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)

5 stars

This is an enjoyable an entertaining book. The characters are realistic and engaging. The mystery is well written. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one in this series.

This was an enjoyable listen!

The narrator does a great job of differentiating the characters. I never had to relisten to identify the various people in the novel.

The story plot was enjoyable. One reviewer complained about numerous dog handling errors by the author. I disagree. This is not written to be a manual of correct handling techniques. It is a semi-cosy/mystery/tiny romance novel that has working dogs in it. Of course, presenting more accurate details of dog handling techniques would be better, but unless you know them, it doesn't affect the overall outcome. MY one issue is that Mercy has a tendency to be too headstrong and quick to disregard common sense personal safety actions. With this said, I still look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Awesome

I loved the book and narrative!!!! If you have not read this I highly recommend!!!!

Must listen

This has been a great listen! The plot is excellent and the story line with the dogs is such fun.

thoughrouly enjoyed

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

Twists and Turns

I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the narrator. As a mother of two veterans and a dog lover, I was enthralled by e the imprint that war had made on Mercy, Troy and Elvis. The story is full of twists and turns, good and evil, just as real life can be.

A Borrowing of Bones

I purchased this title from the sale selection. I will definitely listen to the next in the series. Mercy and Elvis were enjoyable characters. The narrator did a excellent job.

Mesmerizing

Gripping story, characters with depth, description of Vermont and the area of the story lush and great narration. Looking forward to the next book.

So much to admire in this first book and new series

So much to admire in this first book and new series! Sympathetic characters, suspense, action, and smart working dogs!

Wonderful story!

Mercy is a military vet who has fought to bring her fiancé’s canine home…both are suffering from PTSD, both are grieving the loss of Martinez from an IED. During one of their morning hike’s, the pair discover a baby…and human bones. So begins Mercy’s investigation into the happenings in the forest neighboring her property. She soon teams up with game warden, Troy, and his SAR dog and, to the annoyance of the major crimes lead detective, are doing a pretty good job of investigating. Bodies start to pile up and Mercy becomes a target. Will the foursome get to the bottom before it’s too late? Lots of action, dog kisses and great sub characters.