Great story from start to finish! Well paced, real characters, and a fun read for dinosaur lovers. Easy five stars and I'll look forward to the authors next title.

There are things to like about this book but I'm not quite sure the writer, editor or anyone else involved knew what type of book they wanted it to be. There is some beautiful writing about family, trauma and grief as the main character returns to his hometown and deals with the ghosts of his past. Then however, ghosts of the supernatural type appear and it all becomes very silly, like something from an '80s B-movie. On top of all that, it's a COVID novel! It was just trying to do too much. I feel there was a good book in here but it needed a few more rewrites.

Where to start with this book.

Where I had previously loved Luke Dumas' debut A History of Fear, I was expecting to love this one as well, but unfortunately it fell a bit short for me. Although it did fall a tad short, it was still a wonderful presentation of suspense and intrigue, and I loved that unique setting of a natural history museum.

Creepy museums and dinos? What more could you ask for? Didn’t see the twist coming at all! I Loved it.

This is a hard book to rate. I didn’t think it would be quite as heavy or triggering as it was and was expecting more of a “Jurassic Park with ghosts” premise. But that being said, it was very well written. I loved Simon’s character and his struggle to deal with the past and his own trauma.

"The Paleontologist" by Lake Dumas is a gripping and atmospheric novel that blends elements of mystery, horror, and the supernatural to create a chilling and suspenseful story.

Dr. Simon Nealy, a haunted paleontologist, returns to his Pennsylvania hometown and the Hawthorne Museum of Natural History, where his sister was abducted many years ago. The guilt of his sister's disappearance has haunted Simon for years, and now he feels compelled to return to the place where it all began in search of closure.

However, upon his return, Simon is confronted with a series of unsettling events that defy explanation. The museum is in disrepair, closed due to the ongoing pandemic, and Simon begins to experience strange phenomena that suggest a malevolent presence is at work. As he delves deeper into the museum's history and uncovers the research diaries of his predecessor, Simon realizes that there is a terrifying secret hidden within the museum's walls—one that has been buried for millions of years.

Dumas masterfully builds tension throughout the novel, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as Simon unravels the mystery of his sister's disappearance and confronts the supernatural forces that threaten to consume him. The atmosphere is palpable, with the crumbling museum serving as a haunting backdrop for the unfolding events.

With its blend of psychological suspense and supernatural horror, "The Paleontologist" is sure to keep readers guessing until the very end. Dumas' evocative prose and intricate plotting make this novel a must-read for fans of atmospheric thrillers and spine-tingling mysteries.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this after seeing mixed reviews, but I loved it. This is such a fun story, and Dumas does an admirable job of balancing a sweet story about family and forgiving yourself with a delightfully creepy premise, and about hauntings both supernatural and all too real.

I’m a sucker for anything set in a museum, especially if it has a mysterious and macabre element to it, and this one has that in spades. From the very real disappearance of protagonist Simon’s sister when they were children to the eerie goings on with the museum’s dinosaurs (dead for millions of years…or are they?), this was a multilayered story that slotted together two stories about protecting the ones we love millions of years apart, and just how far we (and perhaps a dinosaur too?) would go to get answers about a catastrophic event that changed our entire life.

I didn’t love the pandemic setting of this, but otherwise I thought it was excellent. Fun and thoughtful, full of harrowing excitement but not without gravitas. Looking forward to more from Luke Dumas.

I didnt get a chance to leave a full review before the publication date, however I did read this one and gave it 5 stars

This book was not what I expected. The cover lured me in, and I did finish it. But it just wasn't for me.

A supernatural mystery with dinosaurs? Yes, please. A thousand times yes!

Plus, I read Dumas’s previous book and was rather impressed. And yet this one was something of a disappointment. Perhaps, because I was so excited going in. perhaps the stakes were set too high. Or perhaps it just isn’t that great of a book. It is good. Yes. But don’t you want more?
The plot revolves around a pint-size protagonist named Simon whose entire life has been scarred by the tragic disappearance of his baby sister when he was ten. Now in his early thirties, Simon takes a job at the same museum where the disappearance occurred with eh ideas of poking around. As a child, he was fascinated with dinosaurs. As an adult, he’s … well, professionally fascinated with dinosaurs. And then he starts seeing them skulking around the museum at night.

So, if the Night in the Museum was a murder mystery …

And it all sounds good and fun, but:

A. I didn’t care for Simon. He’s not particularly likeable, weak and whiny and emotionally incontinent, and takes much too long to learn some valuable lessons about workplace diversity, i.e. he’s too quick to hate a woman working herself to the bone (no pun intended) to keep the museum open for crappy pay but easily dismisses his assistant’s vulgar, nasty sexual innuendo jokes in that boys-will-be-boys way.

B. The supernatural aspect of the novel was so disappointing. It was almost like the author just couldn’t commit to it one way or another. Is Simon hallucinating, and if so, what explains his injuries?

