Part of Doc Ford, book 21
First published 2014
A Crow Indian friend asks Tomlinson to help retrieve a stolen tribal relic. Doc Ford agrees to accompany him on what seems like a straightforward recovery mission. Their investigation leads them into Central Florida's Bone Valley, where two dangerous industries operate in the shadows. Black market dealers traffic in stolen artifacts and illegal fossils, while massive phosphate mining operations strip away the ancient ground beneath their feet. Both groups guard their secrets fiercely and view outsiders as threats to their profits. Ford and Tomlinson discover they have wandered into territory where exposure means financial ruin for powerful interests. The region sits on millions of years of accumulated bones, providing countless places to dispose of anyone who asks too many questions. As the two men dig deeper into the theft, they realize the stolen relic connects to something much larger and more perilous than either anticipated.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigation, perilous-mission
Setting: Bone Valley, Central Florida
362 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons