Half murder mystery and half ghost story, this atmospheric book moved me to tears. Who knew you could cry over dinosaurs? A truly beautiful tale of loss and, ultimately, redemption and hope.

Highly recommended.

There has been a lot of hype for The Paleontologist, and it did not disappoint! I loved the unique story and the elements of horror added to the mystery. Perfect book for scary fall reading!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a DNF for me, around 30%.

I was a big fan of Dumas' first novel, A History of Fear. Thinking back on that novel, one of the things I liked was how the story felt timeless, which allowed the (potential) supernatural elements to really shine. The Paleontologist, by contrast, feels really specific to a time (early COVID) and the atmosphere around it. This very specific atmosphere pulled me right out of the eerie, surreal story because, while there was some eerie shizz occurring, reality was also a heartless bitch who wouldn't let any of us go. Basically, the vibes for this didn't line up for me.

I really wanted to love this book but it was very slow for me. I’ve read thrillers with COVID elements but I think this book would have worked better without it. The archaeology parts were really interesting, and I enjoyed it more than the thriller parts of the book. I would try to get into this book again but I would try an audiobook next time.

Suspend all disbelief before reading this one. It's a cross between the late 90s movie 'The Relic', and 'Night at the Museum'. Simon is a paleontologist who used to work in the prestigious Field Museum in Chicago, where he met his boyfriend, Kai. After a stressful breakup, and a job loss due to Covid, he decides to move back home to Wrexham, PA, where he was raised by his drug addicted mother, before she was sent to a rehab facility. Obsessed with dinosaurs as a kid, during a trip to the Hawthorne Museum with his 6 year old sister, she disappears, never to be found.

He decides to take a job as the Head Paleontologist at the Hawthorne Museum of history, to see if he can find out what happened to his sister 20+ years ago. It's then that the plot thickens as he starts hearing strange loud noises at night and thinks he sees the ghosts of...dinosaurs!! If you're a big dino fan, there is lots of detail here about different species, and sketches of them as well, as well as the history of the fossilization collection and process. This was interesting, but the plot then gets just so far fetched and crazy that it's hard to take seriously. When he finds out what actually happened to his sister, I was like 'whaaaaatttt'. I'll give Mr. Dumas originality on this one, as I had to look up several items to see if this was a real thing, and it is, and it's gross! As quoted in the book '"In the bones of the earth shall the truth be found."

There are some solid strong women characters in this book, and I did love that, especially Fran, the museum's philanthropy director. Simon loses all credibility with the local police force as he tries to explain what is going on, but is 'aided' by some true believers, such as Eva, the widow of one of the museum's board members. As he goes through all his predecessors diaries and records, he uncovers a huge cover up and corruption scandal that goes beyond the supernatural. Everything comes to a head at the big reveal of the new dinosaur exhibit and Simon is eventually exonerated, after being fired, and almost eaten alive. Everything gets wrapped up neatly at the end, and he agrees to take back his former job, with some conditions. The fact that he would go back to that museum after what happened is unbelievable, but he does love dinosaurs, one in particular..

This my second Luke Dumas book. The first one was not for me but this one sounded so fascinating, I was excited to pick it up.

Like the first book, this is marketed as a supernatural thriller. In this book, we have a haunting of a museum and the mystery of a lost child (the MC's sister). I love books set in major institutions so although this was a made-up museum, I still found this compelling. The book is set just following the pandemic and there are some very overt themes around grief and loss throughout. This was fine but the prose often felt frustratingly emotive which took a lot of the compelling emotion out of the scene.

I did like the Paleontologist more than the first book. The writing felt more realistic and less overblown. The main character felt less like he was apologizing for his sexuality (which gave me the ick in the first book). Look, as a chronically ill person, covid safety etiquette is certainly a big deal for me. But in the book it felt preachy and it didn't really add to the story. Ultimately, I didn't find it sufficiently spooky to live up to its promises.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Looking for a grown-up, horror version of Night at the Museum? Big fan of dinosaurs and Jurassic Park? You may want to pick this up.

