It is Elvis mania in Tupelo, Mississippi this Christmas in Blue Christmas Bones. And best friends Sarah Booth and Tinkie are here for all of it.

With Elvis impersonators everywhere, a replica of the belt from his famous white jumpsuit is on display. The belt was crafted with $3 million worth of jewels and gold so security cameras and armed guards are on hand to protect it. Alas, it is somehow stolen anyway.

As co-owners of the Delaney Detective Agency, Sarah Booth and Tinkie, who really just want a fun vacation, are roped into the investigation. With no help from the at best incompetent, and at worst crooked, local sheriff, they must hurry to find the belt before it is broken up and sold. Their only lead is a creepy Colonel Parker lookalike lurking around.

Put on a comfy Christmas sweater, Elvis pompadour is optional, and just roll with this improbable but humorous cozy mystery. Reading Blue Christmas Bones is a unique and enjoyable way to get in a holiday mood. 4 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with an advanced review copy.

Carolyn Haines’ Blue Christmas Bones delivers a delightful mix of Southern charm, holiday cheer, and a rock n’ roll mystery that’s perfect for fans of lighthearted whodunits. In this festive installment of the Sarah Booth Delaney series, our sassy Mississippi private investigator and her trusty partner, Tinkie, are swept into a high-stakes heist during the Elvis Festival in Tupelo. The theft of a priceless, jewel-encrusted Elvis belt sends them on a wild chase, and the setting, complete with Elvis impersonators and Southern hospitality, makes for a fun and quirky backdrop.

Sarah Booth is as witty and tenacious as ever, and the holiday spirit adds a festive twist to her sleuthing adventures. The colorful cast of characters, from die-hard Elvis fans to eccentric festival-goers, adds humor and intrigue to the story. The introduction of bizarre clues—including a supposed sighting of Elvis’s long-deceased manager, Colonel Tom Parker—keeps the plot lively and unpredictable. Haines' signature Southern wit and the close-knit friendships of the main characters add warmth to the mystery, making it more than just a straightforward crime-solving romp.

While Blue Christmas Bones is a thoroughly entertaining read, the mystery itself unfolds at a somewhat leisurely pace, and some of the side characters feel a bit underdeveloped. However, the lighthearted tone, holiday setting, and Elvis-themed fun more than make up for it, making this a perfect cozy mystery for fans of Southern sleuths and holiday hijinks. It's an enjoyable escape that’ll leave readers tapping their feet to the King’s tunes and eagerly anticipating Sarah Booth’s next adventure.

All your favorite characters. A twisty mystery. Holiday hijinks. Humor, love, and heart. What more can you ask for? A new book in this series is like a visit with old friends.

Blue Christmas Bones by Carolyn Haines is a Sarah Booth Delany book and as usual is quite good, but very convoluted. Lots going on. Sarah Booth, Tinkie, two friends are in Tupelo for the Christmas Elvis impersonators’ festival. There are Elvises everywhere and a few Pricillas and Colonel Tome Parkers as well. It was a heady time. The men and Tinkie’s baby were going to join them in a couple of days for an actual vacation. Also with them was Jitty, Sarah Booth’s ghost. Almost immediately there is a crime: a local woman named Grace Land (true) had a replica of Elvis’ jeweled belt made and it was on display. Then, it was gone. It was reputed to be worth three million dollars. And there was no shortage of suspects, including the owner, herself. It was several days of running around, not really knowing what to look for. It could not be sold as is: it was too well-known. It could be broken down and the gold melted and all resold.

Sarah Booth and Tinkie are an unstoppable pair who can weasel their way into any building, conversation, or situation. It is always amusing to follow them around. Tinkie having the baby hadn’t changed much as Oscar was a doting father who did his share, much to Sarah Booth’s amazement. It was an entertaining book, full of relationships and juxtapositions of relationships. These people seemed to have no sense, Sarah Booth thought. They did solve the crime and managed to enjoy moments of vacation before they all had to return home. It was a fun read, full of fun personalities and plenty of twists and turns. Good book. Aren’t they all?

I was invited to read Blue Christmas Bones by St Martin’s Press. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #CarolynHaines #BlueChristmasBones

Sarah Booth and her friends are celebrating at the annual Elvis festival in Tupelo, MS. But before the revelry can get underway, a priceless jewel-encrusted belt once belonging to Elvis is stolen from its display case, and Sarah Booth and Tinkie are roped into one of the biggest heists in the history of Mississippi.

Being a Mississippi girl, I enjoyed so much about this tale. I loved the setting of Tupelo…I just live down the road. And of course, how could you not love Sarah Booth Delaney. She is one of my favorite characters.

Once again, Carolyn Haines has nailed it! This is adorable and entertaining. Add in the Elvis stuff…from impersonators to the music…and you have a charming holiday yarn!

Need a blue Christmas tale…this is it! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Blue Christmas Bones is book #28 in the Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery series by Carolyn Haines.

It’s always an adventure when Sarah Booth travels. Sarah Booth and her friends attend the annual Elvis Festival in Tupelo, MS. Sarah Booth and Tinkie are pulled in to investigate a missing belt. I enjoyed the humor as well as the mystery. This is an entertaining, easy read.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The girls take a trip to Tupelo for a Elvis look-alike festival. Well, they’re also participating in the festivities, they weren’t counting on finding yet another case right before Christmas. But such as life with Sarah Booth and Tinkie.

