Crossed Bones

by Carolyn Haines

Book Overview

In rich, atmospheric mysteries set against the backdrop of modern-day Mississippi, Carolyn Haines has given the southern belle a brilliantly hip makeover. Now Haines and her unforgettable heroine, Sarah Booth Delaney, are back with a tale about skeletons in closets--and elsewhere.

Crossed Bones

Sarah Booth Delaney is no ordinary P.I. A born-and-bred Mississippi belle, she struggles to hold on to her family's plantation and keeps...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 044024093X
• ISBN13: 9780440240938
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 353 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

crossed bones

"Crossed Bones" is my favorite entry into the Mississippi Delta mysteries. At first, the plot seemed to be very typical-- a white man murders a black man-- but there is much more to this mystery than meets the eye. The pace is fast, & we also get to see Sarah Booth grow along the way. She still hasn't found the perfect man, but I have a feeling that she will in time. As always, Jitty offers the yin to Sarah Booth's yang, & the series would not be the same without her.

Best "Bones" Yet

Sarah Booth does it again! The "Bones" mysteries are fun, but as a former Ole Miss GDI and sipper of an occasional cocktail, the character of Sarah Booth is what makes this series my favorite. These books are like potato chips - no one can read just one.

the best yet in a great series

Carolyn Haines simply gets better with each new book in this series, and this one is superb. The plot is smoothly constructed, with the suspense building steadily throughout. The characters are well drawn, and Sarah Booth remains a fascinating, complex heroine. Having grown up near the Mississippi Delta, I feel like I'm going home every time I read one of these books.

well-written colorful mystery

The Mississippi Delta and her home Dahlia House are in Sara Booth's Delaney's blood. She will do almost anything in her power to keep them both, even work as a private detective. Almost anything excludes marrying a man from her social set and letting him take care of her even though Jitty, the ghost of her great great great grandmother nanny, wants the last Delaney married.Sarah Booth is enjoying the land, her house and her dog when she is dragged into the homicide investigation of the famous blues musician, Ivory Keys. His wife Ida Mae Keys wants Sarah Booth to prove that while blues singer Scott Hampton didn't kill his friend and employer Ivory. The two men met in prison and shared a vision that music could be the bridge between the races. Circumstantial evidence points to Scott as the perpetrator and if Sarah Booth doesn't find the real perpetrator soon, the town of Zinnia will erupt into violence.CROSSED BONES is a well-written colorful mystery that gives the reader some terrific insight into the workings of a small southern town. The heroine is strong, independent and straightforward, and not your typical southern belle; while her partner is all those things and lends a sense of comic relief to the plot when it begins to boil. Sarah Booth is attracted to the bad boy musician but not enough to give him her heart while the man she really wants reconciles with his wife. Readers will empathize and sympathize with the heroine, hoping she will get the perpetrator and collect her fee.Harriet Klausner

Sarah Booth tries to solve the murder of a bluesman

Sarah Booth is hired by the widow of bluesman Ivory Keyes to prove that his protegee, former white supremacist rapper, now blues guitarist Scott Hampton. Scott doesn't want to be cleared of the murder and at first seems to be guilty. Sarah has problems in her personal life as usual, Coleman has gone back to his wife, again, and Tinkie is trying to set her up with a handsome millionaire. Scott has a fan of his own, crazy Nandy, who was raised to believe that she is the heir to the Scottish throne. Ivory's murder has caused racial unrest among the local population. This isn't helped by the arrival of two of Scott's prison buddies. This case is going to take all of Sarah Booth's talent to solve, even without the personal attacks and the distractions of the "Delaney Womb", and Scott Hampton most definitely is a distraction.As usual Ms. Haines has produced a funny and gripping mystery. There are many great suspects, and the quirky characters of Sunflower County are as crazy as ever. I can't wait to read the next one.