June 7th, 2025
Home | Log in!

On Top Shelf
VIXENVIXEN
Fresh Pick
THE TAPESTRY OF TIME
THE TAPESTRY OF TIME

New Books This Week

Reader Games

🌸 Summer Kick-Off Giveaways


Sunshine, secrets, and swoon-worthy stories—June's featured reads are your perfect summer escape.

Slideshow image


Since your web browser does not support JavaScript, here is a non-JavaScript version of the image slideshow:

slideshow image
He doesn�t need a woman in his life; she knows he can�t live without her.


slideshow image
A promise rekindled. A secret revealed. A second chance at the family they never had.


slideshow image
A cowboy with a second chance. A waitress with a hidden gift. And a small town where love paints a brand-new beginning.


slideshow image
She�s racing for a prize. He�s dodging romance. Together, they might just cross the finish line to love.


slideshow image
She steals from the mob for justice. He�s the FBI agent who could take her down�or fall for her instead.


slideshow image

He�s her only protection. She�s carrying his child. Together, they must outwit a killer before time runs out.


Bet Your Bones

Bet Your Bones, June 2011
Dinah Pellerin Mystery
by Jeanne Matthews

Poisoned Pen Press
Featuring: Dinah Pelerin; Claude Ann Kempter
322 pages
ISBN: 1590588991
EAN: 9781590588994
Hardcover
Add to Wish List


Purchase



"Hawaii seems like the perfect place for a wedding, but not on the edge of an active volcano."

Fresh Fiction Review

Bet Your Bones
Jeanne Matthews

Reviewed by Tanzey Cutter
Posted February 24, 2011

Mystery Amateur Sleuth

Dinah Pelerin is again serving as maid of honor for her best friend Claude Ann, whose second marriage will take place in Hawaii. The groom is involved in a big real estate deal on the Big Island that has angered some Native Hawaiians who believe the locale to be sacred. But that's not all Dinah and Claude Ann have to deal with. Someone is stalking members of the wedding party, a blackmailer is threatening to expose nefarious deeds and the island is trembling under the wrath of fire goddess Pele. Things take an even more sinister turn when a member of the groom's family is found murdered. An overabundance of suspects leads to rampant speculation on Dinah's part as to who the murderer is, why it happened and if he (or she) will strike again. Her sleuthing not only uncovers secrets of the past, but endangers her life. Is the truth worth it, in the end? Matthews fills her narrative with many Hawaiian myths and legends, Hawaiian language and its meanings, as well as detailed descriptions of the island setting. This makes for a true feel of the place and time in this challenging, interesting mystery.

Learn more about Bet Your Bones

SUMMARY

A wedding on the lip of a Hawaiian volcano sounds risky to Dinah Pelerin, the bride’s best friend and maid of honor. The bride, Claude Ann Kemper, has bet her heart that she’s found the right man at last. The groom has gone all in on a real estate deal he believes will set him and his new wife up for life. A group of Native Hawaiians claims that the sacred bones of an ancestral king are buried on the land the groom plans to sell and one of them has vowed to do whatever it takes to stop him. Claude Ann’s ex-husband is stalking her and rigging booby-traps. A blackmailer is conspiring to cash in on the groom’s suspicious past. And Pele, the local fire goddess, is rocking the island with a series of earthquakes. It seems as if the stakes can’t get any higher. And then somebody shoves a member of the wedding into a flow of molten lava and all bets are off. True friendship is never easy and Dinah and Claude Ann have had their misunderstandings. But when danger threatens, Dinah is determined to protect her friend and repay the loyalty Claude Ann has shown to her if she has to walk through fire to do it. Hawaii is a hotbed of ancient myths and modern conflicts over who should control the land so cherished by its native people. If Dinah and Claude Ann are to get out alive, they’ll have to face down an angry goddess and a ruthless killer.


What do you think about this review?

Comments

No comments posted.

Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!

 

 

 

© 2003-2025 off-the-edge.net  all rights reserved Privacy Policy