The awesome cover of this book is what initially caught my eye. The setting of the slightly run down, possibly (probably) haunted museum was great. I love museums and have been to the Field Museum to see Sue, so that being referenced was cool. There is a lot of technical dino lingo though! Great job on all the research, but some paragraphs I found myself skimming because it was too much.

I loved the setup of Dr. Nealy returning to his hometown and ending up working at the scene of his little sister's disappearance. The excerpts of the journals of his predecessor who was said to go crazy was great to help slowly unravel the story. The way the storylines came together was very cool, but I think the ghost dinosaurs were just a little too much for my personal taste.

If you're not into paranormal suspense, this isn't for you, but it was a fun ride and the writing style was enjoyable enough for me to pick up another book by this author.

Also, takes place during the pandemic and there's a decent amount of COVID references and the museum being closed. I know some readers find it difficult to enjoy books that discuss that, so wanted to warn you!

This particular book proved to be quite challenging for me to evaluate. I took some time to reflect before putting my thoughts into writing. Initially, I had a strong inclination towards enjoying this book immensely, but ultimately, my perspective shifted.

Upon first encountering the synopsis, I was filled with excitement as it seemed to encompass all the elements that I typically seek in a book. As an avid dinosaur enthusiast, I always yearn for more adult-oriented fiction centered around these magnificent creatures. Therefore, when I noticed the reference to "paleontologist" in the title and the dinosaur skull imagery on the cover reminiscent of the iconic Jurassic Park logo, my eagerness to immerse myself in the story was insurmountable.

The initial portion of the book managed to live up to my expectations, boasting exceptional writing, a captivating and eerie atmosphere, and a compelling mystery regarding Simon's missing sister. As the story unfolded, the sense of unease and suspense intensified, further enhancing my enjoyment. Regrettably, however, once the true nature of the events was revealed, I experienced a profound sense of disappointment. In my personal perspective, the concept of ghost dinosaurs came across as somewhat ludicrous and more befitting of a juvenile audience. Although my curiosity urged me to continue reading to discover the outcome, the latter half of the book felt markedly distinct from its preceding sections.

Nevertheless, the book did succeed in keeping my passion for dinosaurs alive. Throughout the narrative, the author deftly interspersed scientific insights about dinosaurs and fossils, which not only provided informative tidbits but also seamlessly melded with the fictional storyline. I was genuinely impressed by the flawless integration of scientific facts within the context of the narrative.

After loving Dumas’ “A History of Fear” I was really looking forward to “The Paleontologist” because it seemed right up my alley. And let’s start off with the fact that this book is a lot of fun and I love they way he writes, but Even as I write this review I still have thoughts dancing with and contradicting each other in my head. What’s not to love about Dinos and museums and murder mysteries? There’s so much here that’s really awesome and thrilling, but then there were many moments where I felt like I was watching an old b-movie monster film and I don’t say that as a bad thing, it was just unexpected. It’s hard to say much without giving important parts of the story away, but there were moments that I think were supposed to be scary that made me laugh and I love that. I’m not sure if that was his intention but it made the whole thing a really crazy trip. I would definitely recommend picking this up and going along for the ride. It definitely isn’t like anything you’ve read before. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

"A haunted paleontologist returns to the museum where his sister was abducted years earlier and is faced with a terrifying and murderous spirit in this chilling novel from the author of A History of Fear - perfect for fans of Simone St. James and Katy Hays.

Curator of paleontology Dr. Simon Nealy never expected to return to his Pennsylvania hometown, let alone the Hawthorne Museum of Natural History. He was just a boy when his six-year-old sister, Morgan, was abducted from the museum under his watch, and the guilt has haunted Simon ever since. After a recent break-up and the death of the aunt who raised him, Simon feels drawn back to the place where Morgan vanished, in search of the bones they never found.

