Greg Van Eekhout California Bones reminds me of Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden urban magic novels. What attracted to me to this book was the cover blurb: “A novel of magic, a heist, and the unexpected things that change your life.” I like magic and I like heists. They rarely go together so I figured I’d give California Bones a quick read. Daniel Blackland had a father skilled as a wizard of osteomancy (and ability to absorb power). Daniel’s father embeds powers in Daniel. Then the evil Heirarch (master wizard and leader of the Kingdom of Los Angeles) kills Daniel’s mother and father. Fast-forward a decade and Daniel is a troubled youth. He’s challenged by a local gangster named Otis to break into the Heirarch’s treasure vault. That’s the heist. Plenty of magic and plot-twists result. Greg Van Eekhout has written Young Adult novels before attempting California Bones so there’s a youthful feel to the characters and story. The characters are engaging and the action held my interest. I plan to read the next book in this series, Pacific Fire. GRADE: C+