A Rumor of Bones: A Lindsay Chamberlain Mystery [Paperback]

Beverly Connor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2001

Ever wondered how crimes are solved seemingly without a shred of evidence? What do voiceless victims have to say about their fate? Author Beverly Connor lets her heroine, Lindsay Chamberlain, make a living dissecting the past. In "Rumor of Bones" Lindsay begins to uncover an ancient Indian settlement and she hopes that her work will enable the small town to understand their ancient civilization.Unfortunately, Lindsay also becomes involved in solving the murder of several small bodies, each following a sinister pattern, a pattern too familiar to ignore. Strange events, grave robbers, and pot hunters abound in this archaeological mystery where bones speak volumes of the dead and the living.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this carefully constructed debut, the first fiction book produced by a new Nashville publisher, archeologist Lindsay Chamberlain unearths a nightmare. When a child's bones are found outside town, the local sheriff asks for her help in matching them to a missing child. Lindsay explains that the bones belong not to the presumed victim but to another little girl, who, the evidence suggests, had been sexually abused. She puts her excavation crew at the sheriff's disposal at the site of the grisly find, and it's not long before they discover and disinter the bones of more little girls. Meanwhile, back at her dig, Lindsay finds evidence of another modern burial. Although the sheriff dismisses the adult bones, which have been in the ground for over 25 years, in order to investigate the more recent child killings, Lindsay and Derrick Bellamy, her dancing partner and excavation foreman, probe further. The murder of the attorney for a locally prominent family at the site convinces them that the answers to all the crimes can be found among that family's eccentric members. Connor gives detailed descriptions of archeological and forensic method, but her focus on these nuts and bolts comes at the expense of character and pacing, rendering her puzzle a rather mechanical exercise.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Connor's heroine is one you'll like, and her plot is full of twists. -- Brazosport Facts, February 6, 2000

Forensic anthropologist Lindsay finds herself unwillingly drawn into contemporary issues when her discovery of a chain of modern corpses at a burial ground involves her in local murders. As she and her crew are increasingly drawn into the community's terror and drama, tension mounts in this excellent murder mystery. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581821999
• ISBN-13: 978-1581821994
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BEGINNING!, October 1, 2000

By 

Michael Butts "as i see it" (Martinsburg, WV United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Rumor of Bones (Lindsay Chamberlain Mysteries, Vol. 1) (Hardcover)

What a pleasant surprise! I was expecting this little cute cozy story. This is not one of those. Don't get me wrong, I love the cozies too. Ms. Connor weaves a past story with a present event in great details. Using forensic anthropology to move the story along. But, not overburdening the reader with a lot of technical detail. Explaining the things that are happening in common terms. Lindsay Chamberlain is a strong, practical and smart protagonist. Lindsay is a person that you will root for and believe in. Ms. Connor has a very good understanding of the south and its culture. The author uses all the knowledge to develop good characters to complete her story. I highly recommend this book. After searching for several years to find it. I'm sad to say that most bookstores do not carry Beverly Connor's books. I'm glad that I did stay with the hunt, till I got the Internet. What a great read. Looking forward to enjoying the Lindsay Chamberlain series for years to come.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great comfort read, July 9, 2002

By 

Angel L. Soto (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Rumor of Bones: A Lindsay Chamberlain Mystery (Paperback)

Beverly Connor's debut novel is a wonderful surprise. Forensic archaeologist Lindsay Chamberlain is in the town of Merry Claymoore, GA working with a group digging an old Indian site. Her work is briefly interrupted when the local town sheriff asks for Lindsay's expertise. The town recently uncovered the bones of a child and they needed to identify it. In order to promote good relations with the local townspeople Lindsay agrees to help. During the course of her novel the investigation will lead to a deep family secret kept hidden for several decades after the discovery of a more contemporary body.

What makes this book a joy to read is that Lindsay is not an amateur detective, she is an archaeologist. She is a professional who knows how to do her job and is able to see what others might overlook. She makes it look natural without going through any giant leaps in logic. She has a strong circle of friends that keep her grounded and the reader gets to see her day-by-day job at the archaeological site without making it seem boring. She knows how to keep it interesting by making it look like an ordinary thing.

Beverly Connor is probably one of the most overlooked mystery novelist around. Lindsay Chamberlain holds a lot of promise and hopefully her next novel will be just as enjoyable as this one.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Promising start to the series--but needs more polish, July 3, 2000

By 

Kimberly Taylor "Mad Scientist" (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Rumor of Bones (Lindsay Chamberlain Mysteries, Vol. 1) (Hardcover)

I'm reading the Lindsay Chamberlain series backwards. I first read the most recent offering, "Skeleton Crew", and I'm trying to complete the series. Reading in reverse is very instructive--I can watch Ms. Connor's development as a writer and the development of Lindsay Chamberlain as a character.

"A Rumor of Bones" features an interesting plot and an unusual heroine. But this book feels somehow incomplete. For one thing, there are too many characters, and even the major people--Lindsay herself, Derrick, etc.--feel like characters sketches instead of fully-drawn individuals. By removing a few minor characters, Ms. Connor could have added much more depth to the story. Lindsay is almost too perfect--smart, beautiful, intelligent, resourceful, and possessed of almost god-like abilities. I found it difficult to feel much enthalpy for her, or for most of the other characters.

All in all, this is a rough, but promising, beginning to a new series.