Reminded me a lot of the Temperance Brennan series which sadly wasn't for me. The book got too nitty gritty for me with forensics and science which I found hard to follow and hard to relate to

The comfort of distance by Ryburn Dobbs was such a great read and I have a new series to look forward!
I love this book and how the mix of mystery/crime/forensic investigation with a dash of romance comes together in such an easy way to understand and follow along.
I think that Sebastian is the perfect main character and to see him how he reacts to newly found romance towards Detective Tiffany, had me cheering out for both.
He is eccentric and reminds me of House, the new Sherlock or a very young version of Ducky from NCIS .
A few goosebumps along the way while reading the story and an interesting approach to the forensic part of the investigation more than the court or police one.
It’s worth all your time and money!

Starting with an interesting premise, the book holds a lot of promise for the rest of the series. A crime investigative plot focusing on forensics Mather than the usual procedural law and order side of things. The protagonist, Sebastien is a forensic anthropologist and I loved the detailed insight into this line of work via his eyes. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The pace is maintained and stays gripping throughout. This crime thriller. My thanks to Hobbs and the publishers, Dandiprat Press, for gifting me with a copy of this book.

I love the detailed nature of the authors writing because of his experience as a forensic analyst. I believe you get a great detailed view of the workings behind the scenes of an investigation.

However I think for myself it might have been too detailed in the specifics that I felt like I had to pay close attention and maybe reread a couple parts.

I liked the hero of the story, while he was a bit dramatic at time I think he was a very like able character.

Really enjoyed this book, lots of interesting forensic detail ( author is a forensic anthropologist). Although you know early on who the bad guys are, it’s interesting to see how they work out the crimes. This is his first novel, I am looking forward to the next one

I predict this author, Ryburn Dobbs, will be one of the top mystery authors in the near future. This book was amazing to read. The characters, the development of the plot of several murders, with several possible outcomes and solutions. It was just fun to read! I would recommend this to everyone, not just mystery readers, and I can't wait for the second book to be published. I have only felt that way with Preston and Douglas' novels!

If one could take the three television dramas “Bones”, “Coroner”, and “Blue Sky”; put them into a blender; and pour the result out onto a page, one might get something resembling The Comfort of Distance. Ryburn Dobbs was that blender.

Dobbs has written an easy-to-read mystery using the detective skills of Hank LeGris (LeGris is “the grey” in French) and his colleague Tiffany Reese, both detectives associated with the Custer SD Sheriff’s Department, and the forensic anthropological skills of Hank’s brother, Dr. Sebastien Grey. Together they would explore the identities and the causes of death of the individuals belonging to the jawbone found under a tree and a skull found in the creek behind an RV park. Mix in enough science along with a layman’s description of that science, not only is the book easy-to-read, but also extremely interesting.

Though The Comfort of Distance is the first book from a new author in a new series, the book held this reader’s attention from the first page. The story was at times a bit graphic; however, it was not overly gruesome. It was the perfect blend of police work, science, and relationships, to create a believable story taking place in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This reviewer will look forward to the additional books promised for the Sebastien Grey series. The book gets five-stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

In the inaugural The Comfort of Distance by Ryburn Dobbs, skeleton parts and body parts are being found in different parts of the wooded landscapes of the Black Hills in South Dakota.

At the same time, scientists are tracking a GPS-tagged mountain lion in fears the mountain lion may be preying on humans in the area.

Hoping to dispel possible widespread panic over a possible human eating mountain lion and to learn more of the remains, Custer County Sheriff's Sergeant Hank LeGris has received approval to enlist the help of his estranged brother, anthropologist and forensic scientist, Dr. Sebastien Grey.

Grey, with issues of his own, including a disorder where he finds distance from people more comforting than close relationships, agrees and soon finds himself in an environment, both landscape and people wise, that will test his abilities.

The Comfort of Distance is an enjoyable police procedural and mystery novel. The characters are likable and the story interesting. While the opening part of the novel would have benefited from tighter editing, the writing does gather its footing as the novel proceeds.

I wasn’t expecting the romance angle and was a a bit dubious at first. But it really worked well and added a lot of depth to the characters and the development of their relationship. The different perspectives were good, although sometimes a little bit hard to keep track of. All in all, a great mystery which is well written and has strong, appealing characters.

Thank you for a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review. I quite enjoyed this crime fiction and I liked the focus on the forensic side of things rather than the police procedural side which we see in most crime novels. This side was also there but the focus was more on the forensic issues and the main character of Sebastian who is a forensic anthropologist. I loved the character of Sebastian and his back story, and how his strained relationship developed with his brother. I also found the story quite detailed and it held my interest. I think this is the first in a series so I will be looking out for the next one.

Blurb- in just a few weeks that human remains have been found in the Black Hills. Citizens are getting restless. Is it a rogue mountain lion, as many people suspect? Or something even more sinister?
Sebastien Grey is a brilliant forensic anthropologist with debilitating social phobia. When he is asked by his estranged brother to come to South Dakota and help identify who, or what is leaving body parts scattered across the county, he discovers much more than the cause of these strange deaths.

