Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy! This book is an excellent demonstration of how setting, place, and environment can really set a scene that is at once foreboding and enticing. There is something sinister about an environment that is hostile to organic life being the setting of such a gripping tale. Housewright really wrote a stellar work!

4.5 rounded up
I loved this one. Great characters and story great story. I definitely have to read more of this series. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

McKenzie is a most interesting character. He is both mysterious and a pal you wish you had in a pinch. How is he retired already? His past is colorful but so vague. He seems to be in the right place at the right time, or to know the right people, to be in the position to figure things out and get it done. Since this is not the first book in this series (but it is the first that I have read), some of these mysteries are probably explained in the earlier books. I enjoyed the setup of the dig, and the politics of academia increased the tension and suspicion at the dig site. The characters were authentic and their interactions felt real. I enjoyed the way the clues were laid out, and the many faces of McKenzie in the story. This story started out a little disjointed for me, but as soon as the threads began to weave together, I was hooked. The story picks up the pace in action and danger quickly and becomes difficult to put down. I was able to read an ARC of this book thanks to Ana Couto of St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books) - I really enjoyed it (and I even learned some things about dinosaurs and auto theft)! If you like exciting mysteries with colorful characters, you will love this book!

A stolen dinosaur skull is at the center of a complex mystery laid at the feet of unofficial P.I. Rushmore McKenzie.There are two things that Rushmore McKenzie hates to turn down—a request from a friend and a challenge.
What a great read! This was my first book by this author, and I will definitely be checking out his other McKenzie books in his series! He’s a great character, and I am intrigued to hear about his other finds! This was well-written, with likable characters, and great action. I am usually a fan of short chapters because I find them quicker reads, however, even with these longer chapters, I still flew through it! I loved the last chapter wrap up as well!

Great mystery about an archeological dig, a stolen dinosaur skull and the politics of discoveries. Good characters.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

This was my first introduction to the McKenzie series, and initially I felt a little lost. Eventually things started clicking together as the book settled in. The paleontology angle was interesting, and the setting added to the drama, but overall, I had some difficulty remaining interested in the story. I wasn't a huge fan of the main character, not that that's a necessity. Overall this was OK.

I did like the cover. Would I read more from the series and/or author? I'm not sure.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, nd my review is being left freely.

I had not read all of this series but this one caught my eye and I thought I’d like it. There’s an archeological dig, stolen bones and a mystery to solve. It was everything I hoped for. I’ve long been fascinated with archeology. The details about archeology, the competitiveness in a academia and the museums was enlightening. I raced through the pages, learned things while trying to decide ‘who dun it’. The characters had relatability and personalities that engaged me. If these subjects interest you be prepared for a book you won’t be able to put down. I would read more of the series.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press (via NetGalley) for the Advance Reader Copy of “Them Bones” Mac McKenzie (volume 22) by David Housewright, publication expected 06/24/2025. These thoughts and opinions are my honest personal ones, given voluntarily without compensation.

The Bones by David Housewrite is another in the series about P I Rushmore Mckenzie. Mac was a police officer in the Twin Cities and now just takes on interesting cases. He is now married to Nina who owns and runs Rickie’s, a well-known bar.
Angela saved his life when he was wandering in the desert – this was in a previous book which I have not read. She is a student at U of Michigan and was an on a dig when they found a rare dinosaur – It is stolen. She asks Mac to find out what happened and to retrieve the fossil.
The story is good. I have read a few in this series and enjoyed them. I highly recommend this one. -- I may find the one with Angela’s story

If you have not read prior books in the series and therefore have no investment in McKenzie (which is my situation), be patient with the story. It starts off slow. The discussion of fossil hunting, paleontology expeditions, theories about ankylosaurus, etc. is interesting, but it takes a while before the theft around which the story centers finally happens. That being said, once the story gets going, there are plenty of twists and turns, and an enjoyable cast of characters, especially McKenzie. I will likely check out other books in the series.

