I was fortunate to have received a sneak preview, of Beverly Connor`s dynamic debut mystery, A Rumor of Bones--before the book was even sold to a publisher! During my less chaotic days (seems like years ago), I was enrolled in a continuing education mystery writing class, using the wisdom of instructor Harriette Austin and thoughtful critiques from my literary peers to shape a now-shelved outline for a mystery novel I had planned to write. As I doodled curlicues and stick figures on my yellow tablet, I took careful note to listen to other contributions, hoping I could learn a thing or two about crafting a good story and plausible characters.As I sat through each class, listening to several snippits of different mystery stories, I recall thinking, I`d certainly like to read that when it`s done.Well, thus far, former classmate Connor has been gracious enough to provide not only me but mystery enthusiasts everywhere with a solid, enthralling whodunnit. Through a reluctant amateur sleuth--forensic anthropologist Lindsay Chamberlain--Connor unfolds a mystery that appears as old as the bones Chamberlain and her colleagues discover in their North Georgia archaeological dig.While searching for evidence of a long lost Native American tribe in a section of dirt located near the fictional town of Merry Claymoore, Lindsay and company are surprised to find mingling with ancient pottery shards and dried corn the bones of a skeleton dating back no further than 60-100 years. As if this anachronism were not enough to keep Lindsay`s mind awake, the local sheriff calls on her expertise to identify an entirely different set of bones--all of which belong to missing and presumed dead children. Before Lindsay can even ponder a connection between the dead children and the mystery boarder buried at her dig site, the snooty lawyer of the local grand dame whose attempts at getting the archaeologists expelled from their site is found dead.Lindsay now is not only faced with helping to catch a possible serial killer, but she must also help to solve the lawyer`s murder in order to prove the innocence of everyone involved in the dig. Not far from her mind, also, is the lone skeleton to which Lindsay has become endeared. Her quest for clues regarding this long span of deaths brings Lindsay to the acquaintance of members of the town`s most prominent family, a crew straight out of a Tennessee Williams play. At first reluctant to sleuth, Lindsay becomes so involved with the extra-curricular activities around her that it appears she may be digging her own grave.Add a nicely-woven subplot of mounting sexual tensions between archaeologists and a disturbed local obsessed with beautiful Lindsay, and one wonders how any actual digging gets done around the site. Nevertheless, these instances of passion enhance the mystery and secrets that surround Merry Claymoore and her people.The writing classes did well for Connor in her first novel; "predictable" is not a word to be associated with A Rumor of Bones. The field of anthropology, though unusual in a mystery world of hard-boiled detectives and aging spinsters, is a welcome and fascinating aspect to this mystery story.
I enjoyed A Rumor of Bones. The plot (and subplot) played out nicely with the mysteries being interesting and well done. There are several mysteries that are going on in this book - the main two are the mystery of Burial 23 & the question of who is molesting and killing little blonde girls. I enjoyed watching the mysteries unfold and trying to figure out what was what. The writing was a little slow paced to start, but once it got going it went on at a good, solid pace.tThe characters, I mostly liked. Lindsay is intuitive, intelligent, thorough and likable. Well with the exception of the "romantic" relationships - the romance angle I could've done without the triangle and the immaturity (because it was clear who 'fit' her early on and really it was like watching a group of teenagers instead of adults). I did like that unlike a lot of cozy mysteries, Lindsay's part in the investigation made sense - her connection to the case wasn't that she was being accused of murder, but that she was consulting on it. She worked with the police, didn't take unnecessary risks and was connected professionally to the cases. tDerrick - I liked this guy. Sheriff Duggan - Liked. Frank, eh. Michelle, ditto. Marsha - she grew on me. There were other side characters, some I liked, some I was neutral too and some I actively disliked. We got to know Lindsay (and Derrick) the best in this book and I like them both as individuals, friends and a possible couple (hopefully without so much unnecessary, not-adding-to-the-plot drama). tThis book has a few minor issues - there were some editing mistakes, the characters didn't all get the chance to develop (some were introduced far too late in the story to make any real impact) but the main ones show promise, you have to be at least somewhat interested in archaeology otherwise the day to day and technical talk will likely bore you. However, I enjoyed the glimpse into every day life whether Lindsay was on site or working with the bones. I also enjoyed Lindsay as a character - and quite a few others as well. The mystery was interesting and (mostly) well done (view spoiler)[ I do still have some questions regarding the third victim, Marylou Ridley that was found - who was probably the first victim. As well as whether or not the killer was working alone or as part of a pair. (hide spoiler)]
What do You think about A Rumor Of Bones (1996)?
After enjoying Beverly Connor's other book series (Diane Fallon), I was surprised to find out just how badly this book was written. Completely disappointed. The mystery part of the story line was kind of interesting, but the writing was so shockingly bad I'm astonished this was ever published. The characters were superficial and flat and the dialog stilted and awkward. The "romance" element felt forced and chemistry between characters non-existent. Granted I've read worse, so am giving this two stars instead of one, but I won't be reading any more in this series.
—Shéa MacLeod
Beverly Connor is another go-to author for me - love her style of writing and the characters in her books.The main character in this book is "Lindsay Chamberlain", an archaeologist on a Native dig in the Carolinas. More than just artifacts are found in this dig. Lindsay's forte is bones and putting them back together, plus sculpting with clay to put a face on skulls.Someone is trying to stop the dig before any "recent" bones can be found. Some twists and turns make this book captivating - with only one TSTL part.2 thumbs up and 4 solid stars
—Bigd_041555
This is the first in the Lindsay Chamberlain series by Beverly Connor. Lindsay is an archaeologist that also gets involved with solving a crime in cooperation with the sheriff.This is not the first book I have read by this author. I have enjoyed several titles by her from her other series featuring Diane Fallon, who runs a museum and crime lab, and I enjoyed them thoroughly.For those of you that are fans of the Diane Fallon series, this cannot compare. I found it to be too boring, not drawing me into the mystery like the more suspenseful Fallon books. It also had elements of romance that were weakly developed and wasted words. There's nothing racy or crude, just boring and awkward romantic moments that detract from the mystery. This will deter most male readers from this book (and series), whereas the Diane Fallon series is appealing to both male and female readers.By page 85 or so, there was no suspense, no action, and very little to hold my interest, and I stopped reading it, so I cannot rate the ending. I was going to skip ahead, but to be honest, the story had not even developed enough to make me bother skipping ahead. I'm giving it one star and will not likely read another book in this series, but do not avoid this author, as I have enjoyed her other work.
—Paul Penney