But from the moment he arrives, things aren't what he expected. The Hawthorne is a crumbling ruin, still closed amid the ongoing pandemic, and plummeting toward financial catastrophe. Worse, Simon begins seeing and hearing things he can't explain. Strange animal sounds. Bloody footprints that no living creature could have left. A prehistoric killer looming in the shadows of the museum. Terrified he's losing his grasp on reality, Simon turns to the handwritten research diaries of his predecessor and uncovers a blood-soaked mystery 150 million years in the making that could be the answer to everything.

Are these the ravings of a madman? Or is there something supernatural at play? And what does this have to do with Morgan's disappearance?

Another atmospheric mystery from Luke Dumas, The Paleontologist is a ghost story unlike any other that will haunt you long after you turn the final page."

It's like Michael Crichton decided to write a ghost story!

The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas is a compelling narrative that just seems to be too busy at times. Far more positives than negatives, though I think that is largely going to depend on the reader's willingness to share in the work.

I found this to be generally as good as his debut, A History of Fear, just a bit too cramped to be more satisfying. I also want to make clear that while I think it was perhaps a bit too ambitious, Dumas did manage to make the main storylines coexist very well, plus interject some social commentary without it interrupting the story. So he succeeded more than he failed, I just think it would have been easier, as a reader, to become fully invested if everything had been streamlined. By that I mostly mean that I felt pulled out of one feeling into another too often and in different directions.

Don't get me wrong, I never even considered not finishing and I did care about the characters, which is a big thing for me. While not every surprise was a complete shock, everything retained the suspenseful feel because of what was going on around it. There is no question I will read his future work.

I would recommend this to most readers of thrillers with the heads up that it is not a narrow plotline through the book but a broad one with various important subplots (or maybe a co-plot?).

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

Dr. Simon Nearly has not been through the doors of the Hawthorne Museum of Natural History since he was a boy. And when he was a boy, something terrible happened there. Seemingly without a trace, his sister vanished from the grand halls of the museum, never to be seen again.

Decades later and in the midst of the pandemic, Simon returns to the museum as the new curator of paleontology. But within its vacant and crumbling-from-neglect halls, something quite sinister is stirring: a deep rumbling in the shadows of the paleontology labs. The soft singing of a little girl, echoing through the corridors yet just out of reach. Diary entries from the museum's former paleontologist that showcase a descent into madness over the same things Simon is now hearing and seeing.

Like it's masterful predecessor "A History of Fear," "The Paleontologist" starts off with strong, intelligent prose coupled with an incredibly-immersive sense of atmosphere atmosphere. Throughout the first third of the book, character development was excellent and the book pulsed with an underlying, dreadful sense that things are not as they seem. But as it went on, it began to lose me in certain moments; overwritten attempts to infuse the pandemic into the plot, drawn-out chapters that felt more like a zoology textbook than a work of fiction, and a finale that paled in comparison to the shock that was "A History of Fear."

Ultimately, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. A grownup, horror-ridden "Night at the Museum," it's extremely well-written and I found myself anchored to Simon's character. Let me be clear, if you aren't an academic and you couldn't care less about dinosaurs, this book will likely not be for you. If, like me, you were a Montessori child with an affinity for the Magic School Bus who still occasionally reads textbooks for fun (bonus points if you're a fan of horror) then this couldn't be more up your alley: enjoy.

I loved The History of Fear and had high hopes for Luke Dumas’ sophomore book. In some ways, it’s as good. It’s eerie and gripping, and I liked the first pages. And then COVID made an appearance, and I sighed. I know COVID has been a part of our lives for years, but I still don’t want to read about it. Somehow, I want to bury it far, far away. Maybe I’m pressing the lid of the COVID box closed too hard, and it will haunt me in the future even more, but I just don’t want to read about COVID (yet). I read a little more and the pandemic stayed so I checked the number of times the word COVID was mentioned in this story. 16 times. I sighed again. And after reading another few pages, at 30% where a sentence began with ‘despite the worsening pandemic, I decided to DNF. I just couldn’t enjoy the story. Be aware that this is a me-thing, so please check out other reviews.

