McKenzie has appeared 21 times before, but this is the first I've heard of him or read of his exploits. Therefore, I don't know if the earlier episodes dealt with conventional thriller mechanisms or if he uses his platform to illuminate as well as entertain usually. I found myself immersed in the world of paleontology, taking internet sidetrips to learn about the fascinating Ankylosaurus, whose missing skull is at the center of the mystery here. Great fun, and I intend to look up his earlier work.

David Housewright's "Them Bones" offers a fresh twist on the crime novel, sending unofficial investigator Rushmore McKenzie on a hunt not for a killer, but for a stolen Ankylosaurus skull stolen from a dig site in Montana

We follow Rushmore as he is pulled into the case by Angela Bjork, a friend who once saved his life. Suspicious that the thief is someone on the team of academics, McKenzie bypasses a standard investigation and instead dives into a high-stakes scheme involving a dying millionaire, a con artist, and an online auction.The story starts out a bit slow, but eventually picks up the pace with clever twists and deceptions. McKenzie's partnership with the unpredictable Heavenly Petryk adds humor, and their plan to recover the fossil through a staged ransom keeps up the suspense.

Housewright builds an unusual but compelling mystery, using his protagonist’s dry wit and resourcefulness to full effect. While the stakes feel more cerebral than heart-pounding, "Them Bones" is full of entertainment, intellect, and charm.

My thanks to Net Galley and St Martin's Minotaur for allowing me to review this arc. Unfortunately I just couldn't get into it .

David Housewright’s *Them Bones*, the 22nd book in his well-established series. It is a mystery that blends science, mystery and suspense. One of the highlights for me was the inclusion of scientific facts such as the bidding war between Nicholas Cage and Leonardo Di Caprio for a Tyrannosaurus skull, and how the T-Rex Sue came to reside at the Field Museum. These details not only added authenticity but also made the reading experience more engaging, especially for someone like me who enjoys it when authors base their plots in real-world knowledge.

Despite being the 22nd installment in a long-running series, I managed to read it with no prior knowledge of Housewright’s work, and I had no trouble following the plot or connecting with the characters. It is possible that the novel can be read as a standalone. However, I couldn’t help but feel that my enjoyment was tempered by my lack of familiarity with the long-standing characters. I felt that I was missing some context on everyone's relationship and I suspect I’d have gotten more out of the book if I’d known their backstories going in.

The pacing, moved along at a steady clip with just enough “breadcrumbs”—cleverly placed clues and plot points—to keep me going. However, I did find myself wishing for more excitement and drama -- a characteristic that I often crave for in a mystery/suspense novel. While the story unfolded smoothly, it lacked the high stakes or gripping twists that might have pushed it into more thrilling territory.

In the end, *Them Bones* is a worthwhile read for anyone who enjoys a clue-driven mystery with a scientific edge. Its standalone readability makes it approachable for new readers, though series fans will likely appreciate it more with their built-in context. Three stars.

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

This is the 22nd book in the Twin Cities P.I. Mac McKenzie Novels. It is the first of the series that I've read. I was attracted to the Twin Cities setting but quickly came to enjoy McKenzie's personality.

McKenzie is a former cop turned millionaire to unofficial private investigator. When a young woman shows up at his wife's nightclub asking for help, he is willing and intrigued. It seems Angela Bjork is a paleontologist who has come to McKenzie to ask him to help him recover the skull of an Ankylosaurus that she and some others from the University of Minnesota, Macalester, and the Science Museum of Minnesota discovered in Montana.

The local police don't seem to be doing anything useful, and the FBI isn't interested because the skull was found on private land. The land is owned by a Twin Cities millionaire who wants the skull recovered and donated to the museum before he dies. McKenzie finds himself working for the millionaire and trying to find out who took the skull and where it might be.

I enjoyed the setting. I liked McKenzie's circle of friends. I liked the references to earlier cases which made me very curious about them. Fans of the series will enjoy this episode. This newbie found the story engaging and hard to put down.

This is a novel in a series of Twin Cities set novels by David Housewright that has a recurring character named Rushmore “Mac” McKenzie. The story is a standalone story even though the regular reader will find themselves recognizing many of the recurring characters.

I enjoyed the story very much even though it was a slow start. I think the reason it seemed like a slow read in the beginning was that a female archeologist came to see McKenzie in order to solicit his assistance in finding a lost dinosaur skull. The part of the story of her telling him about what happened at the dig site just didn’t move as smoothly as the rest of the book once the plot switched over to McKenzie and his actual investigation.

Once the reader was taken on the adventure with McKenzie in his quest to find the missing bone, the pace of the story picked up and this reader enjoyed the story more. The excitement built from there until the mystery was solved.

