Wind and Bones

by Kristin Marra

Women, funerals, guns, and rattlesnakes. What could go wrong?

Jill O’Hara, award-winning journalist and inveterate egotist, is about to find out. When Jill is summoned to her hometown Prairie View, Montana, to bury her father and clean up his messes, she assumes a few tedious days of signing papers and delegating responsibilities will complete her obligations. But Jill’s duties as Dean O’Hara’s daughter soon become less mundane and more menacing. To complicate matters, Jill’s first love, Annie Doyle, lives in Prairie View and despite Annie’s blistering past betrayal, Jill still desires her. Fortunately, Sheriff Rae Terabian, a woman with a uniform, power, and shady associates, deliciously distracts Jill from her obsession with Annie.

Amidst her customary confusion over women, Jill is forced to confront her father’s treacherous legacy, battle the extremes of the northern Montana wilds, and face down survivalists bent on silencing her. Despite the remote location and severe peril, she discovers the possibility for one more chance at love.

Genres: Lesbian, Mystery, Lesbian Fiction, Lesbian Romance, LGBT, Romance, Fiction

264 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2010

About the author

Kristin Marra spent the first thirty-five years of her life in Montana where she never learned to love snow. Conceding defeat, she moved to the Pacific Northwest and freely admits she adores the clouds and gloom. Overcast days encourage delightfully obscene hours of reading and more hours for writing. Besides books, cooking, and movies, Kristin enjoys sharing adventures with her partner Judith, daughter Rachel, and varmint canine Spud. Kristin is employed in the public sector. (from the publisher's website)

Reviews

[Dide · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little thrill and suspense but majority of my reading time was met with over done descriptions that made this boring on many pages.

[W. Gregory Kett · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author does a marvelous job of expressing her love for the Hi-Line terrain and it's barren beauty. Very visual and intriguing.

I tried to like this book, Suspense! Intrigue! What could possibly be wrong with that? Boredom and being Cliche ridden maybe?

The main character, Jane, felt as flat and shallow as could be for the first 2/3 or so of the book. Reading her scenes was more like a grocery list than creating an empathic bond. By the time she came to life and started to develop a real personality I found it hard to care any more.
As to the relationships? With Annie the pathetic puppy dog love interest left me meh. Then Rae, ok a real love? But it seemed to be so forced, the character 'must' fall in love so they do. No romance, no common interests, again like evertything Jane, totally shallow.

Maybe it is because I read too much, but so much I saw here was like the classic meme, you see the gun in act one, you have to use it by act three.

In the opening chapters we are given:
-A MC that is 40some and acts like an 18(maybe 16) year old expecting daddy to take care of her like he always did? Yet she basically knows nothing of his empire and claims to be a Pulitzer winning journalist? /shudder
-Hardassed big city cop in a dying podunk town? Obvious Undercover agent.
-Family farm where people go in private to shoot a lot that is on an under-patrolled border? OK, I thought Militia involved with smuggling, got Terrorists involved with smuggling.
-A tiny town with a one room school house and 5 homes, yet shows money? HINT HINT! Someone is waving bait!

It would have served for Annie to get a couple chapters of her own. For as evil and misguided as she was, she was still far deeper and more complex than Dear Jane. Instead Annie becomes literally a throw away character.
Oh yeah, Jane hadn't seen Annie in, Three, Five or Ten+ years? Take your pick, all are used.

[Dawn Bellville · Rating 2 out of 5]

An average book with an out of the ordinary setting and story line. There seemed to be a lot of repetition when "describing" the main character's reason for doing what she is doing. While there were bright spots sprinkled here and there, there was nothing "special" or compelling. I expected more. The end of the book (last 30 pages or so)were tense and moved the story along at a good pace. If the same pace could have been found throughout it would have made for a much more enjoyable read. As a debut story for this author, it was admirable, but left a lot of unanswered questions. Perhaps a sequel?

[Monna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely great book! The characters are interesting, intelligent, sexy, and mysterious all at the same time. You want to know what will happen to them throughout. AND I want to know what happens next in their relationship.

[J Bussey · Rating 5 out of 5]

None of the awkward, amateurish things you'd expect in first novel. Good characters and plot, and suspenseful even though I figured out what was going on pretty early. Well written action scenes that flow without getting confusing. It's obviously meant to be continued, there are several obvious threads left hanging (like the identity of the bones in the title), and I can't wait to read more!

[Lissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought that I would enjoy this book a lot more than I did. I simply couldn't identify or connect with the main character, and as this is told in the first person perspective, that made reading the book a chore. The story dragged incessantly until the last few chapters, when things FINALLY started moving at something other than a snail's pace, but by then, it was too little, too late.

[Debra Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read

I enjoyed this book very much. Just the right amount of intrigue, adventure and romance. I kept putting off reading this book and I have no idea why. I wish I would've read it sooner because it was very enjoyable. Looking forward to more books by this author.

[susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice

This the first time reading a book from this author. I like the storyline kept me thinking I didn't want to put it down till I was done. Characters were great. I would recommend this book.