Sorry, Luke, I promise I’ll pick up your next book again. Please, could there be no COVID references?

A cross between A Night At The Museum and Jurassic Park with a dash of Poltergeist, The Paleontologist will chill you to the bone and terrorize your dreams. You’ll never look at a museum exhibit the same way again. Luke Dumas has crafted a harrowing tale that’s scary enough to make you stop reading, but curious enough to force you to keep going.

Simon Nealy’s sister was abducted from the Hawthorne Museum of Natural History when they were kids. Now a doctor of paleontology and museum curator, Simon has returned to the Hawthorne to finish a dinosaur exhibit years in the making while also searching for answers about his long lost sister. But strange things are happening in the museum. Simon hears unexplainable animal sounds, sees giant bloody footprints and is stalked by prehistoric killers. Despite fearing he’s losing his mind, Simon searches the archives for clues about the and obsesses over solving his sister’s disappearance while trying to complete the exhibit on time for the big reveal. But what will be revealed is way more than dinosaur bones and will shake the community to its core.

A crime novel wrapped inside a ghost story, The Paleontologist combines two main storylines into one riveting story of obsession, madness and vindication. It explores the search for truth in the face of extensive skepticism and institutional opposition, and how the human spirit will not give up no matter the odds if the cause is just in the eyes of the pursuer. And that all it takes is a friend who believes in you, has your back and encourages you to keep going. It also helps if that friend has a fat checkbook and a similar window into a supernatural world that others don’t possess. Also, it has dinosaurs. Big ass dinosaurs. Which is awesome and scary. But mostly awesome.

Luke Dumas is carving out a nice niche on the scary story scene, going two for two with frightening the crap out of readers accompanied by a side of anxiety induced blood pressure increases. Don’t sleep on his horror stories…and don’t expect to sleep after diving into one.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: October 31. 2023
I was first introduced to Luke Dumas with his debut novel, “A History of Fear”, which was a terrifying, goosebump-inducing demonic possession vs. insanity story that left me eagerly anticipating Dumas’ next release. He responded with the release of “The Paleontologist”, and it was everything I was waiting for!
After his sister was taken from the Hawthorne Museum of Natural History as a child, Dr. Simon Nealy promised himself he would never return to his Pennsylvania hometown, or the museum, ever again. But when he’s offered a job working for the Hawthorne, Simon sees it as an oppourtunity to investigate what really happened to his sister all those years ago. Given the responsibility of creating a dinosaur exhibit with the findings from the previous paleontologist, Simon is not only uncovering secrets in the bones, but he is also discovering that the museum has secrets of its own- secrets that only Simon can hear. With his job, and his sanity, on the line, how much will Simon risk to uncover what happened to his sister? What are the ghosts of the museum trying to tell him?
“The Paleontologist” is a cross between “Jurassic Park” and “Night at the Museum”, with the careful discovery and examination of dinosaur bones and fossils, and the mystery of what happens when the museum closes its doors at night. Haunted by spirits of both human and creatures alike, Simon’s childhood trauma makes him the perfect vessel for ancient secrets.
Dumas’ novel is archaeology and paleontology-thick, so be prepared for an education on various dinosaur breeds and habits, as well as an informative look at all of the what’s, who’s and how’s of fossil discovery. I am a dinosaur fan, and was intrigued right off the bat by Dumas’ more scientific parts of the novel, but it may not appeal to everyone.
The entire novel is narrated by Simon, in the present day. As the plot develops, more and more background characters become suspects in Simon’s investigation, and it is obvious that shady motives are at play. Dumas’ creative plot flowed easily from one horrifying sequence to another, leading right to an expected, yet satisfying, ending.
“The Paleontologist” is a horror novel at its core, as Pink-Eyed dinosaur demons and haunted fossils stalk Simon, desperate to have their stories told so they can rest at last. Dumas’ novel is influenced by authors like Crichton, but it has enough unique charm to stand on its own merit. Like Dumas’ previous novel, “The Paleontologist” portrays the horror genre in a clever and original way, and, if he continues in this manner, his future novels will be instant additions my ‘must-read’ list.

