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Them Bones |
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 Them Bones byCarolyn Haines Bantam Books 318 pages, December 1999 ISBN 0553581716 Reviewed by Susan McBride Nominated for a Romantic Times Award for Best First Mystery Sarah Booth Delaney was born a daughter of privilege in Zinnia, Mississsippi where Delta soil is fertile and women are expected to be equally fecund. Only times have changed, and suddenly Sarah is the last of the Delaney’s. She lost her place in society when the family fortune dried up faster than the Southern sky after a rain shower. And, if she doesn’t want to relinquish her car and her beloved Dahlia House, she’s got to come up with a way to raise some fast cash. So, on the urging of a ghost named Jitty who haunts the old plantation, the 33-year-old, unmarried "Daddy’s Girl" kidnaps the pooch of long-time friend Tinkie Bellcase Richmond, only to "rescue" the puppy and collect a handsome reward, enough to pay off a few debts. Tinkie admires Sarah’s "heroics" so much that she offers to pay her twice as much to dig up some secrets on a man named Hamilton Garrett, a fabled blackheart in Zinnia whose family has more than its share of skeletons in the closet. Hamilton’s father died suspiciously in a dove hunting accident - only Guy Garrett didn’t dove hunt. And his mother Veronica, a blond beauty with whispered affairs never confirmed, met her fate in a car accident. So says the coroner. But once Sarah starts digging up bones, the truth suddenly starts looking more and more like lies. Them Bones is a highly enjoyable tale of family secrets, Southern customs, and wit. It was nominated for a Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best First Mystery by the editors at Romantic Times magazine. A former author of romantic fiction, Carolyn Haines has come up with a winner in her mystery debut. |
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