Bet Your Bones

By Jeanne Matthews

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 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Release date: Jun 7, 2011
• ISBN: 9781615952885

Jeanne Matthews

Jeanne Matthews is the author of the Dinah Pelerin international mystery series including Bones of Contention, Bet Your Bones, and Bonereapers. Like her anthropologist sleuth, Matthews travels around the world learning about other cultures and mythologies, which she incorporates into her novels. www.jeannematthews.com

Reviews for Bet Your Bones

[redheadish · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have found another gem and love the Hawaiian language and myths mixture in this book. Dinah Pelerin is a sleuth in the making and ultimately she is albe to bring about the truth and return ho'oponopono to a family that it had long overdue!

[ivydtruitt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 starsDinah Pelerin, wanna be anthropologist, takes a break from an internship in the Philippines to once again stand as maid of honor for her best friend Claude Ann. Dinah has reservations about Claudy’s upcoming nuptials to Xander just as she did about Claudy’s previous wedding. When a theft and murder occurs we play detective right along with Dinah as she tries to suss out a killer. We learn a bit more about Dinah’s past in the follow up to BONES OF CONTENTION but in the context of her friendship with Claude Ann and less about her family dynamics/secrets. It isn’t necessary to read BOC first but it does give you a more complete picture of who and what Dinah is. Via Dinah Pelerin we’re once again treated to a slice of real life Hawaii versus the glamorized superficial version we’re typically shown. Extensive research went into BET YOUR BONES and it shows. Volcanoes, lava, formation of the islands, Hawaiian lore/mythology, and a glimpse into the true feelings of some of the indigenous people are some of the ground Dinah covers as she tries to solve a murder to save herself and Claude Ann. Colorful characters, lots of local flavor, intelligence, wit, great dialog and a good mystery are part and parcel of the appeal of this series to me. I’m looking forward to the next Dinah.I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.