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Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries #2
Backyard Bones
In the second Regan McHenry mystery, one of the Santa Cruz Realtor's clients is accused of murder after the body of a pregnant teenager is discovered near his home. He's a Wiccan and the girl had a pentagram cut into her chest. Regan doesn't believe he's guilty and sets out to prove it.
299 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
46 people are currently reading
349 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Lynn Jarvis
21 books119 followersNancy is a happily former Realtor. Without a license to hold her back, she was free to share her opinions about all things real estate especially in Regan McHenry Real Estate Mysteries. Her background added authenticity to the series, but when she was ready for a new series, she turned to a former law librarian turned private investigator for guidance about writing Pat Pirard, the protagonist of PIP Inc. Mysteries.
Nancy has had a checkered career past: she's worked for the San Jose Mercury News, been a librarian, photo archivist, and been the business manager of Shakespeare/Santa Cruz.
Her work history reflects her philosophy: people should try something radically different every few years. Writing murder mysteries set in Santa Cruz is one of her newer adventures.
She has also had a go at editing. "Cozy Food," which has caused her to think that cozy writers are the nicest people out there, has recipes from 128 cozy mystery writers. "Santa Cruz Weird" was fun to put together but a nightmare to format causing her to swear off anthologies. However, she gave it one more go with "Santa Cruz Ghost Stories" which was great fun, not only for working withother writers, but for the stories.
She's also written "Mags and the AARP Gang" about a groups of 80-somethings who rob a bank to pay off the mortgage on their mobile home park, and used notes she took during her first year as an Airbnb host to write "The Truth About Hosting Airbnb."
Nancy is exploring short story writing, too, and adds to "Bodies in Bonny Doon" whenever she finishes a story. It's only available as an ebook right now, but it will eventually grow into a print book in the future.
Nancy has had a checkered career past: she's worked for the San Jose Mercury News, been a librarian, photo archivist, and been the business manager of Shakespeare/Santa Cruz.
Her work history reflects her philosophy: people should try something radically different every few years. Writing murder mysteries set in Santa Cruz is one of her newer adventures.
She has also had a go at editing. "Cozy Food," which has caused her to think that cozy writers are the nicest people out there, has recipes from 128 cozy mystery writers. "Santa Cruz Weird" was fun to put together but a nightmare to format causing her to swear off anthologies. However, she gave it one more go with "Santa Cruz Ghost Stories" which was great fun, not only for working withother writers, but for the stories.
She's also written "Mags and the AARP Gang" about a groups of 80-somethings who rob a bank to pay off the mortgage on their mobile home park, and used notes she took during her first year as an Airbnb host to write "The Truth About Hosting Airbnb."
Nancy is exploring short story writing, too, and adds to "Bodies in Bonny Doon" whenever she finishes a story. It's only available as an ebook right now, but it will eventually grow into a print book in the future.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 9, 2018
A pretty good mystery. This was the second book in the series, and although the MC brought up the past case, I didn't feel lost. It was an interesting mystery, but I figured out the killer well before the MC. And, I kept telling her who it was, but she wouldn't listen! ;) :D I would read more in the series if I could get them for free.
September 24, 2012
Backyard Bones is another well written and expertly plotted who-done it from Nancy Jarvis. The pace is fast, and the characters are engaging. There is just enough humor to lighten the occasionally grim happenings. Although a series, all the Regan McHenry books I’ve read so far stand on their own feet. I recommend BB highly for lovers of the amateur sleuth genre.
December 15, 2021
Excellent read!!
February 4, 2013
When Regan McHenry closes a house sale in recession worn Santa Cruz, California, it's always time to celebrate. And being the consummate professional she brings the Whitlaw's a housewarming gift. But her buoyant mood soon takes a dive when the owner's children dig up the body of an indigenous Indian buried in the back yard. The owners are not thrilled with the find, as it brings the state archeologist and his students searching for more evidence of native American burial. Finding only the one, they leave, but not before all of the ground has been turned over.
