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Meet Sarah Booth Delaney, an unconventional Southern belle whose knack for uncovering the truth is about to make her the hottest detective in Zinnia, Mississippi . . . if it doesn't make her the deadest.No self-respecting lady would allow herself to end up in Sarah Booth’s situation. Unwed, unemployed, and over thirty, she’s flat broke and about to lose the family plantation. Not to mention being haunted by the ghost of her great-great-grandmother’s nanny, who never misses an show more opportunity to remind her of her sorry state—or to suggest a plan of action, like ransoming her friend’s prize pooch to raise some cash.
But soon Sarah Booth’s walk on the criminal side leads her deeper into unladylike territory, and she’s hired to solve a murder. Did gorgeous, landed Hamilton Garrett V really kill his mother twenty years ago? And if so, what is Sarah Booth doing falling for this possible murderer? When she asks one too many... show less
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Sarah Booth Delany has returned to her home in Zinnia, Mississippi. After a failed career in New York, she returns to her ancestral home, Dahlia House, over thirty, unemployed and unwed. Also living at Dahlia House is Jitty, a her great-great-grandmother's nanny - and a ghost who is now haunting Sarah Booth.
Yet Sarah Booth is a 'Daddy's Girl', whose only job is to marry well and enjoy the privileges that come with it. But she is not like the others of her ilk, she is unconventional and not interested in marrying the first man who asks her that is rich. She returns home to Zinnia Mississippi, still unwed and now unemployed, and about to lose her ancestral home, Dahlia House. Desperate for money, she listens to Jitty, who convinces her show more that the quickest way to get it is to kidnap Chablis, her best friend Tinkie's dog, and then ransom him back. So she sends Tinkie a ransom note for $5000 and Tinkie, frantic, wants Sarah Booth to deliver the money and retrieve her dog. Having done this, Tinkie declares that Sarah Booth is now a PI, and hires her to find out why an ex-boyfriend, Hamilton Garrett V, has recently returned home.
What this does is unleash an entire series of events regarding a 20-year-old murder case that leads to questions nobody wants asked and threats on Sarah Booth's life. But she presses on, because by now she is immersed in the case and has some questions of her own. It doesn't help that she's attracted to the murder victim's son, who has been living abroad since the murder, and has now returned home and wants nothing more than for her to drop the whole thing.
You see, years ago, Hamilton was exiled to Europe when first his father, then his mother were killed. There are other reasons he was sent to Europe, and after setting sight on Hamilton, and immediately being drawn to him, she ultimately decides that the deep mystery surrounding his family and the reason he was sent to Europe are something she must find out. She first convinces herself it is for her friend Tinkie, but soon realizes she is doing it for herself.
While she is investigating Hamilton, she also begins investigating the two murders (under the guise of writing a fictional book), since she believes that Tinkie deserves to know the truth about the situation. Sarah Booth begins discovering secrets, and soon finds out what everyone really wants her to do is just leave it all alone and forget the past - which she is not about to do.
This book moved along at a great pace, Sarah Booth is headstrong, her conversations with Jitty are interesting, to say the least, and the descriptions of the area where she lives are colorful. Ms. Haines has a terrific way with words, and draws you deep into the delta of the story, wanting to know more.
What I really found the most interesting were the women. The way the women interacted with each other was extremely telling in how the Daddy's Girls were different, and of a different class. Sarah Booth was somewhere in the middle, now disdained by the true Daddy's Girls, but still one of them, and as such, those that weren't kept her at arm's length.
This book was delightful, the mystery well done, the characters described wonderfully. I found it all intriguing enough to want to pick up the next one immediately. I highly recommend this and can't wait to read the next in the series. show less
Yet Sarah Booth is a 'Daddy's Girl', whose only job is to marry well and enjoy the privileges that come with it. But she is not like the others of her ilk, she is unconventional and not interested in marrying the first man who asks her that is rich. She returns home to Zinnia Mississippi, still unwed and now unemployed, and about to lose her ancestral home, Dahlia House. Desperate for money, she listens to Jitty, who convinces her show more that the quickest way to get it is to kidnap Chablis, her best friend Tinkie's dog, and then ransom him back. So she sends Tinkie a ransom note for $5000 and Tinkie, frantic, wants Sarah Booth to deliver the money and retrieve her dog. Having done this, Tinkie declares that Sarah Booth is now a PI, and hires her to find out why an ex-boyfriend, Hamilton Garrett V, has recently returned home.
