My father in law got very sick and my focus was too shattered to try and read. I will likely try again some day when my attention is stronger

A fun and classic book for cozy lovers. A bit of funny with a bit of endearing family and the meaning of Crhistmas!

I love almost any Christmas mystery and this one didn't disappoint. This series is one where every character seems like an old friend and I can 'see' myself living in Zinnia.

This is another fast-paced mystery with lots of twists and turns. It's well-written and brings the Mississippi Delta to life.

I'm also enjoying watching the relationship develop between Sarah Booth and Coleman. I can't wait for the next one in the series!

Sarah Booth is getting ready for Christmas and spending time with Coleman her boyfriend. When her friend Cece asks for help it seems Cece's neice is missing and very pregnant and Sarah and Tinkie find themselves deep embroiled in investigating what happened to Eve Falcon the pregnant teen.

As they dig in deeper the questions become greater. Why kidnap Eve to what purpose and why? Will Sarah and Tinkie be able to retrieve the girl before she has the baby. Who kidnapped her any why?

This was a fun adventure back in south. We see what everyone is up to Christmas. And watch Sarah and Tinkie try to help their friend Cece to have this resolved before Christmas hits as the baby is due on Christmas Eve. It was such a blast and I couldn't put the book down it was so good!

Zinnia could be any small town in America. Almost any small town. Well, maybe not ANY small town. Like visiting old friends in our hometowns, reading a Carolyn Haines mystery makes you feel good. She welcomes you back each time with a new mystery for our friends Sarah and Tinkie to solve. This one includes a few Christmas miracles and will leave you with that warm, cozy feeling that she is an expert at achieving. Sarah is looking forward to this holiday with her friends and new love when the kidnapping of a young pregnant cousin of Cece's means she'll have to speed solve this one to make Christmas merry. If you love cozy mysteries, this is the series you should be reading.

It's hard to believe this Christmas cozy if book 19 in the Sarah Booth Delaney series. It's always a fun read with all the characters in small Zinnia, Mississippi and it's going to be extra Merry since Coleman and Sarah Booth are now an established couple. But before they can celebrate the season they need to solve a kidnapping and figure out the mystery of a missing twin from many years ago. With ghost/angel Jitty practicing her dancing for the Nutcracker and giving advice on Coleman and the kidnapping, Sarah Booth is having a crazy Christmas. Love this series and this book can be read as a stand alone but you'll want to head to the bookstore for some earlier releases. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I'm a long-time fan of this series, and this 19th entry is one of the best ones. Christmas is coming to Mississippi and Sarah Booth Delaney has to come to the aid of her friend, CeCe's, whose pregnant cousin has been kidnapped. With the help of Jitty, the haint of Sarah's ancestral home, not only does the kidnapping get solved, but Sarah's belief in the possibility of Christmas miracles gets tested.

A Gift of Bones is a well-written cozy, mystery filled with mirth and great characters. The true meaning of Christmas is explored as well as staying focused on what’s important: family and friends. Although this book is #19 in the series, it works as a standalone as well. I enjoyed this light Christmas mystery.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Synopsis from the Publisher/NetGalley.com
Christmas comes to Zinnia, Mississippi—Sarah Booth Delaney must solve a case as the holiday approaches, in this new cozy mystery from Carolyn Haines.

Christmas is just around the corner and Sarah Booth and Tinkie are preparing for a festive holiday season. After a turbulent season of solving cases, they’re ready for some holiday cheer. Sarah Booth and Sheriff Coleman Peters have finally gotten together, and this is the first holiday they’re celebrating as a couple. Sarah Booth busies herself with decking the halls and daydreaming about romantic Christmas nights with Coleman.

Then her friend Cece Dee Falcon shows up needing Sarah Booth’s help—right now. She shows Sarah Booth a box that was delivered by courier and left at Cece’s front porch. It contains a lock of hair, a photograph of a pretty young woman, very pregnant, and a note demanding ransom for the return of the teen. Cece reveals that this is her cousin’s daughter, Eve Falcon, and that she’d lost touch with this part of her family years ago. Eve and Cece had been close, until the family had a terrible falling out, and banished Cece from their lives. The countdown begins as the kidnapper pushes for payment—or else, he threatens, Eve will meet her maker. It’s up to Sarah Booth and her friends to find the girl before something terrible happens on what should be the merriest day of the year.

Carolyn Haines’s trademark humor and lovable characters are back, in a heartwarming Christmas story that will enchant and delight readers looking for a suspenseful mystery wrapped in joyful holiday merriment.

I received this ARC via Netgalley in return for an honest review. A good holiday read. A man is killed after an altercation at a Christmas party and with the remains of a yule log roll in his stomach. The heroine, whose best friend hosted the party, is determined to figure out what happened, given that the yule log came from her and her daughter is dating the man with whom the deceased had the altercation. The characters are well written and the story moves along. The heroine's ability to check off possible suspects works well to advance the plot and help her figure out whodunnit.

