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Summary

Shortlisted for the 2017 Jhalak Prize for Book of the Year, The Bone Readers is the first book in Ross' Camaho Quartet. When Michael (Digger) Digson is recruited into DS Chilman’s new plain clothes squad in the small Caribbean island of Camaho he brings his own mission to discover who amongst a renegade police squad killed his mother in a political demonstration. Sent to London to train in forensics, Digger becomes enmeshed in Chilman’s obsession with a cold case – the disappearance of a young man whose mother is sure he has been murdered. But along with his new skill in forensics, Digger makes rich use of the cultural knowledge he has gained from the Fire Baptist grandmother who brought him up, another kind of reader of bones. And when the enigmatic Miss K. Stanislaus, another of Chilman’s recruits, joins him on the case, Digger finds that his science is more than outmatched by her observational skills. Together, they find themselves dragged into a world of secrets, disappearances and danger that demands every ounce of their brains, persistence and courage to survive. Jacob Ross brings the best traditions of crime fiction to the Caribbean novel with a fast-moving narrative, richly observed characters, a powerful evocation of place and a denouement that will leave readers breathless. Set on the small Caribbean island of Camaho, The Bone Readers introduces DC Michael (Digger) Digson and his partner Miss K. Stanislaus as they are dragged into a world of secrets, disappearances and danger that demands every ounce of their brains, persistence and courage to survive. With its compelling sense of place and cast of characters with real emotional depth, The Bone Readers artfully delivers for the Caribbean what Ian Rankin does for Scotland.
~Peepal Tree Press

About the Author
Jacob Ross was born in Grenada, and has lived in Britain since 1984. He is a poet, playwright, journalist, novelist and a tutor of creative writing. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and has been a judge of the V.S. Pritchett Memorial Prize, the Olive Cook, Scott Moncrieff and Tom-Gallon Literary Awards.
~ Sources: Government of Grenada and Peepal Tree Press

I started reading this earlier in the week--I'm up to 30%. It took a bit to get going, but just now getting to the actual detective work, and its very intriguing!

The setting of the book is an island country called Camaho but it is clearly Grenada in disguise. I liked this mystery very much once it got going. The dialect took some getting used to and a couple of times I wasn't sure what was being said, but those issues were small in the grand scheme of the story. For me, a mystery needs to keep me guessing until the end to be successful, and this one checked that box. The main character, Michael (Digger) Digson was engaging, smart, and realistic. I think this can be a good series if Ross truly plans more books featuring Digger and the other characters. There are definitely ways for these characters to grow in interesting ways. Nice choice for a group read.

I really enjoyed this one. Usually dialect which is unfamiliar bogs me down but for some reason I picked it up very quickly. There were lots of red herrings that kept me on my toes for the mystery as well as the love interests. This will be a wonderful series. I rated it 4 stars.

A good book - both as a police procedural mystery but also as an insight into life within Grenada (all the island of Camaho as it is called in this novel). Religious sects, animism, police cover ups, nepotism, married men with multi-girlfriends and men who have sex with young teens seem to be prevalent.
I enjoyed the dialogue and the respectful way Missa Digger and Miss Stanislaus talked between themselves.

This was a great choice for this month's book! I traveled to Grenada last fall, and spent half a day in the capital, St. George's, after diving offshore, and so I was amused by how much this book's San Andrews mirrored St. George's. To wit:

1). Both are centered around a Carenage (harbor)
2). Both have a fort on a hill above town; Fort Rupert in San Andrews and Fort George in St. George's
3). Both have a police presence in said fort; I witnessed the police still using the fort when I visited last fall
4). Both have a hospital below the fort on the hill
5). Both have a prominent Church Street in town
I also wonder whether the hardware store on the Carenage is the one referenced in the book as the store owned by Dessie's family.

There are other ties that suggest Camaho is Grenada, including the Reagan-era US intervention back in 1983, as well as the growth of nutmeg on the island. I also wonder whether Kara Island might be based on Carriacou, but I'll leave that to someone who's spent more time on the island to answer.

As for the book itself, I thought it was a delightful mystery. I was amused at how DS Chilman took it upon himself to build a Baker Street Irregulars-style police force, and I thought the author gave insightful characterizations to both Michael "Digger" Digson and Miss K. Stanislaus. Both characters were effective in investigating and in challenging each other's assumptions. I'd gladly read more mysteries with those two.

I thought Digger's particular gift in being able to read bones and determine causes of injury and death in relatively monochromatic, night-time conditions seemed very plausible. I've found it a lot easier to see nuances and not be distracted by too many colors or patterns when looking at black and white photography or films, so I could see how that could be an advantage to Digger. I do wonder whether he would be best at investigating cold cases, since it seems like he has a particular gift for evaluating bones.

As for Miss Stanislaus, I'm glad she's now on the force, though I would like to see more motivations from her in future volumes. Is being a police officer her true dream, or is she fulfilling family expectations? Either way, she's very good at reading people and situations. Speaking of family, I did wonder how she got her last name, since it didn't match her father. Is that her mother's name?

I'm not sure where the mysteries will go from here, though I have a suspicion the drug-runners will probably feature in a future volume. I look forward to visiting Camaho/Grenada again in later books.

I finished this a few days ago. I really did enjoy this mystery, and it was written well enough that it stumped me! I thought the love interests all into Digger a bit much, though. The guy seemed likable enough, but he sure did sit back and let things just happen around him a lot. I loved Miss Stanislaus, I thought her character really interesting, as well as DS Chillman. I would definitely read more of these books if this became a series. Really good read!

Mome_Rath wrote: "This was a great choice for this month's book! I traveled to Grenada last fall, and spent half a day in the capital, St. George's, after diving offshore, and so I was amused by how much this book's..."

Love the list with the mirror locations. I've never been to Grenada but this book made me want to see it.