Halloween is near and the crew are celebrating Tinkie’s baby Maylin’s first Halloween. They’re interrupted by a Frankie, a distraught woman who was the best friend of Sarah Booth’s mother. Frankie’s daughter is missing in New Orleans and she needs help. Sarah Booth heads to New Orleans with Coleman leaving Tinkie to work remotely. In New Orleans, they find an interwoven mystery of eternal youth and hopeful aspirations.

I loved this book – it’s one of my favorite Sarah Booth books. Of course, there’s all my favorite characters along with baby Maylin. I loved having more involvement from Coleman and learning more about Sarah Booth’s mother.

ghosts, NOLA, family, family-dynamics, family-drama, cozy-mystery, private-investigators, friendship, missing-persons, trafficking, investigation, investigative-journalist, organized-crime, myths-legends, cults, preternatural, Halloween, occult, suspense*****

The characters are very interesting, and I had no trouble keeping up even though I have read very few others in this series. But this one is set in NOLA!
The publisher's blurb is pretty good but doesn't make it sound quite as interesting as I found it. Definitely perfect for a sunny afternoon.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Sarah Booth's latest case takes her to New Orleans when her mother's old friend Frankie asks her to find her daughter Christa, a journalist who has gone missing. Christa was investigating the People of the Earth, a cult seeking eternal life but which has been implicated in the disappearances of young women every year- always at Halloween. Tinkie has a new baby- Maylin- so she's less involved than normal but Tinkie fans will get a good dose of the fun interplay between the two. Sarah isn't entirely on her own in New Orleans because she's got her sweetie Coleman and Frankie but then others (including Tinkie) get involved as well. This latest in a very long running series might be a bit less amusing in spots to new readers (there are a lot of characters and even as a long time fan, I had to pull at my memory for some of them) but it would still be a fine standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. As always, I'm looking forward to the next one.

With plenty of plot twists and turns, this delightful fun read will keep the reader intrigued until the finish. It's always a great time to visit Sarah as she has gotten to be like family. This Texas gal loves the New Orleans setting. Rich characters. Awesome story plot. This is one book you will devour but will not want it to end. I want this series to never end!!!! Thanks #netgalley and #stmartinspress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Ms. Haines’ Lady of Bones is the perfect paranormal cozy. Mostly set in New Orleans, she uses the backdrop of it’s history to create the perfect dark cozy. Sarah and her team have come to find Christa, the daughter of her mother’s best friend and are not having an easy time of it. They persevere and manage against the odds. There’s plenty of action with the whole team and the appearance of one or two spirits. I loved this fast moving tale and highly recommend.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse and my opinions are given freely.

Lady of Bones" by Carolyn Haines the 24th instalment in the "A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery" series which releases on June 14th.

It’s Halloween season in Mississippi as Sarah Booth and the gang gather to decorate and gush over Tinkie’s new baby, Maylin. Sarah Booth is just about to refresh the cocktails when she hears a knock on the door and opens it to find a woman named Frankie, distraught at the disappearance of her daughter Christa, a young journalist. Christa had been investigating the disappearance of young women in New Orleans over a five-year period—one every year around Halloween. Now Christa herself is missing, and Frankie fears it may be connected to a cult based in the Garden District, called People of Eternity.

I always enjoy visiting with Sarah and Tinkie it’s like coming home to old friends. Sarah Booth is a strong and intelligent protagonist and all the characters are fully developed. I liked that it was a glimpse into human trafficking/abduction, and the overall occult feeling in NOLA especially during Halloween.

The inclusion of her haint (Dahlia House's ghost Jetty) always brings a chuckle as i can imagine what Sarah looks like talking to herself. Although Jetty seemed to be out to scare Sarah more than anything this time.

There were plenty of twists and turns and lots of suspects to choose from to keep you intrigued. I found this book to be a real page-turner, suspenseful, read that had me second guessing up till the end.

I’m looking forward to the next instalment Bones of Holly where Sarah Booth and Tinkie, along with baby Maylin, are in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi for Christmas this year, as judges for the annual library tree decorating contest. Releasing in October 2022.

I highly recommend this book and series to all my cozy mystery friends.

I won an Advance Reader Copy of this book from St. Martins Press and Goodreads. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

Lady of Bones, the twenty four book in the Sarah Booth Mystery series by Carolyn Haines, is rife with twists and turns, definitely keeping you on edge until the very end…all does not appear to be as it seems, as Ms Haines is a genius at the unexpected.

Once again Sarah Booth finds herself immersed in a case, this time taking her to New Orleans where she literally risks life and limb to find a missing person…Coleman replaces Tinkie as her partner (if you’d read the previous book in the series, Independent Bones, you’d understand that since Tinkie just gave birth to her daughter Maylin, she’s sticking close to home)…I truly enjoyed the couple’s dynamic and loved having Coleman play a more major part in this story. After everything that Sarah Booth has been through over the years, Coleman at her side is heartwarming and swoon worthy on more than one occasion.

With New Orleans’ mystique as the backdrop, and since it’s Halloween, the preternatural factor is front and center, bring out the goose bumps a time or two. In this author’s gifted style, she uses otherworldly factors to guide Sarah Booth in her decision making, while adding the eerie to draw you in.

All in all, this is another excellently crafted story that exudes the brilliance that it takes to keep a long running series thrilling and compelling.

This ARC book was complementary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.