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Hannah Ives Mystery #1
Sing It To Her Bones
She lost her job. She almost lost her life. Now Hannah Ives is taking her first brave steps back into the world, wearing a wig and her heart on her sleeve after a frightening bout with breast cancer. But in the small Chesapeake Bay town where she came for a vacation, she does not find the relaxation she deserves. Instead, Hannah finds a body --- of a girl who disappeared eight years before.
Suddenly Hannah is asking hard questions of the good and solid citizens of Pearson's Corner, peering behind the facade of the perfect small town and piecing together the last days of a girl who died on her high school homecoming night --- a girl about the same age as Hannah's own daughter. Uncovering some dangerous secrets, Hannah can feel her own spirit and body surging back to life. After all, she beat death once. Now, with a killer on the loose, she has to face an even deadlier foe ...
Suddenly Hannah is asking hard questions of the good and solid citizens of Pearson's Corner, peering behind the facade of the perfect small town and piecing together the last days of a girl who died on her high school homecoming night --- a girl about the same age as Hannah's own daughter. Uncovering some dangerous secrets, Hannah can feel her own spirit and body surging back to life. After all, she beat death once. Now, with a killer on the loose, she has to face an even deadlier foe ...
290 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 10, 1999
54 people are currently reading
335 people want to read
About the author
Marcia Talley
66 books54 followersMarcia Talley is the Agatha and Anthony award-winning author of DEAD MAN DANCING and six previous mysteries featuring amateur sleuth, Hannah Ives who, like the author, is a breast cancer survivor.
Marcia is author/editor of two star-studded collaborative novels, NAKED CAME THE PHOENIX and ID KILL FOR THAT set in a fashionable health spa and an exclusive gated community, respectively. Her short stories appear in more than a dozen collections including With Love, Marjorie Ann and Safety First, both Agatha award nominees, and the multi-award-winning Too Many Cooks, a humorous retelling of Shakespeares Macbeth from the viewpoint of the three witches. A recent story, Driven to Distraction won the Agatha Award, was nominated for an Anthony, and was reprinted in THE DANGEROUS BRIDE AND 21 OF THE YEARS FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES.
Marcia is immediate past president of the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime, serves as Secretary for Sisters in Crime National, and is on the board of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. She divides her time between Annapolis, Maryland and an antique sailboat in the Bahamas.
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Marcia is author/editor of two star-studded collaborative novels, NAKED CAME THE PHOENIX and ID KILL FOR THAT set in a fashionable health spa and an exclusive gated community, respectively. Her short stories appear in more than a dozen collections including With Love, Marjorie Ann and Safety First, both Agatha award nominees, and the multi-award-winning Too Many Cooks, a humorous retelling of Shakespeares Macbeth from the viewpoint of the three witches. A recent story, Driven to Distraction won the Agatha Award, was nominated for an Anthony, and was reprinted in THE DANGEROUS BRIDE AND 21 OF THE YEARS FINEST CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES.
Marcia is immediate past president of the Chesapeake Chapter of Sisters in Crime, serves as Secretary for Sisters in Crime National, and is on the board of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America. She divides her time between Annapolis, Maryland and an antique sailboat in the Bahamas.
"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
April 15, 2016
'Eh'
That's really how I feel about this book, 'eh'. It's not really a bad book it's just not my preferred type of mystery book. Plus I found the characters forgettable.
Where the book really captured my attention was almost in the middle towards the end when things about the murder are being discovered and we're getting to finding the killer. But I care so little for the characters that I really didn't care if they found the killer I just wanted to know the motive behind the murder.
I guess that's my biggest problem with this book, I didn't get invested in the characters, so I didn't get invested in the story.
I don't think I'll be purchasing the other books in this series.
That's really how I feel about this book, 'eh'. It's not really a bad book it's just not my preferred type of mystery book. Plus I found the characters forgettable.
Where the book really captured my attention was almost in the middle towards the end when things about the murder are being discovered and we're getting to finding the killer. But I care so little for the characters that I really didn't care if they found the killer I just wanted to know the motive behind the murder.
