by Kathy Reichs
Part of Temperance Brennan, book 4
First published 2005
Forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan arrives at a plane crash site in North Carolina's Smoky Mountains to identify victims. The routine recovery mission takes a dark turn when she stumbles across a coyote-mangled leg bone. Her quick calculations reveal an impossible truth: this victim never boarded the aircraft. The discovery transforms what should have been straightforward disaster response into something far more sinister. Brennan must determine how an extra body ended up scattered among genuine crash victims. Her high-tech Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team mobilizes to uncover the truth behind this disturbing anomaly. As Brennan digs deeper into the evidence, she faces a mystery that challenges everything the initial investigation assumed about the crash.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, mystery
Setting: North Carolina, Smoky Mountains
448 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Pocket Star