This one hits a lot of sweet spots- a veteran, a dog, a game warden, a dog, a mystery, and Vermont! Mercy and Elvis are both dealing with PTSd and Vermont should be an easier place for them but no- they find a baby and Elvis scents on explosives. Luckily, Troy, the game warden and his dog Susie Bear are there to help untangle the mysteries of the bones Elvis finds and the disappearance of the baby. These are good characters that hopefully will be further fleshed out in future installments. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Not too twisty and a good read.

I wish this book had never ended! This book is my perfect Mystery! The handsome Game Warden, the retired female M.P., with her bomb-sniffing dog, Elvis! Witty, fast-paced dialogue, in-depth character analysis, I wanted to live there, meet these people, help with the hunt for the killer! Great ending, everything a great mystery book should be! It will be in the top 25 of Best Books this year on my blog! I cannot wait for the next installment! Please hurry! I am madly in love with Troy, and his rescue search dog, Susie Bear! Mercy, a strong, Patriotic, feminine, female, role model!
I highly recommend!
Carolintallahassee

This fast-paced and intoxicating drama immediately grabbed my attention and I was immersed in all aspects from plot-line to character development to the dialogue to just about everything, in this well-written and executed tale. The author knows how to keep this reader involved by creating a complex and determine yet flawed heroine who as one of the other characters in the book called her “word nerd,” uses that skill to disseminate the clues that were presented to her. When her charge disappears, she is more than determined to find her, especially when outside forces are one step ahead. Several red herrings were tossed into the mix but the one that got me was the role the doctor played and that I did not see coming. This was a great debut and I’m already eager to read the next book in this terrific drama. A bonus to me was meeting Troy, Patience, Thrasher and of course Elvis and Susie Bear.

Ok, so I’ve just finished my 2nd feel-good book in a row – it must be the four-legged characters that have such wonderful roles in the stories. A Borrowing of Bones (Mercy Carr #1) by Paula Munier is an outdoorsy, mystery, that includes murders, art, missing mother & child, great M/F leads, Shakespearean quotes, and two of the best dogs around. The combination of the human leads and their dogs made the story fun. I also felt that Mercy’s grandmother Patience as the vet and awesome cook played a part in rounding out that feel good feeling.

The chemistry between Troy and Mercy is strong (and could lead to more in future books), the love and respect between the dog handlers and the dogs is very apparent. The characters are well written, the storyline is solid, leaving no dangling omissions in the plot, but does bog down for a little bit in my opinion (view spoiler), but picks up quickly as it draws to the exciting conclusion.

This was a great beginning to what I hope will be a series featuring many of the current cast members.

I wish to extend my thanks to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, the author Paula Munier and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for an honest review.

The expected publication date Sept 11, 2018.

For me, this was a 4 out of 5-star read.

I really enjoyed this book. Loved the main characters and dogs! It was a fast paced mystery that kept me guessing to the end. Looking forward to where this series goes next

A Borrowing of Bones is book two from the Mercy Carr series. It was a good story. I give it 4 stars.

I really, really wanted to love this book. It seemed like the perfect story for the mood I am in and I adore K9 stories.
The dogs were wonderful and it was a twisty and compelling mystery (I read it in one sitting on a lazy Sunday), but I found the characters a little too bland and two-dimensional. Motivation was laid out well for both characters, but somehow it only covered the surface. I didn't quite believe it all the way.
Also, not once in the book do these two dog handlers/trainers feed their dogs actual dog food. Instead they made them sandwiches or fed them hot dogs. My exposure to K9 training comes only from books, so I am by no means an expert, but the way they treated the dogs didn't seem in line with what a trainer would do. I understand Mercy is "retired", but Troy and Susie Bear are supposed to be a search-and-rescue team.
Overall a good read and may very well be perfect for another reader, but it didn't quite work for me.

I honestly loved this book. It was beautiful. At the beginning I was worried it was going to be cheesy - dog meets dog and falls in love, parents must follow suit, but it genuinely showed interaction between the two building and becoming closer without that seeming the driving factor. I loved that she constantly seems surprised that the dog can do all these things. It got a little far fetched at the end, there just seemed to be an overwhelming number of ends to tie up but Munier managed! Everything connected in the end and it was really enjoyable. Several unexpected twists, and it wasn't overly romantic despite having enough undertone to insinuate it.

"A Borrowing of Bones" is a mystery/suspense novel. The characters were interesting, complex, and acted in realistic ways. The mystery was also complex since several things were happening at the same time: an old murder, explosives residue in several unexpected places, a missing baby, new murders, and more.

Mercy and her bomb-sniffing dog, Elvis, kept tracking down clues and passing them on to U.S. Game Warden Troy Warner (owner of a search and rescue dog). She's motivated by an experience she had as military police in Afghanistan. She's determined to find and save the mom and her baby this time. Troy isn't convinced the mom is innocent, but he's determined to keep Mercy safe. Not easy since she's stubborn and was sometimes reckless when she felt that the situation was too urgent to wait for backup.

