. The mystery is perplexing and I didn't figure out the murderer. Sarah Booth is playing with evidence again and keeping secrets.
As for the book, I really liked this one. Sarah Booth is somewhat out of her element in New Orleans. The plot is a missing person with a trip to Louisiana. She takes along Coleman. I liked that she wasn't in her home with her crew and pets this time. The mystery is perplexing and I didn't figure out the murderer. Sarah Booth is playing with evidence again and keeping secrets.
June 26, 2022
With Tinkie home with the baby, Coleman joins Sarah on an assignment that takes them to New Orleans. The woman they are looking for was investigating the disappearance of a young woman every year at Halloween, now she’s missing and Sarah and Coleman are on the case. Will they find the young woman alive, or will they get caught up in the Halloween and cult activities themselves?
I love this series! It’s fun, has a solid whodunit, and has a group of characters that make you feel like you’re spending time with friends. Each book is like a visit with old friends…who solve mysteries and sleuth. You can’t ask for a better series than this!
I love this series! It’s fun, has a solid whodunit, and has a group of characters that make you feel like you’re spending time with friends. Each book is like a visit with old friends…who solve mysteries and sleuth. You can’t ask for a better series than this!
June 28, 2022
Sarah Booth Delaney mysteries have a special place in my heart as I love Sarah, her group of friends, and the light touch of paranormal. There's always a lot of humour and you can feel the love of the writer for this places.
This is one of the best stories in this excellent series: there's plenty of twists, a complex plot, and a lot of secrets.
There's a lot of secrets and mysteries.
I missed a bit Zinnia but New Orleans is a magical place and it's a great background for this story.
The solid mystery, full of twists, surprised me till the end and was highly entertaining.
Can't wait to read the next story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
This is one of the best stories in this excellent series: there's plenty of twists, a complex plot, and a lot of secrets.
There's a lot of secrets and mysteries.
I missed a bit Zinnia but New Orleans is a magical place and it's a great background for this story.
The solid mystery, full of twists, surprised me till the end and was highly entertaining.
Can't wait to read the next story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
July 26, 2022
The Delaney Detective Agency is hired to find a missing woman, daughter of an old acquaintance of Sarah Booth’s parents. Tinkie can’t accompany Sarah Booth to New Orleans to work the case because she can’t leave her new baby, Maylin. Coleman does accompany Sarah Booth and Frankie, the missing woman’s mother. It’s a tense time as clues develop and they begin to unravel the disappearance of several more involved with the case. Justice prevails in the end. Can’t wait for the next adventure!
August 9, 2022
In this book, Sarah heads to New Orleans with Coleman to search for the daughter of her mother's best friend, Frankie.Eventually the whole gang comes to New Orleans including Tinkie and her new daughter, Maylin. The story is set around Halloween and seems to involve a cult that believes in never dying or growing old. The book was an easy read.
June 29, 2022
I received an ARC of, Lady of Bones, by Carolyn Haines. This is a spooky Halloween story. I really enjoyed this book, its quite a page turner.
January 11, 2023
Partners Tinkie and Sara Booth have to split up during this investigation, because Tinkie just gave birth to Maylin. I love how these best friends support one another as their lives temporarily take them in different directions.
Frankie, best friend of Libby Delaney, asks Sara Booth for help in finding her own missing daughter.
Great, fun characters!
Frankie, best friend of Libby Delaney, asks Sara Booth for help in finding her own missing daughter.
Great, fun characters!
May 30, 2023
Love this series! This was one of the creepiest I've read in this series and it fits right on with the true crime craze!
February 17, 2024
One of her best!! I loved reading about New Orleans and the undercurrent of magic. Sarah Booth and Twinkie have matured but can keep you on the edge of your seat! I loved reading this book!
September 25, 2025
A little dry for my liking. I also didn’t feel that there was much suspense to this book.
June 24, 2022
I really liked this book, set in New Orleans around Halloween. Sarah Booth’s partner Tinkie had her baby, so Sarah Booth is handling this case with her sheriff boyfriend, Coleman. Two girls are missing, kidnapped by a cult looking for everlasting life. Can Sarah Booth find them before Halloween? That’s when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest, and when a blood sacrifice will be required. It’s a fun read with quirky characters!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.
January 22, 2023
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Lady of Bones is the 24th Sarah Booth Delaney cozy mystery by Carolyn Haines. Released 14th June 2022 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is an entertaining and engaging book in an engaging series by a competent writer. There's a strong paranormal element (the main character's sort of haunted by her great-great grandmother's nanny, a black woman named Jitty who has Opinions and lots of confusingly cryptic advice). MC Sarah Booth Delaney's also a PI and this installment sees her getting to the bottom of a string of Hallowe'en disappearances over the last 5 years of young women in the New Orleans area. She's soon entangled in cults with charismatic leaders, witchcraft, and possibly even human sacrifice. The settings are a living, breathing, immersive part of the story and the author does a superlative job with them.
The plotting is often meandering (it's a cozy with almost 400 pages), and there's quite a lot of "fluff" to add humor including a generous helping of cooing over best friend Tinkie's new baby, Maylin. The characters are quirky and appealing and there's a lot of goodwill and heart in the series. Ms. Haines is quite an adept author and I never found my interest waning, although there were a few eye-rollingly silly moments. The denouement and resolution weren't overly surprising, but they were satisfying. This series is dependably entertaining and fun, and this one is worth a read. The ensemble cast and returning characters mean that readers who are new to the story might want to read a few in the series prior to this one first, although it's simple enough to probably work well enough as a standalone. There are dogs, some cats, the language is clean, and there's light (off page) sexual content, but nothing explicit. The book is full of southernisms like "bless your heart" and "y'all" and more sweet-tea than you can shake a stick at.
Four stars. Cozy mystery comfort food.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Lady of Bones is the 24th Sarah Booth Delaney cozy mystery by Carolyn Haines. Released 14th June 2022 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is an entertaining and engaging book in an engaging series by a competent writer. There's a strong paranormal element (the main character's sort of haunted by her great-great grandmother's nanny, a black woman named Jitty who has Opinions and lots of confusingly cryptic advice). MC Sarah Booth Delaney's also a PI and this installment sees her getting to the bottom of a string of Hallowe'en disappearances over the last 5 years of young women in the New Orleans area. She's soon entangled in cults with charismatic leaders, witchcraft, and possibly even human sacrifice. The settings are a living, breathing, immersive part of the story and the author does a superlative job with them.
The plotting is often meandering (it's a cozy with almost 400 pages), and there's quite a lot of "fluff" to add humor including a generous helping of cooing over best friend Tinkie's new baby, Maylin. The characters are quirky and appealing and there's a lot of goodwill and heart in the series. Ms. Haines is quite an adept author and I never found my interest waning, although there were a few eye-rollingly silly moments. The denouement and resolution weren't overly surprising, but they were satisfying. This series is dependably entertaining and fun, and this one is worth a read. The ensemble cast and returning characters mean that readers who are new to the story might want to read a few in the series prior to this one first, although it's simple enough to probably work well enough as a standalone. There are dogs, some cats, the language is clean, and there's light (off page) sexual content, but nothing explicit. The book is full of southernisms like "bless your heart" and "y'all" and more sweet-tea than you can shake a stick at.
Four stars. Cozy mystery comfort food.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
July 16, 2022
It shouldn't have taken me eight days to finish Lady of Bones. I’ve read every Sarah Booth Delaney book. In the past they have been fun, fast, and made me want to just keep reading. In looking over my recent past reviews of the Sarah Booth Delaney books, I’ve been repetitive about the lack of fun and joy. They are also sorely missing in Lady of Bones.
Frankly, nothing made me care about the characters who were in trouble. The Halloween-New Orleans woowoo quickly got old. Sarah Booth is missing her verve and usual good nature. Nearly all her friends were left behind at home in Zinnia, evidently with Sarah Booths personality. The interactions between Sarah and Coleman in Lady of Bones feel like they were written out of necessity rather than romance. Even the usual lightness of the interactions between Sarah Booth and Jitty is dark, mean, and ugly. Finally, it's hard to imagine where the series can go now with Tinkie after she finally got that for which she long dreamed. A child.
The writing in Lady of Bones itself is choppy, which in places served to just infuriate me.
I already have Bones of Holly (Sarah Booth Delaney #25) on order. If it's yet another 3-star stinker, I will be disappointed and, sadly, done.
I'm beginning to consider that some series just go on too long and the stories become forced. While I miss the stories, I admire Stephen White in that he realized he had no more to give to the character of Alan Gregory. There's a lesson there.