I guess that's my biggest problem with this book, I didn't get invested in the characters, so I didn't get invested in the story.
I don't think I'll be purchasing the other books in this series.
October 2, 2015
In her debut novel, Marcia Talley introduces us to Hannah Ives, a middle-aged wife and mother who has just lost a breast to cancer and a job to downsizing. Her husband is a tenured mathematics professor at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and her semi-estranged daughter is under-utilizing both her talents and her education in a resort town in Colorado.
As our story opens, Hannah is going to the Ives family farm, some two hours away from Annapolis, to spend several weeks with her widowed sister-in-law. Connie is an accomplished artist but not a very organized businessperson and Hannah has been “hired” to straighten out the problems that have transpired since the in-the-line-of-duty death of Connie’s husband.
On her first morning at the farm, Hannah takes the aged family dog out for a stroll. And, as can be expected, the dog finds a body in a cistern beside the abandoned farmhouse next door. After all the questioning by the police, Hannah calls her husband about the incident, only getting the answering machine. It takes almost two days being caught up in the murder of a girl who disappeared 8 years previously before she realizes that her husband has never called her back.
When Hannah rushes back to Annapolis to find and confront her husband over this silence, he tells her the abject legal and political misery that has become his professional life at the Academy in those last few days, a situation that has the potential to totally destroy him. Upon hearing the troubles, does Hannah become the same rock for Paul that he was for her during her bout with impending death? Absolutely not! The author has Hannah do a Jekyll / Hyde flip in personality 72 pages into the story and become an egocentric, egotistical, and hypocritical shrew.
Quite frankly, Hannah Ives becomes the proverbial pot calling the kettle black. And, not once does the author, through any dialogue or internal monologue, indicate that Hannah is ever aware that she is being hypocritical or that her actions through the remainder of the novel are a complete parallel to those which she considers a significant betrayal on the part of her husband.
If I could document these opinions of Hannah’s character without spoiling several MAJOR scenes within the story, I would. I have never been averse, in a review, to support my opinions of characterization or writing style under a “Spoilers Follow” notation. But, in those cases, those “spoilers” did not usually or truly ruin the denouement. Unfortunately, in this story, Hannah is at her worst during the most revealing scenes for the storyline, so I will not abuse that for the next reader.
Frankly, by the end of the story, I really didn’t care whether Hannah Ives survived, physically or emotionally. But I did want to see just how the bad guys got caught and if the major secondary characters survived. So to the end I read. And, I must admit, the major crisis was a well-written, exciting page-turner.
And, in the last few pages of the book, there is a veiled image of slight character growth for Hannah. Readers, traditionally, will not tolerate certain flaws in a main character for very long before they move on to another writer with another heroine. And since there have been 13 additional books in this series since this first one in 1998, apparently Hannah Ives does not remain as obnoxious and hypocritical as she is made out to be here. One can only hope because Talley’s writing itself is excellent.
As our story opens, Hannah is going to the Ives family farm, some two hours away from Annapolis, to spend several weeks with her widowed sister-in-law. Connie is an accomplished artist but not a very organized businessperson and Hannah has been “hired” to straighten out the problems that have transpired since the in-the-line-of-duty death of Connie’s husband.
On her first morning at the farm, Hannah takes the aged family dog out for a stroll. And, as can be expected, the dog finds a body in a cistern beside the abandoned farmhouse next door. After all the questioning by the police, Hannah calls her husband about the incident, only getting the answering machine. It takes almost two days being caught up in the murder of a girl who disappeared 8 years previously before she realizes that her husband has never called her back.
When Hannah rushes back to Annapolis to find and confront her husband over this silence, he tells her the abject legal and political misery that has become his professional life at the Academy in those last few days, a situation that has the potential to totally destroy him. Upon hearing the troubles, does Hannah become the same rock for Paul that he was for her during her bout with impending death? Absolutely not! The author has Hannah do a Jekyll / Hyde flip in personality 72 pages into the story and become an egocentric, egotistical, and hypocritical shrew.
