annieb123's review against another edition
5.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Skeleton Makes a Friend is the 5th book in the Family Skeleton series by Leigh Perry. It's due out 6th Nov, 2018 from Diversion Books and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.
I'm a huge fan of paranormal cozies and this series just keeps getting better. There is a large chunk of necessary suspension of disbelief going in; the main character Georgia has a best friend who's a walking talking skeleton. That being said, there are so many things to love about this series, here are a few:
The protagonist is smart, funny, nerdy and capable but she's not superwoman. She's very down to earth and in some ways vulnerable. She's very much an everywoman character and easily related to (and darned likable). If she were real, I'm pretty sure we'd get along very well. Would love to grab ice cream with her sometime! :)
The dialogue and plotting are spot on. I've read all of the books in the series so far and I've yet to read one bit of honestly clunky or unfortunate dialogue. The author is prolific and experienced and it shows. I've long said that quality is important and writing 'light' mystery or fantasy (or romance) is no excuse for shoddy work. This is a solidly readable, writerly, thoroughly enjoyable mystery.
The author makes some wry and unflattering observations about academia in the USA and she does a good job of describing the system in a lot of places without being strident. It is what it is.
There are a lot of topical in-jokes and references, so I'm not sure how this series will read in 20 years, but they're here now and they're delightful. I recommend this series and this book in particular without any reservations.
This is a very light read. I think it would be fine as a standalone, but I can heartily recommend the other books in the series as well. The language wouldn't make anyone blush. (Incidentally, Georgia and Sid (the skeleton) use alternate anatomy related curse words 'coccyx', 'ossified', 'sacrum', etc etc. it's just another quirky bit of the series).
Four and a half stars. I can't imagine it being better, honestly. I'm looking forward to more from Sid and Georgia (and co.).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Skeleton Makes a Friend is the 5th book in the Family Skeleton series by Leigh Perry. It's due out 6th Nov, 2018 from Diversion Books and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.
I'm a huge fan of paranormal cozies and this series just keeps getting better. There is a large chunk of necessary suspension of disbelief going in; the main character Georgia has a best friend who's a walking talking skeleton. That being said, there are so many things to love about this series, here are a few:
The protagonist is smart, funny, nerdy and capable but she's not superwoman. She's very down to earth and in some ways vulnerable. She's very much an everywoman character and easily related to (and darned likable). If she were real, I'm pretty sure we'd get along very well. Would love to grab ice cream with her sometime! :)
The dialogue and plotting are spot on. I've read all of the books in the series so far and I've yet to read one bit of honestly clunky or unfortunate dialogue. The author is prolific and experienced and it shows. I've long said that quality is important and writing 'light' mystery or fantasy (or romance) is no excuse for shoddy work. This is a solidly readable, writerly, thoroughly enjoyable mystery.
The author makes some wry and unflattering observations about academia in the USA and she does a good job of describing the system in a lot of places without being strident. It is what it is.
There are a lot of topical in-jokes and references, so I'm not sure how this series will read in 20 years, but they're here now and they're delightful. I recommend this series and this book in particular without any reservations.
This is a very light read. I think it would be fine as a standalone, but I can heartily recommend the other books in the series as well. The language wouldn't make anyone blush. (Incidentally, Georgia and Sid (the skeleton) use alternate anatomy related curse words 'coccyx', 'ossified', 'sacrum', etc etc. it's just another quirky bit of the series).
Four and a half stars. I can't imagine it being better, honestly. I'm looking forward to more from Sid and Georgia (and co.).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
peggyemi's review against another edition
4.0
I have to say, I was surprised at how quickly I took to this series. I set a goal this year to read series that have been on the TBR pile for too long. I had heard plenty of great things about this series, and I had bought the first book at a library book sale, so it went on the list. I have managed to make my way through all the books to the most recent release. This has honestly become one of my favorite series in the genre. To start, it has a clever premise. Something that might sound a bit silly, works so well because this author has created some memorable characters and has imbued Sid with some many wonderful human qualities that the reader forgets sometimes that he is a skeleton. Add in Georgia and her daughter Madison and you have a trio of characters that are well developed, highly likable and engage the reader in each story. Then the author surrounds them with a great cast of secondary characters- some permanent and some revolving just for that story.
