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Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2) QUOTES

Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2) QUOTES

1 " But trust me, men are never worth it. Behind every great man is a woman who gave up on greatness and tied herself into an apron. Romance is for saps, Abbie. You’re sharp and you’ve got pluck. Don’t waste it. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

2 " The greatest figures in history are never the ones who avoid failure, but those who march chin-up through countless failures, one after the next, until they come upon the occasional victory. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

3 " Commissioner Marlowe stood on the platform with his arms crossed as we disembarked. He had the cheerful demeanor of someone who has been beaten about the face all night with a sock full of porridge--only even more so than usual. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

4 " So often,” Jackaby said, “people think that when we arrive at a crossroads, we can choose only one path, but—as I have often and articulately postulated—people are stupid. We’re not walking the path. We are the path. We are all of the roads and all of the intersections. Of course you can choose both. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

5 " Follow my lead, Miss Rook," Jackaby said, rapping on the ornately trimmed door to 1206 Campbell Street. Were my employer a standard private investigator, those might have been simple instructions, but in the time I've been his assistant, I've found very little about Jackaby to be standard. Following his lead tends to call for a somewhat flexible relationship with reality. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

6 " Is it...Richard Frederic?"
"No, and I am not going to--"
"Russell Francis?"
"No. You're being--"
"Rumpelstiltskin Finnegan?"
Jackaby sighed. "Yes, Miss Rook. Rumpelstiltskin. You've found me out. I am the devious imp of the fairy tales. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

7 " Right," I said. My ears were still ringing slightly. "Did you just wake me with a policemen's rattle? You can hear those things from two blocks away."
"A what? No, this is a grogger--it's an old Judaic instrument. It's used during Purim to make a deafening racket during special readings. Charming, isn't it? Marvelously raucous custom."
"Knocking gently also works."
"You have no appreciation for culture. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

8 " No, really. I think you have a very fine figure. Goodness, I meant as a hound . . . You look fine as a hound. Not that you don’t have an excellent figure as a man. Oh Lord. I mean . . .” My cheeks were growing warm from ear to ear. “I mean that I don’t mind at all, Mr. Barker. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

9 " Mr. Jackaby, really! Jenny isn't some scientific oddity--she's your friend!"
Jackaby raised an eyebrow. "In point of fact, Miss Rook, she's both, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. All exceptional people are, by definition, exceptions to the norm. If we insist on being ordinary, we can never be truly extraordinary."
"That is a very well-rehearsed and eloquent excuse for being an absolute brute to a sad, sweet woman. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

10 " The only paths you can't travel are the ones you block yourself--so don't let the fear of failure stop you from trying in the first place. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

11 " Failure is not the opposite of success—it’s a part of it. And as failures go,” he added with a lopsided grin, “this one was really spectacular, wasn’t it? "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

12 " Charlie helped with the dig as well?"Jackaby said.
Charlie nodded.
"Surprising-I should think that unburying bones would go against generations of instinct to do just the opposite, wouldn't it? Ouch! Watch your step in the dark, Miss Rook-you just kicked my shin. Where was I? Right-I was saying that coming from a family of dogs-ouch! You've done it again, rather hard that time. Really, the path isn't even bumpy here. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

13 " And mostly I just want to be sure you don't come to me to discuss your romantic entanglements. I much prefer that you remain on comfortable terms with Miss Cavanaugh. Although, should she ever become unavailable," Jackaby said earnestly,"I want you to know"-he put a hand gently on my shoulder-"that Douglas is an excellent listener. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

14 " Miss Rook, on a scale of one to pomegranate, how dangerous would you say this situation has become?"

"Dangerous?" I faltered.

"Yes, Miss Rook," prompted Jackaby, in your expert opinion."

"On a scale of one to pomegranate?" I followed his lead, checking over the notes I had scribbled in my notepad and speaking in my most audible, serious whisper. "I should think ... acorn? Possibly badger. Time alone will tell. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

15 " I might be better prepared to slay dragons, I decided, than to flirt with boys. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

16 " I've nothing against people as a general rule, but people don't tend to have the sort of answers I'm looking for." The fence post just above Jackaby's head exploded in a spray of splinters with a resonating BLAM! A woman stood in the open doorway across from him, a plain white apron tied around her waist and a fat-barreled rifle in her hands. "Of course, people do have a way of surprising you from time to time," my employer added. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

17 " I can see why you're fond of Jackaby."
"Hah! He's as rare a breed as they come-that's the truth!"
Jackaby rolled his eyes. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

18 " Sir? What are you doing?” I asked. “Investigating,” Jackaby replied flatly. “Well, you can’t just walk into someone’s yard unannounced. Besides, doesn’t investigating usually involve questioning people?” “I’ve nothing against people as a general rule, but people don’t tend to have the sort of answers I’m looking for.” The fence post just above Jackaby’s head exploded in a spray of splinters with a resonating BLAM! A woman stood in the open doorway across from him, a plain white apron tied around her waist and a fat-barreled rifle in her hands. “Of course, people do have a way of surprising you from time to time,” my employer added. The "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

19 " Oh no. He looks half-dead." Charlie's face paled as he eyed the trapper's wrist and the blood-soaked bandages.
"Indeed." Jackaby nodded. "And if we don't get him some proper attention soon, he'll be all dead. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

20 " The most frightening monsters are monsters’ mothers. Just ask Beowulf. "

― William Ritter , Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)