The Bone Field by Leonard Krishtalka

 

The Details:

The Bone Field by Leonard Krishtalka

Series: Book 1 of  3

Published: 2019

Publisher: Anamcara Press

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Pages:258

Available: ebook, paperback

The Blurb:

New Hard-Boiled Detective Series Uncovers Bones, Murder & History.

Paleontologist turned private investigator, Harry Przewalski, excavates the dirty underbelly of people’s lives, unearthing sexual betrayals, treachery, fraud and murder buried beneath the science of petrified shards, skin and bones. Ultimately, he must face a brutal killing in his own past, when he fled to a desert war and came back with a gun and a license to detect.

In his first case, The Bone Field, Przewalski chases a missing paleontologist across 80 million years of intrigue and death, from a Wyoming bone field of petrified skeletons to the bone rooms of the museum. World-renowned museum paleontologist, Peter Marchand, goes missing while leading a dinosaur dig in the sweltering, desert badlands of Wyoming. He has made enemies from his serial womanizing, ruthless dealings, religious blasphemy, and unorthodox theories. Hired to find him, Pittsburgh private detective Harry Przewalski uncovers a tangle of sexual deceit, betrayal, and scientific fraud. Ultimately, he must excavate the nightmares in his own extinct past to keep from being killed.

My Review:

Reviewers note: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to start this review by saying, straight off the bat, I loved it. There are a million gritty, dark detective stories out there but I am willing to bet that this is the only one that features dinosaurs, well dinosaur hunters anyway. The story takes us on a tour of the badlands of Wyoming, where a team of bone hunters scour the land for the ossified remains of cretaceous creatures, then wings us back to Pittsburg, the Carnegie Museum and the world of academic intrigue. 

Private Detective Harry Przewalski is hired by the Carnegie to find the team's missing leader. Harry is aa complex character who comes to life in a few short chapters. As he searches for Peter, much like  paleontologist, he chips away at the remaining team, poking and prodding, picking at their weaknesses and uncovering their motivations. 

Woven into the story is the world of academia, the infighting and the jealousy. The vanity and pettiness of the intellectual world laid bare. My favorite part of the story is Wyoming itself. Krishtalka paints a vivid portrait of the land, its topography and people. Intrigued I went on Google Earth to look at it, always a good sign! 

The writing is sharp and well edited. The pace is quick and the dialogue spot on. The ending will surprise you. All in all it's a smart story, well told. 

I want to thank the author, Leonard Krishtalka for sending me a copy of his book and I look forward to reading more in this series. 

Rating: I give this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ five stars