The Bone Key

The Necromantic Mysteries of Kyle Murchison Booth
by Sarah Monette

I was a big fan of Monette’s Doctrine of Labyrinths series, so when I saw she had a standalone book, I grabbed it from the library without really reading much about it. So I was a bit surprised when I went to start reading, as I had been expecting a novel; this is in fact a book of short stories. My own faulty assumption, and no big deal, because this book is a fun read. The stories all have the same central character (Kyle Murchison Booth) and they are sequential and reference one another occasionally, which is how I like my short stories. I like them to be at least somewhat connected, and give me time to get to know at least one character well. This delivered on both counts. Booth is an awkward, intelligent, and eccentric guy, who works at a museum and unwillingly gets drawn into all sorts of paranormal escapades. Some are creepy, some are funny, and one was actually quite sad. Each story is its own mini-mystery. I’m not sure what else to say that won’t give away some plot points, but I really enjoyed this. Check it out, along with her other books.
 

I give it 4/5 stars.