I've marked Lady of Bones as 3 Stars but am only giving it 2.5 Stars.
Frankly, nothing made me care about the characters who were in trouble. The Halloween-New Orleans woowoo quickly got old. Sarah Booth is missing her verve and usual good nature. Nearly all her friends were left behind at home in Zinnia, evidently with Sarah Booths personality. The interactions between Sarah and Coleman in Lady of Bones feel like they were written out of necessity rather than romance. Even the usual lightness of the interactions between Sarah Booth and Jitty is dark, mean, and ugly. Finally, it's hard to imagine where the series can go now with Tinkie after she finally got that for which she long dreamed. A child.
The writing in Lady of Bones itself is choppy, which in places served to just infuriate me.
" "Talk fast and you can go. Right now, I don't want to hear excuses, I want to know everything. If we hope to find Christa and Britta unharmed, we have to take action now and you're going to help me." Jitty's appearance as the red dwarf of doom left me little room for tact. I wanted answers and I intended to get them, by whatever means necessary.”Whew, I'm glad she wasn't so stressed and pressed for time that she missed the cocktail hour.
“I called out for Frankie to join us on the porch. Whatever Addie revealed, Frankie had a right to know. She brought out a round of cocktails and I motioned for her to take a seat. It was time for Addie to fish or cut bait. We couldn't wait. We had barely less than ninety hours to find the girls if midnight on Halloween was the deadline.”
I already have Bones of Holly (Sarah Booth Delaney #25) on order. If it's yet another 3-star stinker, I will be disappointed and, sadly, done.
I'm beginning to consider that some series just go on too long and the stories become forced. While I miss the stories, I admire Stephen White in that he realized he had no more to give to the character of Alan Gregory. There's a lesson there.
I've marked Lady of Bones as 3 Stars but am only giving it 2.5 Stars.
June 21, 2022
Lady of Bones by Carolyn Haines brings the reader back in contact with Sarah Booth Delaney and her partner, Tinkie Bellcase Richmond. Tinkie was out of commission right now because she had given birth to the most perfect daughter just a few days ago. As they were celebrating a woman named Frankie rang the doorbell. Upon entering she declared herself to be an old friend of Sara Booth’s mother and that her daughter had disappeared and she needed Sarah Booth’s help to find her. Luckily it was Coleman’s week off so he gladly joined in the search, Frankie and Sarah Booth in Sarah Booth’s roadster and Coleman driving Frankie’s car, all to New Orleans. Frankie had already rented an apartment for them in the same complex where Christa lived and Frankie was staying. Christa’s roommate, Britta, had disappeared several days before Christa had. Christa was a reporter vying for a scholarship with this investigation and Britta was an artist, quite good, actually. There were plenty of places to look but they began with the women’s neighbors and friends, who didn’t really have much pertinent to the investigation, but plenty of background.
Sarah Booth is nothing if not intrepid, much to Coleman’s dismay. As a police officer, he tends to take things a little slower, not rushing in before it knew what he was going to find. He is here to help and as a police officer, he can get information from the local authorities that Sarah Booth has no access to. The investigation quickly heats up with multiple leads to a cult of people wanting to be immortal, or at least young-looking until they die. Coleman and Sarah Both are usually following separate lead, sometimes by plan, sometimes not. It is a frightening mystery since people were getting something they wanted desperately and had been warned about discretion. It did finally come together after Tinkie and baby, Maylin, came to town to help. Tinkie had those contacts among the wealthy, as she was one of them. Jitty was present even in New Orleans and scared the c**p out of Sarah Booth several times. Gotta love this group of friends. Good mystery. Happy to be back with Sarah Booth and friends!
I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Lady of Bones by Minotaur, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #minotaur #carolynhaines #ladyofbones
Sarah Booth is nothing if not intrepid, much to Coleman’s dismay. As a police officer, he tends to take things a little slower, not rushing in before it knew what he was going to find. He is here to help and as a police officer, he can get information from the local authorities that Sarah Booth has no access to. The investigation quickly heats up with multiple leads to a cult of people wanting to be immortal, or at least young-looking until they die. Coleman and Sarah Both are usually following separate lead, sometimes by plan, sometimes not. It is a frightening mystery since people were getting something they wanted desperately and had been warned about discretion. It did finally come together after Tinkie and baby, Maylin, came to town to help. Tinkie had those contacts among the wealthy, as she was one of them. Jitty was present even in New Orleans and scared the c**p out of Sarah Booth several times. Gotta love this group of friends. Good mystery. Happy to be back with Sarah Booth and friends!