"In the bones of the earth shall the truth be found."

Simon, a paleontologist, is hired by the Hawthorne Museum to create a new dinosaur exhibit. Simon is no stranger to the Hawthorne, but his haunting connection to it must remain a secret as he searches it for answers. As a child, he visited the place with his little sister; she disappeared and the case went cold. The more Simon digs the spookier the possibilities of what happened to her become. There's no doubt there's a monster or two in the museum, but its origins are murky . . .

"Simon had seen the heart of the Hawthorne, and it was monstrous."

'Night at the Museum' meets 'Jurassic Park' meets 'I Know What You Did Last Summer.' I could not put this down. Every chapter was a new shocking insight, a disturbing twist, a morcel of an intriguing mystery. This was brilliantly written--in the veins of Crighton, Jakson, and Rice--with excellent characters and a chilling atmosphere. A must read and a new favorite author.

Dr. Nealy is a paleontologist and has returned to his Pennsylvania hometown to work as a curator at the Museum of Natural History. When he was just a child, he and his sister were visiting the museum alone when his sister vanished into thin air. But now all these years later, he feels drawn to return, hopefully finding answers.

From the moment he arrives though, things aren’t as expected. The museum is facing permanent closure due to declining revenue and Covid. When he begins seeing and hearing things that aren’t they he begins to wonder if he is going mad. He turns to the handwritten notes of his predecessor in hopes of finding answers.

This book was interesting and felt like a mashup of the movie Night at the Museum and Jurassic Park with a ghost story interwoven between the pages. It was unique and enjoyable. I don’t always enjoy pictures throughout books, but in this case, I did, they were a lot of fun and really brought the story to life. I did struggle a little with some plot points at the end of the book, but they were well written and fit nicely into the plot (I just always struggle a little when it comes to children). I think that I would have enjoyed this one even more had it been told from more than one point of view, though the inclusion of letters did help and added depth. I enjoyed learning more about dinosaurs, and the added horror elements were fantastic. I read the author’s previous work, and I enjoyed this one way more, so I am excited to see what comes next.

If you are looking for a haunted dinosaur horror book, then look no further than this one.

Thank you so much to Atria books, and Netgalley, @Netgalley, for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Night at the Museum meets Jurassic Park is the best way to describe this book and I still don't know if that's a total compliment or not.

This was a slow-paced book that sometimes overexplained our protagonists' motives instead of just showing it to us which got a touch frustrating and tedious to read. But! I really loved this dinosaur haunting/museum conspiracy - I think its a really fun new element to an otherwise semi-predictable genre as thrillers mostly are (which is kind of ironic since thrillers are known for their twists and turns but when everyones shimmies and sways the same way it becomes predictable - anyways a convo for a different time!) I'm realizing that while I'm reluctant toward thrillers as a whole, I really love thrillers that have an element of the supernatural to it (and dinosaur ghosts is sooooooo fun i was almost disappointed when the killer ended up being an alive human lmao)

Also, as someone who worked in the nonprofit/development/museum world, I actually loved the very real discussions re: donors, galas, whatever it just was really real. and the bureaucracy of it all may not involve generations of family conspiracy -- but it can sometimes feel that way. Reminded me why leaving the museum nonprofit world was the right step for me lolll

An ideal read for fans of Preston and Child, Crichton, and more. I found much to enjoy in this story of suspense and hope to see many more titles to come from this author.

I could not put this book down. Night at the Museum meets Jurassic Park with a ghost story spin and done well with page-turning action. If you like dinosaurs, thrillers, or horror, put this book on your fall spooky reads list!

Thank you, Netgalley for early access to this book and thank you, Luke Dumas for a riveting story!