Quite frankly, Hannah Ives becomes the proverbial pot calling the kettle black. And, not once does the author, through any dialogue or internal monologue, indicate that Hannah is ever aware that she is being hypocritical or that her actions through the remainder of the novel are a complete parallel to those which she considers a significant betrayal on the part of her husband.
If I could document these opinions of Hannah’s character without spoiling several MAJOR scenes within the story, I would. I have never been averse, in a review, to support my opinions of characterization or writing style under a “Spoilers Follow” notation. But, in those cases, those “spoilers” did not usually or truly ruin the denouement. Unfortunately, in this story, Hannah is at her worst during the most revealing scenes for the storyline, so I will not abuse that for the next reader.
Frankly, by the end of the story, I really didn’t care whether Hannah Ives survived, physically or emotionally. But I did want to see just how the bad guys got caught and if the major secondary characters survived. So to the end I read. And, I must admit, the major crisis was a well-written, exciting page-turner.
And, in the last few pages of the book, there is a veiled image of slight character growth for Hannah. Readers, traditionally, will not tolerate certain flaws in a main character for very long before they move on to another writer with another heroine. And since there have been 13 additional books in this series since this first one in 1998, apparently Hannah Ives does not remain as obnoxious and hypocritical as she is made out to be here. One can only hope because Talley’s writing itself is excellent.
May 15, 2012
I ordered the first two books in this series because it was recommended to me and seemed to have good reviews on Amazon. I expected to like it a lot--the premise is interesting and some of the action writing is very good. But I found over the course of the book that I don't like Hannah much. To my mind, she's kind of a drama queen, and she goes off half-cocked. A lot.
I also felt that the Paul/Academy subplot didn't add anything to the book. It just felt like filler. And more drama. I will read the second book because I already bought it, but I don't expect to buy more.
I also felt that the Paul/Academy subplot didn't add anything to the book. It just felt like filler. And more drama. I will read the second book because I already bought it, but I don't expect to buy more.
October 16, 2012
I was looking forward to enojoying this book. I met the author at a Deadly Divas book signing. She made her books sound appealing. I gave it a try. Suffice to say I disliked the book so much I didn't finish reading it. I was really hoping I would like it. I didn't like it due to it, it not being as funny as I would of liked. My rule which which hasn't led me astray is if I don't laugh on the 1st page then I won't like the rest of the book. :(
May 20, 2015
First book first novel takes place in Southern Maryland, with geographic names changed. Some good elements, including sailing and living in the country.
OK book.
Also read in 1999.
Marcia Talley is Systems Librarian at Naval Academy.
OK book.
Also read in 1999.
Marcia Talley is Systems Librarian at Naval Academy.
March 14, 2010
I am going to meet this author when I go to Annapolis in April. Her husband is one of Curtis' clients. He recommended that we read this book of hers first.
June 29, 2012
I didn't hate this book, but didn't love it either. At this point I have no desire to read any other books in this series. Just didn't care for any of the charaters.
Read
December 15, 2012not very good
May 6, 2016
Sing It To Her Bones isn't my type of book - more chick lit than mystery for most of the book and the characters - well they are boring cliches. So this series is a no go for me.
August 14, 2016
A very soft mystery......no substance. I did finish the book but it lacks excitement so it's unlikely I'll read another one in this series.
July 16, 2021
SPOILER ALERT
While I enjoyed the plot of the book, I was not drawn to the protagonist. Hannah Ives is recovering from breast cancer, that required a mastectomy. She is contemplating reconstructive surgery, and feels ugly and uncomfortable much of the time. Nevertheless, her husband Paul nursed her and supported her throughout her illness, and is concerned still. To further Hannah's distress, her firm is downsizing and she is let go. Hannah travels to Pearson's Corner to stay with Paul's sister to do some healing and figure out what she will do next. While she is there she finds a body in a cistern, believed to be the missing girl Katie Dunbar. She leaves messages for Paul, and is annoyed when he fails to return them. She decides to return home. Paul, a professor of math at the Naval Academy in Anapolis, has been accused by a female "firstie" (senior) of seeking sexual favors in exchange for a better grade in a class required for graduation. They had been at a conference, and he had been approached by her, but had left her on her own in the bar. Hannah is appalled and suspicious.