I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Lady of Bones by Minotaur, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #minotaur #carolynhaines #ladyofbones
June 6, 2022
"Lady of Bones" by Carolyn Haines the 24th instalment in the "A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery" series which releases on June 14th.
It’s Halloween season in Mississippi as Sarah Booth and the gang gather to decorate and gush over Tinkie’s new baby, Maylin. Sarah Booth is just about to refresh the cocktails when she hears a knock on the door and opens it to find a woman named Frankie, distraught at the disappearance of her daughter Christa, a young journalist. Christa had been investigating the disappearance of young women in New Orleans over a five-year period—one every year around Halloween. Now Christa herself is missing, and Frankie fears it may be connected to a cult based in the Garden District, called People of Eternity.
I always enjoy visiting with Sarah and Tinkie it’s like coming home to old friends. Sarah Booth is a strong and intelligent protagonist and all the characters are fully developed. I liked that it was a glimpse into human trafficking/abduction, and the overall occult feeling in NOLA especially during Halloween.
The inclusion of her haint (Dahlia House's ghost Jetty) always brings a chuckle as i can imagine what Sarah looks like talking to herself. Although Jetty seemed to be out to scare Sarah more than anything this time.
There were plenty of twists and turns and lots of suspects to choose from to keep you intrigued. I found this book to be a real page-turner, suspenseful, read that had me second guessing up till the end.
I’m looking forward to the next instalment Bones of Holly where Sarah Booth and Tinkie, along with baby Maylin, are in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi for Christmas this year, as judges for the annual library tree decorating contest. Releasing in October 2022.
I highly recommend this book and series to all my cozy mystery friends.
I won an Advance Reader Copy of this book from St. Martins Press and Goodreads. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.
It’s Halloween season in Mississippi as Sarah Booth and the gang gather to decorate and gush over Tinkie’s new baby, Maylin. Sarah Booth is just about to refresh the cocktails when she hears a knock on the door and opens it to find a woman named Frankie, distraught at the disappearance of her daughter Christa, a young journalist. Christa had been investigating the disappearance of young women in New Orleans over a five-year period—one every year around Halloween. Now Christa herself is missing, and Frankie fears it may be connected to a cult based in the Garden District, called People of Eternity.
I always enjoy visiting with Sarah and Tinkie it’s like coming home to old friends. Sarah Booth is a strong and intelligent protagonist and all the characters are fully developed. I liked that it was a glimpse into human trafficking/abduction, and the overall occult feeling in NOLA especially during Halloween.
The inclusion of her haint (Dahlia House's ghost Jetty) always brings a chuckle as i can imagine what Sarah looks like talking to herself. Although Jetty seemed to be out to scare Sarah more than anything this time.
There were plenty of twists and turns and lots of suspects to choose from to keep you intrigued. I found this book to be a real page-turner, suspenseful, read that had me second guessing up till the end.
I’m looking forward to the next instalment Bones of Holly where Sarah Booth and Tinkie, along with baby Maylin, are in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi for Christmas this year, as judges for the annual library tree decorating contest. Releasing in October 2022.
I highly recommend this book and series to all my cozy mystery friends.
I won an Advance Reader Copy of this book from St. Martins Press and Goodreads. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.
August 31, 2022
Lady of Bones by Carolyn Haines is a magnificent tale with mystery, secrets, and greed with a touch of paranormal.
Will Sarah Booth find Christa and Britta before it's too late?
It's Halloween season, and Sarah Booth is hired by her mom's friend to find her daughter Christa. Since Tinkie is on maternity leave with Maylin, Sarah Booth has recruited Colman and Cece to assist her in the search. They head to New Orleans, where Christa and her friend, Britta, have disappeared from.
There are lots of twists and turns in the case. Every time Sarah Booth gets a lead, the creeps change strategy. Coleman and Sarah Booth, along with Christa's mother, Frankie, stay in the same apartment complex as Christa. They become friendly with Christa's friends. Sarah Booth and Coleman are adorable. They are very good at backing each other up. It is nice to see Sarah Booth happy in her relationship. It has taken her a bit to get here.