The Comfort of Distance by Ryburn Dobbs
A Sebastien Grey Novel #1

Excellent story that drew me in from the first page and kept me reading into the wee hours of the morning!

What I liked:
* Sebastien Grey: quirky, intelligent, forensic anthropologist, that has issues…or thinks he does. I can’t wait to learn more about him. Loved the way his mind worked problems. He intrigued me.
* Hank LeGris: detective, husband, father, brother to Sebastien – I like him at work and at home with his wife and daughter
* That both Sebastien and Hank were brilliant in their own way.
* Tiffany Reese: policewoman, good at her job, intrigued by Sebastien, excellent potential for her and Sebastien in the future.
* The supporting characters: have a feeling some will show up in future books
* The dynamics between Sebastien and Hank
* The plot, writing and story – couldn’t put it down.
* The location in South Dakota
* Learning about mountain lions and bones…always enjoy learning something new.
* That it was believable
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:
* The ease with which the MC members could be violent
* Having to wait for the next book in the series.

Did I enjoy this book? Definitely
Would I read more in this series/by this author? Without a doubt!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dandiprat Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

The comfort of distance is a combination of forensic evaluation with a police investigation. The initial part was somewhat disjointed with too many scenes but once you get a hang of it, the story picks up well. The focus is on the forensic anthropology with the police procedures going out the window. Keeping in mind the author's background, we could ignore these minor issues and enjoy the book. If it's going to be a series, I look forward to the next book.

This book kept me hooked from the first page. I so very much enjoyed reading it and lost myself in the scenery. I have been to the Black Hills a few years ago and they are very beautiful, rugged and sometimes desolate. That area holds a special place in my heart to this day.

This book really peaked my interest in forensic anthropology too. Being able to tell so much about someone and their life from their skeleton is very fascinating. I truly hope we hear more about Dr. Grey and his brother soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dandiprat Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good mystery, and this book was definitely that. If you love the show Bones, then you will love this book. It dove right into the mystery, grabbing me immediately. Dr. Sebastien Grey, a quirky forensic anthropologist and his brother Hank, a salt of the earth sergeant in the county sheriff’s office, are perfect foils for each other as they work together to solve the mystery around the crimes that seem to be piling up in rural South Dakota. There’s forensic science which rings true (no doubt thanks to the author’s expertise) as well as plenty of human aspects to solving a crime. Grey has hints of the famous Holmes without being a replica, which hit the right note for me. Overall, a great read if you’re in the mood for a mystery.

The Comfort of Distance is an investigative mystery/crime story told from a multi perspective point of view. The plot revolves around human bones being found near an RV Park/Camping site leaving the local police and town folk to think it is a mountain lion preying upon unlucky hikers. In order to stifle rumors about mountain lions lurking near the site, Sgt. Hank LeGris calls on his brother, Dr. Sebastien Grey, to investigate the remains found and determine if these people were killed by an animal or if they were murdered. As the investigation proceeds, more remains are found and another possible crime is committed, leading police and Dr. Grey to believe the remains are from people who have been murdered. Succumbing to the pressure to preform well and solve these cases, Sebastien must lead the team on a wild chase littered with critical thinking, attention to detail, and overall brilliant reasoning.

This book was a really great depiction of a multi-genre novel. It hits on investigation, great character developments, some romance, and a lot of forensic study. The progress of the story was very well paced and the characters were all very vivid and developed realistically. There were a few cringe worthy moments when Sebastien was forced to face his 'awkward anxiety' yet it wasn't to the point of embarrassment, I didn't feel like he was just a ball of anxiety and I could see him coming out of his shell and becoming a more well rounded human. The other characters in this story are very likable as well, they felt like real people and weren't your average 'dumb cop' or 'lazy thug'. The romance aspect of this story was also very enjoyable, I am not a huge fan of romance but this one was very slow paced and didn't feel like it needed to revolve around the growth of the two characters relationship, they had things outside of their newfound liking to focus on.

Overall, this book was very good. I enjoyed reading it and I learned a little bit about anthropology and some of the process of what happens when human remains are found. The author did a really good job of incorporating reality into this story and it didn't feel like a huge information dump either.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre,  however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for  opening up my mind to something totally different. Characters were so well developed that I felt as though I knew them. I love when a book draws you into the story and it feels like you are living it with them.

I am a sucker for. a thriller/romance combination and here we have the best of both worlds. In the comfort of distance we follow Dr Sebastian Grey, a forensic anthropologist, his brother Sgt. Hank LeGris and the sublime Detective Reese.
Together the trio must work to figure out what exactly is happening in the forests of Black Hills, what is it that is murdering people? Is it really a rogue man-eating mountain lion' or is it something else? Something that even the best of the best can comprehend.

Will they find the culprit? Will Dr Grey be seduced completely by Dectetive Reese? Read it and see ;)