With holiday details and a strong plot, Carolyn Haines has achieved that sweet Christmas cozy balance in A Gift of Bones. In her latest Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery, the PI is asked by her dear friend Cece for help finding her missing—and pregnant—cousin Eve.
Eve is not only pregnant, she’s due on Christmas Eve. However, she’s been kidnapped and there’s a ransom request, with an additional request not to include the police. This is extremely awkward for Sarah Booth as she lives with a cop, Sheriff Coleman Peters, but is bound by her promise to her friend not to tell. This predicament leads to numerous teeth- gritting scenes in which I was hoping Sarah would tell Coleman what was going on. When Sarah and her assistant, Tinkie, stumble onto a crime scene in the course of their detective work, they do finally call in Coleman, who is far from pleased to hear what they have been withholding.
What’s really nice about this book are the family connections, friendships, and personal histories that have shaped who these characters have become. The focus here is mostly on Sarah Booth and Cece, who is a nicely drawn character we learn has been ostracized by her family after she transitioned to become a woman.
Cozy mysteries are inherently traditional in their format and in their social settings. The worlds portrayed are usually comfortable and filled with human connections—which is why I think we like them so much. But change arrives, even in the cozy universe. In A Gift of Bones, it’s the transgendered character of Cece and the affection, acceptance, and love her friends have for her. And in ways like this, cozies tend to illustrate how fundamental changes percolate through our society. A bit heavy of a topic, perhaps, but in the right hands such as Haines’, it is lightly served.
The theme of family, fittingly for the holidays, runs deep in this novel, and the resolution—one both satisfying and Christmassy—is an excellent one, filled with solid detective work on the parts of Sarah Booth, Tinkie, and Cece. While the ending does include a snowy scene in the woods and some talk of Christmas miracles, it’s all nicely done. This is a fine addition to a long-running and much-loved series.
