• Beastly Bones

  • A Jackaby Novel
  • By: William Ritter
  • Narrated by: Nicola Barber
  • Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (616 ratings)

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Beastly Bones  By  cover art

Beastly Bones

By: William Ritter
Narrated by: Nicola Barber
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Publisher's summary

In the highly anticipated sequel to the acclaimed Jackaby, Abigail Rook and Sherlockian detective of the supernatural R. F. Jackaby are back and on the trail of a thief, a monster, and a murderer.

"I've found very little about private detective R. F. Jackaby to be standard in the time I've known him. Working as his assistant tends to call for a somewhat flexible relationship with reality."

In 1892 New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, R. F. Jackaby, are called upon to investigate the supernatural. First, a vicious species of shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens, and a day later their owner is found murdered with a single mysterious puncture wound. Then, in nearby Gad's Valley, now home to the exiled New Fiddleham police detective Charlie Cane, dinosaur bones from a recent dig mysteriously go missing, and an unidentifiable beast starts attacking animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind. Charlie calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.

©2015 William Ritter (P)2015 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Ritter's debut skillfully blends science with the supernatual and balances whimsy with violence." ( Kirkus Reviews)
"Toss together an alternate 19th-century New England city, a strong tradition of Sherlockian pastiche, and one seriously ugly hat, and this lighthearted and assured debut emerges, all action and quirk." ( Publishers Weekly)
"A riveting mash-up of mystery and folklore, with vivid details and striking turns of phrase. And Jackaby is an irresistible character." ( The Horn Book Magazine)

What listeners say about Beastly Bones

Average customer ratings
Overall
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    5
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable, but the first book is better

If you could sum up Beastly Bones in three words, what would they be?

Different, imaginative, and supernatural

If you’ve listened to books by William Ritter before, how does this one compare?

I listened to the first book in this series and was wowed with the new take on the supernatural, great characters that I hadn't "read" before and all around solid read. I don't know what I feel is off in this book. It's again got several threads or plot lines going on that come together well, not the suspense that the first book has, but still a great twist that was unexpected and new. So I am not sure why it fell a little flat. I am giving the story 3 stars because I don't think I'll listen to it again, but I am looking forward to the third book (that's the why for the overall 4 star rating) and better understanding jenny.

Did Nicola Barber do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, but her voice at this point seems immature, or just not grown up enough.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Jackaby is back

Nicola Barber did a fantastic job as always. Her voices are all fantastic. I never have a problem differentiating between charcters. William Ritter wrote another killer book. There are a couple of subplots, but it all meshed so well I didn't even care. And that ending!Holy cow! Who is the man dressed in black? How did our favorite ghost Jenny die? How are they connected?!? I can't wait till the third book.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Too many dead

I liked the first book and expected to like this one. The plot is interesting, has new novel mysterious creatures, and some new characters added that I liked. The fact that our heroine gets to make contributions in her area of expertise (paleontology) was welcome. But the body count has turned me off. Along with the death toll, the writing is still rather amateurish. When the monster was revealed, and the carnage escalated, I could not stick to the end to see how it will be tamed/eliminated.

Reading a book is a pact between the author and the reader. The reader places trust in the author to write an interesting and entertaining story without committing excesses that the reader does not expect/stomach. This book exceeded my personal boundaries.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Can't wait for the next!

I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into with the first Jackaby. But by the time I finished Beastly Bones... I love it. A great blend of serious and silly. I enjoy the character relationships. And appreciated all the love advice.
Clever & cute.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

You Can't Beat a Jackaby Novel

Another awesome book written by a wonderful author! It had wonderful twists and turns and mystery and who did it, really? I can hardly wait for the next book in the series!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Nice sequel to Jackaby.

I really like this book. Nicola did a marvelous job. I can't wait to read book 3 Ghostly echoes.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Such a treat

It was a fun adventure. There's enough data to figure out the twist before the reveal, but it's satisfying regardless

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful fun!

This book is even better than the first one - everything an adventure story has to be - love it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great !

A great book !!! Can’t wait to get book 3 and listen . I’ve went ahead and bought the whole series .

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

better than the first book

this one i liked even better! I'm very excited for the next one! this one was better put together and more compelling. I knew what was going on, but still enjoyed watching it play out.

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