Housewright delivers another nuanced plot with a variety of characters. Some were likable and some not so much, but all were fully rounded and none superfluous to the story.

I’ve long enjoyed this series and this one gives the reader another entertaining way to spend some time with a great investigator who can be relied on to give the armchair detective a chance to solve the crime before the protagonist.

McKenzie Novel #22

This is my first experience reading Mr. Housewright and reading this book way into the series was not a challenge but it did pique my curiosity to see what events brought us to this point.

Rushmore McKenzie, the main character, is a former law enforcement that became PI after he was bestowed with a massive amount of wealth. He retains a multitude of formal and informal contacts to help him. He operates out of Minneapolis.

The story in a few words:

It starts with the discovery and theft of a dinosaur skull uncovered at a digging site. This mystery laid at the feet of our PI. Two things McKenzie hates, to turn down a request from a friend and a challenge. The request came from Angela Bjor, a doctoral candidate, who was at the dig site in Montana. When the group she was with was attacked and the skeleton of an Ankylosaurus worth millions was stolen, time to take action and McKenzie was called……and the excitement began sending McKenzie eventually out of state and into Canada.

Is there no honor among thieves? Evidently, not when dinosaur skulls are involved.

My thoughts

After a slow start and a lot of Paleontology talk, the plot finally keeps a decent pace when McKenzie shows up and the narrative becomes active and keeps the story smooth sailing till the end. Yes, McKenzie brought the dinosaur home and we find out who the thefts are…all ends well.

They are multiple characters some from previous stories but the lack of details on them was unnecessary to enjoy the plot, they blended in without a hitch. One hick, omitting references to sport teams and their stadiums which took too much pace and didn’t bring any thing could have been skipped. But well done is how the author is adroit in introducing red herrings to keep us guessing and teasing us to figure out who could be complicit in the theft. I especially loved the vivid sense of place: dusty sites and all.

Them Bones by David Housewright tells the story of PI McKenzie who helps a friend recover dinosaur bones that were stolen from an archaeological site.

This is the first of his I have plus it’s 22 in a series. It does work as a stand alone book but I really like McKenzie so now I will need to start at the first one. The author got my attention and affection by using Penn State in his opening chapter! I love the dialogue of the characters especially the scene where the puns are flying around the campfire! I love that we can see what McKenzie is thinking versus what he is saying.

There was a lot of research for this book given its archaeological subject. If you like mysteries (it reminds me of Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon character) then this is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a copy of this ARC book.

3.5 Stars
One Liner: This was rather interesting!

PI (and former homicide detective) Rushmore McKenzie can’t turn down a challenge or say no to a friend. So, when both occur in the form of Angela Bjork, he cannot resist.
Angela is a doctoral candidate working on a dig site in Southeastern Montana where she found the bones of a dinosaur (Ankylosaurus). Soon, they were attacked, and the skull was stolen. Worried about the lack of action, Angela turns to McKenzie for help.
The story comes in McKenzie’s first-person POV with some parts in an omnipresent third-person POV.

My Thoughts:
Yo! That’s me jumping straight to the twenty-second book in a series because I got a widget for it. To be fair, the blurb said dinosaur bones. Not that I know my dinosaurs, but I loved Jurassic Park as a kid, so… yeah! *shrugs*
Though the book is a mystery/ thriller/ suspense, it seems closer to the cozy border than the hardcore stuff. Luckily, cozy is right in my zone.
The book starts with McKenzie’s first-person POV. His voice is pretty fun to read with a good dose of self-deprecating humor and some quirky one-liners. The shift to third-person POV when Angela narrates the event caught me off guard, but once I figured it out, it was easy to follow the rest.
Naturally, I missed a lot of backstory, but it was hard to follow the details. I went with the flow and could get the hang of things soon enough. That said, his age is revealed after 50%, and that was a surprise. I added 8-10 years to his actual age based on the narrative style. Imagine my surprise when McKenzie is less than 50!
There’s a lot of detail about digs, dinosaur bones, the setting, etc. I liked the topic, so it was entertaining and informative. It also covers quite a few topics, like the other side of academia, the smuggling/ black market of artifacts and ‘exotic’ items, interpersonal relationships, etc.
Of course, there is some danger, but it seems like McKenzie is very good at what he does. So, essentially, this is a low-stakes thriller where danger is present but easily handled. Kinda like your Tollywood hero who can bash a dozen bulky goons without breaking into a sweat.
The pacing is a bit on the slower side. I wasn’t bored, which is a good sign. Will I go back and read the previous books? Not likely. Will I read the next book if given a copy? Yeah, I will.
Oh, like McKenzie, I learned of the word zaddy in this one. As you can guess, he was rather tickled by the term, lol.

