by Kathy Reichs
Part of Temperance Brennan, book 17
First published 2014
Dr. Temperance Brennan receives an unexpected summons to Charlotte PD's Cold Case Unit. A homicide detective from far outside his jurisdiction needs her expertise. The reason chills her. Two child murders across thousands of miles share one connection: the same killer. Years earlier, Anique Pomerleau abducted and killed multiple girls in Canada before slipping away from Brennan and detective Andrew Ryan. The failure haunted both investigators. Now Pomerleau has emerged in the United States, connected to deaths in Vermont and North Carolina. When another child disappears, Brennan knows the killing spree will continue unless she stops it. She must convince her estranged former partner Ryan to abandon his self-imposed exile. She needs to prevent local police and federal agents from sabotaging each other. Most difficult of all, she must confront her own past failures while tracking a remorseless predator. Brennan gets a second opportunity to capture the psychopath who escaped her once before.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, second-chance
Setting: Canada, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, Vermont
Period: Present Day
326 pages · Hardcover · Bantam
Content warnings: child-death, murder, violence