Only problem is, an ancient Indian burial won't be the last body found on this property, and the next one will change the lives of everyone--the new house owners, their wiccan neighbors and certainly Regan McHenry.
Regan is already vested in the lives of the new owner, and she naturally becomes involved. Okay so she's an amateur sleuth, but she's as thorough in her investigation as she is with her full time job as a real estate agent.
I enjoyed the interesting side line antidotes about the real estate market, and I thought they were well placed--not too much and not too little. One scene in particular surely came out of truth-is-stranger-than-fiction: Regan arrives at a house with a client and accidently surprises the home owner's wife getting out of the shower. I gasped and then laughed out loud. Timing is everything and this scene was perfect for the story.
The mystery is smart, the plot tightly constructed, the characters believable and interesting. I was impressed with the author's treatment of the nuances of why people do what they do and how it affects the outcome of the story.
The author lays out clues as to the killer, but I didn't see who the killer was until Nancy Lynn Jarvis showed me in the book's thrilling climax.
Highly recommended read.
Only problem is, an ancient Indian burial won't be the last body found on this property, and the next one will change the lives of everyone--the new house owners, their wiccan neighbors and certainly Regan McHenry.
Regan is already vested in the lives of the new owner, and she naturally becomes involved. Okay so she's an amateur sleuth, but she's as thorough in her investigation as she is with her full time job as a real estate agent.
I enjoyed the interesting side line antidotes about the real estate market, and I thought they were well placed--not too much and not too little. One scene in particular surely came out of truth-is-stranger-than-fiction: Regan arrives at a house with a client and accidently surprises the home owner's wife getting out of the shower. I gasped and then laughed out loud. Timing is everything and this scene was perfect for the story.
The mystery is smart, the plot tightly constructed, the characters believable and interesting. I was impressed with the author's treatment of the nuances of why people do what they do and how it affects the outcome of the story.
The author lays out clues as to the killer, but I didn't see who the killer was until Nancy Lynn Jarvis showed me in the book's thrilling climax.
Highly recommended read.
February 12, 2017
Love this series!
Regan, a real estate agent is the kind of person everyone would be comfortable with. You want to sit down and have a glass of wine with her and her husband Tom. The second book in the series, Backyard Bones is a smooth transition from the first.
An accidental discovery of a body in the backyard of a home Regan has just sold to a nice family requires the services of an anthropologist. The police determine it was murder. Neighbours are blamed.
A second body is found and the mystery starts to get complicated. The author leads one up and down and around, red herrings and false leads keep one engrossed until the end. An intelligent, well-written cozy mystery series, definitely at the top of my favourites list.
Reviewed for MysteryThrillerWeek.com 2017
Regan, a real estate agent is the kind of person everyone would be comfortable with. You want to sit down and have a glass of wine with her and her husband Tom. The second book in the series, Backyard Bones is a smooth transition from the first.
An accidental discovery of a body in the backyard of a home Regan has just sold to a nice family requires the services of an anthropologist. The police determine it was murder. Neighbours are blamed.
A second body is found and the mystery starts to get complicated. The author leads one up and down and around, red herrings and false leads keep one engrossed until the end. An intelligent, well-written cozy mystery series, definitely at the top of my favourites list.
Reviewed for MysteryThrillerWeek.com 2017
September 21, 2012
I picked up this book because it was free, and the scene of the crime happened in my hometown area, Santa Cruz. It is a fairly quick read, filled with lots of favorite places that I loved envisioning again in my mind. Marianne's Ice Cream, Pacific Street in downtown Santa Cruz, and the lovely area of La Selva Beach (I went to a private boarding school out in the area).
The mystery was fun, and I enjoyed my reading of it. It is well written, and the story moves along at a decent pace. As mentioned by other reviewers though, I felt the MC who had some good instincts was completely bamboozled by the true suspect, and it amazed me that for all her attention to details and suppositions, he eluded her scrutiny.
But, I'm glad I picked it up and read the story. I'd actually give it another 1/2 star if it were an option.
The mystery was fun, and I enjoyed my reading of it. It is well written, and the story moves along at a decent pace. As mentioned by other reviewers though, I felt the MC who had some good instincts was completely bamboozled by the true suspect, and it amazed me that for all her attention to details and suppositions, he eluded her scrutiny.
But, I'm glad I picked it up and read the story. I'd actually give it another 1/2 star if it were an option.
May 27, 2013
I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I cannot share the opinions that there were too many details about the realtor business nor did I guess at an early point who the perp might be. I also liked the fact that Regan does not believe she knows everything better than the police, and she doesn't provoke dangerous situations by permanently doing things such as breaking in, stalking suspects, walking through the woods alone... you know what I mean.
August 11, 2009
I love female sleuths and Regan McHenry, Santa Cruz realtor, is a great female sleuth! I love the characters, the plotting is wonderful, the pacing is terrific, and all in all, this is a great read! Now I've got to go back and read the first one and I hope there will be many more in this series.
June 21, 2012
I enjoyed this mystery a lot! The characters were great, cute and fun and the story well written. I didn't read the first of this series but will have to go get it and will be ready for the next in this series!
July 31, 2012
The book was OK. Not great, but a nice, easy read for an evening. I got through it I about 4 hours. Don't know that I'll get any other books by this author because she really didn't bring me into the book. Glad it was a Kindle freebie.
August 11, 2012
Good read. Enjoyed the fact that the main character wasn't perfect. One of the books you don't mind staying up late to finish
January 6, 2013
nice clean murder mystery. I figured out who it was too early, I like to be able to keep guessing longer :)
March 7, 2014
it was a nice easy read
August 1, 2013
Though the story sometimes gets bogged down in minutiae, the plot is solid, as is the writing. It took me awhile to figure out "who done it".
April 26, 2023
"It's not the first time Regan has experienced deja-vu. But when the sensation involves finding a second body buried where one was found just weeks before, deja-vu takes on new meaning.
"Someone murdered a girl on her seventeenth birthday, and as Regan delves into the motive behind the girl's murder, she discovers many people are trying to hide secrets about their entanglement with the dead teenager. Regan must figure out which of them is a murderer, and she has to do it carefully or she'll become the killer's next victim.
"Santa Cruz, California, real estate agent Regan McHenry, her husband, Tom Kiley, and their friend, police ombudsman Dave Everett are back in a new story of murder. They invite you to come along for the twists and turns of this new mystery."
~~back cover
I enjoyed this book tremendously because I lived in Santa Cruz for 10 years, attended both Cabrillo College and UCSC, and have been to so many of the places mentioned in the book. Reading it brought back so many fond memories!
Other than thaqt, I found the writing rather stilted, and the plot rather ordinary. Still, I'm going to look for the first book, so I can enjoy another trip down memory lane!
"Someone murdered a girl on her seventeenth birthday, and as Regan delves into the motive behind the girl's murder, she discovers many people are trying to hide secrets about their entanglement with the dead teenager. Regan must figure out which of them is a murderer, and she has to do it carefully or she'll become the killer's next victim.
"Santa Cruz, California, real estate agent Regan McHenry, her husband, Tom Kiley, and their friend, police ombudsman Dave Everett are back in a new story of murder. They invite you to come along for the twists and turns of this new mystery."
~~back cover
I enjoyed this book tremendously because I lived in Santa Cruz for 10 years, attended both Cabrillo College and UCSC, and have been to so many of the places mentioned in the book. Reading it brought back so many fond memories!
Other than thaqt, I found the writing rather stilted, and the plot rather ordinary. Still, I'm going to look for the first book, so I can enjoy another trip down memory lane!
June 18, 2017
Good story
I like this story . The pacing is very good and Ms. Jarvis writes well . The characters are well drawn and the relationship between the husband and the police officer and the main character is a nice touch. It makes them all very likable . In fact all of her characters were likable and I think in this case it is why I didn't actually figure out who did it until the last third of the book. She fooled me and that's hard to do .