Love a great mystery and this was definitely a great one. It kept your interest and the characters were well written. Who doesn’t love a good mystery about dinosaur bones. I highly recommend reading this book, you won’t be disappointed.

David Housewright’s Them Bones—which is the twenty-second Rushmore McKenzie mystery—is a tale of… well, two tales of the same story. Okay, not really two tales, but rather a single story told in two different styles. The McKenzie books are written in first person from the perspective of McKenzie—an unlicensed private eye in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, that spends his time doing favors for friends. But Them Bones is distinct from its predecessors because the crime is detailed in third person from the perspective of the client, Angela Bjork. We last saw Angela as a girl saving McKenzie’s life in The Taking of Libbie, SD (2010), but now she is all grown up and working on her Ph.D. in paleontology at the University of Minnesota.

Angela discovered a nearly intact fossil of an Ankylosaurus while working a dinosaur dig in Montana. It was a profound find because it is the most complete of its kind, but before the bones can be transported to the Twin Cities, the skull was stolen. Angela tells McKenzie, and the reader, about the discovery (in May) and the heist (in August) and everything that happened in-between. In this unofficial prologue, Angela introduces the suspects—professors, students, and other miscellany—that were present at the dig site when the heist occurred. The paleontology stuff was interesting, including how the dig was done, the problems they encountered and personalities involved; however, it took so long, about a quarter of the narrative, that I had begun thinking McKenzie had the week off.

But once McKenzie agrees to help Angela recover the Ankylosaurus, and he takes charge of the narrative things really pick up. In fact, Them Bones, suddenly becomes a McKenzie novel. With his subtle and not-so-subtle wit, his penchant for finding trouble and breaking the rules, and his always gallant search for justice, McKenzie does an admirable job of flushing out the villains. The action moves from college campuses (there are two), to a museum, to high class neighborhoods, and from Minnesota to Montana to Canada and back again. And it is a good bit of fun.

But that opening prologue made the entire enterprise a little wobbly. Its length almost made me give up before the good stuff started, which I’ve never encountered with David Housewright’s writing. It felt like Housewright was setting-up a traditional whodunit, which is cool, but (for me at least) it never quite worked that way. What I did like about Them Bones is far more than what I disliked. As usual, the setting—the Twin Cities, Montana, and even rural Canada—was vivid and melded perfectly with the story. The actual mystery, who was the Inside Man that helped the thieves steal the skull, is compelling and McKenzie’s self-deprecating style and often flippant attitude is fun. There is a good deal of subterfuge and the final reveal is both surprising and perfectly right. But a few hours spent with McKenzie, even in a flawed tale like Them Bones, is always a chore to look forward to.

This review will go live at darkcityunderground.blogspot.com and gravetapping.blogspot.com on June 23, 2025

Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for the ARC of this book.

A stolen dinosaur skull is at the center of a complex mystery laid at the feet of unofficial P.I. Rushmore McKenzie.

There are two things that Rushmore McKenzie hates to turn down—a request from a friend and a challenge. Both of them show up in his wife's nightclub in the person of Angela Bjork, who has come to request McKenzie's help. McKenzie, once a homicide detective, now through a series of unlikely events, is a retired millionaire. But occasionally, for friends, he will do some unofficial private detective work. Over the years, he's hunted down a stolen Stradivarius, the hoard of 1930's gangster, and recovered a stolen, apparently cursed, artifact but McKenzie never imagined a case like this. An exceedingly rare dinosaur skull has been stolen.

Angela, a doctoral candidate, was out on a dig site in Southeastern Montana, when she found a skeleton of an Ankylosaurus. And no sooner than when the skull was removed and placed on a truck then they were attacked, the truck and skull stolen. Worried that nothing is being done to find the stolen skull, she turns to McKenzie. Worth millions on the black market, the chance to recover it becomes fainter by the day. And the people behind the theft are likely willing to do anything, to anyone, to hold onto.

This is the first book I've read in this series and I really enjoyed it. I loved the paleontology aspect taken in the book!