When a three million dollar gemstone stud belt is stolen from the convention center , the owner hires, the PI to find out who took her work of art. But with a lying client, plenty of suspects and Christmas looming, it’s going to be Christmas miracle this sol before they need to leave town. Can they solve it, or does someone plan on ensuring the ladies leave the building with Elvis once and for all?

I love, LOVE, ❤️ this series! I cannot get enough of Sarah, Booth, Tinkie, Jitty I’m a gang. Christmas on the South has never been as devious as it has this year in Tupelo. If you have not read a book in this series yet, no worries, each book reads fine as a standalone. the best part of all? you’ve got so many books to binge on before the next entry is published. Enjoy an we will both be back for more!

I'm going to keep reading them as long as Haines keeps writing them, but I feel like the Sarah Booth Delaney mysteries are getting kookier as time goes on. Or maybe it's just the characters. Either way, I was not as charmed as I usually am with this series.
This time, Sarah Booth and Tinkie are in Tupelo, Mississippi for the Xmas Elvis Extravaganza. They get sucked into helping "Grace Land" (yeah, I know) find a missing Elvis belt that she had on display. The belt was stolen right out from under everyone while on display and it's worth 3 million. However, Sarah Booth and Tinkie are having trouble narrowing down suspects and the story keeps getting more convoluted. I also think that the Jitty appearances were super-silly and not at all helpful to the case. It's like the ghost is just thrown in for good measure now. Anyway, entertaining as usual but way off the mark. At least there was no murder this time.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this e-arc.*

Oh my goodness, Sarah Booth and Tinkie were at it again on a girls’ trip with their other pals Millie and Cece. Toss in a bunch of Elvis impersonators at a Christmas festival along with a paid case for Delaney Detective Agency and you've got hilarity, suspense and just a very fun Christmas read.

Tinkie absolutely cracks me up when she interrogates someone. There's the best scene later in the book. When she and Sarah Booth both get the questions flying, I pity the perp lol. It was awesome how all their loved ones were able to join them in Tupelo, then of course everyone from Zinnia ended up at Harold's for his annual Christmas party which had some interesting entertainment this year.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by St. Martin Paperbacks via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Blue Christmas Bones is book 28 in The Sarah Booth Delaney Mysteries series by Carolyn Haines.
This is great cozy mystery with a great atmosphere.
I love Sarah Booth and Tinkie and all their adventures. This series is has everything, humor, mystery, romance, and suspense.
The characters are fun and believable, the story flows very well, and the plot had me guessing right to the end.
I loved book 27 Lights, Camera, Bones and was eager to read the next one.

Thank You NetGalley and Minotaur Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

4.5 upped to 5
I love Sarah Booth mysteries as they're always entertaining and a good way to learn something new about history or places that are off the beaten track and I usually add to my list of places to visit.
This a holiday mystery, a very entertaining mystery but also it pays homage to Elvis as there's plenty of impersonators, trivia, and bejewelled belt that could have used by The King
I'm not a huge Elvis fun but I thoroughly the mix of history and Elvis trivia.
I was glad to catch up with Sarah Booth and her gang of friends and had a lot of fun as there's a lot of humour.
The mystery is solid but it was quite easy to guess culprit but, as this is a Elvis cozy, i enjoyed it nonetheless
Even it it's the twenty-seventh installment it can be read as a stand alone
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A fun read, especially if you’re an Elvis fan…

I had read and really enjoyed a lot of the early Sarah Booth Delaney books, especially since my mother was from the South. But I lost track of the series in recent years. So I was happy to have a chance to read a review copy of Blue Christmas Bones, by Carolyn Haines, which is the latest Sarah Booth book, coming out in a couple of days. And, although IMO mid-October is still a bit early for curling up with cozy holiday mysteries, I enjoyed this one.

Sarah Booth, Tinkie, and a couple of girlfriends – and Jitty - have decamped from Zinnia to a winter Elvis festival in the King’s hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi. They’re planning to watch, and even enter, some Elvis contests, and also do some holiday shopping. But this is a mystery series. So, sure enough, shortly after they arrive, a one-of-a-kind replica of one of Elvis’ jeweled belts is stolen, and Sarah Booth and Tinkie are asked to find it before it disappears for good. Of course they take the job, and after a lot of leg work and investigation, and working their way through a lot of emotional outbursts and entanglements between the many suspects, they figure out what happened.

But the real fun in Blue Christmas Bones is everything Elvis – bazillions of Elvis impersonators running around (including the eight-year-old Elvis Tots), the Elvis trivia contest, the Elvis dance contest, and even an impersonator (or another ghost?) of Elvis’ nasty manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Personally, I’m not a huge Elvis fan, but even I was able to get into the mood. And if you already ARE a big Elvis fan, I suspect you’ll be even happier. (So - four stars if you like Elvis, and three-and-a-half if you’re more like me.) And finally, a big thank you to St Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the review copy!

I thought this was an interesting and unusual premise. Original location and great character development. I found this to be a really fun read. Definitely recommend to my patrons.

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.