by Kathy Reichs
Part of Temperance Brennan, book 12
First published 2009
Tempe Brennan awakens trapped in a cramped, freezing space with her hands bound to her feet. As she fights panic in the darkness, she reconstructs the events that led to her captivity. She had traveled with Lieutenant Ryan to transport remains of a missing Montreal heiress to Chicago. The case exploded when someone accused Tempe of botching the autopsy through an anonymous phone call. The caller's only lead died within hours. Back in Montreal, investigators discovered a second elderly woman's body in the woods, then a third. Someone is systematically destroying Tempe's reputation and sabotaging her forensic work. Now she must piece together which colleague betrayed her while fighting to survive her imprisonment. The investigation reveals how devastating it would be if forensic evidence were deliberately corrupted. Tempe's relationship with Ryan deepens as they navigate the complex case of murdered women and professional sabotage.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Montreal, Chicago
Period: 21st-century
308 pages · Paperback · Scribner