To summarize, Them Bones is an entertaining read, I would call a borderline cozy thriller (is that even a genre?) with some intrigue, action, and drama. The lighthearted narrative may not work if you want something dark, but it does a good job if you want a nice little mystery to keep you occupied for a while.
Thank you, Ana Couto, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books), for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: June 24, 2025
Unofficial P.I Rushmore McKenzie is once again asked to do a favour for a friend, and soon becomes embroiled in a smuggling operation where recovered dinosaur bones are being sold to the highest bidder in David Housewright’s twenty-second novel in the McKenzie series, “Them Bones”.
Doctoral candidate Angela Bjork is working with her team at a dig site in Montana when she makes the ultimate discovery, the complete skeleton of an Ankylosaurus. Although her team is vigilant, when the skeleton is being disassembled and packed for transport to the museum, the truck transporting the dinosaur’s skull is stolen, leaving one of Angela’s team members seriously injured. Angela decides to call on McKenzie to help investigate the disappearance as, once the skull makes it to the black market, Angela feels her discovery is gone for good. But it isn’t long before McKenzie realizes that the crime is starting to look like an inside job and turns to Angela and her team for answers.
McKenzie is not your average P.I., and although he’s been around for twenty-two novels, he and I only became acquainted in Housewright’s last novel, “Man in the Water”, but it feels like I’ve known him longer than that (in a good way). Housewright’s series are the type of books that you can jump right into, regardless of the order, and you’ll be able to keep up with the plot.
I adored the archaeological component of this novel, with all of the dinosaur bones and ancient relics, but with that came an exceptionally large number of characters to keep track of, from students at the dig site, to various professors and academics involved with the dig itself and two separate universities, along with the money behind the dig and the criminal components that always seem to be lurking where the money is. So, although the premise of this one was right up my alley, I struggled keeping track of the who’s-who.
“Bones” started off slow, as McKenzie meets up with Angela in a bar and he tells her all about the dig and goes into the specific details of the relationships between the main players. This section is written strangely, as well, as Angela is telling the story but somehow, McKenzie’s thoughts are interspersed throughout without clear indications, so it’s difficult to sort out at first. But once Housewright gives us the details, the rest of the plot is smooth sailing.
“Bones” is suspenseful, engaging and often hilarious, and I’m glad Housewright brought McKenzie back for another instalment.

You’d think jumping into book 22 of a series would be confusing—but Them Bones pulled me in right from the start, and I never felt lost. This was my first time meeting McKenzie, the series' longtime protagonist, but he’s such a solid, compelling character that I instantly felt at home in his world.

The mystery here is layered and thought-provoking, blending murder, paleontology, and some thorny ethical dilemmas that kept me turning pages. I’ve always been fascinated by dinosaur discoveries, and this book delivered that intrigue in spades. Housewright clearly did his homework—the story is not only exciting but also grounded in detail that feels authentic without ever dragging down the pace.

I especially loved the vivid sense of place. Whether we were in the dusty dig sites or navigating McKenzie’s sharp observations of those around him, the settings felt alive and immersive.

Even though this is part of a long-running series, Them Bones absolutely works as a standalone. The writing is smart, the stakes are high, and the themes—especially the moral gray areas around science, money, and justice—add depth to the thrill.

If you’re new to McKenzie, this is a fantastic place to start. And if you already know him? You’re in for another solid ride. 🦴🔎📘

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books) for an advance digital copy of 'Them Bones ' by David Housewright. This popular author has won several awards, including the Edgar Award. Despite all the acclaim for his two mystery series, I was unaware of his books. I was surprised I had requested this book, not knowing it was number 22 in the McKenzie detective series. Still, I was intrigued by the mystery, paleontology, and ethical issues involved, and always interested in new dinosaur discoveries. The book was informative, exciting, and well-researched. A vivid sense of place was described. It worked as a standalone. Readers of Housewright's previous books will be familiar with recurring characters and past events, which should add to their enjoyment. The book is due to be published on June 24/2025.

Paleontology students and professors have been digging tirelessly in the sand and dirt in a remote part of Montana. It is windy and hot, but they are slow, meticulous, and careful. Their effort has paid off. They are thrilled to have uncovered the head of a rare dinosaur, the Ankylosaurus, and believe the rest of its skeleton is attached. We learn a technique that seems far-fetched. It is the taste test. They run the material over their tongue to distinguish fossilized bone from rock. A Google search even had videos that showed and explained this procedure. The excavated skull is protected by a plastic jacket to be transported by truck to the University for further cleaning, and then probably put on display in the Museum.
As winter approaches, the paleontologists will place a tarp over the site and dig for the body the following summer. There will be rivalry in the scientific community about where the dinosaur will be shown. The early part of the book is slow-paced until criminals ambush the site, shots are fired, a professor is injured, and the fabulous skull is stolen. Criminals can sell the skull on the Black Market for millions.