Instead of listening and immediately supporting Paul, Hannah suspects that it may be true, and returns to the sister's house. From this point on Hannah is less than attentive to Paul's situation or distress. She is committed to solving the murder of Katie. She compares Katie with her daughter Emily Jean with whom she has had a rocky relationship. Emily had run away at various times, enjoying a treacherous adventure, and worrying her parents. But she is now partnered and has changed her life. Paul's situation becomes public. Eventually the Academy comes to an agreement with her, and in exchange for letting her graduate without the class, she drops the accusation.
As Hannah asks questions of the community, and pokes her nose into the local doctor's files to confirm that Katie was pregnant, she puts herself at risk from the two men responsible for killing Katie and running drugs with their boats. She is nearly killed herself.
I found her a selfish, self focused and whiny character. Understanding that she has gone through a hellish time with her illness, I found her inability to return the compassion shown by her husband a fatal flaw. Even in the end, when the two are back together, she is not sure that she believes that he did not sleep with the student. The resolution to which the school resolves the case is not an acceptable one for Paul or many of the other professors, leaving Hannah to further suspect. Not a particularly appealing character to start this series. Not sure if I will continue with it.
While I enjoyed the plot of the book, I was not drawn to the protagonist. Hannah Ives is recovering from breast cancer, that required a mastectomy. She is contemplating reconstructive surgery, and feels ugly and uncomfortable much of the time. Nevertheless, her husband Paul nursed her and supported her throughout her illness, and is concerned still. To further Hannah's distress, her firm is downsizing and she is let go. Hannah travels to Pearson's Corner to stay with Paul's sister to do some healing and figure out what she will do next. While she is there she finds a body in a cistern, believed to be the missing girl Katie Dunbar. She leaves messages for Paul, and is annoyed when he fails to return them. She decides to return home. Paul, a professor of math at the Naval Academy in Anapolis, has been accused by a female "firstie" (senior) of seeking sexual favors in exchange for a better grade in a class required for graduation. They had been at a conference, and he had been approached by her, but had left her on her own in the bar. Hannah is appalled and suspicious.
Instead of listening and immediately supporting Paul, Hannah suspects that it may be true, and returns to the sister's house. From this point on Hannah is less than attentive to Paul's situation or distress. She is committed to solving the murder of Katie. She compares Katie with her daughter Emily Jean with whom she has had a rocky relationship. Emily had run away at various times, enjoying a treacherous adventure, and worrying her parents. But she is now partnered and has changed her life. Paul's situation becomes public. Eventually the Academy comes to an agreement with her, and in exchange for letting her graduate without the class, she drops the accusation.
As Hannah asks questions of the community, and pokes her nose into the local doctor's files to confirm that Katie was pregnant, she puts herself at risk from the two men responsible for killing Katie and running drugs with their boats. She is nearly killed herself.
I found her a selfish, self focused and whiny character. Understanding that she has gone through a hellish time with her illness, I found her inability to return the compassion shown by her husband a fatal flaw. Even in the end, when the two are back together, she is not sure that she believes that he did not sleep with the student. The resolution to which the school resolves the case is not an acceptable one for Paul or many of the other professors, leaving Hannah to further suspect. Not a particularly appealing character to start this series. Not sure if I will continue with it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2017
Sing It to Her Bones by Marcia Talley
I saw reviews on this book before I read this story and I was not sure if I would like it, however, I did not want to judge it by what others thought. So, here I am! I don't usually put any spoilers in my reviews, so please forgive me for putting them in, but I feel I need to.
I am glad I picked it up and started reading today. It was a surprise to me. I kept reading.
