This is a long running series so since I'm coming in now I'm a bit on the back foot with understanding the relationships and getting up to speed. It took me a bit longer to get into this book - whether because I'm new to the series or just because the start was slow I can't say for certain. However, once I got into the story I did really enjoy it.

This is an ensemble cast with Sarah Booth being the primary focus. She seems to be haunted by a young woman named Jitty who shows up sometimes to help and sometimes to cause general mischief both of which are pretty fun. The mystery of the stolen belt gets going pretty quickly and more than a few people have strong motives to steal it - not just for its value but to get revenge against the owner or its creator. Neither of the two have made many friends or inspired much loyalty.

This book has a fairly sizable cast and it did take a bit for me to get everything figured out but I did enjoy the read overall. I have zero interest or knowledge about Elvis or his music but despite that I did find the discussion of him and his music interesting. Despite the slowish start I did enjoy the read and getting to know the characters. This is a series I'm looking forward to reading from the beginning.

A Tupelo, Mississippi girls trip for an Elvis Christmas festival finds Sarah Booth Delaney and PI partner Tinkie Richmond, with help from friends Millie and CeeCee, on a merry (pun intended) chase after eccentric suspects in the theft of a $3 million replica of Elivis’s Las Vegas belt. Plenty of Elvis trivia and impersonators are included as they work at unraveling the motives behind a crime where no one can be trusted - even their client. This fun cozy can be an entry point in the long-running series.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Blue Christmas Bones is Book #28 in the long standing Delaney Mystery series. This is my first book from the series and I didn't have any problems reading it as a standalone novel.

The main characters are well established, but still developed enough to distinguish them from one another. The new characters were a delight and fun to be around. Snarky humor pervades the atmosphere for a fun read. However, try as I might, I didn't find much humor or entertainment with Jitty, the friendly ghost. She somehow made the story "cheesy" and in my opinion, the narrative would be much better without her.

The story follows a whodunit trope. But there weren't any memorable plot twists. The mystery was pretty straight forward and the "who" was fairly easy to solve.

I did like the Elvis themed cozy mystery, and having a Christmas backdrop just exuded a warm holiday vibe.

Overall, Blue Christmas Bones was a delightful cozy mystery perfect for reading by the fire with a hot toddy. Four solid stars.

I was invited to read a DRC from St. Martin's Press through NetGally. This review is completely my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

Fellow Reader,

Yes, this week is another Christmas-themed book. What can I say, it is that time of year for Christmas books to come out. We have had a warm, dry fall and I have barely moved into Fall. Our daylight hours are noticeably shrinking so I can tell that colder weather is coming soon.

Did you know that Evis was an avid reader? I know very little about Elvis but I did pick up that fun fact. Who knew I had something in common with Elvis?

Blue Christmas Bones is book number 28 of the 29-book series of Sarah Booth Delaney Mysteries. If you have read this blog in the past, you know this is not my style. I did not know that it was part of a series or that there were so many of them. I am one of those people who like to start at the beginning and work my way through. But enough of my issues.

This story finds Sarah Booth Delaney and her friends attending the annual Elvis Festival in Tupelo, MS. While there they get enmeshed in the disappearance of a priceless jewel-encrusted replica of an Elvis belt. The ladies get hired to find the belt before it is too late and the belt is dismantled and sold off for the jewels. Part of the problem is that there are so many people with a grudge against the owner. And is the owner a suspect too? There is a bit of madcap running around and the women are on a deadline to solve this as Christmas is approaching and they need to get home.

This is a light fluffy mystery. I am not knocking that. I will often pick up a light mystery to either “cleanse the palate” after a heavier book or if I want something that I can read quickly. I am sure that you would have a much better picture of the characters if you started at the beginning of the series but this did work as a stand-alone.

Thanks for reading.

I did receive a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion. This book will be published on October 15, 2024.

Sarah Booth, Tinkie, and the gang are off to Tupelo for Christmas. There's a special Elvis Christmas festival they want to attend. They are even going to enter some contests. The foursome have barely arrived when a 3 million dollar jeweled, gold belt is stolen. And the owner Grace Land (yes, that's really her name) hires Tinkie and Sarah Booth to find the belt. The belt was designed by a famous local artist. Tupelo seems to have more than their fair share of liars as the detectives cannot find a true story to save them. As the men and animals show up to join the fun, the sleuths split their time between work and fun. Another enjoyable Sarah Booth Delaney book. I'm hoping for many more to come.

