Them Bones

Mystery, science, and a theft are combined in David Housewright’s Them Bones, the twenty-second book in the Mac McKenzie series. When Angela Bjork shows up in McKenzie’s wife Nina’s jazz nightclub and asks for his help, he can’t turn her down. Angela, a doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota, was on a dig in Southeastern Montana when she found a rare dinosaur skull.

Near the end of August, they have it removed, protected, and loaded on a truck when they are attacked and the skull was stolen. Worried that the police aren’t doing anything to find it, she’s come to McKenzie for help.

McKenzie was a detective with the St. Paul, Minnesota police department until events made him a millionaire and he retired. However, he continues to take on unofficial private investigations for family, friends, and others. McKenzie exudes wit, charm, and the occasional sarcastic remark while investigating crimes. He has a code of ethics that he abides by and is a good investigator and listener. He tries to make the world a better place, but sometimes his actions can be considered more gray than white.

This book starts with a somewhat slow pace as Angela recounts her story for the first 24 per cent of the novel. However, I am interested in archaeology and paleontology so I enjoyed the science part of it as well as gaining an understanding of the various characters. What follows is then interviews with the various participants on the dig and discussions with the FBI and others as well as some action and the pace increased significantly in the last quarter of the book. I found it interesting that McKenzie’s internal dialogue is shown in italics so that the reader gets insight into his questions and thoughts.

The author weaves a tale involving science, friendship, relationships, theft, and much more that pulls readers in and keeps one engaged, especially during the last half of the story. Great world-building details add to the depth of the story. The plot is solid, absorbing, and intriguing and the information on paleontology added a layer of interest to it. There are clues along the way. Will you find them? The last chapter tied up the loose ends, but was all telling versus showing.

Overall, this is an engaging mystery with some suspense that has a few twists and turns, some humor, and great worldbuilding. I am looking forward to finding out what happens in McKenzie’s next investigation. This novel works as a standalone novel, but readers will get more background and backstories if they start with book one.

St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and David Housewright provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for June 24, 2025.