A Borrowing of Bones
4 Stars

Retired army veterans, Mercy Carr and her Belgian Malinois, Elvis, are seeking solace from their wounds, both physical and emotional, in the solitude of the Vermont wilderness. On one of their daily walks, Mercy and Elvis come across an abandoned baby, a shallow grave and a possible cache of explosives. Together with U.S. Game Warden, Troy Warner, and his huge Newfoundland, Susie Bear, Mercy and Elvis find themselves immersed in a twisted web of succession, theft and murder.

Mercy, with her love of animals and literature, both classic and modern, is a heroine after my own heart. Her strength and resilience only add to her appeal although she can be excessively stubborn at times, and is a short hair away from TSTL territory.

While the mystery is intriguing and the twists keep the pages turning, there are many threads and characters to keep track of, which can become confusing. Nevertheless, the fact that it all eventually boils down to art theft and jealousy is both ironic and amusing.

As a romance lover, I also appreciate the possibility of a slow-burn romance between Mercy and Troy, and look forward to seeing where their relationship takes them.

All in all, an enjoyable read highly recommended for fans of the Sydney Rose Parnell series by Barbara Nickless. ( )

Mercy Carr and her Belgian Malinois, Elvis, are out on their usual hike in the remote Lye Brook Wilderness when Elvis sniffs out a very unusual finding. A baby abandoned near a shallow grave filled with human bones. U.S. Game Warden Troy Warner and his search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear responds to Mercy's 911 call. Who left the baby there, and who's in the shallow grave?

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Mercy Carr was an MP in Afghanistan until she was shot, her fiancé was killed and she inherited his depressed service dog Elvis. Mercy heads back home to Vermont where she and Elvis are trying to get over their various traumas by taking long walks in the woods. Mercy isn't interacting with anyone except her grandmother Patience who is a veterinarian.

When Mercy comes across an abandoned baby in the woods and an unmarked grave, her isolation needs to come to an end. She calls 911 and her call is answered by game warden Troy Warner and his Newfoundland Susie Bear. Mercy had had a crush on Troy when she was fourteen and he was one of the lifeguards where she swam. She hasn't seen him since but knows that he married the prettiest girl in town sometime after she left.

Troy's marriage is on the rocks and he's much happier out in the woods than dealing with people. But together the four of them - two two-legs and two four-legs - manage to work together to find and lose and find again the baby's mother, to solve the cold case murder, solve a couple of other murders, and discover what else is happening during a busy Fourth of July weekend.

I really loved Mercy's relationship with her dog Elvis and Troy's relationship with Susie Bear. I liked the growing relationship between Mercy and Troy too. It was great watching Mercy begin to interact with other people again without ever losing her memories of her deceased fiancé.

The mystery was intriguing. The setting was well-developed. And the characters were interesting and well-rounded people. I look forward to reading more in this series. I mainly listened to the audio version of this story narrated by Kathleen McInerney who did a fine job with the voices and pacing of this story. ( )

I can never pass up a K-9 mystery. I really enjoyed this story that includes a game warden, another of my favorite types of mysteries. Dogs, military police, and game wardens all at home in Vermont! There was no way I was passing this by and I am thrilled I didn't. ( )

I really enjoyed this book! Two awesome dogs (the human characters are as well developed and interesting as the pups), a good mystery, plenty of action, emotional angst, New England woods and a pinch of romance = a great read! Thrilled to learn that it's going to be a series! Two paws up! 🐾🐕🐕 ( )