The pace picks up when PI Rushmore McKenzie enters the story. He had been a homicide detective in the St. Paul police department, but came into a large sum of money and retired. Finding life boring, he became an unofficial private detective, taking cases only when friends requested. His methods of investigation depend on old contacts in the police and criminal worlds. Seven years earlier, he was robbed and left in the desert to die. Without food or water, he became dehydrated, dizzy, and wandered directionless. Near death, he saw a young woman riding a white horse, and thought he was hallucinating. This was Angela Bjork who saved his life. Since then, she had studied Paleontology and was working on her PHD. She was a member of the dig when the skull was stolen, and she requested that McKenzie find it and capture the thieves. His search takes him out of state and finally to Canada.

I now want to read some of the author's previous books. Recommended for those who like adventure stories combined with mystery, detective work, science, and, of course, dinosaurs.

Interesting read. A group of paleontology students and professors are on a dig in Montana and one of the graduate students/adjunct professors makes an amazing find and then takes another professor along with her the next day to the site where she made the discovery to show her what she found and to work on the site some more. They discover that they have found the entire skeleton of an Ankylosaurus which no one has ever found before. They are shutting down the dig site for the coming winter season and they remove the skull from the dig site and package it for transport to the University of Minnesota. They decide to wait to leave until the next morning and in the early morning hours someone comes to steal the truck that the skull is loaded on and injures one of the professors when he hears someone outside and goes to investigate. The search is then on for what happened to the bones. They are eventually found in Canada and recovered. Don’t want to spoil the book for anyone else so I won’t say anything else. Highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book for an honest review.

Them Bones by David Housewright is a fascinating look at the world of paleontology, the intrigue that can surround it, and the crime that sullies it. Along the way, the author subtly comments on friends who become family, and on obligations and the importance of keeping ones word.
The main character of Rushmore McKenzie is a unique one, as he doesn't need to investigate cases, but does so when asked by a friend to whom he feels he owes his help. His sense of obligation draws him into a case of stolen property, in the form of a dinosaur skull, and the investigation puts him into the orbit of some interesting characters, dangerous and otherwise.
While the story is a bit slow to start, it certainly grabs the readers' attention as the case becomes more complex and the suspects more plentiful. The search for 'Them Bones' takes him across state and country boundaries, and is a tense and suspenseful journey.
I had not read work by this author before, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which while a part of a series, stands on its own nicely.
Thank you for the ARC of #ThemBones to #NetGalley.

Them Bones-A McKenzie Novel by David Housewright

Though this story started slow for me, it certainly picked up the pace when
McKenzie began narrating. The investigator is tasked with finding a stolen
artifact after a fossil dig by some students and professors in Minnesota.

Many suspects are questioned and a huge tangle of events add tremendous interest to the story line. McKenzie shows a humorous side, which I liked, and the story has a favorable outcome. I don’t think the readers will guess the culprit(s), but they will learn a lot about dinosaur digs, preservation and human nature. It’s four stars from me for a fun read.

Enjoyable mystery featuring a former homicide detective who became a millionaire, retired, and is now a PI who mostly helps friends solve the problems they get caught up in. This time, the problem is a dinosaur skull that has been stolen from the dig where it was found.

I enjoyed the mystery, the characters, the setting, and the paleontology--digging up dinosaur bones!

This is the 22nd in a series, but the first I have read, and it worked fine as a standalone. I would read others in the series if I came across them.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

A solid mystery, interesting characters, a little suspense, lots of suspects, and a little humor is a great introduction to the McKenzie mysteries. This is the first book that I have read by this author, and it can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone. A few slight references to past characters didn't affect the storyline but instead intrigued me to put the start of the series in my TBR pile. Former homicide detective Rushmore McKenzie is always ready when a friend requests help. Doctoral candidate Angela asks for help in finding out who stole a dinosaur skull that she discovered in Montana. McKenzie readily agrees and he will work not only to recover the skull but find the culprits as well. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I love finding a new author to add to my TBR.

This is an okay book. The dig information is interesting but a bit long winded. Mckenzie is a serviceable narrator. I like but don’t love this book. It’s hard to get into. I somewhat recommend.

This was an author I had not heard of, but once I finished this, I ordered some of the previous works in the series.

This episode has Mac McKenzie looking into the theft of the head of a dinosaur. I learned some things about fossil digging, which I found interesting. The plot was good and I liked the characters. The fact that most of the book was set in Minnesota made me happy as that is my favorite place in the whole world.

I am looking forward to catching up on the large body of work by this author.

Great series.

Them Bones is part of an ongoing series but can be read as a standalone which is what I just did. Solid mystery with minimal thrills but with wisecracks and humorous sections. A quick read good for solid entertainment.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.