Summer

10 August 2009

THEM BONES: A Mystery from the Mississippi Delta - Carolyn Haines

From the back of the book: If only I hadn't kidnapped the dog...but the ransom paid the mortgage....Now I seem to be a private eye....I shouldn't have listened to that ghost....
Meet Sarah Booth Delaney...an unconventional Southern belle whose knack for uncovering the truth is about to make her the hottest detective in Zinnia, Mississippi...if it doesn't make her the deadest.No self-respecting lady would allow herself to end up in Sarah Booth's situation. Unwed, unemployed, and over thirty, she's flat broke and about to lose the family plantation. Not to mention being haunted by the ghost of her great-great-grandmother's nanny, who never misses an opportunity to remind her of her sorry state—or to suggest a plan of action, like ransoming her friend's prize pooch to raise some cash.But soon Sarah Booth's walk on the criminal side leads her deeper into unladylike territory, and she's hired to solve a murder. Did gorgeous, landed Hamilton Garrett V really kill his mother twenty years ago? And if so, what is Sarah Booth doing falling for this possible murderer? When she asks one too many questions and a new corpse turns up, she is suddenly a suspect herself...and Sarah Booth finds that digging up the bones of the past could leave her rolling over in her grave.
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I had so much fun reading this book. I can't believe it's taken me this long to find this series. Sarah Booth Delaney is a Daddy's Girl, a group of privileged young ladies whose only real goal in life was to marry well and live a life of leisure. Sarah Booth jumped that ship and went to New York after college (Catching the male was an entire course of study for Delta girls and Ole Miss was the preferred hunting ground) to become an actress. That didn't pan out so well and she came home to Zinnia Mississippi to save her home, Dahlia House, which she is about to lose to the bank if she can't find the money. She kidnaps her friend Tinkie's dog and 'rescues' it for the reward. Tinkie hires her as a person she can trust to keep a secret and use her intelligence to find out why Garrett Hamilton the Fifth is in town. All kinds of secrets, lies and long ago murders and deaths come to the surface.
I love getting the inside look at the use of feminine wiles, the gallantry of men, how to make an entrance, how to make an exit, conversational skills to include how to cloak an insult with a sweet smile. One of my favorites: "Oh Kincaid, you look lovely tonight. But how do you get your eyeliner so straight when you don't cast a reflection in the mirror?"
The conversations are great fun and I love Sarah Booth's moxie, think Scarlett O'Hara without the bitchy 'tude.
Five Southern moxie beans....

7 comments:

Carolyn said...

THank you, Vicki, for posting a review. With each book, I learn more and more about this characters, who continually surprise me.

Vickie said...

Carolyn: Thank you for stopping by my blog. And thank you for writing such a fun mystery. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Carolyn said...

Before I decided to write, I was such an avid reader. I read al kinds of books and could fly through a good book in no time. Now I must rely on people like you--who read and give comments about books--to find the right ones without wasting time. So thank you for selecting mine to read. (Don't tell anyone, but I have a blast writing about these characters!)

Vickie said...

Your secret is safe with me. = >

SuziQoregon said...

Yay Yay Yay (insert happydancing here) I just knew you'd get a kick out of this series.

I've read the second one and it's just as much fun. Love all the secondary characters almost as much as I love Jitty.

I'm looking forward to reading #3.

Carolyn said...

I'm working on the 10th one now. I've aged a decade and my protagonist only 2 years. How does that work? And I want some of that action!

Vickie said...

SuziQ: *grin* I am so glad you posted the review so I could be aware of this fun series! Thanks for the point.

Carolyn: I would love some of that action, too!