Mighty Old Bones

April 28, 2008
A most unlikely twosome, worldly Jane Thistle and her stay-at-home friend, Phoebe Twigg, once again find murder and mayhem in the sleepy Alabama village of Tullulah in Saums's appealing second Thistle and Twigg mystery (after 2007's Thistle and Twigg). The two friends are preparing for the annual Halloween party at the town's library when a severe thunderstorm fells a tree on Jane's property, unearthing the remains of a human body. Jane and the local officials suspect that the bones may be part of an Indian burial site, and there's some paper evidence for their assumption. As the site is secured and experts are called in, Jane draws on her archeological experience to help out on the dig while puzzling over the disappearance of one of the town's beloved old citizens and other strange happenings. The author's portrayal of the book's charming small town activities and people, plus some lovable canines and a little touch of the supernatural, make this a most enjoyable Southern cozy.

March 17, 2008
A most unlikely twosome, worldly Jane Thistle and her stay-at-home friend, Phoebe Twigg, once again find murder and mayhem in the sleepy Alabama village of Tullulah in Saums's appealing second Thistle and Twigg mystery (after 2007's Thistle and Twigg). The two friends are preparing for the annual Halloween party at the town's library when a severe thunderstorm fells a tree on Jane's property, unearthing the remains of a human body. Jane and the local officials suspect that the bones may be part of an Indian burial site, and there's some paper evidence for their assumption. As the site is secured and experts are called in, Jane draws on her archeological experience to help out on the dig while puzzling over the disappearance of one of the town's beloved old citizens and other strange happenings. The author's portrayal of the book's charming small town activities and people, plus some lovable canines and a little touch of the supernatural, make this a most enjoyable Southern cozy.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2008
When it comes to digging up trouble, Jane Thistle and Phoebe Twigg have never had any problems, but when a tornado uproots trees on Janes property and unearths a centuries-old skeleton, Jane and Phoebe receive unwanted attention from unlikely sources. Since her woods once sheltered several Native American tribes, the burial site is a treasure trove of artifacts, making it especially appealing to erstwhile archaeologist Jane, especially sacred to local tribal elders, and especially enticing to a crew of antiquities thieves who have descended on the otherwise quiet town of Tullulah, Alabama, disguised as a film crew scouting locations. After Janes home is robbed, her purse snatched, and the mugger murdered, Jane and Phoebe realize that none of these events are coincidental, and the two best friends, sprightly widows with more energy and armaments than a military base, set an elaborate trap to catch the crooks. Although labeled a cozy mystery, the second installment in Saums series carries a finely honed edge and an eerily sinister twist.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)