This was a pleasant surprise this was for me. When I choose it on NetGalley I did not realize it was #19 in a series so I almost didn’t read it. But even though I was jumping in not knowing any of the characters I really enjoyed it. The writing was a little more polished than most “cozy” mysteries and I was quickly immersed into the story and lives of the characters. And the wrap up of the mystery was even a surprise for me. Looks like I will be reading more of this series – though I will probably go start at the beginning now.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Sarah Booth series is a classic for cozy lovers. Gift of Bones offers a funny Christmas tale with some truly hilarious parts. Story focuses on family and the true meaning of Christmas. Cute cozy!

I love the world of Zinnia and the Delta where time has stood still in many ways. Although bad things and bad people occasionally meander into the small town, it is still a place where people have strong communal connections. With that being said, it isn't hard to believe that someone would contact a stranger and not only know that person's secrets, but those of the family as well.

When CeCe (formerly Cecil) Falcon shows up asking Sarah Booth and Tinkie for immediate help with a family problem and specifically asks Sarah not to tell Coleman a word about it. Knowing that this may rend permanent damage to their new relationship, Sara Booth attempts to persuade CeCe to change her mind and bring Coleman in on the case. CeCe's younger cousin, Eve is missing. Not only that, she is pregnant and due to deliver the baby on Christmas Eve. Eve's parents have washed their hands of her and refuse to lift a finger to help. Sarah Booth and Tinkie must race to find Eve and the baby before something terrible happens. Along the way Sarah Booth and Coleman do make some wonderful Christmas memories. Even Jitty, Sarah Booth's civil war haunt, shares Christmas from the Great Beyond with Sarah Booth.

I enjoyed the pace of this story, although it seemed shorter than I wanted it to be. Note to Carolyn Haines - write faster or longer! Please...

One final thing of note is that it feels like Sarah Booth may finally be ready to settle down. Through the past Bones books, we've seen Sarah love, flirt, be heartbroken, break hearts, and it seems Coleman finally has her number. I hope that the series continues in this vein, as Sarah as the flirty siren of the South (as much as I enjoyed her dalliances) needs to settle down.

Here's another over-the-top cozy from Carolyn Haines, her latest Sarah Booth Delaney mystery, A Gift of Bones, taking place around Christmas in Zinnia, Mississippi.

This time, Cece's very pregnant young cousin has been kidnapped for ransom. Of course, Sarah Booth and BFF Tinkie rush to investigate, anxious over the welfare of this modern Mary and her baby.

Great fun as always!

Carolyn Haines involves Sarah Booth Delaney in A Gift of Bones in which Christmas is mixed up with the kidnapping of a pregnant young lady and ransom demands. Sarah and her sidekicks nose out what is going on and pursue the criminals to free the young woman. Paranormal highjinks with Sarah's favourite haunt and her pets. Enjoy the chase.

I love the "Bones" series. I can honestly the series is still one of my favorites. The characters are so much fun and the stories are interesting and easy to read. I can hear the charaters voices speaking as I read. Please keep this series going, I love it.

You can’t lose when reading any of Carolyn Haines, “Bones” series. I personally would suggest reading the first book, “Then Bones” before any of the others. After that you can pick up any book in the series as a stand alone. I preferred reading in order. Continue to have laughs, mystery, spirits and wild characters. I always enjoy picking up this series. Either you love it or not.

This is the 19th (wow!) book in the Sarah Booth Delaney mystery series. I've read them all, they're fun and entertaining. In this book, it's Christmastime and Sarah Booth and her partner Tinkie need to find a missing girl named Eve. She's their friend Ceece's relative, and they'll do anything to get her back.

Of course, this involves lots of crazy adventures that Sarah Booth's boyfriend Sherrif Coleman Peters doesn't approve of, and they put themselves in danger before they can solve the crime.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really love the Sarah Booth Delaney mysteries. The common theme throughout these stories is Motherhood. Sarah's parents have passed away and she feels she's a little long in the tooth for motherhood herself but when she finds out friend Cece's estranged cousin has been abducted and held for ransom, Sarah and bestie, partner at her detective agency are on the hunt. One catch though, in the midst of all the Christmas festivities, Sarah cannot tell her paramour Coleman about the situation, no.police involvement or all bets are off regarding cousin Eve's and her soon to be born baby's safety. So in the spirit of the season and of her resident haint, Jitty, Sarah is racing against the clock in this nail biter with bits and pieces that seem to be connected but not quite solved. The mystery is solved on Christmas Eve with a miracle birth when she calls her tribe in to help Sarah as she puts the final piece together.
The story was heartfelt as Sarah was hoping to get a visit from her mom, who had been passed for 20 years. Sarah misses the sense of family traditions and realizes after this series of events that it's time for her to move.on and make new and happy memories with Coleman.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and all views expressed are my own.

Another great romp through the delta. Characters you feel like you know like old friends. Always looking forward to the next books.

Loved this cozy mystery. A Gift of Bones has a good plot and a quirky cast of characters. The author is new to me and I anticipate reading more of her books. Mystery fans will enjoy this book. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my digital arc this is my unbiased review.