"A Borrowing of Bones"

Paula Munier is the author of the bestselling Plot Perfect, The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings, Writing with Quiet Hands, and Fixing Freddie: A True Story of a Boy, a Mom, and a Very, Very Bad Beagle. She was inspired to write A Borrowing of Bones by the hero working dogs she met through Mission K9 Rescue, her own Newfoundland retriever mix rescue Bear, and a lifelong passion for crime fiction.

Munier applied the Page 69 Test to A Borrowing of Bones and reported the following:

From page 69:

Troy knew his extraordinary good looks were a sore subject for his superior officer, which made him the object of much teasing by fellow law enforcement—but only the dimmest dared to call him Pretty Boy Floyd to his face.

Troy was not dim. All he said when he and Susie Bear greeted the captain at the office was, "Monique says hello," and handed Thrasher his coffee.

The captain grunted an unintelligible response. When his beloved wife, Carol, died a year ago of cancer, the ladies of southern Vermont had gathered around him in folds of sympathy, delivering condolences and casseroles in equal measure. He ignored them all and shared the casseroles with Troy, whose own wife had also departed—for Orlando with the orthopedist—in a show of solidarity and support. They continued to eat meals together, even as many of the women (Monique aside) grew discouraged, and the free food dwindled.

That often meant take-out, like today's breakfast. Thrasher waited while he parceled out the sausage and hash and cornbread among the three of them: boss, junior officer, and dog. Dog got the lion's share.

This is an excerpt from page 69, one of the quieter moments in the story when Vermont game warden Troy Warner and his search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear meet with his superior officer, the handsome and tough-as-nails Captain Thrasher. Troy has picked up breakfast-to-go at a local diner, where the waitress who brings him the food has a crush on the captain. Now Troy and Susie Bear are sharing that breakfast with Thrasher, preparing to talk about the case and the medical examiner’s report. I like this scene because it shows the good working relationship between Thrasher and Warner, a relationship that will in fact be tested by Mercy Carr’s involvement in the case. She may be a former Army MP, but she’s still a civilian in Thrasher's eyes.

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--Marshal Zeringue