Tinkie and Cece join the investigation when Tinkie's unique skills are required. Tinkie makes such a wonderful mother. Maylin seems to have the gang wrapped around her finger. She is adorable. Ms. Haines makes all the characters so real. Even Tinkie has concerns about balancing motherhood and her profession.
A special spirit also helps Sarah Booth in Lady of Bones, the famous Marie Laveau. Will Sarah Booth start to appreciate the paranormal side of herself?
Jitty's Clues
Oh, Jitty isn't hanging out at the Delaney plantation. She pops in wherever Sarah Booth is to try and give Sarah Booth hints to keep her safe. These are the creatures that Jitty impersonates in this installment.
Five Stars
I love this series. Ms. Haines hits all the items that make it a great story. I feel as though I am friends with all of these wonderful characters. My rating for Lady of Bones by Carolyn Haines is five stars. I extremely recommend this book and the rest of the series to everyone.
Other Books in the Series
Will Sarah Booth find Christa and Britta before it's too late?
It's Halloween season, and Sarah Booth is hired by her mom's friend to find her daughter Christa. Since Tinkie is on maternity leave with Maylin, Sarah Booth has recruited Colman and Cece to assist her in the search. They head to New Orleans, where Christa and her friend, Britta, have disappeared from.
There are lots of twists and turns in the case. Every time Sarah Booth gets a lead, the creeps change strategy. Coleman and Sarah Booth, along with Christa's mother, Frankie, stay in the same apartment complex as Christa. They become friendly with Christa's friends. Sarah Booth and Coleman are adorable. They are very good at backing each other up. It is nice to see Sarah Booth happy in her relationship. It has taken her a bit to get here.
Tinkie and Cece join the investigation when Tinkie's unique skills are required. Tinkie makes such a wonderful mother. Maylin seems to have the gang wrapped around her finger. She is adorable. Ms. Haines makes all the characters so real. Even Tinkie has concerns about balancing motherhood and her profession.
A special spirit also helps Sarah Booth in Lady of Bones, the famous Marie Laveau. Will Sarah Booth start to appreciate the paranormal side of herself?
Jitty's Clues
Oh, Jitty isn't hanging out at the Delaney plantation. She pops in wherever Sarah Booth is to try and give Sarah Booth hints to keep her safe. These are the creatures that Jitty impersonates in this installment.
Jitty scares Sarah Booth with these different forms of death. One of the things I adore about Ms. Haines's writing is that I seem to learn something new with each book. I had never heard of Whiro before.
"I am Whiro, the god of the dead. I inspire others to do evil deeds, and I guard the entrance and exit to the underworld. I am very powerful."
"A lizard?"
This time when the lizard looked at me, I took a step back. There was definitely something scary in those unblinking eyes. "Chill, Jitty. You've made your point. What are you doing here in that...personification?"
Five Stars I love this series. Ms. Haines hits all the items that make it a great story. I feel as though I am friends with all of these wonderful characters. My rating for Lady of Bones by Carolyn Haines is five stars. I extremely recommend this book and the rest of the series to everyone.
Other Books in the Series
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Lady of Bones by Carolyn Haines.
Until the next time,
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
July 1, 2022
When I got my hands on the ARC of Lady of Bones I did the joy-joy dance. This series is one of the very best de-stressors in my library. Time spent with Sarah Booth Delany, Tinkie, Coleman and Sarah's family ghost Jitty is the best literary vacation.
It's Halloween and there is a knock at the door. On the doorstep is one of Sarah Booth's mother's friends, Frankie. She has a problem and has come to the Delaney Detective Agency. Over the past five years, always at Halloween, young women have gone missing in New Orleans and Frankie's daughter, a journalist investigating the disappearances, is missing. Did Christa find answers and are they connected to a cult in the Garden District? Called The People of Eternity, the cult has lots of connections and those might put Sarah Booth in danger. With Coleman taking Tinkie's place due to the recent birth of the adorable Maylin (see how long Tinkie will be able to stay on the side lines) they are joined by Frankie, CeCe and Millie to find the two missing women. As it's Halloween and no book in the Sarah Booth Delaney series can be worth reading without the input from Jitty, there is much humor to be enjoyed. Jitty is an awesome ghost and I'd love to meet her.