As you probably know, this book was published in 1999 and for those who love traditional mysteries it was drastic departure from your contemporary mystery. This of course means, no excessive grafic blood and goor (just a little blood), no excessive bad language (a few once in a while, and you could probably over look), and no excessive grafic sex scenes (a few kisses near the end).
I can say it was a well crafted, fast read. I could not put it down.
The author paid attention to detail, making you feel like you knew the main character (Hannah Ives). You could feel her pain being a cancer survivor (breast cancer). Her lost of her job because they were downsizing. Her disappointment in her daughter's not utilizing her talents, and of course, her distrust in her husband over an accusation of sexual harrastment in his job environment (I believe he was innocent).
So, this is her story (Hannah Ives) of accepting things and people as they are. Working through her trust issues, her self worth, and accepting things in her life she could not change.
In the end, the vacation she decided to take gave her more than she bargained for, a murder, and resolutions to all her questions and concerns in her life.
Read and enjoy.
I saw reviews on this book before I read this story and I was not sure if I would like it, however, I did not want to judge it by what others thought. So, here I am! I don't usually put any spoilers in my reviews, so please forgive me for putting them in, but I feel I need to.
I am glad I picked it up and started reading today. It was a surprise to me. I kept reading.
As you probably know, this book was published in 1999 and for those who love traditional mysteries it was drastic departure from your contemporary mystery. This of course means, no excessive grafic blood and goor (just a little blood), no excessive bad language (a few once in a while, and you could probably over look), and no excessive grafic sex scenes (a few kisses near the end).
I can say it was a well crafted, fast read. I could not put it down.
The author paid attention to detail, making you feel like you knew the main character (Hannah Ives). You could feel her pain being a cancer survivor (breast cancer). Her lost of her job because they were downsizing. Her disappointment in her daughter's not utilizing her talents, and of course, her distrust in her husband over an accusation of sexual harrastment in his job environment (I believe he was innocent).
So, this is her story (Hannah Ives) of accepting things and people as they are. Working through her trust issues, her self worth, and accepting things in her life she could not change.
In the end, the vacation she decided to take gave her more than she bargained for, a murder, and resolutions to all her questions and concerns in her life.
Read and enjoy.
September 8, 2017
This is the second time that I've read this book. Ms. Talley's book was the 1998 Malice Domestic Grant Award Winner and her first published book. It reads as well today as it did when I first read it over two decades ago. Not many spots where the details date the book. This is one of the few books that I've read that has a large amount of information about something, in this case sailing, that doesn't bore me to death! I remember my mom talking about this book and giving it to me to read. I wish she had the opportunity to meet her like I have thru Sisters in Crime. A good, fast-moving book that anyone who loves a good traditional mystery will enjoy.
November 11, 2018
This involves a cold case disappearance of a young high school girl found in an unusual place eight years later by unsuspecting Hannah Ives. By the end there are several harrowing episodes that Hannah must get through to survive this time in her life.
She is a very likeable character, put into some very horrible situations. Despite personal risk she keeps investigating to find justice for the dead. Not only is she physically challenged, she is also finding her way through a marriage with sudden trust issues.
I enjoyed this and will be recommending that my book group read this series in the future.
She is a very likeable character, put into some very horrible situations. Despite personal risk she keeps investigating to find justice for the dead. Not only is she physically challenged, she is also finding her way through a marriage with sudden trust issues.
I enjoyed this and will be recommending that my book group read this series in the future.
February 8, 2019
Well-Written
The book started a bit slow but was fully blossomed by Ch. 7, if not a little before. It moved into a gripping murder mystery, featuring ominous and plausible evil-doers who are driven by carelessness and greed into the dilemmas that they feel that they must murder themselves out of. Their crimes have a backdrop of small town Americana, which adds a touch of innocence. All of the characters have sufficient depth and motivation, except for Liz, whose rapaciousness and murderous instincts are only explained by her intense need to be admitted to Harvard Law. On the other hand, maybe that does explain her, after all!
