Blue Christmas Bones (Sarah Booth Delaney Series #28)

by Carolyn Haines

Overview

Blue Christmas Bones is the next Christmas mystery in the series that Kirkus Reviews characterizes as “Stephanie Plum meets the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” featuring sassy Southern private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney.

Sarah Booth Delaney and her friends can’t help falling in love with Christmas this year, which they plan to spend celebrating the King of Rock n’ Roll at the annual Elvis Festival in Tupelo. The main attraction is an Elvis impersonator competition, drawing impersonators from all over the world to honor the king.

But before the revelry can get underway, a priceless jewel-encrusted replica of a belt once worn by Elvis is stolen from its display case, and Sarah Booth and Tinkie are roped into one of the biggest heists in the history of Mississippi. Soon suspicious minds are lurking around every corner, with one eyewitness even claiming to have seen Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’s long deceased and highly questionable manager, prowling around the festivities. Sarah Booth will have to find the devil in disguise or she might just end up singing Jailhouse Rock herself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250885968
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/15/2024
Series:	Sarah Booth Delaney Series , #28
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Carolyn Haines is the USA Today bestselling author of the Sarah Booth Delaney mystery series and a number of other books in mystery and crime, including the Pluto's Snitch paranormal-historical mystery series, and Trouble, the black cat detective romantic suspense books. She is the recipient of the Harper Lee Award for Distinguished Writing, the Richard Wright Award for Literary Excellence, and the Mississippi Writers Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a former journalist, bartender, photographer, farmhand, and college professor and lives on a farm where she works with rescue cats, dogs, and horses.

Editorial Reviews

"A mystery with plenty of humorous suspects and a treasure trove of trivia guaranteed to delight Elvis fans." —Kirkus Reviews

"Fans of character-driven mysteries with madcap plots will find they can’t help falling in love with Haines’s latest.” —Library Journal

Praise for the Sarah Booth Delaney Mysteries:

“[An] exciting quest.” —Kirkus Reviews on Lights, Camera, Bones

"Full of Southern charm." —Kirkus Reviews on Tell-Tales Bones

"Climactic and satisfying." —Tuscaloosa News on Tell-Tales Bones

"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

2024-08-17
A Christmas vacation for a pair of southern belles with backbones of steel becomes a working holiday.

Sarah Booth Delaney and Tinkie Bellcase Richmond, partners in the Delaney Detective Agency, have joined their pals Millie Roberts and Cece Dee Falcon for a trip to Tupelo, Mississippi, to compete in an amateur Elvis Presley impersonator festival. On display at the Arena Center is a magnificent replica of Elvis’ bejeweled Las Vegas belt created by artist Sippi Salem; it belongs to Grace Land, a wealthy local woman who made a fortune starring on a reality TV show calledBoyfriend Boot Camp. When the belt is stolen, the volatile Grace offers Sarah Booth and Tinkie big bucks to recover it. They soon learn that their beautiful client is a widely disliked inveterate liar, making it difficult to narrow down the list of suspects. Surrounded by sexy Elvis impersonators, the ladies are delighted when their men arrive. Sarah Booth’s lover, county sheriff Coleman Peters, is especially welcome because Tupelo police chief Yuma Johnson, a suspect himself, is freezing them out. It turns out there’s no insurance on the $3 million belt because the insurance agent hates Grace and didn’t remind her that her payment was late. Between shopping, competing, and winning, the ladies still find time to investigate a large cast of dubious characters, one of whom is out to kill Grace.

A mystery with plenty of humorous suspects and a treasure trove of trivia guaranteed to delight Elvis fans.

Kirkus Reviews