Okay, bad Shakespeare joke I know. Then again most of my post titles are bad jokes, its one of my fatal flaws. After my gaffe with the reverse selection of Haunt Me Still I had resolved to go back to the beginning and boy am I glad I did. Interred With Their Bones was so different than its follow up that I almost didn't believe they were from the same series. This novel had a lot more action, a better more realistic and believable mystery, and ditched the frankly stupid supernatural element. Kate and Ben were also much more interesting than their watered down versions in Haunt Me Still. There were some moments where the tension literally made you skin crawl in this book, while in the other it was more like people would randomly pop up with knives like in a haunted house around Halloween.The parallel mysteries, first a search for a missing play by Shakespeare based on a subplot from Don Quixote, and a series of murders of noted Shakespearian authorities staged to look like deaths from Shakespeare takes a while to resolve itself, but won't disappoint along the way. Even I who have read the next book and knows what happens at time was on the edge of my seat, a rare quality in a book. Pair it with a decent mystery and you've got a real winner.
Again, as with Haunt Me Still, a more than passing knowledge of SHakespeare is a major plus. Without it you will miss a lot of clues, Carrell does her best to explain every reference but she still assumes that readers will be able to grasp the implications. If you didn't get the joke in the title, you probably won't enjoy this one all too much. Her descriptions of the locals are excellent, as someone who has been to Stratford-Upon-Avon the world she creates is extremely true to life. Again the historical flashbacks are extraneous (or at least I think so, I didn't read any of them this time, and I was never confused for a second) feel free to skim or skip. Don't hold your breath too hard for romance, because despite all evidence to the contrary you will be disappointed, however the Stanley-Pearl partnership is satisfying even without it. I'm still not sold that the Washington Post was correct when they said in their review that this was a perfect beach read, but until spring comes it will keep you busy.
