The latest novel in the series that Kirkus Reviews characterizes as “Stephanie Plum meets the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” featuring sassy Southern private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney. Delaney Detective Agency gets a taste of the spotlight when they are called to a case on a movie set in Greenville, MS, right on the Mississippi River. Marlon Brandon, heir to a wealthy and influential political family, has brought a film crew to town to film a drama about the 1927 flood that submerged a great deal of Greenville. Marlon wants the world to know the story of the flood—and the heroic role the Brandon ancestors played in rescuing dozens of local residents from drowning. Or at least that was the plan until he disappeared. If this weren't concerning enough, the situation appears even more dire when a severed foot is discovered in the Mississippi River, and clues indicate that Marlon may have fallen victim to a freak bull shark attack. But as rumors swirl around the Delta about Marlon's motives for making the film, Sarah Booth and Tinkie have to wonder whether a shark is to blame, or an equally ferocious human offender. The show must go on, and Sarah Booth and her crew will have to investigate all manner of creatures, over land and sea, in order to solve the mystery and save the day.
Carolyn Haines Book order
Carolyn Haines is a novelist celebrated for her captivating storytelling and her creation of unforgettable characters. Her narratives delve into complex relationships and moral quandaries, often steeped in the rich atmosphere of the American South. Haines employs a distinctive literary style, utilizing evocative language and keen psychological insights to draw readers into suspenseful plots filled with mystery and intrigue. Her ability to weave together thrilling suspense with profound emotional depth solidifies her reputation as a leading voice in her genre.






- 2024
- 2023
Tell-Tale Bones: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery
- 352 pages
- 13 hours of reading
Carolyn Haines's Tell-Tale Bones marks the next novel in the series that Kirkus Reviews characterizes as “Stephanie Plum meets the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” featuring sassy Southern private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney. Private Investigator Sarah Booth Delaney and her partner Tinkie are in Sheriff Coleman Peters's office, asking Coleman about cold cases, when Elisa Redd storms in with a case her own. She wants Coleman to reopen the investigation of her missing daughter, Lydia Redd Maxell, the heiress to a large fortune who disappeared along with her friend Bethany 10 years ago, while the two of them were working as human rights organizers. Now Lydia’s husband, Tope, is set to inherit the fortune, and Elisa suspects he’s behind the disappearance. Armed with a pile of mysterious notes mailed to Elisa over the years, Sarah Booth and Tinkie follow an increasingly twisty trail all over Sunflower County, leading them to a tree and an empty grave in the county cemetery. A grave that’s said to be haunted...
- 2022
Bones of Holly: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery
- 500 pages
- 18 hours of reading
Sarah Booth and Tinkie, along with baby Maylin, are in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, for Christmas this year, as judges for the annual library tree-decorating contest.
- 2022
Judas Burning
- 372 pages
- 14 hours of reading
The concluding story of The Jexville Chronicles follows Dixon Sinclair as she returns to her hometown to manage the local newspaper and confront her father's murder. Settling into her ancestral McVay house, she investigates the mysterious disappearances of two teenage girls, whose grim fates suggest a deeper, sinister ritual linked to local traditions. As tensions rise, Dixon must navigate her distrust of Sheriff J.D. Horton while uncovering the truth behind the town's dark secrets, all while preventing a potential lynching of an innocent suspect.
- 2022
Lady of Bones: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery
- 368 pages
- 13 hours of reading
People of Eternity are known to have far-reaching connections which Frankie worries may reach as high as law enforcement. Refusing to contact the authorities, she turns to Delaney Detective Agency as her only hope.
- 2022
Touched
- 520 pages
- 19 hours of reading
Set in a repressive Southern town in 1926, the story unfolds as sixteen-year-old Mattie arrives as a mail-order bride. She encounters a community steeped in strict gender roles and faces challenges when Duncan, the daughter of a controversial figure, survives a lightning strike and gains prophetic abilities. As Mattie defends Duncan against town prejudice and navigates her own troubled marriage, friendships deepen amid rising tensions. A hurricane brings tragedy and a quest for revenge, shaping a powerful narrative of resilience and defiance.
- 2022
Summer of the Redeemers
- 548 pages
- 20 hours of reading
Set in the summer of 1963 in rural Mississippi, the story follows Bekkah Rich, who enjoys the freedom of exploring KaliOka Road. Her world shifts dramatically with the arrival of horse trainer Nadine, the unsettling presence of a mysterious religious group, and the disappearance of her best friend's infant sister, Maebelle. As Bekkah becomes captivated by horses and the enigmatic community, she is compelled to confront the complexities of trust and the harsh realities of adulthood, leading her to take perilous risks in search of the truth.
- 2021
The Devil's Bones: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery
- 500 pages
- 18 hours of reading
As Sarah Booth sees it, Easter weekend is a time to celebrate life in all its many forms. So when the newly pregnant Tinkie invites her and Cece on a girls' trip to Lucedale, Mississippi, to celebrate that spring has officially sprung, Sarah Booth can't resist. Plans include facials, food, and a trip to the incredible Garden of Bones — a miniature Holy Land with recreations of all parts of the Middle East — for their Sunrise Easter Services led by biblical scholar, gardener, and creator of the Gardens Daniel Reynolds.
- 2021
A Garland of Bones: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery
- 352 pages
- 13 hours of reading
Spunky southern private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney tackles a string of strange accidents while celebrating the holiday season in Carolyn Haines's cozy A Garland of Bones Sarah Booth has traded in hosting this Christmas season for a road trip with her besties. Each little Delta town has a special Christmas activity, and Sarah Booth’s bff and detective partner, Tinkie, has arranged to rent a limo for the gang and drive to Columbus, MS, to stay in a B&B. Visions of Christmas shopping, parade floats, and romantic rendezvous are already dancing in their heads. But Christmas cheer soon turns to Christmas fear when, at one event after another, people keep getting hurt. Christmas karaoke gets ugly when one singer’s microphone gives her an electric shock. A party during a historic home tour ends with a fall down the stairs for one of Columbus’s most disreputable “players.” And when the woman who hires Sarah Booth to find the villain behind the so-called accidents is nearly killed with an arrow during a holiday mumming, Sarah Booth knows something more sinister is at work. The Christmas bells are ringing hauntingly in Columbus this year, and Sarah Booth and Tinkie—with a little help from hunky Sheriff Coleman Peters, of course—are determined to catch the wrong-doers and ensure they receive nothing but coal in their stockings.
- 2021
Independent Bones: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery
- 368 pages
- 13 hours of reading
"Carolyn Haines's Independent Bones is the next novel in the series that Kirkus Reviews characterizes as "Stephanie Plum meets the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" featuring sassy Southern private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney. When Dr. Alala Diakos, a visiting professor of Greek literature, comes to teach at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, it doesn't take long for controversy to follow. With her fervent feminist ideals and revolutionary leanings, she quickly earns the admiration of many-and the ire of others. During a speech in the park, in which Alala tries to organize the women of Zinnia to demand equal pay, the crowd gets unruly, with men heckling the professor. And when PI Sarah Booth Delaney finds a sniper rifle and scope in the bushes, she begins to worry that there are more than fighting words at stake. Sarah Booth calls her boyfriend, Sheriff Coleman Peters, who offers the protection of the Zinnia police department, but Alala rejects him, saying she has no use for the law or men. And when a notorious domestic abuser is found dead the next day, suspicions turn to Alala herself, who was overheard bragging that she would take him down. Tensions deepen when connections are drawn between Alala and two similar, previous deaths. But Sarah Booth doesn't want to believe Alala is a murderer, and when the professor shows up at Sarah Booth's doorstep, asking her to find the real criminal, Sarah Booth embarks on a case stretching across the Delta. Yet Alala remains at the center of it all, and Sarah Booth can't help butwonder if the killer has been with her all along.."-- Provided by publisher