Game of Bones

In Haines’s appealing 20th Sarah Booth Delaney mystery (after 2018’s A Gift of Bones), someone cuts the throat of archaeologist Sandra Wells and hangs her body upside down. This ritual murder takes place at a sacred Native American mound in Mississippi’s Sunflower County that a team of archaeologists is excavating. When Sheriff Coleman Peters identifies dig leader Frank Hafner, who has a reputation as a ladies’ man, as the prime suspect, Frank asks the Delaney Detective Agency for help. Sarah Booth and her partner, Tinkie Richmond, soon find several other suspects with reasons to kill, including attorney Peter Deerstalker, who may have been upset by the dig for tribal reasons. Supernatural twists seem to imply a curse, and Sarah Booth’s ghostly friend, Jitty, who haunts Sarah Booth and her home, appears in the guise of various Native American women to warn of more danger to come. Sarah Booth and Tinkie also find hints of more down-to-earth motives. Distinctive characters and an atmospheric setting elevate this paranormal cozy. Series fans and newcomers alike will be satisfied. [em]Agent: Marian Young, Young Agency. (May) [/em]