At the 24th book I can say this is a series that has yet to disappoint me. The mysteries are well plotted, the setting is perfect and the recurring cast of characters feel like friends. A series not to be missed.
My thanks to the publisher Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
It's Halloween and there is a knock at the door. On the doorstep is one of Sarah Booth's mother's friends, Frankie. She has a problem and has come to the Delaney Detective Agency. Over the past five years, always at Halloween, young women have gone missing in New Orleans and Frankie's daughter, a journalist investigating the disappearances, is missing. Did Christa find answers and are they connected to a cult in the Garden District? Called The People of Eternity, the cult has lots of connections and those might put Sarah Booth in danger. With Coleman taking Tinkie's place due to the recent birth of the adorable Maylin (see how long Tinkie will be able to stay on the side lines) they are joined by Frankie, CeCe and Millie to find the two missing women. As it's Halloween and no book in the Sarah Booth Delaney series can be worth reading without the input from Jitty, there is much humor to be enjoyed. Jitty is an awesome ghost and I'd love to meet her.
At the 24th book I can say this is a series that has yet to disappoint me. The mysteries are well plotted, the setting is perfect and the recurring cast of characters feel like friends. A series not to be missed.
My thanks to the publisher Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
June 17, 2022
Lady of Bones, the twenty four book in the Sarah Booth Mystery series by Carolyn Haines, is rife with twists and turns, definitely keeping you on edge until the very end…all does not appear to be as it seems, as Ms Haines is a genius at the unexpected.
Once again Sarah Booth finds herself immersed in a case, this time taking her to New Orleans where she literally risks life and limb to find a missing person…Coleman replaces Tinkie as her partner (if you’d read the previous book in the series, Independent Bones, you’d understand that since Tinkie just gave birth to her daughter Maylin, she’s sticking close to home)…I truly enjoyed the couple’s dynamic and loved having Coleman play a more major part in this story. After everything that Sarah Booth has been through over the years, Coleman at her side is heartwarming and swoon worthy on more than one occasion.
With New Orleans’ mystique as the backdrop, and since it’s Halloween, the preternatural factor is front and center, bring out the goose bumps a time or two. In this author’s gifted style, she uses otherworldly factors to guide Sarah Booth in her decision making, while adding the eerie to draw you in.
All in all, this is another excellently crafted story that exudes the brilliance that it takes to keep a long running series thrilling and compelling.
This ARC book was complementary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.
Once again Sarah Booth finds herself immersed in a case, this time taking her to New Orleans where she literally risks life and limb to find a missing person…Coleman replaces Tinkie as her partner (if you’d read the previous book in the series, Independent Bones, you’d understand that since Tinkie just gave birth to her daughter Maylin, she’s sticking close to home)…I truly enjoyed the couple’s dynamic and loved having Coleman play a more major part in this story. After everything that Sarah Booth has been through over the years, Coleman at her side is heartwarming and swoon worthy on more than one occasion.
With New Orleans’ mystique as the backdrop, and since it’s Halloween, the preternatural factor is front and center, bring out the goose bumps a time or two. In this author’s gifted style, she uses otherworldly factors to guide Sarah Booth in her decision making, while adding the eerie to draw you in.
All in all, this is another excellently crafted story that exudes the brilliance that it takes to keep a long running series thrilling and compelling.
This ARC book was complementary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.
June 19, 2022
Now that Tinkie has baby Maylin, Sarah Booth faces a missing daughter case without her partner. Fortunately, Coleman has time off from his job as Sheriff, and can go to New Orleans with Sarah Booth. Because without her partner, Sarah Booth would be in over her head. As it is, even with Coleman, the victim's mother, and help from Tinkie via phone, Sara Booth is scrambling to make sense of not one, but two missing girls and a cult of people who believe they can become immortal. New Orleans, the city of witchcraft, magic, and immortality?
This exciting addition to the long running series includes new characters, including a friend of Sarah Booth's mother, as well as other Zinnia friends, and Jitty. Set right before Halloween, the holiday plays a significant roll in the book from beginning to end. Even Jitty is affected by the holiday as she makes several unexpected and shocking appearances.
Fast action and detailed descriptions of the sometimes gorgeous and sometimes terrifying surroundings build to a crescendo that will surprise and delight readers. It truly is nearly impossible to stop reading until the last page! The tension and action had me racing to the end. Superb story telling and mystery, one of the best in the series!
