Ode to the Bones by Carolyn Haines ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney returns to her Mississippi Delta roots, hoping that long drives through cotton fields and the companionship of her dogs will ease her restless spirit. Instead, she’s confronted by a ghostly vision of a woman in white on the Tallahatchie Bridge, who disappears before Sarah Booth can investigate further.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

May 2026; Minotaur Books; 978-1250377678
audio, ebook, print (320 pages); cozy mystery

A ghost, a missing person, a dead body and a buried treasure. Oh My!

Ode to the Bones is a great summer book. All the time spent on the river makes me want to find a river to get into. It is the 30th book in the series, but it is okay to start with this one - I've only read a handful of them and skipped books accidentally. Yet, I have no problem falling in with the characters.

Though Sarah Booth and Tinkie are actively investigating the missing person case, in many ways this book reminded me of Rita Mae Brown's "Sister" Jame series - just without the fox hunting.

Sometimes when I read cozy mysteries, I try to figure out "who dunnit". For this series, though, I'm happy to go with the flow and enjoy the story as it unfolds. Partly that is because there is a lot going on. 

The book starts with Sarah Booth seeing a woman jump from the bridge, only to find out later that it is possibly the ghost of a woman who committed suicide. Is it an urban legend, or is the place really haunted (or does someone just want them to think it is haunted?

Then the real case begins when Tinkie's husband reports that no one has seen Danny since being told his loan is being called in. (Tinkie's husband works at the bank).

When another local farmer and former classmate of the missing person winds up dead, then things start getting real. 

And to top it all off, there is a suspected treasure buried in the sandbars along the river. Gold and other wealth from a rich plantation family are rumored to be hidden in those sands.

Is it all connected? Or is it a wild chase? Either way, it is a lot of fun to read.

Buy Ode to the Bones at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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