The mystery is well crafted. It has a fast-pace and a terrific plot. The author drops plenty of clues in her quest to mislead the reader as to the identity of the culprit and kept me guessing until the end.
This series hits everything on my list that I look for in a cozy mystery series and I have to say I am grateful that this author found a new home for these characters and their stories. It would have been a loss to the genre for them not to continue.
The mystery is well crafted. It has a fast-pace and a terrific plot. The author drops plenty of clues in her quest to mislead the reader as to the identity of the culprit and kept me guessing until the end.
This series hits everything on my list that I look for in a cozy mystery series and I have to say I am grateful that this author found a new home for these characters and their stories. It would have been a loss to the genre for them not to continue.
mpr2000's review against another edition
4.0
Can you imagine having a skeleton as a friend?
Don't be surprised, Sid is Georgia Thackery best friend, the only curios thing is that Sid is a skeleton, who talks and moves like a human, without the skin...!
So when Sid and Georgia discover a body at the college Georgia is working part time, and Georgia discovers that Sid knew him, they couldn't resist to investigate the murder, discovering some deep secrets at the college they are working!
This had been an interesting read, let me say I am not used to read books where one of the main characters is a skeleton that talks and moves, but lucky for Georgia, even if sometimes he is the one that puts her in danger, he is ready to save her in the moments of need.
This book talks about gaming platforms and the connection between the gamers, because these people play together and even if is not planned they know each other and start a friendship, without knowing each other names, they share a connection. This connection will be the start of this case, when they start investigating the victim, they discover it was part of Sid's gang online, this will make them more motivated to discover the truth about the murder, but the killer's motive is quite twisted and the killer is ready to kill again to cover the truth!
This is the fifth book of Family Skeleton Mystery series, in the beginning is a little bit weird the skeleton situation, but after a few pages you get it and the story gets more interesting!
Ready for a curious case?
Don't be surprised, Sid is Georgia Thackery best friend, the only curios thing is that Sid is a skeleton, who talks and moves like a human, without the skin...!
So when Sid and Georgia discover a body at the college Georgia is working part time, and Georgia discovers that Sid knew him, they couldn't resist to investigate the murder, discovering some deep secrets at the college they are working!
This had been an interesting read, let me say I am not used to read books where one of the main characters is a skeleton that talks and moves, but lucky for Georgia, even if sometimes he is the one that puts her in danger, he is ready to save her in the moments of need.
This book talks about gaming platforms and the connection between the gamers, because these people play together and even if is not planned they know each other and start a friendship, without knowing each other names, they share a connection. This connection will be the start of this case, when they start investigating the victim, they discover it was part of Sid's gang online, this will make them more motivated to discover the truth about the murder, but the killer's motive is quite twisted and the killer is ready to kill again to cover the truth!
This is the fifth book of Family Skeleton Mystery series, in the beginning is a little bit weird the skeleton situation, but after a few pages you get it and the story gets more interesting!
Ready for a curious case?
staticdisplay's review against another edition
5.0
fun read! nice, summery setting; interesting characters; the mystery was pretty good (although I put the pieces together slightly ahead of the characters); there's a blend of humor and empathy in the characters' interactions... I've enjoyed this series a lot.
fauxpunk's review against another edition
4.0
These books are just so comforting and silly I love them
sarahthereader's review against another edition
4.0
Book Five in the Family Skeleton series by Leigh Perry: The Skeleton Makes a Friend. Only one more book to go. Part of me wants to put it off but I just can’t. I love this series so much.
wendygwendy's review against another edition
5.0
Great cozy little mystery. Who knew a skeleton would ever be my favorite character?
michelleful's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this. A lot of series peter out as they go along but the books have been going from strength to strength and I'm kinda sad that I only have one left to go (but I started on it immediately after finishing this one anyway). I like that they celebrate geekiness and diversity and familial affection. The sleuthing was excellent. And there were a bunch of laughs, too. When I started the series I'd thought I wouldn't be re-reading, as I generally don't with cosy mysteries, but now I feel like I probably will, sometime down the road.