I was offered the opportunity to read and review this book from St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, through Netgalley. My rating and review are voluntary and completely my opinion, and I appreciate the opportunity to express them.
This exciting addition to the long running series includes new characters, including a friend of Sarah Booth's mother, as well as other Zinnia friends, and Jitty. Set right before Halloween, the holiday plays a significant roll in the book from beginning to end. Even Jitty is affected by the holiday as she makes several unexpected and shocking appearances.
Fast action and detailed descriptions of the sometimes gorgeous and sometimes terrifying surroundings build to a crescendo that will surprise and delight readers. It truly is nearly impossible to stop reading until the last page! The tension and action had me racing to the end. Superb story telling and mystery, one of the best in the series!
I was offered the opportunity to read and review this book from St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, through Netgalley. My rating and review are voluntary and completely my opinion, and I appreciate the opportunity to express them.
June 29, 2022
I have only read a few of the books in this series about a Private Investigator, Sarah Booth Delaney and her partner, Tinkie Bellcase Richmond, living in a small Mississippi town. I am drawn to them because they try to capture the culture of a part of the country I do not understand. Once again, surrounded by her "found family," she takes on a case with issues relevant to the times in which we live, the disappearance of two young women in New Orleans. With story threads of human trafficking and cult obsessions, the author reveals how easily victims can be identified/recruited and how easily the perpetrators can avoid notice.
Power and greed drive the cult leader SBD pursues all over the city. The descriptions of the city and its history do it justice, including the long-standing influence of Marie Laveau, healer and much more.
The author reflects some of the chilling behavior of previous well known cult leaders, a reminder of how vulnerable people continue to be. "A narcissist, with power over an audience, is a dangerous thing." The naiveté of people who believe in a charlatan's promise of eternal youth is not a new concept. Where the plot takes this theme is pretty dark (and requires some stretching of one's imagination.) The plot is a bit uneven, but the relationships among the "found family," a motley group, are dear.
Power and greed drive the cult leader SBD pursues all over the city. The descriptions of the city and its history do it justice, including the long-standing influence of Marie Laveau, healer and much more.
The author reflects some of the chilling behavior of previous well known cult leaders, a reminder of how vulnerable people continue to be. "A narcissist, with power over an audience, is a dangerous thing." The naiveté of people who believe in a charlatan's promise of eternal youth is not a new concept. Where the plot takes this theme is pretty dark (and requires some stretching of one's imagination.) The plot is a bit uneven, but the relationships among the "found family," a motley group, are dear.
March 29, 2023
I love this series! Lady of Bones is the 24th book in Carolyn Haines’s Sarah Booth Delany Mystery series. This series has not lost it’s luster. The mysteries are fresh and fun and the cast of characters is very endearing.
It’s late October and Sarah Booth, Tinkie and the whole crew are planning on celebrating the birth of Tinkie’s daughter, Maylin. When a woman arrives to seek out Sarah Booth’s help Sarah Booth can’t turn her down. She is the woman that was Sarah Booth’s mama’s best friend, Frankie and Frankie is asking Sarah Booth to help her. Her daughter has gone missing in New Orleans along with her roommate Britta. Sarah Booth takes Coleman with her to help on the case and Tinkie is staying home to care for her newborn daughter. As Sarah Booth and Coleman begin to put the pieces of the disappearance together they realize that Christa and Britta are not just missing, they’ve been abducted by a cult. Time is running out because the have a feeling something tragic will happen to the women if the aren’t found before midnight on Halloween.
A great series that I will most definitely be continuing.
It’s late October and Sarah Booth, Tinkie and the whole crew are planning on celebrating the birth of Tinkie’s daughter, Maylin. When a woman arrives to seek out Sarah Booth’s help Sarah Booth can’t turn her down. She is the woman that was Sarah Booth’s mama’s best friend, Frankie and Frankie is asking Sarah Booth to help her. Her daughter has gone missing in New Orleans along with her roommate Britta. Sarah Booth takes Coleman with her to help on the case and Tinkie is staying home to care for her newborn daughter. As Sarah Booth and Coleman begin to put the pieces of the disappearance together they realize that Christa and Britta are not just missing, they’ve been abducted by a cult. Time is running out because the have a feeling something tragic will happen to the women if the aren’t found before midnight on Halloween.
A great series that I will most definitely be continuing.
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