The Bone Feud

By: Wynne McLaughlin

Narrated by: Charles Hinckley

At the height of the American Wild West, two friends and scientific colleagues went to war. Each scrambled to out-wit and out-discover the other in a race to unearth the skeletal remains of dozens of previously undiscovered species of dinosaurs. What began with spying, bribery, and theft, quickly exploded into a bitter feud involving hired gunfighters, secret deals, and sticks of dynamite. Scientist-adventurers Edward Cope and O.C. Marsh inadvertently unleashed "dinosaur fever" across the globe, and their amazing discoveries became the subject of bidding wars by universities, museums, and even the great showman P.T. Barnum. Their story has never been told, until now.

©2014 Wynne McLaughlin (P)2016 Wynne McLaughlin

A Rollicking Cowboys and Dinosaurs Adventure!

What a fun story! It's got everything you'd want in a western -- bar brawls, shoot-em-ups, even the assistant who's secretly a sharp-shooter -- and mashes it up with a chase to unearth dinosaur bones across the American west. It's even a bit educational, as the story is inspired by the real lives of paleontologists Cope and Marsh. Lines like "I reckon' they've gone extinct" capture the fun vibe and little bit of camp this story's got going on. The narrator is a ringer for a western, with deep, drawly voices -- an excellent choice.

Interesting Discovery/Old West Story

With the feel of an old timer tall tale, the feud between 2 scientists is told. I'm not a fan of old west stories but the narrator did a good job helping to keep me interested.

Do you like lots of cowboys and dinosaur bones?

Would you listen to The Bone Feud again? Why?

This would be a great book to listen to on a flight or long car ride. So definitely.

What other book might you compare The Bone Feud to and why?

I probably don't read enough historical fiction or westerns to answer.

Have you listened to any of Charles Hinckley’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but he was fantastic!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I don't want to give too much away, but there are several parts dealing with cobbled together or switched up dinosaur skeletons that gave me a good chuckle.

Any additional comments?

If you like dinosaurs, the history of early dinosaur collecting, or just like a good western, this is a great listen.

I assume this is a first effort

Not as good as I had hoped. There is every Wild West cliche you could imagine, stagecoach robbery, bar fights, Indian fights, gun fights, kidnapped damsels in distress.

I liked it well enough to finish it.