What this does is unleash an entire series of events regarding a 20-year-old murder case that leads to questions nobody wants asked and threats on Sarah Booth's life. But she presses on, because by now she is immersed in the case and has some questions of her own. It doesn't help that she's attracted to the murder victim's son, who has been living abroad since the murder, and has now returned home and wants nothing more than for her to drop the whole thing.
You see, years ago, Hamilton was exiled to Europe when first his father, then his mother were killed. There are other reasons he was sent to Europe, and after setting sight on Hamilton, and immediately being drawn to him, she ultimately decides that the deep mystery surrounding his family and the reason he was sent to Europe are something she must find out. She first convinces herself it is for her friend Tinkie, but soon realizes she is doing it for herself.
While she is investigating Hamilton, she also begins investigating the two murders (under the guise of writing a fictional book), since she believes that Tinkie deserves to know the truth about the situation. Sarah Booth begins discovering secrets, and soon finds out what everyone really wants her to do is just leave it all alone and forget the past - which she is not about to do.
This book moved along at a great pace, Sarah Booth is headstrong, her conversations with Jitty are interesting, to say the least, and the descriptions of the area where she lives are colorful. Ms. Haines has a terrific way with words, and draws you deep into the delta of the story, wanting to know more.
What I really found the most interesting were the women. The way the women interacted with each other was extremely telling in how the Daddy's Girls were different, and of a different class. Sarah Booth was somewhere in the middle, now disdained by the true Daddy's Girls, but still one of them, and as such, those that weren't kept her at arm's length.
This book was delightful, the mystery well done, the characters described wonderfully. I found it all intriguing enough to want to pick up the next one immediately. I highly recommend this and can't wait to read the next in the series. show less
I continue my project of reading a mystery set in every state. The
other requirement is that it be by an author I haven't read before. I
chose the first in Carolyn Haines' series set in the Mississippi
Delta, THEM BONES. What an enjoyable book, and it also reinforced my
understanding that every region of our country (and our world) has its
beauty and those who love it, even if that place sounds like hell on
earth to me! (I don't like heat and humidity.) Actually, THEM BONES is
set about this time of year, when the Delta sounds quite pleasant to
this unregenerate Yankee. Protagonist Sarah Booth Delaney is broke,
the last of her line, and trying to hold on to the family plantation.
She's tried life elsewhere, but she really loves her home even as show more she
can see the problems in the culture in which she was raised.
Complications for Sarah Booth include Jitty, the ghost of her
great-grandma's nanny, who keeps showing up to give her advice -- some
good, some not so good. There is a touch of Southern Gothic to the
plot, a little romance, and a lot of local color. This is exactly the
kind of book I was looking for when I began this project, and I will
certainly keep reading this series, which I'm happy to see continues
to this day. show less
other requirement is that it be by an author I haven't read before. I
chose the first in Carolyn Haines' series set in the Mississippi
Delta, THEM BONES. What an enjoyable book, and it also reinforced my
understanding that every region of our country (and our world) has its
beauty and those who love it, even if that place sounds like hell on
earth to me! (I don't like heat and humidity.) Actually, THEM BONES is
set about this time of year, when the Delta sounds quite pleasant to
this unregenerate Yankee. Protagonist Sarah Booth Delaney is broke,
the last of her line, and trying to hold on to the family plantation.
She's tried life elsewhere, but she really loves her home even as show more she
can see the problems in the culture in which she was raised.
Complications for Sarah Booth include Jitty, the ghost of her
great-grandma's nanny, who keeps showing up to give her advice -- some
good, some not so good. There is a touch of Southern Gothic to the
plot, a little romance, and a lot of local color. This is exactly the
kind of book I was looking for when I began this project, and I will
certainly keep reading this series, which I'm happy to see continues
to this day. show less
Sarah Booth has a big problem. If she doesn’t get a lot of money really soon she is going to lose her family home. Her parents are deceased, and she has no one to call on for help. Well, actually, there is someone who gives her a lot of advice: a ghost who was the nanny to a long dead relative. Some of the advice is good, but some is likely to get Sarah Booth in trouble. A series of misadventures leads Sarah Booth into committing a crime, then being instrumental in solving that crime, to becoming an unofficial P. I., to almost getting killed in the process. Whew! Whenever Sarah Booth is around, you can be sure you will be highly entertained! The writing has a delightful southern flavor, as do the characters. This first book in the show more series will undoubtedly leave you wanting more. show less
So first I want to say that I only read this book because of the cover. I was looking for a book with teeth on for a Goodreads challenge and I came across this. Not only did it have teeth but the cover intrigued me. Jitty was great! I loved her attitude and ideas. She is a hoot! The mystery wasn't too easy to figure out because, face it, there were a lot of secrets to go around. The thing that did bother me was the two name thing. I mean, seriously, do you really need to call her Sarah Booth every time? Why not just have people call her Sarah?
