Them Bones, them dry bones

Looking for an entertaining novel to pass the time on rainy days? Try Craig Johnson's"Dry Bones."

In the story, skeletal remains of a large dinosaur are discovered. The uniqueness of the skeleton, the size and condition of the remains place its value at around eight million dollars.

Now, the fun part,  Part of the land where the dig is going on is on Indian territory. A permit is necessary to excavate this area and guess who doesn't have one?

The archaeologist wants the skeleton for High Plains Dinosaur Museum, the Indian tribe where the skeleton is found want it for an Indian Museum. The family of the land owner have plans of their own.

Complicating plans further, The elderly landowner is found dead in a pond populated by large turtles who have dined on parts of his bones. (could this be in revenge for those ordering turtle soup at their favorite restaurant?)   The parts of the body that are missing make determining the cause of death difficult. Normally an autopsy would be ordered but Indian tradition doesn't permit autopsy unless suspicious cause of death

Sheriff Walt Longmire has the unenviable task of sorting out these issues. This happens just when his undersheriff, Vic Moretti returns to Philadelphia where her brother is shot. Her brother, Michael, a patrolman with the Philadelphia P.D. is also the daughter of Walt's daughter, Cady who was on her way to visit Walt with her five-month-old baby.

Craig Johnson packs all these elements together like a new deck of cards. As a grandfather, I found Walt's befuddlement over getting ready for his grandchild's visit entertaining. What the heck is a back & play? Who knows how to put one together? It's great that Walt has friends.

Walt's character is well developed, realistically portrayed and likable. The story is top notch.