A Borrowing of Bones

A Mercy Carr Mystery

By: Paula Munier

Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney

The first in a gripping new series by Paula Munier, A Borrowing of Bones is full of complex twists, introducing a wonderful new voice for mystery listeners and dog lovers alike.

Grief and guilt are the ghosts that haunt you when you survive what others do not....

After their last deployment, when she got shot, her fiancé, Martinez, got killed, and his bomb-sniffing dog, Elvis, got depressed, soldier Mercy Carr and Elvis were both sent home, her late lover’s last words ringing in her ears: “Take care of my partner.”

Together, the two former military police - one 29-year-old two-legged female with wounds deeper than skin and one handsome five-year-old four-legged Malinois with canine PTSD - march off their grief mile after mile in the beautiful remote Vermont wilderness.

Even on the Fourth of July weekend, when all of Northshire celebrates with fun and frolic and fireworks, it’s just another walk in the woods for Mercy and Elvis - until the dog alerts to explosives and they find a squalling baby abandoned near a shallow grave filled with what appear to be human bones.

US Game Warden Troy Warner and his search-and-rescue Newfoundland, Susie Bear, respond to Mercy’s 9-1-1 call, and the four must work together to track down a missing mother, solve a cold-case murder, and keep the citizens of Northshire safe on potentially the most incendiary Independence Day since the American Revolution.

It’s a call to action Mercy and Elvis cannot ignore, no matter what the cost.

©2018 Paula Munier (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“A compelling mix of hard edges and easy charm - I loved this book.” (Lee Child, number-one New York Times best-selling author)

"Finally, a suspense novel that combines my two loves: a thrilling police procedural, assisted by two fabulous working dogs. A one-sit read that will make you happy you did." (Lisa Gardner, number-one New York Times best-selling author)

"Listeners are treated to a warm and realistic portrayal of life with a smart dog along with a winding story of danger and suspense. [Narrator Kathleen McInerney] expertly sets the pace in scene after scene, driving listeners ever closer to the complicated answers at the heart of this mystery." (AudioFile Magazine)

It was enjoyable, had twists.

I thought the book was good overall. The plot had some twists, the characters were mostly developed and I liked that the main character was a strong women with a slight past. I love books with dog heroes in them as well. I am used to stories that are a little darker and the conversations are a bit more complex then the "nice hallmark version" this book had however I anticipate the next book will add more on this front. I would recommend this book.

Easy, light listening

I enjoyed the book, and the narrator was a natural fit for the style of the author. Not a very complex storyline, but I enjoyed the trip. Looking forward to the next installment. The concept of a dog as a friend plus the setting kept me listening. There's a hint of future romance, which is is appealing.

Review of a Borrowing of Bones

This book was wonderful. I enjoyed the added bonus of all the descriptions of days gone by, the arts , as well as the intriguing story.

Really good series. Love the dog.

I've really liked this new series. Parts of it are a little bit trite, but I really like most of the storyline and have bought a couple more in the series. The narration is good also.

Amazing narrator, exciting and hopeful story

The narrator is wonderful. I loved this book and immediately went and got the rest of the series.