Books and Tanner soon learn of a shadowy group of armed Indian police who patrol vast swaths of tribal and federal lands in search of anyone desecrating ancient Native American burial sites. They also discover several recent unsolved cases in the Four Corners region where individuals disappeared into the desert wilderness under suspicious circumstances, never to be heard from again. Could the disappearance of the Rogers, and others, be the responsibility of this group? There he is forced into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, where the hunter becomes the hunted, and only one person gets to go home alive.
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Books Series Book 1. Beth Scott, who died in early , was full-time freelance writer for more than thirty-five years. Product details File Size: April 1, Sold by: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Read reviews that mention skeleton picnic law enforcement bureau of land land management michael norman deadly ground pot hunters home has been burglarized skeleton picnics blm ranger rogers home books mystery utah artifacts collection sheriff trip truck anasazi arizona.
Showing of 14 reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. Generally, I liked this book; however the lack of competent copy-editing was a significant distraction. Not a little thing when each chapter begins with a different day. Clearly, timing is essential to the story. Next, is it the Rogers or the Rogerses? The author switches back and forth. Little things, but they detract from what seems like a good read. Good book and a fairly accurate description of what a BLM Ranger does.
I would like to see more books by Michael Norman with his character J. This also accurately showed the problems with archaeological theft and vandalism and how it has been an accepted practice by many generations for a long time. It also highlighted the commercial value of these artifacts and the lengths people are willing to go to market and procure them. Some of JD Book's actions are questionable, and his savvy and law enforcement experience certainly didn't kick in for his final actions that he took.
It also highlighted the issues with small town politics and how they can cloud investigations, charges, and prosecutions.
Skeleton Picnic: A J. D. Books Mystery #2 Michael Norman. Third generation Kanab residents Rolly and Abigail Rogers come from a long line of dedicated pot . The Skeleton Picnic (J. D. Books Mysteries, Book 2)(Library Edition) (J. D. Books Mystery) [Michael Norman, Book 2 of 2 in the J.D. Books Mystery Series.
Overall, an easy read that made me sorry it ended. If you like Nevada Barr or Tony Hillerman books, you will probably enjoy these. A well constructed, engrossing mystery, heavy on investigative procedure which I like. The tie to American Indian artifacts was well done. Good character development of the main characters. One of the three best mysteries that I read in I would definitely recommend this one for mystery lovers!
The story was pretty good but the writing was pretty amateurish. I look forward to trying another one from this author to see how he progresses.
Collecting artifacts -- pottery, arrowheads, beads, particularly those of the Anasazi -- is a hobby for the Rogers family. Because their collection includes human bones, they call their outings "skeleton picnics" a polite euphemism for the desecration of burial sites. When Rolly and Abigail fail to come home from a skeleton picnic, their neighbor, J. When the Rogers' truck is found at a dig site with no sign of Rolly and Abigail, Books wonders whether their disappearance is related to the burglary of their house. The answer to that question probably won't surprise any of the novel's readers.
Skeleton Picnic is the second J. According to the BLM website, Rangers in the southwest spend quite a bit of time dealing with "off-highway vehicle issues.
It's unfortunate, however, that there isn't more drama in this rather unexciting novel. Books is a dull guy with little personality.
A rookie sheriff's deputy Books inexplicably ends up "training" at least stirs up a bit of controversy by suggesting that it is wrong for Books to lie to suspects, but that ethical debate is quickly abandoned. Similarly, a conflict between Books and his lawyer girlfriend after she is appointed to represent a suspect in the Rogers' disappearance could have given the story an emotional jolt, but the subplot eventually fizzles out.
Books has a strained relationship with his father who isn't really his father, a fact he must have learned in the first novel , but that subplot also travels to a dead end. In the final chapters Books supposedly recognizes the possibility of danger in a situation where the danger is obvious to the reader but walks into it anyway, making me wonder just how bright the guy is. They also discover several recent unsolved cases in the Four Corners region where individuals disappeared into the desert wilderness under suspicious circumstances, never to be heard from again.
Could the disappearance of the Rogers, and others, be the responsibility of this group? As Books and Tanner close in on those responsible, Books' own survival skills will be tested when he is unwittingly drawn into a remote part of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. There he is forced into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, where the hunter becomes the hunted, and only one person gets to go home alive. Books Series Author s: Poisoned Pen Press Availability: Books Mystery Author s: The Skeleton Picnic J. Books Mysteries, Book 2 Author s: Books Series Book 2 Author s: Please email webmaster fantasticfiction.