A Garland of Bones

Description

Sarah Booth is all set for Christmas. She's having a decoration party at Dahlia House and planning a festive Christmas dinner with all of her friends. There are parties everywhere. It seems the residents of Sunflower County have brought in a bountiful crop this year and everyone is in a party mood. Each little Delta town has a special Christmas activity, and Tinkie proposes that they rent a limo and drive to Columbus, MS, and stay in a B&B for several days so they can Christmas shop and participate in a slate of annual Christmas activities that include Christmas karaoke, wassailing, and a parade with floats of blues musicians. Everyone is on board to go. Because a good journalist is never off work, Cece says she will cover it for the Zinnia Dispatch. Even Millie takes some time off from the cafe to party with her friends. But their Christmas cheer soon mutates to Christmas fear, when at one celebratory event after the other, someone gets hurt. An electrified microphone and a slip down the stairs may seem like mere accidents, but each of these so-called "accidents" could have been fatal. The Christmas bells are ringing hauntingly in Columbus this year, and Sarah Booth and Tinkie-with a little help from Sheriff Coleman Peters of course, are determined to catch the wrong-doers and ensure they receive nothing but coal in their stockings.

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.

Sprightly....Haines once again delivers entertaining cozy fare. --Publishers Weekly Fans of Carolyn Hart's Bailey Ruth Raeburn and Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity series will enjoy. --Booklist A stocking stuffed with something for everyone: a friendly house-ghost, cats and dogs, a hunky romantic lead, and the requisite crime. --Kirkus Reviews on A Gift of Bones Haines's longtime admirers will be thrilled to spend the holidays with their favorite characters. New readers looking for an engaging story can start here. --Library Journal on A Gift of Bones With holiday details and a strong plot, Carolyn Haines has achieved that sweet Christmas cozy balance in A Gift of Bones. --Mystery Scene Magazine 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 "Haines shows Sarah at her madcap best back in her hometown in this clever adventure. This is a 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 "[Haines] delivers a riveting love story alongside the mystery, leaving her readers in hot anticipation of her next novel."--Mississippi Magazine on Booty Bones