The Burnt Bones: A Pippa Langham Mystery

The Portman Creamery Mysteries

By: C. S. Patra

Narrated by: Denise Black

Meet the ladies of Portman's Creamery, serving ice cream by day and solving mysteries in between. Join Irene, Chrissie, Pippa, Becca, Mary Beth, Stacey, and Winky as they take on their latest strange case.

After a boat blows up on the lake, no one can seem to figure out who was killed in the blast. DNA records proved one thing with the burnt bones, yet someone else is missing from the scene.

When another body shows up and their missing person remains missing, the ladies dig deep to find the truth behind it all. Soon, they realize they may not just be dealing with a killer but someone with a very elaborate plan involving money. And what they are looking for may not be too far from where they are.

©2018 Cithara Patra (P)2019 Cithara Patra

Lackluster Story

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.

I like cozy mysteries and I am willing to cut them some slack when it comes to the stories - people always being murdered around the MC and the MC being able go investigate the crime. However, there must be likeable characters and an interesting story to follow. Here, it was really a mixed bag. First, there are several women who work/own an ice cream parlor. For an inexplicable reason, the police detective relies on them to solve a double homicide. The detective in the story seems to be nothing more than an eater of their ice cream and a go-between for the women and the forensics lab. The women do no real investigating - they tell the detective what to do and sit in on police interviews. It is unclear how the ice cream women have so much latitude from the police or why the detective relies on them while bemoaning the fact that his supervisor is on his back about the investigation so the women need to be right. Second, the dialogue is very stiff -- a lot of complaining about "how complex" or "complicated" the case is for them to solve.

I did like the premise of the mystery -- a boat explosion which results in the discovery of burned human bones [hence the title]. I just wish it had been executed better.

The narrator did a good job.

Good story!

cozy-mystery, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, friendship

Excellent plot! A boat blows up at a festival but the owner is unknown, charred remains are found but no clue whose they are. Three people are discovered to be missing, but not all of them seem to be connected. The small town has an even smaller police budget, so the services of trained investigator who works pro bono with the help of friends works well and makes for a great story with interesting characters.
I requested and received a free audio copy narrated by Denise Black who is perfect!

It's 3.5 stars, really - it's good but...

First let me explain that I liked the book quite a lot - it has a well-developed plot with all the necessary twists and red herrings in the investigation, it is fast-paced, the suspects are believable and have plausible motifs for murder, and the amateur sleuths are both intelligent and likeable. I also in general liked the writing style of Ms Patra's; it's rich in imagery and descriptive enough to allow you to see the people and places in your mind.

There's just one thing that makes me deduct stars from my rating - and it's a big BUT for me... I can't believe that any police detective leading a murder case would go to amateurs who have no official connection to the police (unless I missed that piece of information somehow) and reveal to them every smallest detail of the ongoing investigation to the point of having them at the station listening to the police officers interviewing suspects.... What's more, the impression I got while listening to the book was that all the detective said was "Help me with this case, I can't do it without you" and his only role was to be a go-between between the forensic laboratory and our group of sleuths who did all the police "detecting" for the police... I just feel it's a bit too far-fetched in a way...

But other than that, if you can overlook that improbability, it's a genuinely entertaining cozy mystery narrated quite well by Ms Black, who does a good job with different voices and is convincing in narrative parts.

DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

OK

I liked the cover and the blurb and thought this is for me. However, from the beginning I realised that this is not for me. It has potential but I don't like it when the detective comes out silly. For them to get to this postion they must have some sort of intellegence yet here he relies on a group of women to solve the case which I thought is weird.
Not for me but others might like it.

Another Book I Enjoyed by C. S. Patra

I enjoyed The Frost Kingdom by Patra so much that I decided to give another book, by her, a try. I decided on The Burnt Bones.
First off, I love that I have tried two different genres by this author and really enjoyed both.
I love the setting in an ocean side town with the main murder happening on a boat. I really enjoyed the various suspects and how they all look guilty in some way. The main characters are fun as well.
I highly recommend this mystery to anyone who enjoys them.
Denise Black also does a wonderful job with the narration. She is clear in distinct with her voices.
I received this audiobook at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Love a good mystery

Was impressed by how well done the book was. This is my first book by C. S. Patra but it won't be my last. The characters were all very well done and Denise Black brought them all to life. Would recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries. I was given a free copy of this audio in return for an unbiased review.