Sara Booth Delaney #27
Lights, Camera, Bones is impressively Carolyn Haines’ 27th book in her Sarah Booth Delaney series. Hollywood comes to take a bite out of Greenville, Mississippi, to film a dramatic movie about a great flood in 1927. It was a very controversial flood for the town as, while there were heroes, there were also some very unfortunate victims left to the mercy of the elements. The Director and lead actor, Marlon Brandon’s, goal is to share the heroic story of how his family saved many during the tragedy. However, not everyone believes that showing off his hero roots is the whole story. There are at least two who are convinced that the movie is there to paint Greenville in a negative light, and dig up old wounds caused by the state’s darker history involving slave labor. What starts as just a few arguments and clashes escalates when Marlon and another member of his crew, Jules, goes missing.
With suspicions running wild and time running out, the movie company hires the Delaney Detective Agency. Sarah Booth Delaney and her partner, Tinkie Richmond, are more than ready to dive in and help find the missing people alongside the local authorities. Given that he’s her fiancé, Sherriff Colman Peters is happy to keep Sara Booth and Tinkie updated with any developments he is authorized to share. He’s also grateful for any information they can dig up on their own. Things kick into high gear with the discovery of a severed foot in the river. No one knows if it’s one of the missing men, or if it’s from another unrelated attack. A shark attack to be specific, because having a killer on the loose wouldn’t be enough of an obstacle for the Delaney detectives – there’s a bull shark in the Mississippi. A surprise for everyone, including the shark who most definitely does not belong there. Sarah Booth and Tinkie now have to figure out how the shark even got there. If it had a little help upstream, then that individual might be responsible for the two disappearances.
This is my first cozy in a while where our sleuth is a genuine licensed private investigator. Sarah Booth and Tinkie are determined women who leave no stone or river rock unturned in their pursuit of the missing men. There is also the amusing haint by the name of Jitty who seems determined to get under Sara Booth’s skin. She takes on a variety of appearances and titles, but the one constant is that she is always there to catch Sara Booth off guard. Given that it seems to be the only one who can see her, Sara Booth has to be extra careful when and how she talks to the specter.
Sarah Booth’s variety of animal friends also helps keep her safe during her investigation, and even help to shake down a suspect or two. Lights, Camera, Bones is a book I would recommend to anyone looking for a mystery with plenty of twists and turns, along with a lead character with sometimes conflicting depth. Sarah Booth has a reputation for being a little reckless and nosey, but she is actually quite careful and always lets Coleman know where she is when she goes off to investigate. I delight in seeing strong female characters portrayed well, and Carolyn Haines does a wonderful job of that, in more than just our main sleuth. Personally, Tinkie’s straight forward manner of speaking and complete fearlessness in the face of bullies made her one of my favorites. Whether this is your first Sarah Booth novel, or the most recent addition to your collection, I highly suggest picking up Lights, Camera, Bones. Strong characters, political intrigue, historical tragedy, heroics, and sharks. This book has a little bit of everything that will appeal to many readers. — Carla Schantz