Sarah Booth Delaney, much like Scarlett O'Hara, is desperate to save her family home, Dahlia House. The bank is knocking at the door everyday, so she and the resident ghost, Jitty, cook up a plan involving dog-napping. She's so successful, she's hired by Tinkie Bellcase Richmond to delve into the Garrett family secrets to unearth what happened almost two decades ago. The return of the mysterious Hamilton Garrett the fifth has many women in Zinnia very curious. This was a fun southern mystery, where everyone has three names or a number attached to them and 'Daddy's Girls' learn how to be real southern women. Sarah Booth is definitely a little more Scarlett than Stephanie, but it was a promising beginning to a new to me series.
This is the first in the "Bones" series by Carolyn Haines. Sarah Booth
Delaney is a thirty-three year old never married orphaned "Daddy's Girl":
one of those Southern women who were bred and raised to be pliant, to marry
well, and to rule the roost with an iron hand in a silk glove. But, she has
apparently broken the mold of DG's in Zinnia, Mississippi, because she's
quite happy to be single, thank you very much. However, she's the last of a
long line of Delaney's and the family plantation house and land are about to
be lost to disrepair and foreclosure if she doesn't figure out a way to make
money fast. Dahlia House is haunted by the ghost of her great-great
grandmother's mammy, Jitty, who never misses an opportunity to remind her of show more
her sorry state -- or to suggest a plan of action, like ransoming her
friend's prize pooch to raise some cash. But soon Sarah Booth's walk on the
criminal side leads her deeper into unladylike territory, and she's hired to
solve a 20 year old mystery. Did gorgeous, landed Hamilton Garret V really
kill his mother? And before her death, is she the one who planned the
"hunting accident" that claimed the life of Hamilton IV? And why is Sarah
Booth falling for this possible murderer? When she asks one too many
questions and a new corpse turns up, she is suddenly a suspect
herself....and Sarah Booth finds that digging up the bones of the past could
mean digging her own grave.
I enjoyed this book, and I really like
the character of Sarah Booth. This book is written with wit and
intelligence by someone who definitely knows and understands "the code of
the South" well enough to poke fun at it. I like all the characters in this
book, but the ghost, Jitty, grates on my nerves a bit. I can accept that
there is an antebellum mammy haunting the place, and I can even accept that
she would appear not as the old woman she was when she died, but as a young
and vital woman in her prime. What I simply cannot accept is that a ghost
has the ability to appear in clothing from other eras and decades besides
the one she lived and died in. This ghost appears in 1970s disco outfits,
1950s poodle skirts and sweater sets, 1920s flapper dresses, etc. That
bothers me, but the series is interesting enough for me to pretty much
ignore that and just accept Jitty as a ghost with strong opinions. IMO, the
series would be a lot stronger if she were simply a Southern mammy. Ah
well.
This book was interesting, the mystery was intriguing, and I'll give it a 4. show less
Delaney is a thirty-three year old never married orphaned "Daddy's Girl":
one of those Southern women who were bred and raised to be pliant, to marry
well, and to rule the roost with an iron hand in a silk glove. But, she has
apparently broken the mold of DG's in Zinnia, Mississippi, because she's
quite happy to be single, thank you very much. However, she's the last of a
long line of Delaney's and the family plantation house and land are about to
be lost to disrepair and foreclosure if she doesn't figure out a way to make
money fast. Dahlia House is haunted by the ghost of her great-great
grandmother's mammy, Jitty, who never misses an opportunity to remind her of show more
her sorry state -- or to suggest a plan of action, like ransoming her
friend's prize pooch to raise some cash. But soon Sarah Booth's walk on the
criminal side leads her deeper into unladylike territory, and she's hired to
solve a 20 year old mystery. Did gorgeous, landed Hamilton Garret V really
kill his mother? And before her death, is she the one who planned the
"hunting accident" that claimed the life of Hamilton IV? And why is Sarah
Booth falling for this possible murderer? When she asks one too many
questions and a new corpse turns up, she is suddenly a suspect
herself....and Sarah Booth finds that digging up the bones of the past could
mean digging her own grave.
