This year our friend Paula Munier became a debut novelist with A Borrowing of Bones. That’s in addition to being a non-fiction author (her Plot Perfect has saved me more than once) and an agent. We’re thrilled to welcome her to the blog today. Here’s a bit about the book:
The first in a gripping new series by Paula Munier, A Borrowing of Bones is full of complex twists, introducing a wonderful new voice for mystery readers and dog lovers. Grief and guilt are the ghosts that haunt you when you survive what others do not…. After their last deployment, when she got shot, her fiancé Martinez got killed and his bomb-sniffing dog Elvis got depressed, soldier Mercy Carr and Elvis were both sent home, her late lover’s last words ringing in her ears: “Take care of my partner.”
Together the two former military police―one twenty-nine-year-old two-legged female with wounds deeper than skin and one handsome five-year-old four-legged Malinois with canine PTSD―march off their grief mile after mile in the beautiful remote Vermont wilderness. Even on the Fourth of July weekend, when all of Northshire celebrates with fun and frolic and fireworks, it’s just another walk in the woods for Mercy and Elvis―until the dog alerts to explosives and they find a squalling baby abandoned near a shallow grave filled with what appear to be human bones.
U.S. Game Warden Troy Warner and his search and rescue Newfoundland Susie Bear respond to Mercy’s 911 call, and the four must work together to track down a missing mother, solve a cold-case murder, and keep the citizens of Northshire safe on potentially the most incendiary Independence Day since the American Revolution. It’s a call to action Mercy and Elvis cannot ignore, no matter what the cost.
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE A FOREVER HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
My favorites don’t just serve up a fruitcake-size slice of murder and mayhem, victims and suspects, heroes and villains, they come with a whipped cream dollop of dogs and cats and other animals. Partly this is because I’m an animal lover, and partly this is because I love dogs and cats and other animals in my mysteries—the ones I read and the ones I write. In my Mercy and Elvis series, retired MP Mercy Carr and her bomb-sniffing dog Elvis pair up with game warden Troy Warner and his search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear to solve mysteries in the Vermont wilderness. And yes, there are cats, too.
A HOLLY, JOLLY DOGGONE GOOD READING LIST
Here’s a quick round-up of the holiday-themed mysteries graced by furry characters on my bookshelf:
Santa 365, a Chet and Bernie eShort Story, by Spencer Quinn
If you’re short on time and long on dog love, you’ll enjoy this short story, starring the one and only Chet, K-9 school drop-out and better half of the private investigation team headed up by hapless human Bernie. Together they solve crimes in Southern California—and this time it’s a light-fingered Santa’s helper on the run.
Fair warning: The Chet and Bernie mysteries are addictive. You can’t read just one. Lucky for you, you’ll have all winter to read the whole series.
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas, by David Rosenfelt
If you love Golden retrievers—and who doesn’t, really?—you’ll love Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter mysteries, which are clever and fun and full of good cheer and evil deeds and dogs, dogs, dogs. This Christmas story is one of his best—and very in keeping with the spirit of the season.
The Thin Man, by Dashiell Hammett
Nick and Nora Charles, Asta the wonder Schnauzer, and all the martinis you can drink during Christmas in Manhattan…what more do you want? (Re)read the novel, (re)watch the movie, and (re)stock up on gin.
The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein
Okay, so this isn’t really a mystery and the dog dies in the end (not a spoiler, as the entire story is written from dying dog Enzo’s point of view and you know that from the beginning) but you’ll fall in love with Enzo and his family and the message of this moving and inspiring novel. Promise.
Dog Songs by Mary Oliver
Okay, Okay, so this isn’t a mystery either, it’s not even a novel. It’s a poetry collection about human’s best friend. I read a lot of poetry because it inspires me as a writer and as a person. If you love poetry and you love dogs, you’ll love Dog Songs. The fabulous Mary Oliver at her best.
Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mewed, by Alan Bradley
(Well, you know I had to have at least one cat title on this list. Or my persnickety tabby Ursula would never forgive me.) Bradley had me at the title (as I’m always a sucker for anything Shakespeare), and this Flavia de Luce mystery opens with the quote from Macbeth. Bradley’s young sleuth Flavia has been called a combination of Eloise and Sherlock Holmes, and while she may be an acquired taste, once you fall for her you’ll come back for more. I’m in the middle of reading this one, so here’s hoping the cat prevails. Although you never know with Bradley.
Happy holidays—and happy reading! May you and your two-legged and four-legged friends and family have a warm and bright December and a very happy new year.
Readers, do you have any pet themed mysteries you’d add to Paula’s list?