by Kathy Reichs
Part of Temperance Brennan, book 19
First published 2020
Temperance Brennan receives disturbing text messages while recovering from brain surgery in sweltering Charlotte, North Carolina. Each message contains a photograph of a mutilated corpse missing its face and hands. The forensic anthropologist wants to know who sent the images and why they targeted her. When an identified body surfaces, it answers some questions but raises many more. Tempe's hostile new supervisor tries to block her from the investigation, forcing her to work outside official channels. She questions her own judgment as post-surgical symptoms cloud her thinking. The dead man's background grows more mysterious with each clue. He might have been a spy, a trafficker, or an assassination target. Most puzzling is his connection to a child who vanished nearly ten years earlier. Working with Montreal detective Andrew Ryan and retired investigator Skinny Slidell, Tempe employs advanced forensic techniques to uncover the truth. Each revelation makes the case darker and more complex, testing her skills and resolve.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Charlotte, North Carolina, Montreal
336 pages · Kindle Edition · Scribner