Beastly Bones: A Jackaby Novel (Jackaby, 2)

"I've found very little about private detective R. F. Jackaby to be standard in the time I've known him. Working as his assistant tends to call for a somewhat flexible relationship with reality . . ."

In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, R. F. Jackaby, are called upon to investigate the supernatural.

First, members of a particularly vicious species of shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens. A day later, their owner is found murdered, with a single mysterious puncture wound to her neck. Then, in nearby Gad's Valley, dinosaur bones from a recent dig go missing, and an unidentifiable beast attacks animals and people, leaving their mangled bodies behind. Policeman Charlie Cane, exiled from New Fiddleham to the valley, calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.

Beastly Bones, the second installment in the series, delivers the same quirky humor and unforgettable characters as Jackaby, the book the Chicago Tribune called "Sherlock Holmes crossed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

A 2016 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Title

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Published Sep 22, 2015

320 pages

Average rating: 7.38

8 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Noell
Jan 26, 2025
8/10 stars
Predictable
I’ll be honest with this one. The mystery… is not particularly difficult to discern. I found the first book to be a bit more intriguing. If you are paying attention, it’s quite obvious what is going on. However, I will not give you any hints. :p

Well Planned
Despite being predictable, I did love the way things tied together in this book when Mr. Jackaby and Miss Rook finally discover what is going on. It was very well planned and thought out. Most importantly, it fully embody the world that Mr. Ritter has created in the Jackaby series. A splendid addition to the series!

Miss Rook
I was particularly excited about the personal struggles of Miss Rook in this sequel because they are not the same ones repeated in book one. Rather, they are built upon from book one. It adds to Miss Rook’s character development in a believable manner and makes her quite endearing.

That Ending
I have to say that I definitely liked the end of this book much better than book one because it offers so many interesting tidbits and questions and leads into book three. I am very excited to know what will happen next with all the characters. 😉
Maria Makarova
Apr 20, 2024
4/10 stars
A disappointment after the first book
Mercedes Yardley
Apr 24, 2023
8/10 stars
The Beastly Bones was just as fun as the first book in the series. The plot is fun, exciting, and the writing is charming. I didn't find that you really learned much more about the characters or anything like that, although they're alluding to more story about Jenny in Book 3. If you enjoyed Book 1, this is more of the same. I enjoyed it.

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