Though the main threads of the mystery were explained at the end, some things were never explained. I think the point was supposed to be the journey rather than the details of the mystery. There was occasional use of bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this novel to people who enjoy canine mysteries and suspense.

This book made me want to visit Vermont. It sounds beautiful. I really enjoyed this mystery, not only the setting in Vermont but also , the generations of relationships. The search and rescue aspect of the book was interesting and fun. Who wouldn't love two dogs named Elvis and Susie Bear? Great read.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book (both the two-legged and the four-legged!) as well as the setting. The author did a great job describing the quaint towns and beautiful landscape. The main character retired MP, Mercy, and her retired bomb-sniffing dog , Elvis, are both trying to heal from a terrible loss as well as PTSD. I really enjoyed seeing their relationship evolve throughout the book. There was a lot going on - found babies, potential explosives, murder...keeping my attention throughout. It sounds like this book is intended to be the first in a series - I would definitely read additional books with these characters. I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley - my opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the eARC.
The first in a new series set in Vermont, this book features an ex-MP called Mercy Carr and her Belgian Malinois Elvis, both of them suffering from PTSD after their stint in Afghanistan. After finding an abandoned baby girl in the woods on one of their daily hikes and calling 911, Game Warden Troy Warner and his search and rescue Newfie Susie arrive. Besides the baby they have also found the remains of a body and Elvis alerts to explosives. Thus starts the mystery.
I was in two minds about this book. The fact that the baby's teenage mother was trying to save her by leaving her to be found in the deep woods, full of wild predators, was far fetched to me.
The two dogs were the best part, I loved reading about them. Mercy and Troy are likeable and Vermont a very attractive setting. But I didn't feel invested in the story, my heart wasn't in it unless it featured the dogs...and the kitty.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read for a fair review.

I often skimming long passages of details, literary references, and ramblings trying to stick with this book. I genuinely liked the characters (three humans, two dogs, and one cat) but the plot was muddy and very detailed. (Lengthy, wordy) In the end a murder was solved and I know what a folly is to the art world.
Still not exactly sure what went down...

My apologies I really tried to like this book.

I think this has the potential to be a really good series. However, when comparing it to similar books/series of the same genre and theme, most notably the Alex Kava Creed series, I can honestly say it doesn't measure up. There was something missing. It didn't pull me in or keep me excited; I found myself able to put it down several times over the last few days. I didn't feel that urge of "I have to know what happens". I really just wanted to finish it to see how it ended. I will give the next in the series a chance, as I said, it does have potential.

Thank you #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the eARC.

‘Where there’s woods, there’s wacky…’

Paula Munier’s A Borrowing of Bones is an exciting thriller set in Vermont with two well-trained canines as the star detectives. The author brings together a bomb-sniffing Malinois named Elvis, who has some PTSD symptoms, and a Search and Rescue Newfoundland named Susie Bear. Armed with few clues, former MP Mercy Carr and game warden Troy Warner, are tasked with tracking down a killer through The Green Mountain State.

Mercy and Troy have pasts that met briefly in high school and veered off as each served in the military and unfortunately brought some of the war home with them. They tenuously join forces to seek to help an abandoned baby, identify a discovered corpse and track evidence of explosives. The knot is tight in this one.

Munier really shines in her description of the dogs and their training. Real care was used to make them a key part of the story. In regards to the human characters, Mercy and Troy are unique and true to the charming setting. The interplay between 2-leggers and 4-leggers is well done.

A Borrowing of Bones is a solid thriller with some fresh characters. This is a good start to a series, especially for an animal lover who likes a quick thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and Paula Munier for the advanced copy for review.

I loved this book. It had a great mystery and I really liked the characters. I loved the dogs. I hope she writes more books with these characters

This truly is one of the best books I have read in a very long time. It hooked me from the very first page with its strong, intelligent characters in Mercy and her dog Elvis along with Troy and his dog Susie Bear. Mercy has recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan where she was wounded and her fiance Martinez, who was the handler for Elvis, an explosives sniffing dog was killed. Mercy has come back to Vermont where she and Elvis hike in the woods most mornings. One morning she and Elvis find both an abandoned baby, a corpse and the remnants of explosives. She contacts the local officials and meets up with Troy, her high school crush who is now the local game warden. The baby is taken to the hospital from which it is later taken, and Mercy meets the mother and tries to help her. There is more murder, an intruder in Mercy's home and somehow all of this fits together. The characters, the scenery and the plot are all outstanding and I highly recommend this book.

Mercy Carr has left the horrors of the battlefield behind her and now she and her bomb sniffing dog, Elvis, intend to relax and recuperate in the Vermont woods. But the walk they take on Fourth of July weekend is anything but relaxing after they find a baby next to a shallow grave of human remains. Mercy calls it in and U.S. Game Warden Troy Warner and his dog, Newfoundland Susie Bear respond. Together with their dogs, Mercy and Troy try to find the baby’s mother and identify the bones. I love this book and am so glad it’s going to be a series. The characters are great (I love Mercy), but let’s face it, their dogs steal the show