I enjoyed this book, and I really like
the character of Sarah Booth. This book is written with wit and
intelligence by someone who definitely knows and understands "the code of
the South" well enough to poke fun at it. I like all the characters in this
book, but the ghost, Jitty, grates on my nerves a bit. I can accept that
there is an antebellum mammy haunting the place, and I can even accept that
she would appear not as the old woman she was when she died, but as a young
and vital woman in her prime. What I simply cannot accept is that a ghost
has the ability to appear in clothing from other eras and decades besides
the one she lived and died in. This ghost appears in 1970s disco outfits,
1950s poodle skirts and sweater sets, 1920s flapper dresses, etc. That
bothers me, but the series is interesting enough for me to pretty much
ignore that and just accept Jitty as a ghost with strong opinions. IMO, the
series would be a lot stronger if she were simply a Southern mammy. Ah
well.
This book was interesting, the mystery was intriguing, and I'll give it a 4. show less
Beautifully Written
It is such a pleasure to read well written words that flow on the page.
The characters, location and story are extraordinarily entertaining.
Well done, Ms. Haines. Well done.
It is such a pleasure to read well written words that flow on the page.
The characters, location and story are extraordinarily entertaining.
Well done, Ms. Haines. Well done.
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Author Information
113+ Works 7,067 Members
Carolyn Haines grew up in Lucedale, Mississippi, and graduated from high school there in 1971. She received a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Mississippi in 1974 and a master's degree in creative writing from the University of South Alabama in 1985. For over ten years she was a reporter and journalist for newspapers. She was show more born May 12, 1953 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Carolyn Haines is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
Awards and Honors
Awards
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Them Bones
- Original title
- Them Bones
- Original publication date
- 1999-11-02
- People/Characters
- Sarah Booth Delaney; Jitty; Great-Aunt Elizabeth; Great-Uncle Lyle Crabtree; Aunt LouLane; Harold Erkwell (show all 77); Tinkie Bellcase Richmond; Chablis (dog); Avery Bellcase; Tammy "Madame Tomeeka" Odom; Oscar Richmond; Hamilton Garrett V; Miss Nancy; Cecily "Cece" Dee Falcon; Hamilton "Guy" Garrett IV; Treena Lassiter; Sylvia Garrett; Veronica Hampton Garrett; Kincaid Maxwell; Chas Maxwell; Wanda; Peggy; Lucy; Arlene; Mrs. Bellcase; Claire Odom; Dahlia; Mrs. Kepler; Delo Wiley; Fel Harper; Sheriff Pasco Walters; Felix Manson; Amos Henry; Mrs. Henry; Mr. Wade; Martha Sue Riley; Millie Roberts; Billie; Great-Great-Grandmother Alice; Isaac Carter; Camden Wells; Lyle Bedford; Asa Grant; Myles Lee; Roger Crane; Coleman Peters; Carlene Peters; Deputy Gordon Walters; James Franklin Delaney; Elizabeth Marie Booth Delaney; Martha Wells; Mrs. Carruthers; Augusta Langford; Coker; Mr. Karl; General Forrest; Cooley; James Levert; Ina Welford; Tip; Lollie; Martha (nurse at Glen Oaks); Mary Margaret Allen; Arthur Lowry; Aubrey Malone; Kitty Carter; Janice Wells; Lon; Clara Beth King; Spartacus (horse); Bitty Sue Holcomb; Doc McAdams; Emerson Glade; Jameson O'Rourk; Bessie Mae Odom; Lolly; Missy
- Important places
- Zinnia, Mississippi, USA; Dahlia House, Zinnia, Mississippi, USA; Knob Hill, Zinnia, Mississippi, USA
- Dedication
- For my childhood friend, Debby Porter Pruett. We
survived the seventies—and the eighties. Get on your
fancy high heels, girl, 'cause the new millennium
belongs to us. - First words
- Women in my family have a penchant for madness and mysterious "womb" disorders.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Honey, you're doin' fine in three out of four," Jitty said, jangling her bracelets as she led the way to the kitchen for breakfast.
- Blurbers
- Pickard, Nancy; Crombie, Deborah; Riordan, Rick
- Original language
- English
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 613
- Popularity
- 47,647
- Reviews
- 23
- Rating
- (3.67)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 9
- ASINs
- 4
