A Borrowing of Bones

A Mercy Carr Mystery

By: Paula Munier

Narrated by: Kathleen McInerney

Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's Summary

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)

Dogs, PTSD, and Research

I love a good book with a dog as one of the main characters but this book didn't hit the mark for me. Sadly, I wasn't impressed by the author's lack of knowledge and obvious lack of research when it comes to PTSD, Army life, and dogs. I'm the wife of a Disabled Army Veteran who has PTSD and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and I also fight for resources and assistance for families dealing with PTSD and TBI. I actually got angry at her description of PTSD as a soldier not being able to handle being in a war zone and/or not being able to handle being back in the civilian world. It's sentiments like these that propagate the stigma of the military, veterans, and PTSD. Please do the research! I listened to the whole book but it was just so-so. The narrator has an annoying tone that does nothing to help with the mediocrity of this book. Hopefully I can return this book.

So-So

The book was just "ok." The characters were likable enough - but they were never really developed and it seemed like everything took a long time to happen. Half way through, I was anxious to be done. I loved the dogs - but I don't think the author did much homework. Somehow, I don't believe responsible handlers feed their service or working dogs bacon and eggs for breakfast or hamburgers and french fries for lunch!

It appears this is the beginning of a series, so I might try one more - but I'll probably read it. The narrator wasn't horrible, but her words were clipped and sounded staccato. She didn't add anything to the story.

Naive, repetitive, and shallow

We need more books about strong women achieving in difficult circumstances; this book misses the mark. Repetitive cutesy observations throughout, characters that don’t think, and too-convenient plot devices. Annoying use of same sentence structure throughout.

Hooked. Something old, Something very New.

I couldn’t stop listening, as I cared more and more about Mercy, Elvis, Troy and Susie Bear, plus many more. Service dogs? Great big yes. Setting in Vermont? Yeah baby! Not only so hooked that I listened without wanting to stop, I’m now ready for Book 2. Congrats Paula on an awesome mystery (that fully demonstrates what you teach writers).

Dissapointed

Most people loved this book but for me I found the book to very cliche and I really tired of the main character, Mercy, getting herself into situations where she had to be rescued. So many authors seem to do this and you reach the point where you feel like enough is enough. Most sane people don't constantly put others endanger because they refuse to be sensible. This plot had the potential of being really great but there were just too many times when pages and pages were spent on her melodramatic encounters with the bad guys. I stuck it out to the end and then found out that this is a series. I will definitely not continue down that road.

Kathleen McInerney was good with the delivery of the story and the main reason I finished the book

An Excellent New Author

I loved everything about this book! I sincerely hope this is the beginning of a series, because I will impatiently await the next book.

Love the dogs!

Great relationship between dogs and owners. Enjoyed the .mystery. looking forward to more in the series.

thoughrouly enjoyed

story was engaging and kept you guessing until.the end. well worth the read I felt.

Good Book

I liked the narrator. It was a good story, but I felt like the dialog was elementary.

Entertaining

I enjoyed this audiobook and the performance was ok. Narrator would have been better off to not try so many different inflections to represent the different characters. Kind of a weak point for me. The characters of Mercy and Elvis were well developed. Some of the side characters, such as the mother and baby, not so much. But, all in all, an entertaining story to pass the drive time home from work. I would recommend this audiobook.

OK but…

I bought this book because the synopsis was so promising.
However, I find it has lots of 'repetition' - her loss over her dead lover and Elvis's previous owner - while sad, it gets a bit tedious after a while.
Also, too many ‘you’re tired, I’m ok, you’re injured, I’m ok, you need rest, I’m ok, you need to go to the hospital, I’m ok'.
What saves the book are the real heroes - the two dogs.
I also think the narrator is all wrong for a book such as this. She could have salvaged it, but her ‘hesitant' delivery was not up to it.
I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the series, but perhaps the second book will be better paced. While I love the dogs, the narrator is another matter.
I’ve put the second book on my wish list, but not sure if I’ll go through buying it.

unusual abd captivating

most enjoyable tale with lots of intrigue and action and every hook tou could think of. Will look out for more by this author

highly enjoyable

well thought out, strong likeable characters. I love Elvis and Suzie Bear. I look forward to the next book dropping