Bonnie A. (ladycholla) -
Helpful Score: 2
This was a ghost story with a different twist. It is funny and fun. The conversations are great fun to read and the characters are great to get to know. The concept is fun in a very different way. Sid is a hoot and his relationship with Byron has great possibilities.
Helpful Score: 2
Most families have skeletons in their closets
Moving back into her parents house with her teenage daughter had not been Georgia Thackerys Plan A. But when she got a job at the local college, it seemed the sensible thing to do. So she settled in and began reconnecting with old friends.
Including Sid. Sid is the Thackery familys skeleton. Hes lived in the house as long as Georgia can remember, although no one, including Sid, knows exactly where he came from and how he came to be a skeleton.
Sid walks, he talks, he makes bad jokes, he tries to keep Georgias dog from considering him a snack. And he manages to persuade Georgia to let him leave the house. But when she takes him to an anime conventiondisguised as a skeleton, of coursehe sees a woman who triggers memories of his past.
Now he is determined to find out how he diedwith Georgias help. But their investigation may uncover a killer whos still alive and well and bad to the bone
This was a nice quick read I particularly liked how Sid (the skeleton in the family) could pull himself together as a person or collapse into a pile of bones! Loved his sense of humor, character --- and his devotion to his family he had walked in on! The story was well planned, plotted, characters were interesting ---not necessarily really believable but good any how! Loved how the dog joined the family and his love of bones --- good entertaining mystery!
Moving back into her parents house with her teenage daughter had not been Georgia Thackerys Plan A. But when she got a job at the local college, it seemed the sensible thing to do. So she settled in and began reconnecting with old friends.
Including Sid. Sid is the Thackery familys skeleton. Hes lived in the house as long as Georgia can remember, although no one, including Sid, knows exactly where he came from and how he came to be a skeleton.
Sid walks, he talks, he makes bad jokes, he tries to keep Georgias dog from considering him a snack. And he manages to persuade Georgia to let him leave the house. But when she takes him to an anime conventiondisguised as a skeleton, of coursehe sees a woman who triggers memories of his past.
Now he is determined to find out how he diedwith Georgias help. But their investigation may uncover a killer whos still alive and well and bad to the bone
This was a nice quick read I particularly liked how Sid (the skeleton in the family) could pull himself together as a person or collapse into a pile of bones! Loved his sense of humor, character --- and his devotion to his family he had walked in on! The story was well planned, plotted, characters were interesting ---not necessarily really believable but good any how! Loved how the dog joined the family and his love of bones --- good entertaining mystery!
Charlene M. (scrapscot) reviewed A Skeleton in the Family (Family Skeleton, Bk 1) on + 7 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Loved this book and the 2nd one too!
Karen S. (BoysMom) -
Dr. Georgia Thackery and her daughter, Madison, move into Georgia's parents' home while they are off on sabbatical. It's a convenient arrangement because Georgia's been hired as an adjunct professor of English at the local institute of higher education, McQuaid University. Besides the financial savings, the house comes with a bonus, Sid, the family skeleton - a walking, talking skeleton - is in residence in the attic.
Georgia and Sid have been best friends since Georgia was 6 years old, and he has no memories of any kind before that moment he met her. No knowledge of life before his current condition as an animated skeletal being. But while attending an anime convention at the college (in cosplay, of course), Sid recognizes someone from his past. When Georgia tries to set up a meeting with the woman, she and Sid come across her dead body instead. From that point, they begin researching any clue they can to find out who Sid was.
A Skeleton in the Family is an interesting and unique amateur sleuth/ghost story. This time we have a physical, tangible manifestation of our ghostly detecting partner - the skeleton. We don't know how the skeleton came to "life" (at least not yet anyway), just that he did. And the family of characters that surround the ghost are all nice, normal folks. Georgia is a likeable woman and the plot is smart and intriguing. This is the first book in the series of Family Skeleton Mysteries, and Leigh Perry is a pseudonym for author, Toni L. P. Kelner. I highly recommend this book to cozy mystery readers that don't mind a heavy dose of paranormal activity.