This is a good summer read. I have two others by her and look forward to reading them as well
I like this story . The pacing is very good and Ms. Jarvis writes well . The characters are well drawn and the relationship between the husband and the police officer and the main character is a nice touch. It makes them all very likable . In fact all of her characters were likable and I think in this case it is why I didn't actually figure out who did it until the last third of the book. She fooled me and that's hard to do .
This is a good summer read. I have two others by her and look forward to reading them as well
January 1, 2019
A real estate lady decides to play detective after the kids found some bones of a dog in their yard. Further digging turned up human bones. A young girl who was pregnant was the victim. Neighbors where thought to be witches and involved in Wiccan stuff. The girl did have a pentacle carved on her neck. So they thought they were involved. After almost being victim number 4 she finally figured out who this tall dark handsome killer was.
December 14, 2019
Backyard Bones
Interesting and entertaining storyline about the murder of a young girl and the quest to find a killer. Multiple suspects makes for an uncertain journey down the road to discovery.
Interesting and entertaining storyline about the murder of a young girl and the quest to find a killer. Multiple suspects makes for an uncertain journey down the road to discovery.
April 3, 2023
It started out well, but I knew who the villain was very early on and DNF because I didn't see the point since I already knew whodunnit.
April 25, 2013
This review is from: Backyard Bones (Regan McHenry Mystery Series) (Kindle Edition)
Nancy Lynn Jarvis does an outstanding job of drawing her readers into the lives of her characters in Backyard Bones. As a real estate guru, she teaches some of the ins and outs of the real estate game but only as it applies to the story. When a body is found in the backyard of one of her clients, when another client is accused of murder, Regen McHenry, real estate agent, her natural curiosity gets the best of her. Filling the ear of her police buddy with possible suspects leads her to withhold some evidence. Read this excellent mystery to find out what happens next.
Nancy Lynn Jarvis does an outstanding job of drawing her readers into the lives of her characters in Backyard Bones. As a real estate guru, she teaches some of the ins and outs of the real estate game but only as it applies to the story. When a body is found in the backyard of one of her clients, when another client is accused of murder, Regen McHenry, real estate agent, her natural curiosity gets the best of her. Filling the ear of her police buddy with possible suspects leads her to withhold some evidence. Read this excellent mystery to find out what happens next.
November 6, 2012
Not liking this story, Regan McHenry real estate agent investigates the murder of a sixteen year old. The body being buried on the property she just sold to a man running for office. It rambles on about how the real estate profession operates and gets bogged down with accusations of the minister, the politician and the Wiccan fathering the dead woman's child. You can figure out who actually is the killer by the time you are three quarters through the story. You can give it a try if you want, but I wouldn't recommend it.
May 9, 2012
I'm sorry to give this a low rating, but it was just not my cup of tea. The story was an amateur sleuth figures out a murder mystery-type book, and other than a time filler, for me it was not a memorable read. I feel like I'm being unfair to this book, in a way, and I don't mean to be. This genre is not one I would ordinarily pick up, but it was a free Kindle download. I need to be more discerning in what I download to "Mrs. Dalloway" - my Kindle.
July 8, 2024
I labeled this as a cozy mystery because I consider mysteries where the "detective" is actually a lay person. I felt this book was better than a lot of these type of books because the mystery was logical. The protagonist did not just fall into the answer, but actually put some effort into the investigation.
August 10, 2016
Oh another great read. Again with the area that I am so familiar with and it is so great to see in your mind where the author is taking you. The stories are always so interesting too. I also love the tidbits of knowledge in regards to real estate too.
May 8, 2012
Sort of a run of the mill whodunit. Nothing much more than that to say about it. It held my sttention fairly well and I was easily able to read it within the course of a single day.
August 25, 2012
Liking it so far...
Read
December 15, 2012This is not really a review. I read 4 chapters and was bored so I have given up on it.
February 16, 2013
Cozy realtor mystery
May 11, 2013
An easy read although I found the premise of an estate agent investigating so much a little strained.
March 26, 2016
Enkoyed the Book, interest twist to the average.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews