17 Aug Book Review Bone Hash Skye Griffith #Mystery #Suspense #Southwest #WomenSleuths

FEATURED AUTHOR: SKYE GRIFFITH

I’m delighted to welcome Skye Griffith as the featured Colorado author of the Southwest Murder/Suspense, Bone Hash (Archaeologist Aideen Connor Mysteries), published by Artemesia Publishing, LLC on June 24, 2025 (284 pages). 

Below are highlights of Bone Hash, Skye Griffith’s author bio, interview, and my 5-star review of her gripping modern mystery/suspense that captures the harsh, unforgiving beauty of the American Southwest

HIGHLIGHTS: BONE HASH

Bone Hash
(Archaeologist Aideen Connor Mysteries)
By Skye Griffith

Blurb

Ancient Bones. A modern murder. A deadly secret buried deep in the desert.

In the vast untamed desert of northern Arizona, Aideen Connor signs on as lead archaeologist hoping to find peace after witnessing her husband’s violent death. Instead, she stumbles into a mystery as ancient and dangerous as the land itself. Aideen’s team uncovers a “bone hash,” human bones showing evidence of prehistoric cannibalism. Then a brutal murder shocks the residents of the nearby Hopi Reservation. Unsettling connections emerge between the murder and her dig, and Aideen’s world begins to unravel.

Aideen’s boss blames her when the bone hash is stolen. Violent threats begin: A sheep is viciously killed under her residential trailer; a photo of her dead husband is left in its blood. A hulky stranger chases her across remote backcountry and attacks her. All threats point to a grim reality: someone wants her gone. Aideen must navigate a maze of buried truths with only her dog, Dakota for companionship. Every clue leads her closer to the secrets buried at her dig that could cost her more than her career—they could cost her life.

“Griffith has created a riveting work that successfully blends a chilling mystery and a revealing character study into a potent whole.” Kirkus Review

Buy Links: 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Bone-Archaeologist-Aideen-Connor-Mysteries/dp/1963832132

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bone-hash-skye-griffith/1146845598

West Side Shops: https://www.westsidebooks.com/book/9781963832136

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/bone-hash-skye-griffith/22229980

AUTHOR BIO: SKYE GRIFFITH

Award-winning event producer and passionate explorer, Skye Griffith debuts her talent for storytelling with Bone Hash, a gripping mystery inspired by her explorations of archaeological sites and rugged backcountry across the American Southwest.

Skye’s fascination with prehistoric cultures and their ability to thrive in unforgiving landscapes sparked the heart of her story. Through years of research and first-hand adventures, she crafts an authentic and vivid narrative of secrets buried in desert sands.

Before turning to fiction, Skye orchestrated large-scale events—including Denver’s first world championship, the Stanley Cup celebration, and the Pope’s historic visit to Denver during World Youth Day. Her articles have appeared in the National Endowment for the Arts newsletter and other industry publications. She holds degrees from the Universities of Cincinnati and Denver and is a member of the Denver Woman’s Press Club, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime. She lives in Denver with her husband and their 115 lb Malamute.

Author Links:

Website: https://skyegriffith.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/skyegriffith/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skye.griffith1

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/skye-griffith

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: SKYE GRIFFITH

1. What inspired you to write Bone Hash?

After enjoying travels throughout the U. S., Europe and South America, I realized the high desert American Southwest is one of the places on earth I like visiting most. Ever since my first trip to Mesa Verde, an extensive archaeological site in southwestern Colorado, I’ve held a fascination for the people who once walked the Four Corners Region, the people whom we now identify as Ancestral Puebloan. Most archaeologists believe they are the ancestors of modern-day Pueblo people now living in New Mexico and Arizona.

These prehistoric Native Americans created hundreds of villages across Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico from the only building materials available—rocks and mud. At Mesa Verde in southwestern Colorado, I learned of their dry land farming on the mesa tops, their well-thought-out irrigation systems and how they’d managed to thrive in an environment both harsh and beautiful. Then between 1275 and 1300 CE, a thirty-to-fifty-year drought forced them to abandon everything and leave their homes. Some scientists also speculate about the impact of increased violence and cultural collapse brought on by the environmental devastation.

When I began to consider what challenges, a modern-day archaeologist might face while she examined the material culture of prehistoric people who’d left their homes behind—a devastating loss—while she came to grips with her own loss after witnessing the violent death of her husband, I knew I had to write this story, and one-by-one the characters in Bone Hash began to reveal themselves.

2. How much research was involved in writing Bone Hash?

I spent years researching Bone Hash! I visited archaeological sites including Bandelier, Hovenweep, Aztec, Canyon de Chelly and others and teaching sites such as Crow Canyon in southwestern Colorado. I interviewed archaeologists and read their research papers, hiked sites such as Canyon of the Ancients where Ancestral Puebloans once lived, visited modern day Pueblos, such as Taos Pueblo and villages on the Hopi Reservation and camped in many remote areas on the Colorado Plateau.

I interviewed sheriffs in multiple counties in Arizona. I interviewed Bureau of Land Management (BLM) special agents tasked with protecting ancient sites in the Southwest, F. B. I. agents and the list goes on!

3. Why did you choose to incorporate finding human bones (bone hash) that showed evidence of prehistoric cannibalism in the story?

From scientific papers I’ve read, cannibalism on the Colorado Plateau, during the drought especially, was somewhat common. It’s not something Native Americans like to discuss, most likely because the issue has been used negatively against them. Yet in prehistoric times, cannibalism was relatively common throughout the world, including among my Celtic ancestors. There are archaeological sites all over Europe, as an example, where prehistoric cannibalism was discovered. I believe it adds to the reader’s awareness as to how utterly desperate these prehistoric times were. And it adds to the considerations the modern archaeologist who is the main character in my book needs to consider–how to understand the ancient people she is studying without judging them.

4. Which sub-character is your favorite in Bone Hash? Explain why.

I’d have to confess it’s Dakota, Aideen’s dog! I think I’ve been a dog lover since birth, and I’ve known firsthand how loyal dogs are. It made sense to me there would be a strong bond between woman and dog given the remoteness of the dig and the fact Aideen rescued the dog and saved its life.

5. What is your favorite quote from Bone Hash?

It would have to be what Frank Nakai says at the end of the final chapter but stating it here would be too big of a spoiler!

6. What makes you keep going? What advice would you give to new writers?

I came to writing fiction later in life, fulfilling a life-long dream, and I’m so grateful I finally have the time to devote to it. More importantly, Bone Hash is the response to my travels throughout the Colorado Plateau and many wonderful adventures. Writing about them helps me enjoy those adventures all over again! Advice to new writers: Write what you love! The old adage is “write what you know.” Good advice, but it’s also possible to learn new things and do extensive research. I’d say go for that!

7. Which writer, living or dead, do you admire most?

Too hard to get it down to one person. The writing of Louis de Bernières in Corelli’s Mandolin is some of the most beautiful and poignant I’ve read.

I love the work of Tana French.

You must give credit to the brilliant storytelling of Charles Dicken.

James, by Percival Everett is a marvel.

There are so many writers’ whose works I love—all for different reasons—and often one book stands out more than their whole body of work.

BOOK REVIEW: BONE HASH

Archaeologist Aideen Connor, haunted by the tragic death of her husband, must find strength to overcome threats in her quest to uncover secrets from the ancient past in Bone Hash by Skye Griffith. The murder mystery/suspense captures the harsh, unforgiving beauty of the American Southwest as Aideen starts her life anew as the lead archaeologist at Moenkopi Ridge, an Ancestral Pueblo settlement.

However, Aideen awakes to danger when a stranger barges into her motel room seeking a photo of a native woman he left behind. She escapes his clutches and reports the incident to tribal policemen. When she drives to the archaeological dig, the stranger rams her mustang off the road.

Incidents at the archeological site becomes deadly when a bone hash showing signs of cannibalism from the past is uncovered by Aideen’s archaeological team but then is stolen. As Aideen faces other threats to her career and life, she struggles to connect the web of events: murder of a Hopi woman, deadly intruders at the dig, and illegal drugs hidden among stored artifacts. Ultimately, she must delve into her tragic past to save her career and her life in a riveting climax full of twists.

Author Skye Griffith masterfully weaves the Southwest landscape into the story to help create suspense. Creatures lurk everywhere in darkness, ready to strike like her adversaries. The meticulous details of various tribal enforcement agencies and archaeological digs add depth and reality to the story. The action scenes are heart-pounding, particularly the climax. The twists will keep you turning the pages to find out how the various incidents are connected.

The narrative is told from the first-person perspective of Aideen, a spunky and resilient woman who meets challenges head-on. Even so, she sometimes shows her vulnerability due to her husband’s untimely death that she was unable to prevent. She has formed a strong bond with her companion dog, Dallas, whom she rescued. Their interplay blends smoothly in the plotline and adds to poignant moments. The climax and ending resonate with me because Aideen uses the tragedy of her husband’s death to gain strength and overcome threats to her life and career, so she can move forward. The epilogue promises more stories about Aideen in the future.

Set in the Southwest, Bone Hash is a gripping, multi-layered mystery/suspense with a memorable archaeologist sleuth that fans of Tony and Anne Hillerman might enjoy. Highly recommended.