Title: Beastly Bones (Jackaby #2)

Author: William Ritter

Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers 2015

Genre: YA Historical Fiction; Horror

Pages: 296

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fall TBR

In 1892, New Fiddleham, New England, things are never quite what they seem, especially when Abigail Rook and her eccentric employer, R. F. Jackaby, are called upon to investigate the supernatural. First vicious shape-shifters disguise themselves as a litter of kittens, and a day later, their owner is found murdered. Then in nearby Gad’s Valley, bones from a recent dig mysteriously go missing, and an unidentifiable beast starts attacking animals and people, leaving mangled bodies behind. Charlie calls on Abigail for help, and soon Abigail and Jackaby are on the hunt—for a thief, a monster, and a murderer.

Another fun adventure story! I’m really enjoying the mix of The Nutty Professor and Sherlock Holmes in Jackaby. We don’t learn a ton more about him, but we do explore a bit more about others in his orbit and unveil a bit of the larger mystery. I love that we get to follow Abigail through these stories. We learn things as she learns them. We get to see everything from her very reader-like viewpoint. For this particular story, we move out into the country and encounter a dragon? It might be a dragon, or it might be something else. We have to solve the mystery along with the characters. I was glad that Charlie was an important part of this book and hope to see hime in the next one. A thoroughly enjoyable series.

Jackaby

• #1 Jackaby

• #1.5 The Map

• #2 Beastly Bones

• #3 Ghostly Echoes

• #4 The Dire King

Next up on the TBR pile: