This rectangular header features a picture that is apparently being revealed by a strip of paper torn back to show the picture underneath. The glimpse of the picture beneath shows an apparently-angry calico cat hissing and taking a swipe at a large black dog with a worried look on his face. Behind him sits another dog, this one with black-sable-over-tan markings.
Bones for the Children

Bones for the Children

Bones for the Children continues the story!

Planned for publication in 2027!

The XK9s’ Saga Continues!

The action in Bones for the Children starts a couple of months after the end of the XK9 “Bones” Trilogy. Familiar characters face new challenges, and we’ll meet some brand-new people (of several species), too. Rex, Shady, Charlie and Pam return as point-of-view characters, but we also see the action through the eyes of two new viewpoints. Readers have met one in previous books, but the other is all-new.

Bones for the Children could be read as a stand-alone, although some themes from the earlier books continue. And Jan has more books planned for this series.

This design centers on a 3D mockup of a fat trade paperback book with paper partially torn away from the cover. The semi-reveal shows two large dogs, one black and one brown-and-black, giving a side-eye to a hissing calico cat. The words say, “Bones for the Children Coming in 2026! By Jan S. Gephardt. ‘Kali’s Complaint’ ©2023 by Lucy A. Synk Is NOT the actual cover painting. But it made a fun ‘peek-a-boo’ with the BookBrush semi-reveal.”
Artwork © 2023 by Lucy A. Synk.

What’s it about?

Here’s a book description for Bones for the Children:

What detective worth her salt wouldn’t try to find a missing boy? 

Except the boy isn’t supposed to exist. And the place where he’s disappeared is officially off-limits – even for the Orangeboro Police Department.

But XK9 Shady and her partner Pam Gómez go anyway. What they find in the notorious “Five-Ten” criminal underworld is the last thing they wanted to discover: powerful weapons the OPD can’t match. For them, and for Police Chief Kwame Klein, their discovery opens a dangerous and daunting path – and exposes a generations-old secret of corruption, greed, and terror.

Meanwhile, Shady’s mate Rex struggles to shoulder his new responsibilities as a member of Rana Station’s National Leadership Council. Ranan Military Intelligence drafts Rex’s partner Charlie and their friend Shiv for an unexpected and physically-demanding mission. And XK9 refugees gathered in the Ranan Embassy prepare to emigrate to a strange foreign place in the depths of space.

All of them must confront an ancient truth: Old, bad decisions do not die. They fester and gain strength, until they finally break open in the messiest possible way.

How Can I Learn More?

As ever, to stay up-to-date with all things “XK9,” subscribe to Jan S. Gephardt’s bimonthly newsletter. Previews of Chapters from Bones for the Children begin with the September-October issue!

Image Credit:

Kali’s Complaint ©2023 by Lucy A. Synk Is NOT the actual cover painting. But it made a fun ‘peek-a-boo’ with the BookBrush semi-reveal.”