Tell-Tale Bones: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery

by Carolyn Haines

Overview

Carolyn Haines's Tell-Tale Bones marks 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.

Private Investigator Sarah Booth Delaney and her partner Tinkie are in Sheriff Coleman Peters's office, consulting Coleman about cold cases, when Elisa Redd storms in with a case of her own. She wants Coleman to reopen the investigation of her missing daughter, Lydia Redd Maxell, the heiress to a large fortune who disappeared along with her friend Bethany nearly seven years ago. Lydia and Bethany were rumored to be working as human rights organizers abroad, but Elisa suspects Lydia’s problems might have stemmed closer to home. Now Lydia’s husband, Tope, is set to inherit the fortune, and Elisa believes he’s behind the disappearance.

Sarah Booth and Tinkie soon connect the case to a series of mysterious disappearances over the years, as well as to a perplexing recurring dream. With another woman’s life at stake, the friends follow an increasingly twisty trail all over Sunflower County, leading them to a tree and an empty grave in the county cemetery. A grave that’s said to be haunted…

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250885852
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/16/2023
Series:	Sarah Booth Delaney Series , #26
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	193,542
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

CAROLYN HAINES is the author of the Sarah Booth Delaney Mysteries. She is the recipient of both the Harper Lee Distinguished Writing Award and the Richard Wright Award for Literary Excellence. Born and raised in Mississippi, she now lives in Semmes, Alabama on a farm with more dogs, cats, and horses than she can possibly keep track of.

Editorial Reviews

"Full of Southern charm." —Kirkus Reviews

"Climactic and satisfying." —Tuscaloosa News

"Fascinating characters dripping in grit and Southern charm highlight a twisty puzzler." —Kirkus Reviews on Bones of Holly

"Charm-drenched....Fans will love catching up with their favorite detectives, who never forget that they are Southern ladies at heart." —Publishers Weekly on Bones of Holly

“Haines shows Sarah at her madcap best back in her hometown in this clever adventure. This is crazy cozy with a little something for everyone: paranormal doings, plenty of Evanovich zaniness, and a cast of eccentrics.”
—Booklist on Bone to Be Wild

“Enjoyable…Jitty, the headstrong ghost who shares Sarah Booth’s family home, is just one of the many well-drawn characters who help bring this Southern tale to colorful life.” —Publishers Weekly on Rock-a-Bye Bones

"Distinctive characters and an atmospheric setting elevate this paranormal cozy. Series fans and newcomers alike will be satisfied." —Publishers Weekly on Game of Bones

"A dark mystery, effectively framed by its well-drawn Mississippi Delta setting." —Booklist on Game of Bones

"A sure pleaser in both the mystery and the romance department. If you like a satisfying cozy Southern whodunit, Charmed Bones fits the bill." —RT Book Reviews

From the Publisher

2023-03-28
Several missing women, an abusive husband, and a fight over money add up to murder and mayhem for a pair of Southern belles with deep roots in the Mississippi Delta.

Sarah Booth Delaney has her own haint—that is, ghost—named Jitty, who one day shows up in the guise of Edgar Allan Poe. Shortly afterward, Sarah gets a visit from a very-much-alive medium who’s been having disturbing dreams of a heart beating loudly in her house and a bathtub filled with blood. The biggest piece of gossip in town, though, is that Tope Maxwell, lawyer and college football star, is petitioning to have his wife, Lydia Redd, who’s been missing for years, declared dead. Rumor has it that Tope wants to remarry and is desperate to inherit Lydia’s money. Lydia is the only child of wealthy Elisa Redd, who wants Sheriff Coleman Peters, Sarah Booth’s boyfriend, to reopen the case. Before Lydia vanished along with her best friend, Bethany Carter, while they were working as human rights organizers in Afghanistan, people knew that Tope beat her and spent her money, but everyone was too afraid of Tope and his influential family to say anything. Since Coleman’s hands are tied, he suggests Elisa hire Sarah Booth and Tinkie Richmond, her partner in detection, to look into the case. Elisa is afraid that Tope murdered both women, and when his new fiancee falls or is thrown to her death, he becomes the likely suspect in that murder. The determined sleuths dig up a lot of useful information and possible sightings of the missing women, but will that be enough to find them and get Tope arrested?

Full of Southern charm and an eye-opening look at the difficulties in ending domestic abuse.

Kirkus Reviews