Cheryl C. (moondance120) reviewed A Skeleton in the Family (Family Skeleton, Bk 1) on + 422 more book reviews
If I'd ever had reason. to consider the notion, I'd have been willing to bet that if I walked into a room that held a dead body, the body would have been the first thing I noticed.
Georgia and her daughter Madison have moved into her parent's house while they are on a sabbatical. Georgia has landed an adjunct teaching position at the college where her parents have tenure. Her childhood home also has Sid the skeleton in residence. Sid has been with the family since Georgia was 6 years old. A weekend outing with Sid in costume starts a series of events that lead to the story of his demise.
This is a cute, humorous book that does not take itself too seriously. Sid has a plethora of bad jokesup his sleeve in his repertoire, a cocky attitude and a strong sense of protection toward Georgia. I enjoyed the characters and look forward to reading more in the series.
Georgia and her daughter Madison have moved into her parent's house while they are on a sabbatical. Georgia has landed an adjunct teaching position at the college where her parents have tenure. Her childhood home also has Sid the skeleton in residence. Sid has been with the family since Georgia was 6 years old. A weekend outing with Sid in costume starts a series of events that lead to the story of his demise.
This is a cute, humorous book that does not take itself too seriously. Sid has a plethora of bad jokes
Tim H. (Timbuktu126) reviewed A Skeleton in the Family (Family Skeleton, Bk 1) on + 479 more book reviews
I loved this book!(I knew I would when I realized that Perry was a pseudonym for Toni Kelner because I love her Blast from The Past series!)Very original premise for sure- but as I read the book it seemed very believable to me- yes, a friendly skeleton who walks and talks! The plot involves two mysteries- the murder of a college professor and also the murder of "Sid", the skeleton. I can't wait to read the next book in this series!
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
I'm open to new premises in the paranormal mystery category, so I was more than willing to give Leigh Perry's first book in this series about college professor Georgia Thackery and her family skeleton a try. From the very first page, I immediately began to enjoy Perry's writing style and sense of humor. Georgia Thackery is the type of funny, smart, and caring character to whom I can warm up quickly. One of the things I also appreciated was the wealth of knowledge this character imparted about being an untenured college professor-- it's not the sort of career any teacher would choose for themselves, and I'm hoping that Georgia can change that part of her life quickly.
What I really need to talk about a bit is the elephant in the room: Sid the skeleton. How well did a talking, walking, joke-cracking skeleton (who has his own armoire in which to hide in case he's caught downstairs) really work in this book? For me, Sid was only an intermittent success. His dialogue and relationship with Georgia worked very well. These two have known each other for a long time, and it shows. Georgia genuinely wants to help Sid find out what happened. But whenever my mind's eye was drawn by choice of verbs and adverbs to the fact that there were fleshless footbones clacking across that hardwood floor, my inner movie screen jumped into a melange of 1930s black-and-white films with their herky-jerky special effects.
Most fans of paranormal cozy mysteries will probably take to Sid like he's a long-lost cousin, and there's a lot to like about him and this book. I enjoyed the author's writing style and sense of humor, as well as the mystery itself and the character of Georgia. Unfortunately, were I to stop by the Thackery home, I'd prefer that Sid stay in his armoire.
What I really need to talk about a bit is the elephant in the room: Sid the skeleton. How well did a talking, walking, joke-cracking skeleton (who has his own armoire in which to hide in case he's caught downstairs) really work in this book? For me, Sid was only an intermittent success. His dialogue and relationship with Georgia worked very well. These two have known each other for a long time, and it shows. Georgia genuinely wants to help Sid find out what happened. But whenever my mind's eye was drawn by choice of verbs and adverbs to the fact that there were fleshless footbones clacking across that hardwood floor, my inner movie screen jumped into a melange of 1930s black-and-white films with their herky-jerky special effects.
Most fans of paranormal cozy mysteries will probably take to Sid like he's a long-lost cousin, and there's a lot to like about him and this book. I enjoyed the author's writing style and sense of humor, as well as the mystery itself and the character of Georgia. Unfortunately, were I to stop by the Thackery home, I'd prefer that Sid stay in his armoire.