It helps to be an Elvis fan for this latest in a fun and very long running series where each installment can be read as a standalone. Sarah Booth, Tinkie, and the rest of the gang are in Tupelo for the annual Elvis festival when someone steals Elvis' belt! They are hired by-wait for it- Grace Land- to find both the belt and the villain. This has lot and lots of Elvis references (I know I missed some) and it's a little more hijinks than some others in the series. That said I always enjoy Sarah Boot and company (especially Tinkie). Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read for fans of cozies, Haines and Elvis.

Sarah Booth is back with her best friend and business partner Tinkie, as they’re on a girls trip to Tupelo while an Elvis festival is going on. There, a prized Elvis belt is stolen and there are plenty of suspects, all of whom are differing levels of unlikeable. The story is pretty solid but it felt like some scenes were repetitive with the frequent questioning of the suspects in the first half of the book. It did pick up about two thirds of the way in, but the resolution was a little unsatisfactory given one character/suspect’s behavior wasn’t explained and I’m assuming there won’t be resolution in future installments.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for the arc.

Blue Christmas Bones by Carolyn Haines is amazing! I love the whole Elvis Christmas Festival.

Will Sarah Booth and Tinkie find the missing Elvis belt before Christmas?

Sarah Booth, Tinkie, and the gang head to Tupelo, Mississippi, for an Elvis Christmas Festival. They have been planning this vacation for months. Cece and Millie are with them, and they plan to enjoy the festivities and compete in some of the many contests. Yet, someone stole a one-of-a-kind belt made with real jewels and lots of gold, worth around three million dollars. Once the owner, reality star Grace Land (yep, you read that correctly), finds Sarah Booth and Tinkie in town, she hires them on the spot.

The Mystery
Everyone has an Elvis thing going. Since this is the birthplace of Elvis, they are capitalizing on that fame. So, we have multiple impersonators running around, and Colonel Parker and Priscilla look alike, too. There is also another reality star who lives in town. But the funny thing is none of them can tell the truth. Oh, and don't get me started on the lazy Police Chief. Our private eyes constantly get different stories from everyone, sometimes two or more times. However, there is no sign of the Elvis belt.

It is entertaining to watch them trying to find leads in a town where no one wants to truly help them. Sarah Booth and Tinkie must rely on each other and the gang to help follow the clues. I enjoyed catching up with the gang, seeing Sarah Booth and Coleman, Cece and Jaytee, Tinkie and Oscar, and Harold with Janet (who even made an appearance). I wish that Millie would find someone she could love. Maylin and nanny Pauline are also in Tupelo.

In the end, our investigators found the culprit. Enjoyed the festivities and won some Elvis trophies for their hard work.

Elvis Festival in Tupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo, Mississippi, really has an Elvis festival each year. The 27th Annual Tupelo Elvis Festival will be held on June 4-8, 2025!

Although our story is set at Christmastime, Ms. Haines sets up a festive time from drinks, a Fat Elvis, to doughnuts, supposedly using Elvis' mom's recipe. Then, the contests from trivia, amateur impersonators, singing on the street corners, dance contests, and so much more. I wouldn't mind attending the festival. My mom was a huge Elvis fan. Thank you, Ms. Haines, for introducing us to the world of Elvis again.

Five Stars
My rating for Blue Christmas Bones by Carolyn Haines is five stars. I highly recommend this book and the rest of the series. I love the way Ms. Haines incorporates real life events into her mysteries. When one of her mysteries comes out, it is always the highlight of my week.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Blue Christmas Bones by Carolyn Haines.

Until the next time,
~Jen

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.

Sarah Booth and Tinkie are in Tupelo with their friends and loved ones for an Elvis pre-Christmas holiday. As will happen, they get sucked into an investigation when a valuable Elvis belt is stolen. There isn't much time for any love me tender with their significant others, much to their dismay. It's another wacky investigation for the PI's and their friends.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Sarah and her friends are excited about their vacation. They were excited to see the many Elvis impersonators. When a priceless item goes missing, Sarah and her friends decide to help. A nice read.

Blue Christmas Bones lets you meet up with old friends as they solve a seasonal mystery. Carolyn Haines never disappoints- this book is her Christmas gift to anyone who loves a great holiday murder!

My first foray into Carolyn Haines books remains her "Familiar" series. It was a favorite and it still shines brighter in my mind than this one. With that said, you really have to fell bad for poor Sarah and company in this story as an innocent vacation to check out an Elvis festival goes horribly wrong. Our detectives, Sarah and Tinkie, have become infamous because "Grace Land" searched them out to find her belt. LOL for naming the owner of the Elvis bejeweled belt Grace Land. That is just one example of the whimsy to be found between the pages of this book. With the holidays fast approaching in this story, the book brings a Christmas feel that has me itching to go Christmas shopping too. Although, to be honest, I never associated singing Elvis impersonators with Christmas but it made for an interesting background for this mystery. Admittedly the mystery was a bit simple to figure out which meant I was turning the pages to prove my suspicions.
My one complaint is sometimes the book got a little slow. It was still a pretty good book. I just personally would have preferred if Familiar had popped up in the crowd of Elvis's to help solve the mystery.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Carolyn Haines' Blue Christmas Bones was so much fun! In this adventure Sarah Booth et al. decide to go to Tupelo for an Elvis Christmas. At the festival they are attending a $3M belt is stolen and the owner tasks Sarah Booth and the crew on finding the belt. They are new in town and local law enforcement isn't very helpful. How will they solve the mystery of the missing belt?