The book started a bit slow but was fully blossomed by Ch. 7, if not a little before. It moved into a gripping murder mystery, featuring ominous and plausible evil-doers who are driven by carelessness and greed into the dilemmas that they feel that they must murder themselves out of. Their crimes have a backdrop of small town Americana, which adds a touch of innocence. All of the characters have sufficient depth and motivation, except for Liz, whose rapaciousness and murderous instincts are only explained by her intense need to be admitted to Harvard Law. On the other hand, maybe that does explain her, after all!
February 9, 2018
Love the plot
The storyline is great, and Hannah's voice was so real to me. A lot of description detail that sometimes bogged the story down for me, but other readers very well might like that detail. The story of Hannah's daughter Emily could have been fleshed out more, since from Hannah 's perspective that relationship was what kept her looking for answers to what happened to Katie. All in all, a very enjoyable read.
The storyline is great, and Hannah's voice was so real to me. A lot of description detail that sometimes bogged the story down for me, but other readers very well might like that detail. The story of Hannah's daughter Emily could have been fleshed out more, since from Hannah 's perspective that relationship was what kept her looking for answers to what happened to Katie. All in all, a very enjoyable read.
October 9, 2021
I my mind there are two kinds of mystery writers. Those that write a story about solving a mystery and those writers that use a mystery as a pretext to write about their fictional characters. The former are mystery writers and the latter are a sham. This book falls into the second category and isn’t worth the time to read let alone review.
April 30, 2024
Great Start to a Consistently Wonderful Series
I haven’t read all of the 20 Hannah Ives mysteries yet, but each time I read one (or reread one, as in this case) I find the characters believable, plots interesting and dialogue well written. Cheers to Ms Talley for writing fresh and fun to read books.
I haven’t read all of the 20 Hannah Ives mysteries yet, but each time I read one (or reread one, as in this case) I find the characters believable, plots interesting and dialogue well written. Cheers to Ms Talley for writing fresh and fun to read books.
January 17, 2021
Good book. Easy reading. Just a couple minor bones to pick. There is a scene where the cop stopped for juice but a few pages later he apparently had a soda. Which is it? Also a small spelling error. Overall I did enjoy the book.
July 19, 2017
A decent first effort, enough to make me read the next. Engaging protagonist, good plot. I found a couple of factual errors distracting-- hope she got a better editor/beta reader at some point!
July 25, 2018
I enjoyed the Annapolis/southern MD/Chesapeake Bay locale. The mystery itself was good. Not great, but good.
October 29, 2018
Received a free copy for a review. Wow, the story pulls you in and doesn't let go till you finish reading it. I really enjoyed the characters and the story.
January 7, 2019
Book was a quick and easy read. The reference to the Shirley Temple documentary annoyed me though - it wasn't Stepin Fetchit who danced with Shirley on the stairs, it was Bill Robinson.
June 11, 2019
Good series beginning. Looking forward to the next one.
February 21, 2021
The writing is good the plot is complicated and well written. The only downside was the main character of Hannah, hopefully she will be less of a drama queen in the next two books I bought.
July 24, 2021
Great first book in this series. I enjoyed it. I plan on reading the next book in this series.
July 22, 2023
I didn’t enjoy the writing style or the main character.
October 24, 2023
I enjoyed this book..the setting of a small town and the well developed characters…it was an interlibrary loan and I would enjoy reading more of Ms. Talleys books.
February 6, 2022
This was the first of her books I have read. Very good read! Already devouring her second book in the series.
April 15, 2020
Although this was a fairly quick read and I wanted to find out who had murdered a young girl, the main character irritated me. In order to keep the action going, Hannah Ives kept doing what I thought were extremely risky things. She wasn't in any way an investigator or in law enforcement but she kept asking questions to people who didn't know her well and for some reason they gave her the answers she needed. Her doggedness and extreme nosiness almost got her killed several times.
So even though the mystery was solved I didn't feel satisfied. I know that I won't bother to read anything else by this author.
So even though the mystery was solved I didn't feel satisfied. I know that I won't bother to read anything else by this author.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews