Beastly Bones

A Jackaby Novel

By: William Ritter

Narrated by: Nicola Barber

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 supernatural 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)

FANTASTIC. ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!

A good continuation of the series. The plot is good and the main protagonists are good. Jackaby and Abigail work together very well. Charlie is also mentioned and there is a romance beginning with Abigail. I hope there will be more of Charlie in future books. A good series. Well written with interesting storyline and well performed by Nicola Barber.

Beastly Bones” by William Ritter is a great sequel

“Beastly Bones” by William Ritter was a great sequel to “Jackaby.” In “Jackaby,” we were able to meet some fabulous characters. I am excited to get to visit these characters again.

What I didn’t like:

Not as much sleuthing
Relationship are under-developed
The Sleuthing:

Jackaby and Miss Rook didn’t do as much sleuthing as the first book. The mystery wasn’t as predictable as the first book either but their didn’t seem to be very many clues to follow up on this time around. I feel like the investigation itself was not very exciting.

Relationships are under-developed:

The relationships between each character are very under-developed. I feel like each relationship should have some form of improvement or depth. I want to see Jackaby and Miss Rook’s relationship grow. Maybe not romantically but as friends. It would have been nice to see Charlie and Miss Rook’s relationship become more romantic.

What I did like:

Writing
Characters
Plot
The Writing:

I love Ritter’s writing. the pace is great and it is light and lovely. The conversations are hilarious yet informative. The writing is very quirky and I think it fits the time period extremely well.

Characters:

These group of characters are incredibly fun. I’ve fallen in love with them. Abby Rook has created her won little spot in my heart. i want this girl to succeed. She is really becoming her own. Rook’s character is growing and developing and I can’t wait to see how her future turns out. Jackaby is quirky and amazing. I love how peculiar he is. Sometimes Jackaby is hard to read but I feel like that is part of his great character. There were also some new characters int he story. I enjoyed all the characters a lot.

Plot:

The plot is very entertaining. i was completely engrossed in the story. the plot was less predictable. There wasn’t much sleuthing, as I mentioned earlier but I reall liked that I wasn’t able to peg everything right away.

I jumped right back into Abigail and Jackaby’s lives. New murders take Jackaby and Abigail out to a farm. At this farm there is a dig site of bones that have been found. Miss Rook being a paleontologist is excited to go check out this dig. I love that I got to experience Abby’s excitement when it came to the fossils and bones.

Wrap Up:

I love that William Ritter has created a paranormal series that feature all different kind of creatures. I am in love with these characters and can’t get enough of them.

“AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY”

Read and reread....really enjoy this series!

The performance and story have a way of drawing you in to each character and I love the twists and turns of each of these books.

I like this series

The Jackaby series was not at all what I was anticipating. However I have enjoyed it immensely.

Creepy mystery

Another supernatural mystery with Abigail Rook and her eccentric detective employer (Jackaby). Good performance. I enjoyed listening.

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.

I LOVE this book!!!!

I love the reader, the writer, everything about the story. This is just such a well written and read book, I wish William Ritter had more books to read!

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.

Devoured This Book!

I’m quickly becoming a super fan of this series. It took me a little while to get through the first book, but once I did, I immediately wanted to return to the supernatural world created by William Ritter. A delightful read!

I’m equally captivated by Nicola Barber’s narration. I’m very picky when it comes to narrators of fiction and Nicola is among the best! Well done!

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!