I really liked this book. I was laughing out loud at some of the antics the crew got into. My favorite part was that we got to visit a new city so most of the suspects are completely new to the ladies. However, I think I figured out the mystery a little quickly which is why I took a star off, because it felt pretty obvious but it did not detract from the fun at all. I think I need to go back and read the entire series because what I've read so far is just so much fun!

I recommend this cozy mystery to anyone who likes cozy mysteries and anyone who is interested in a little bit of paranormal in their mysteries. Amateur sleuths who see ghosts are the best!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Carolyn Haines for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Blue Christmas Bones by Carolyn Haines has the usual fun interactions between Sarah Booth Delaney and her friends Tinkie and CeCe with the addition of lots of Elvis trivia as they are in Tupelo, Mississippi for an Elvis Festival. Of course the trio has to solve a crime while enjoying all the festivities and entering in the contests themselves. This is a fun addition to the series and an homage to the King.

Sarah Booth and her friends are heading to Tupelo for an Elvis Christmas. There are Elvis impersonators everywhere and she and her friends have even worked up a song and dance routine for a competition. A big draw at the event is a special Elvis belt, gold and set with real gems, that is on display in the arena. It’s stolen the first day and Grace Land, the owner of the belt, hires Sarah Booth and Tinkie to find the belt.
The story is fun, the characters outrageous, and even if you’re not a huge Elvis fan, and there are several possible suspects to keep you guessing.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Sarah Boothe and her friends are having a pre-Christmas vacation in Tupelo Mississippi where they are holding an Elvis event. The fun is interrupted when a valuable item is stolen from an exhibition and she and Tinkie are hired to find who did it. With a crazy client and an assortment of equally crazy suspects this is a fun Christmas read from beginning to end

Sarah Booth & the gang are at an Elvis Christmas festival when a priceless belt is stolen. Of course she & Tinkie are hired to solve the mystery. The story has it's twists and turns, with the thief being revealed at the end. I believe the book can be fine as a stand alone, as it does not take place at home. I feel when the story is elsewhere though, I just don't enjoy it as much. However, it's a good, cozy mystery, Christmasy without that being the main theme of the story.
Thanks to NetGalley, Ms Haines, and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I received a free copy of, Blue Christmas Bones, by Carolyn Haines, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book 28 of 29 in The Sarah Booth Delaney Mysteries series. I love a good cozy mystery, especially ones that keep you guessing til the end. This is an Elvis mystery, Sarah Booth Delaney has to find out who stole a replica of an Elvis belt at the Elvis festival. This was an enjoyable mystery.

Sarah Booth, her PI business partner Tinkie, and assorted friends and family are ready to enjoy a Christmastime celebration of Elvis Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi. When a local celebrity, Grace Land, discovers her replica belt worth $3 million dollars has been stolen from a display, she hires Sarah Booth and Tinkie to find out who stole it.

This is a light mystery probably mostly enjoyed by longtime fans of the series. The book can be read and understood as a standalone since the action takes place away from Sarah Booth's hometown, and all of the suspects are new characters for the purpose of this book. The pacing was a bit slow: the two detectives questioned all of the suspects, then found a new clue, then questioned all of the suspects again, then learned a bit of new information, then questioned the suspects again, all interspersed with the numerous illegal activities they carried out to try to solve the crime. The suspects (and even the victim, Grace Land), were uniformly unlikeable, so there are plenty of potential criminals around. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been in Sarah Booth’s world, and I just had to step back in this delightful world. I quite missed Sarah Booth, Cece, Millie, Tinkie, Jitty, and of course Coleman. In this latest, we see the friends in Tupelo, Mississippi for a Christmas Elvis event, or really, events, and the nostalgia to me was immense as my mother was a huge fan, and I know way too much about the hunk of burning love. LOL! Add in an interesting mystery that has the sleuths all over the place, I was entertained from the beginning. Admittedly, I was a little confused with all the suspects, but since I read fast, sometimes that’s a bit of a bother to me. No matter, this is a fun, well-written, lively, entertaining read, and I am so glad to be back in this universe. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.