3.75 out of 5 ⭐️

Though Them Bones (Minotaur Books 2025) is the first of the twenty-two Twin Cities PI Mac McKenzie Novels I've read, it won’t be the last. Rushmore McKenzie is a mix of Robert Crais' Elvis Cole and a married moneyed Jack Reacher. The plot is quick-moving and unpredictable, slipping into interesting areas other stories don't.  A quick summary: McKenzie is robbed and left to die in the middle of a desert, surviving thanks to the unexpected arrival of a teenage girl taking a long horse ride too far from her home. Years later, Angela Bjork turns up on his proverbial doorstep asking for a favor, which of course he can't refuse. As part of her PhD studies in archaeology, she uncovered a rare Ankylosaurus skull. Before she can secure it, someone steals it and she asks McKenzie's help recovering it. That starts a journey filled with crooks, truck drivers, morally damaged opportunity seekers, desperate soon-to-be-ex husbands, and more. The intrigue never bores and the action never stops. I sure hope there’s a sequel. I need to see what he does next.

This was so well written, it had that suspenseful atmosphere that I was looking for and enjoyed from this type of book. I was hooked from the mystery and was engaged with figuring out what was going on. The characters worked well with the story being told and was glad they were so well done. David Housewright has a strong writing style and am excited to read more.

This book is so interesting. I love the characters, especially McKenzie. Amazing how his investigation into a stolen dinosaur was conducted. This is the first book that I have read in this series but it won't be the last.

Great story that combines so much. A lot of science - crime - solving crime - international issues - study of fossils. This was such a great read because it covers so much territory and does it so well. Just one thing after another to keep pulling you along through the story and best of all with a very satisfying ending,

Readers can never get too much McKenzie. Them Bones is proof positive the series has lost none of the charm and wit which Housewright has mastered over the past couple of decades. What's not to like in the latest installment? You have McKenzie, the great supporting cast, and dinosaurs! Who saw the latter coming? Seriously, a great dino discovery leads to a great mystery which McKenzie tackles in his inimitable way. As usual with a Housewright book, the pages race by. It's a well crafted and engaging mystery. Yes, exactly what you would expect from a McKenzie adventure. There's even a running gag about a ringtone which Housewright makes work again and again. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, & NetGalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my second McKenzie book and I liked this one better. The paleontology angle was very interesting and he is definitely growing on me. Again I don’t feel like I’ve missed anything reading the one which is 22nd in the series without reading the others. I will read another one, for sure.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for this ebook arc to read. All opinions are my own.

This is my first book by this author but definitely will not be my last. McKenzie is a millionaire and retired police officer. He is approached by Angie a post grad student. During an archeological dig she made an amazing discovery. But someone stole the dinosaur head headed to her university. Now the adventure begins. I also enjoyed learning some interesting details about the dig and dinosaurs. A good read!!

Them Bones
By David Housewrite

Mr. Housewrite is a prolific writer of noir thrillers, both standalone and series. PI Rushmore Mckenzie is one of his best known characters. Mac was a cop in the Twin Cities, but left the force. He is sort of retired – which his wealth allows him to be. But he is occasionally bored and willingly takes on a case as a special favor to various friends and ex-colleagues. He is married to the love of his life, Nina Truhler, who owns Rickies, a popular "jazz joint".

In this book McKenzie is approached by Angela Bjork, a post grad student in paleontology at the University of Minnesota. Angela, while on a dig, has made a fantastic discovery. A very rare fossilized Ankylosaurus. The team is ecstatic. But before they can transport the head to the museum for study and display, the truck carrying it is hijacked. Angela, as a last resort, asks Mac's help to find and retrieve the ankylosaurus.

From there the plot takes multiple twists and turns with any number of characters who may be complicit in the theft. The author is very deft at introducing red herrings that keep readers guessing.

There aren't many writers of multi-volume series who manage to make each new book fresh and new. Mr. Housewrite is one of them!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.