C. The central mystery’s resolution was kind of underwhelming. And Simon seemed surprisingly forgiving of certain perpetrators because why? because they shared a sexuality? seriously?

Having that been said, it was still a very entertaining read. The writing is solidly commercial as opposed to literary, but rather effective. And if you’re dinosaurs, it’s really tons of fun. So, something of a mixed bag, but a perfectly decent all-around read. Thanks Netgalley.

This ended up not being for me, but I’m curious to see what this author comes out with in the future. The historical aspects did not work for me, and I think I would have liked it more if I enjoyed those aspects!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really unique, well-written horror novel that will keep you enthralled and guessing until the end. The dinosaur theme really sets it apart from other stories in the same genre, and that was perhaps my favourite part of the reading experience. That being said, the pacing is a little bit wonky at times: events take a while to get moving and in the last quarter of the book things happen and resolve rather quickly. That being said, this was a really fun read and I will definitely read more by this author in the future!

I have never been more excited for the idea of a book--DINOSAUR GHOSTS?? Almost broke a nail getting to the request button. A paleontologist returns to the museum where his sister disappeared as a child, only to discover a dark, supernatural secret? The plot of this book has absolutely everything I could want. A cold case, a nerdy scientist MC, literal DINOSAUR GHOSTS.

But then.

It meanders. It spends way too long on Covid protocols. No one seems as concerned as they should be about the MURDEROUS dinosaur ghosts. There aere a lot of ways this book could have gone wrong, but it is absolutely unforgivable to me that it was somehow mind-numbingly BORING.

This book was really fun and unique! I absolutely loved the setting and I don't think I've ever read a book set in a museum before, of any genre. This is one I will absolutely be purchasing for my husband, as I think he will enjoy it even more than I did.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw this book I gasped at the cover. A dinosaur skull? I was in. And this was actually a very intriguing read for me. It's a little bit out of my comfort zone, but Dumas was an expert at crafting a story and keeping my attention. I can't say too much without giving too much away, but I highly recommend picking this one up. If you get the chance, make sure to take it with you on a field trip to the museum. Better yet, take it with you if you can sleep in a museum and let me know if you're able to get a wink of sleep.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

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.

This is my second book by this author, both have gotten three stars. I think I enjoyed this one just a tiny bit more than his previous book.

I was so excited to read this book as the concept sounded like something I would absolutely enjoy - it was also unique.

This story started off on a good note, I was enjoying it at first. However, it’s so slow and it made the story drag so much. There are also a lot of ridiculous moments.

I loved the mystery behind the missing sister and these ghost dinosaur elements, but the book tried to do too much. There were so many extra layers added that just took from my enjoyment.

The story basically follows a paleontologist who returns to the museum his sister was abducted years ago. The haunted atmosphere was incredible, but there’s only so much you can do, and this story felt too long.

Overall, this horror story had an eerie atmosphere and I loved the concept of Dino ghosts, however, the story just felt mediocre. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but I had such high hopes and was let down a bit.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Atria Books for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Paleontologist was about a 3.5/5 for me. It has very well crafted characters and wonderfully written. I think my only problem was I was expecting something similar to Jurrasic Park but it wasn't. It was a little slow in the beginning but I would say the last 60% flew and was more what I was,looking for. I would definitely read the next title from Luke Dumas..reading this made me purchase A History of Fear which I have good things as well. 🦕

The Paleontologist follows Dr. Simon Nealy as he accepts a new job at the Hawthorne Museum in his Pennsylvania hometown. Simon's little sister went missing from the museum when they were children and he's back to try and figure out what really happened to her once and for all. But when Simon starts seeing and hearing things in the museum that shouldn't be possible will he accomplish his goal of finding out what happened to his sister or will he go mad trying?

As a resident dinosaur lover I loved this book. I really appreciated the author doing the research (coupled with his love of dinosaurs too) to make the book scientifically accurate. I didn't want to put this down and just kept telling myself one more chapter. I was also surprised at how much I loved the ending and wasn't expecting it to hit me that hard.

If you love dinosaurs, creepy museum's and descents into madness this book is for you.


Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This one was so close to being a hit for me. I was admittedly first drawn to this novel by the title and cover art since I've been a dino-lover since I was young, and then drawn in by the lost sibling, haunting, mystery premise to the novel. I just feel that the story never really "took off" for me. The plot trudged along for a really long time and I felt that some of the issues presented by the story were not ever fully fleshed out. The resolution to the story, while partly satisfying because we finally found out the whole story, was super rushed and anti-climatic and I feel that this story just ended with a dud.

All that said, the story did still keep me entertained and I did become invested in Dr. Nealy and his pursuit of solving the mystery of his sister's disappearance, so this novel was not a huge miss.

I'm an adult yet I still love dinosaurs and ghosts so this was the perfect mash up. Taking place in a science museum was just the cherry on top. I love this book from beginning to end and recommend it repeatedly on Social Media. Thanks so much for the arc!