Song of the Bones

Part of the Chantalene Mysteries series:

Editions:ebook, Hardcover, Paperback

Thelma Patterson, local postmistress and Chantalene's surrogate aunt, retains Drew Sander's legal services to declare her long-missing husband legally dead. An oil company wants to lease her land for exploration, and she needs to clear the title. But when Drew makes inquiries into the disappearance of Billy Ray Patterson, Billy Ray shows up back in Tetumka—and moves in with Thelma.

The townsfolk remember Billy Ray and find the situation amusing. Except for Thelma, that is, who swears to Chantalene that this man is not her missing husband. Thelma’s afraid to confront him and begs Chantalene for help.

Chantalene is the only one who believes her. To convince Drew—and the law—that the man in Thelma's house is an impostor, they must find out what happened to the real Billy Ray.

Chantalene follows a cold trail to New Mexico where she finds evidence that the man is indeed Billy Ray Patterson—which means the man Thelma married years ago was somebody else. But who? And why? Then things turn sinister. A dark pick-up runs her off the road at night, and the evidence disappears. Billy Ray turns up dead. Thelma is accused of his murder.

In searching out the truth, Chantalene uncovers a bogus oil company, the high-stakes scam of an Indian-owned casino, and a mafia-style family who wants her silenced, permanently.

Published: May 30, 2023

Publisher: Rogue River

Genres:

Mystery

Tags:

mystery books

About the Author

Marcia Preston

Marcia Preston writes mysteries and women’s literary fiction. Her second mystery, Song of the Bones, won the Mary Higgins Clark Award for suspense fiction and the Oklahoma Book Award. She lives beside a creek in central Oklahoma, where she feeds the birds and dodges tornadoes. Ohghma Creative Media is excited to publish Marcia's Chantalene Mystery Series beginning with Perhaps She'll Die.

Other Books By Marcia Preston

Series: Chantalene Mysteries

Sorted First to Last

Perhaps She'll Die

Song of the Bones

Speaking to the Unseen

Under the September Sky

Under an Endless September Sky, Sometimes the Story Finds You.
Sapphire Sullivan has spent almost a year trying to forget the only boy she’s ever loved. One stolen kiss with her brother’s best friend changed everything. When Jack Murphy called it a mistake, Sapphire promised herself she’d stop wishing for something that could never be.
Then Labor Day weekend brings him back into her life.
Under the glow of carnival lights and an endless September sky, Jack looks at her the way he used to. Old feelings ignite, forgotten dreams come rushing back, and Sapphire starts believing that maybe first love deserves a second chance.
Until someone else appears.
Jett is the kind of boy who only exists in stories. He’s beautiful, mysterious, and seemingly devoted to only her. There’s only one problem—no one else can see him.
Except Jack.
Sapphire doesn’t know why Jett came into her life, what connects him to Jack, or what he truly wants from her. But as strange moments become impossible to ignore and the line between the real world and something more begins to blur, Sapphire is forced to question everything she believes about love, fate, and the stories we tell ourselves.
Because sometimes the hardest choice isn’t between the past and the future. It’s between the story you’ve been writing… and the life waiting to be lived.

Fourth of Forever

One summer. One secret. One love they never saw coming.
Aliya Jacobs has always counted down the days to summer at Lake Carrington—sunlit swims in turquoise water, lazy afternoons at her uncle’s cabin, and every moment spent with her best friend, Nick. But this summer brings an unwelcome surprise… Nick’s cousin Wyatt.
Sharp-tongued, guarded, and openly resentful of the out-of-towners he calls “hillies,” Wyatt clashes with Aliya from the moment they meet. Yet when a late-night rescue leads them to a reclusive old man and a map tied to a long-lost treasure—their rivalry turns into something far more complicated.
Whispers of hidden clues begin to surface, suggesting the legend might be real. At the same time, the powerful Elias Corporation is closing in, determined to transform Lake Carrington into a luxury resort that could destroy Nick’s family store and the town Aliya loves.
Reluctantly forced to work together, Aliya and Wyatt race to uncover the truth before time runs out. But as danger grows and secrets unravel, they must decide what matters more: finding a treasure that could save the lake… or risking their hearts on something even more uncertain.

Forgotten Fayetteville and More Hidden Histories from Washington County

Washington County has nearly two centuries of stories to tell, and many of them have been forgotten.
In this follow-up to Forgotten Fayetteville, local historians J. B. Hogan and Susan Parks-Spencer uncover more of the people, places, and events that shaped Fayetteville and the surrounding county. Explore the violent early years of Evansville, revisit the shocking murder that led to the execution of the Burnett family, and discover what made April 1864 one of the deadliest months in Washington County history. You’ll meet John Rollin Ridge, the first Native American novelist, learn the story of Rebecca Brown Tollett’s life in slavery, and examine the tragic lynching of Reverend Anthony Bewley.
From vanished towns and frontier churches to forgotten cemeteries, pioneering families, and overlooked chapters of Native American, Black, and immigrant history, these stories reveal a richer and more complex past than many realize. Woven together, they form a portrait of the lives, triumphs, and tragedies that shaped this corner of the Ozarks and the communities that call it home.
Whether you’re a lifelong resident, a newcomer, or simply a student of Arkansas history, Forgotten Fayetteville and More Hidden Histories from Washington County invites you to look beyond familiar landmarks and rediscover the people and events that helped shape the Ozarks.

Roan & Weatherford